Before any glacier trip: check Safetravel alerts and leave a travel plan. Emergency: 112.

Katla ice cave (Kötlujökull): sold all year, but read the summer warnings

Mýrdalsjökull ice cap seen from Road 1 in south Iceland
Mýrdalsjökull seen from Road 1 in Mýrdalshreppur, as described on Wikimedia Commons. The Katla ice cave tours visit Kötlujökull, an outlet of this ice cap; this photo does not show the cave. Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).

Kötlujökull is an outlet glacier of Mýrdalsjökull [1]. Tours depart from Vík [2]. It lies outside Vatnajökull National Park, so the park's 1 Oct – 30 Apr window does not apply [3].

What operators say Operator claim

  • Arctic Adventures [1]:
    • runs "all year" and calls it "Iceland's only year-round natural ice cave";
    • minimum age 6, maximum group size 14;
    • a 1–2 km walk, and ladders may be used;
    • certified glacier guide, with helmet and crampons provided;
    • can close at short notice for weather, glacier movement or volcanic activity;
    • free cancellation up to 24 hours before [1].
  • Katla Track (Fast Track tour):
    • runs year-round, 2.5–3 hours, 2–12 people per guide, minimum age 6;
    • helmet, crampons and headlamp provided;
    • departure times may change by season, and tours are cancelled for weather [2];
    • free changes up to 48 hours before, with a 5% fee on cancellations [4].

What scientists and authorities say

  • In a September 2024 memo, the Icelandic Met Office and the University of Iceland's glaciology group pointed to the 2017 risk assessment. It concluded that summer ice cave tours are dangerous, and that tours should run only in winter, and only when there has been no warm spell or flooding. This applies to all Icelandic glaciers [5].
  • The memo gives Kötlujökull a special warning:
    • glacial floods (jökulhlaups) can come from geothermal cauldrons or eruptions; it cites floods in 1955 and 2011, and in the Skálm river in 2024;
    • in 2011 the Múlakvísl river rose more than 5 m in about 4 minutes;
    • the river gauge is about 6 km from the glacier, so it cannot warn people at the glacier tongue;
    • hydrogen sulphide gas is also a risk [5].
  • In September 2024, RÚV reported that companies kept running Kötlujökull cave tours after Breiðamerkurjökull tours stopped. The Director of Tourism said a general summer ban was under consideration [6]. We found no source saying such a ban was introduced Unverified.
  • In 2025, glaciologist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson said: "It is absolutely unacceptable that there are ice cave tours in an area like Kötlujökull in the summer" [3].
  • August 2026: Iceland Review reported a small glacial flood in Múlakvísl. Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) was measured above health limits at Láguhvolar, about 2 km from the edge of Kötlujökull, and people were advised not to linger near the river or the glacier edge [7].

For current volcano and flood warnings, check the Icelandic Met Office [8] and Safetravel alerts [9] on the day.

FAQ

Is the Katla ice cave tour regulated like the Vatnajökull caves?

Kötlujökull is outside Vatnajökull National Park. RÚV reported in April 2025 that no rules apply to ice cave tours outside the park [13]. Iceland Review reported that tours outside the park are permitted if conditions are met, with companies submitting safety plans to the Tourist Board but judging conditions themselves [3].

Sources

  1. Katla Ice Cave Tour: Under the Volcano
    Arctic Adventures (tour operator) · tour operator (commercial claim) · accessed 2026-10-23
  2. Katla Fast Track Ice Cave Tour
    Katla Track (tour operator) · tour operator (commercial claim) · accessed 2026-10-23
  3. Experts warn ice cave tours in summer are too dangerous
    Iceland Review (citing RÚV) · news report · published 2025-09-01 · accessed 2026-10-23
  4. FAQ
    Katla Track (tour operator) · tour operator (commercial claim) · accessed 2026-10-23
  5. Minnisblað: jöklaferðir (memo on glacier/ice cave trips)
    Icelandic Met Office & University of Iceland glaciology group (hosted by Ferðamálastofa) · in Icelandic · published 2024-09-04 · accessed 2026-10-23 · via curl + pdftotext (PDF)
  6. Íshellaferðum í Kötlujökli haldið áfram
    RÚV · in Icelandic · news report · published 2024-09-04 · accessed 2026-10-23
  7. Múlakvísl glacial flood and toxic gas (2026)
    Iceland Review · news report · published 2026-08-20 · accessed 2026-10-23
  8. Icelandic Meteorological Office (home)
    Icelandic Meteorological Office · accessed 2026-10-23
  9. Travel conditions (alerts)
    Safetravel / ICE-SAR · accessed 2026-10-23
  10. Travel plans
    Safetravel / ICE-SAR · accessed 2026-10-23
  11. Vatnajökull National Park (English home)
    Vatnajökull National Park · accessed 2026-10-23
  12. Safetravel.is home page
    Safetravel / ICE-SAR (Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg) · accessed 2026-10-23
  13. Engar reglur gilda um íshellaferðir utan Vatnajökulsþjóðgarðs
    RÚV · in Icelandic · news report · published 2025-04-02 · accessed 2026-10-23 · via headline only (JS-rendered; body not retrieved by curl or search)