Katla Ice Cave & South Coast Waterfalls Day Trip from Reykjavík

4.62

(146 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect to feel so small next to that glacier. We left Reykjavík early—still half-asleep, honestly—and by the time we switched from the bus to this monster super-jeep near Vík, I was wide awake. Our guide, Jón, handed out crampons with a grin like he’d seen a thousand nervous faces before. The air smelled sharp and cold, almost metallic. When we finally stepped into Katla Ice Cave, it was quieter than I thought it would be—just the sound of boots on crunchy ice and someone’s muffled “wow” echoing off the blue walls. My fingers went numb but I couldn’t stop touching the rippled ice; it felt older than anything I’ve ever seen.

Lunch in Vík was quick—there’s this little café near the black sand beach where I tried something called kleinur (sort of like a doughnut twist). The wind nearly stole my hat when we walked down to the shore. Black sand gets everywhere. Jón pointed out Reynisdrangar sea stacks and told us some wild folklore about trolls turning to stone at sunrise. I probably butchered the Icelandic names trying to repeat them back—he laughed anyway.

On the way back toward Reykjavík, we stopped at Skógafoss first. You can hear it before you see it—a deep rumble that makes your chest vibrate a little if you stand close enough. Spray everywhere; rainbows if you catch it right (we did). Seljalandsfoss was our last stop, and yeah, you can actually walk behind it—the path is slippery but worth it for that weird feeling of standing inside a curtain of water looking out at green fields. My socks were soaked after but honestly? Still think about that view sometimes.