
2-day South Coast Trip: Blue Ice Cave, Glacier Hike, & Northern Lights, from Reykjavik
Duration: 2 days Easy Must See
Why we love this tour
Fall in love with Iceland on a 2-day exploration of incredible natural highlights. Wander in a blue ice cave, glacier hike, chase the Northern Lights and visit the waterfalls and beaches along the south coast.
- Glacier hike across Vatnajokull, Europe's largest glacier
- Visit the Seljalandsfoss & Skógafoss waterfalls, both 60 m (197 ft) high
- Enter a world of blue in the Ice Cave under Katla Volcano
- Venture out at night to find the mighty Northern Lights
- Walk along Reynisfjara, The Black Sand Beach
- Marvel at the icebergs of Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon














With natural wonders at every turn, this 2-day trip through Iceland never ceases to amaze. Visit flowing waterfalls, a black beach, a massive glacier, and a bright blue ice cave, just to name a few, then spend the night searching the sky for the Northern Lights. Read more to find out which of Iceland's most phenomenal sites you visit after your pickup in Reykjavik.
Seljalandsfoss waterfall
Feel the powerful theatrics of the 60 m (197 ft) tall Seljalandsfoss waterfall. With a raincoat, you’ll be able to make the short hike behind the falls. The scenery behind the fall and the trembling ground from the power of the falling water makes for a picture perfect moment.
Skogafoss waterfall
Further east along the coast is the mighty Skógafoss waterfall. Tucked in a gorge, the river Skoga tumbles down a 60 m (197 ft) cliff before continuing down the landscape towards the Atlantic Ocean. Alongside the gorge, a staircase leads up to the shelf above the waterfall for stunning views. See if you can count all your steps on your way up.
Glacier Hike in Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park
Hike an outlet glacier stemming from one of the largest glaciers in the country. After meeting your highly trained glacier guides and strapping on your safety and glacier equipment, you hike on the ice for an hour and a half of frosty fun. Enjoy this spectacular experience and opportunity to learn more about an increasingly rare natural phenomenon.
Blue Ice Cave
After a short hike to reach the cave, enter the dazzling site of the Blue Ice Cave. Located under the active Katla Volcano, wandering through this extremely rare natural wonder is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Learn about the fascinating ice caves and stare at the blue all around you.
Northern Lights hunt
Arriving at our hotel in the Southeast, you will move into your room, have dinner and then meet your guide for further information about the Northern Lights. If the sky is clear and the forecast is promising, your guide will find a good spot to hunt the famous Aurora Borealis. If all the conditions are right, you'll be among the lucky crowd who's witnessed this colorful spectacle in the sky.
Jokulsarlon, the Glacier Lagoon
Start off day number two with a visit to the Jokulsarlan glacier lagoon, a 200 m (656 ft) deep glacial lagoon fed by Breioamerkurjokull, an outlet glacier of Europe’s largest glacier. Enormous icebergs from Breioamerkurjokull fill the lagoon. Walk alongside the glacier lagoon to enjoying the magnificent ice sculptures and dead silence of Icelandic nature.
Diamond Beach
On the other side of the road, the icebergs from Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon float into the Atlantic Ocean where they are quickly thrown back to shore by the tide and winds. This black sand beach is full of smaller ice rocks in all shapes and sizes, sparkling like diamonds in the daylight. The ice itself comes in all shades of white and blue forming beautiful contrasts. It's guaranteed to make your eyes pop!
Reynisfjara, the Black Sand Beach
Heading further east, visit the black sand beach of Reynisfjara where the Atlantic coastline presents massive waves hitting the unique basalt columns in the cliffs above the sand. Rock pillars in the water and the cliffs of Dyrholaey can be seen in the distance. This area of the south is also a paradise for bird lovers, as puffins and dozens of other unique species nest on top of these cliffs in the summertime from June to August.
Need to know before you go
This tour runs every Monday to Saturday from October to March.
Pickup time is 8:00 a.m.
Groups are limited to 19 people.
Minimum age to participate is 8 years.
Pick up is available from designated areas in Reykjavík. Please enter your address in Iceland in the booking form.
What to bring? Warm clothes (first layer), waterproof clothing (second layer), hiking boots, and a smile.
There is a lunch stop and are plenty of stops to buy snacks along the way.
Order or availability of attractions may change due to road or weather conditions.
The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and cannot be guaranteed by the operator. The hotels are in prime locations to maximize the chances of seeing them.
Pickup is from designated locations in Reykjavik. Pick up from Keflavik airport or outside of the greater capital area is not available.
We recommended that you pack a small suitcase for this tour. Luggage storage is available for free if you bring it to the pickup location.
Bring hiking boots with slip-resistant soles and ankle protection. Please contact us if you need to rent hiking boots.
Cancellation
Your booking will become valid after we receive your payment and send you a confirmation email.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance with 100% reimbursement.
There is no reimbursement for later cancellations. In case of cancellation from our side due to bad weather, we will return your payment in full.
Meeting point
Your accommodation in Reykjavik
Please enter your address in Iceland in the booking form
Provided by
Troll ExpeditionsReviews for this provider
29 Jun 2023
I attempted to contact your company twice via email before my tour due to inability to travel to Iceland to cancel and be reimbursed but never heard back. I am very disappointed in your customer service. I was frustrated to receive this email today.
18 Jun 2023
The booking was not in the systemen of Troll expedities and your email send us to the wrong location.
23 Feb 2023
We went in February and had the best weather we could have wished for. The tour was well organised and the preparation went very smoothly. Our guide was very friendly and always happy to answer any questions we had. The hike was amazing. Even though some of our group were worried that it might be too difficult, it worked quite well (all of us were used to walking the dog/ going on daily walks). The view from the glacier was absolutely stunning and we could stop to take pictures. Unfortunately, the „Blue Ice Cave“ was incredibly disappointing. It was maybe 5 metres long/„deep“ and only four people could enter at a time. Each group of four probably spent up to 10 min in the tiny „cave“ (to take pictures as there wasn‘t anything else to do/see there. The pictures on the website are completely misleading. Organisation of the tour: 5 stars Guide: 5 stars Glacier hike: 5 stars Ice „Cave“: 1 star
21 Jun 2022
11 Oct 2021
Wonderful and exciting. Guide Sven was very experienced and knowledgeable. Dark humor. Loved it.
14 Aug 2019
We didn’t know what to expect. This tour was worth it. We learned a good amount about the glaciers and, sadly, about how they are disappearing. The hiking was easy and the views were fabulous.
2 Jan 2019
It was the most fantastic time in Iceland. I would like to recommend this activites to others. Thank you very much.