From Reykjavik: Katla Ice Cave And South Coast Day Tour

The black sand beach was really cool, with the caves and structures in the water. Off in the distance was Dyrhólaey, but unfortunately it was too misty to see clearly. The glacier itself is a wonder to see with how mountainous and living it is. Very unique experience to have, and 10/10 would recommend. What went above and beyond however was our tour guide Beda. That man had to be the funniest, friendliest, most dedicated guide I’ve ever had. From the second he spoke up at the meeting point I could tell by his mannerisms he was the guy to go with, and I was not wrong. Beda spent the entire time giving us in depth, real knowledge of the glacier and the surrounding land, while making it lighthearted and fun. You could hear the passion and love of the land in his words, and he spread that passion to his visitors. I can honestly say the tour was fun, and the glacier was awesome, but Beda would be the reason I do that tour again. It was like hiking with your best friend from childhood who always made you laugh and you knew had your back if you needed help. My abs hurt I laughed so much. Thanks Beda!

This tour is AWESOME! We visited beautiful waterfalls and the ice cave was mind blowingly beautiful! Our driver/guide for the waterfalls was very nice and informative. Our guide for the ice cave, Boris, was fantastic!! He was knowledgeable and fun. We were fortunate to have a new tunnel to explore that was once of the largest Boris had seen. The blue ice was breathtaking and shows up well in the photographs. This is a must do!!

If you are a lover of science, nature, the interstellar movie, or the vikings TV show, you should definitely do this tour. Amazingly beautiful display of volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers, and more. Daniel was a wonderful tour guide.

Tour was great. Both Bjorn and John were very informative and happy to share their knowledge and experience on the amazing raw power of nature we experienced today, particularly the ice cave. Both our guides had a good sense of humour which made the tour even more enjoyable.

We did two tours with Trolls on consecutive days. Both tours were outstanding experiences and we are so happy we decided to go with Trolls. The mini buses were very modern and clean. They included free WiFi and had USB-A charging ports above each seat—necessary because you will want to take a lot of photos. Our tours had less than 15 people each day which made the stops very manageable. We saw other tours with full size buses loaded with people that looked very unappealing. The smaller group size allowed a more intimate experience and allowed you to clearly hear the guide. All of our tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. The schedule is tight and many stops were approximately 30 minutes. Although you may not be able to fully explore each spot (for example: climb the 500 steps up Skógafoss Waterfall), there were still many photographic opportunities. Communication with Trolls was extremely easy and quick through email. I wrote several times with questions and once to change my pick up location. They always responding within several hours, despite me writing them late in the evening. They may communicate with you about your trip via email while you are traveling so it is very important to check often. On two occasions, I didn’t see emails from them until much later. It was only a slight adjustment to the pick up time, but should have checked my email sooner. The first tour was the Katla Ice Cave South Coast - Day Tour from Reykjavik. We stopped twice to see waterfalls. Each waterfall had its own unique beauty and worth the stop. The next stop was the Black Sand Beach—Reynisfjara—a very popular film shooting location. The basalt columns were awe inspiring, and I was pleased to see the puffins nesting above them. The end of the trip was the Katla Ice Cave. We went on a gorgeous day and extra layers were not needed. Definitely wear good hiking shoes because even with the supplied crampons, climbing up and down the crevices of the glacier require careful footing. The effort is worth the other worldly feeling. The two days I spent with Trolls were full of sights and moments to remember. Trolls were very easy to work with and I highly recommend them for your Iceland excursion.

We traveled as a family of four and spent a lot of time agonizing over whether to book this 12-hour excursion or one of the 11-hour alternatives on Viator. Ultimately, we paid about $100 more per person for this specific tour because it promised extra time at each of the South Coast stops. While we enjoyed the overall trip, the itinerary timing was a significant disappointment:     •    Seljalandsfoss: Scheduled for 45 minutes, but the guide rushed us back to the bus in 30 minutes.     •    Skógafoss: Scheduled for 45 minutes, but cut short to 30 minutes.     •    Reynisfjara / Vík Black Sand Beach: Scheduled for 1.5 hours, but cut down to just 1 hour. Given the premium price point explicitly meant to purchase more time outside the bus, feeling rushed at every single stop was frustrating. Additionally, the Wi-Fi on the transfer bus did not work during the trip because the power cord continuously reset the router. Lots of time in the bus!! The Highlight: Despite the timing issues, the Katla Ice Cave portion was phenomenal! Our Super Jeep guide, Boris, was incredibly personable, engaging, and made the off-road ride an absolute blast. The ice caves themselves were simply breathtaking and made the whole excursion worthwhile for our family. Summary: A great day out with an unforgettable ice cave experience, but manage your expectations regarding time spent at the waterfall and beach stops compared to shorter, less expensive tours.

We traveled as a family of four and spent a lot of time agonizing over whether to book this 12-hour excursion or one of the 11-hour alternatives on Viator. Ultimately, we paid about $100 more per person for this specific tour because it promised extra time at each of the South Coast stops. While we enjoyed the overall trip, the itinerary timing was a significant disappointment: •    Seljalandsfoss: Scheduled for 45 minutes, but the guide rushed us back to the bus in 30 minutes. •    Skógafoss: Scheduled for 45 minutes, but cut short to 30 minutes. •    Reynisfjara / Vík Black Sand Beach: Scheduled for 1.5 hours, but cut down to just 1 hour. Given the premium price point explicitly meant to purchase more time outside the bus, feeling rushed at every single stop was frustrating. Additionally, the Wi-Fi on the transfer bus did not work during the trip because the power cord continuously reset the router. The Highlight: Despite the timing issues, the Katla Ice Cave portion was phenomenal! Our Super Jeep guide, Boris, was incredibly personable, engaging, and made the off-road ride an absolute blast. The ice caves themselves were simply breathtaking and made the whole excursion worthwhile for our family. Summary: A great day out with an unforgettable ice cave experience, but manage your expectations regarding time spent at the waterfall and beach stops compared to shorter, less expensive tours.

Had a great time visiting falls and katla ice cave with Bjorn. He is a great guide and shared a lot of stories and facts on the way. While visiting the ice cave, we were accompanied by Ricardo who is also very knowledgeable about the galcier and made the hike fun and factual. Overall it was a day well spent and would definitely recommend to take this tour

Bjorn was such a great guide! Very informative and helpful. Even though it was rainy, he made our day much brighter!

This trip was a once in a lifetime experience. The waterfalls were fun and the glacier ice cave and volcano part of the tour was so epic. Our troll tour guide Daniel was so fun and informative. We had a great time with him. We enjoyed the feel of the smaller tour and the shared experience with everyone on the tiny bus. Highly recommend this for anyone and families with older kids! So awesome!! Thank you Daniel!

Bjorn is a great guide. Super friendly, professional, and informative. Definitely recommend this tour.

Bjorn was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and funny!

Branimir was our driver and guide they made our last full day on the Island very fun and memorable. Great stories, Island info, courteous and funny. Our Captain ran a tight ship and we will be back again and will use this expedition service for sure! Iceland is my new favourite!

The whole day was fantastic! We were picked up by our hotel by our guide Branimir and spent the day driving along the south coast making stops at beautiful locations. The weather was lovely too. Bran was super entertaining and knowledgeable and made the day very enjoyable. The locations we stopped at were iconic locations to see on our trip. We were dropped off in Vík to wait for our second guide where we got free biscuits and hot chocolate. We were then collected by Frederico in the super jeep and we drove to the ice cave. The drive was scenic and Frederico told us a lot about the area. There was a small hike up the glacier to the ice cave that was beautiful and Frederico gave us a lot of facts and information about the glacier and its formation. The ice cave was beautiful and an incredible experience. We weren’t rushed and could take our time and as many photos as we wanted. We went back to Vík where wr were collected by Bran again to drive back to Reykjavik. He made a surprise stop for us at an outlook over the sea to try and spot some puffins. The whole day was incredible, but was definitely made by the two guides we had. Safety was paramount to the guides but they also made sure everyone was having fun while staying safe. Definitely bring waterproof clothing if going on this trip to fully experience walking around the waterfalls!

This was the coolest thing I did. Our driver handled some tricky terrain like a champ. Our Katla Cave jeep driver/ guide was also amazing. Just book it!

Unfortunately this was the worst tour experience we’ve had while traveling. We understand Icelandic weather can change quickly and safety must come first. The issue was the lack of communication and organization throughout the day. Nearly 1.5 hours was lost due to repeated stops, phone calls with the office, and sitting pulled over on the side of the road with no explanation. Because of these delays, we were given only about 25 minutes to order food, see the stop, and use the facilities. With long lines, several of us couldn’t use the restroom and didn’t eat until almost 2pm. At one point the guide even mentioned that “maybe a more experienced driver will take you further,” which did not inspire confidence. We were picked up by different drivers on the side of the road but later placed back in the original van with the same guide. Later we were brought to the entrance of Reynisfjara but refused the short remaining drive to the famous basalt columns — the main reason many of us booked the tour — despite other tour vehicles continuing. We were told that “the beach is ruined anyway.” Adding to the confusion, during similar conditions on the drive back the guide had no issue passing other vehicles at high speeds in the dark. The entire experience felt chaotic and poorly managed rather than professionally guided. We also shared more detailed feedback directly with the company but never received a response. We hope they review how situations like this are handled in the future. The only positive part of the day was Ricardo, who was excellent and the reason we are giving this at least one star.

If you’re visiting Iceland, I highly recommend doing the Katla Ice Cave tour. It’s a truly unique natural wonder and something you won’t forget. The super jeep ride across the rugged landscape to reach the cave was an adventure in itself and really added to the experience. It was beautiful with all the snow. Our guide was fantastic—knowledgeable, friendly, and clearly passionate about the glacier and the area. They explained how the cave forms under the glacier and made sure everyone felt safe and comfortable throughout the tour.

The tour and Ice Cave was great. The Operators were fun but also professional. I'm glad I didn't decide to hire a car myself in these winter conditions. Big thanks to our guide Max.

Fantastic day trip from Reykjavik! Our bus driver Egill picked us up directly in front of our hotel in a very comfortable sprinter van. He provided very informative and funny commentary during the ride to Vik. We stopped at a supermarket for snacks and a bathroom break. In vik we met up with Martin who drove us in a small group in a super jeep to the Katla ice caves! What an experience! Once in a lifetime experience. Martin was funny, informative and fun!! Highly recommend!! One of our favorite tours in Iceland

Long day but wonderful! The ice caves were really incredible. Was about a 20 minute walk (not difficult) up to the cave. Took this tour because it included the caves- and it didn’t disappoint.

Incredible day, one of our favourite of the trip. Our guides were so knowledgeable, friendly, and took their time to let us explore.

We had an amazing South Coast and Katla cave tour with Troll.is company. Our tour guide Bjorn was extremely kind and informative throughout the entire tour. He drove excellently, which is not easy in Iceland, and we felt completely safe the whole time. We learned a lot about Iceland, including local legends and about its stunning natural wonders. However, it’s important to note that if you choose this tour in winter, you should expect a slightly tight schedule due to the limited daylight hours — which is completely understandable. So it was not a problem at all. The Katla ice cave tour was absolutely incredible! Gabriele, who led the cave tour, was very friendly, helpful, and an excellent guide. We gained a lot of new geological knowledge thanks to him. Many thanks to both guides! Overall, my fiancé and I had a perfect time, and it was a wonderful experience exploring the South Coast and the Katla ice cave with Troll.is.

On of the best experiences of our life’s, all the guys were extremely helpful and supportive. Great views Amazing experience

What a great tour! The company was fantastic and very responsive. We started it day at about 8 am, and I was dropped off about 730-8 pm. We got lucky with the weather, but it guide took us to all promised stops, have us history along the way, and provided quite time to rest along the way. The day never felt rush, even with the limited daylight. I would recommend this tour and the company.

Victor was a great tour guide, the caves were amazing, and I loved the black sand beaches! Overall highly recommend this tour!

We had a wonderful day seeing waterfalls during the day and night. The black sand beach was impressive. The super jeep to the ice cave was a lot of fun driving and listing to Viking music. The ice cave was the highlight of this day trip; the clear ice with the different layers of ash is extremely beautiful. Finally the guides were amazing, friendly and full of knowledge about geology, history, and Icelandic folklore. Highly recommend to anyone!

It was adventurous and require hiking in glacier. It was thrilling experience especially walking in the ice cave.

This trip was amazing ! Out guide was great, communicated well on expectations and helped prepare for each of the stops. The glacier hike and the ice cave were amazing!! Had another guide for this, Beda . He was great, made the experience in the ice caves and glacier unique. He waited for everyone, took pictures for the group and did not make us rush.

12 hour tour. Visited Skogafoss, Black Sand Beach, and the Katla Ice Cave. Be sure to bring winter attire and boots. Overall, was very fun.

PG our driver from reykjavik was great and we had enough time at the waterfalls and beach to get good photos. We changed in Vik to the super jeep - shout out to Beda - a great friendly guide and our walk to the ice cave was fun and even though we had to wait to go into the cave Beda gave us some good use of time! Really well organised tour and I just wish I'd booked more tours with Troll!

Vwry professional tour guide and definitely works hard for the people doing the tours! Enjoyed our day. It was amazing.

We had a wonderful time with lots of stories thanks to our guide bjorn. I would highly recommend this tour if you want to have a full day experiencing the south coast.

Had a wonderful trip with Hawk. Super guy, very knowledgeable about the area. Spent extra time giving some insights on the changing landscape of the Ice caves and their formation. Hawk is a character and did a bit of movie trivia on the way up, making the travel time pass quickly. For this, my kids rated Hawk as G.O.A.T. Overall, every tour company is taking you to the same cave. This tour had the best price, and where most guides ran in then immediately ran back out. Hawk took some extra time for photos and showed some of the tour's changes over time. Every 6 months or so, a new cave is discovered.

Annie (I might have mispelt wrong) was super friendly, knowledgeable, and informative. You can really tell how passionate she is with her job and the environment, particularly with the glaciers. She made the tour enjoyable despite the freezing cold due to the wind outside the cave. She made it clear the the landscape changes everytime because of the changing season and climate change so, the photos you see online of the perfect circle formation may or may not be there when you get your chance. Regardless, the view is spectacular and the journey was super worth it from Reykjavik to Vik. One of the best experience ever!

It was a very fun, nice trip to the ice caves, I highlight had to have been our tour guide, Sveinbjorn, who was able to light up everyone’s day on a long ride to the coast, highly recommended.

Bjorn and Edgar were both amazing on this tour. They were both so knowledgeable and thoughtful for our day, looking after us to make sure we had a great experience and were taken care of. We highly recommend!

This was my favorite thing I did in Iceland. My guide was Bjorn who was very sweet, informative, and funny. He made sure our experience was safe and pleasant. Made sure we were always on time and we got to see everything. My guide for Kalta was Hawk (Hak? Sorry I didn’t get the spelling). If you get him count yourself lucky. He’s there 3 weeks at a time before he goes back home for another 3 weeks, but he’s incredible. Loves what he does, is super funny, took pictures of all the groups, and has a great relationship with the local ravens so they follow you around the entire hike up/down. Jeep ride was also so fun and we got lucky with how beautiful the weather was. Would love to do this again!

It was an amazing journey—stunning scenery and a perfectly paced itinerary made it truly memorable. A special thank you to our humorous and friendly guide and driver, Sveinbjorn Gudjohnsen (Bjorn)!

I had the pleasure of going on a tour with an incredible guide during my trip to Iceland. His name is Bjorn. He was a kind, funny, and very knowledgeable gentleman who shared so many fascinating stories about the country. His deep understanding of the region added so much value to the experience, and he gave us great tips on local attractions and excursions. The day was filled with adventure, and the memories we created will definitely last a lifetime.

It was an amazing trip, we had enough time for all the sites, which were beautiful and the weather was fantastic. Our guide (Bjorn) was awesome, very kind, helpful, organized and full of information and stories. 😊

We had a lovely day seeing waterfalls, the black beach and the ice caves. We even saw one of Odin's raven's at the ice cave. 😁 We were lucky with the weather which was fabulous. Our driver/guide Bjorn was excellent. Very friendly, funny and full of interesting information and funny anecdotes along the way. The guide for the caves, Pavel, was also entertaining and informative. We recommend this tour. Scenery is spectacular.

Amazing day! The best part of the trip was definitely the ice cave, the views were breathtaking but our tour guide Bjorn was lovely, he was very informative, funny and kept us on time, I would highly recommend this excursion for anyone visiting Iceland, it’s a great way to see the views of the country and is a once in a lifetime experience.

Bjorg was terrific - very informative and friendly. The trip was very satisfying and Bjorg was timely, dependable and funny.

Bran was a great guide/driver for our trip. He was very funny so made the trip even better. The waterfalls and black beach were beautiful. The Ice cave was spectacular! The whole area was covered in snow and had the most gorgeous sights to see and the caves were fascinating. Really enjoyed the whole trip!

Bjoerin is a great guide. He made this day special. On time. Kind and funny. Our guide, Federico for the Ice Cave was also outstanding and hilarious. A small group of 8 people. Plenty of stops. We loved the 2 waterfalls, the beach, the jeep safari in the snow.

Very organized. Everything was super smooth. Bjorn communicates excellently! He was generous with knowledge, and at the same time very entertaining.

Fantastic day trip with Bjorn. Very funny stories, very informative,and he kept everyone on time. Very glad we booked this trip.

Bjorn was such a wonderful guide. He was knowledgeable and funny. He was really sweet to take photos of us at the beach. He gave great instructions to help us stay on schedule. I can’t recommend this tour enough.

Visiting katla cave was amazing experience, our guide was very kind and helpful, she gave us so many information about the cave and the area