Iceland
Southern part of Iceland
Two days adventure
February
Sunrise: 7:34 am
Sunset: 5:47 pm
Where do I even begin? This private ice cave tour in Iceland with Winnie and Charles — part of their pre-wedding engagement trip — was one for the books. The kind of adventure you couldn’t script if you tried.
After spending the first day exploring South Iceland in a snowstorm with two cars, we headed towards our accommodation — and one of the vehicles got stuck deep in the snow. We needed a rescue team. Luckily, help arrived quickly, pulled us out, and we were able to continue. The roads closed right behind us shortly after. Winter road conditions in Iceland are no joke — they can change from manageable to impassable in a matter of minutes, and you always need to be prepared for the unexpected.
Because of extreme winds and heavy snow, we had to reschedule our ice cave visit to the following morning. We arranged a new trip with a modified super jeep, and the wait turned out to be the best decision we could have made. The next morning greeted us with the most gorgeous winter day — clear skies, crisp air, and the kind of light inside the cave that you dream about as a photographer. That’s Iceland for you: it tests your patience and then rewards you beyond anything you imagined.
The best ice caves in Iceland are located about five to six hours of driving from Reykjavík — and even longer in winter conditions — so at least two days are needed to get there and back. But the journey itself is half the adventure. Along the south coast, you’ll pass some of the most breathtaking landscapes in Iceland: powerful waterfalls, ancient lava fields, hidden caves, and vast stretches of untouched wilderness. As a photographer and guide, I have a long list of locations that most visitors never see. I make it a point to avoid the tourist crowds as much as possible, so every couple gets a truly private experience — just us, the landscape, and the camera.
A private ice cave tour is one of the most unique photography experiences you can have in Iceland. Each cave is different, carved by meltwater beneath glaciers like Vatnajökull, and no two visits are ever the same. The caves form in autumn and can collapse or change shape overnight. What you photograph inside them exists for one season only — making every image a one-of-a-kind moment frozen in time.
The ice caves in Iceland are a unique, natural phenomenon. They form deep inside the glaciers and extend to the bottom of the glacier tongue, which is below sea level. The ice caves are accessible only by certified glacier guides and can be explored from mid-October to mid-April, when they’re stable enough for tourists to enter. In fact, half of all visits to Iceland each year include tours of the ice caves.
Ice caves are formed when water freezes on the surface of a glacier. And yes, we’ve got more than our fair share of them here in Iceland. The glaciers on Vatnajökull actually span three countries—Iceland, Norway and Greenland—and although they are similar in appearance, there are key differences between them.
The most important one is that ice caves only form in Iceland during winter months because of our extreme weather conditions which have been caused by global warming! These unique creations can be found at Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón lagoon (the latter being home to those amazing ice sculptures). Ice cave tours run throughout the year with special access granted around April when it’s still too cold for tourists but melting has begun to take affect; this allows visitors to see what remains of an incredible natural phenomenon before it disappears completely!
We started planning this trip over 2 years ago. Back in December, 2019. We were planning our trip to Iceland in March of 2020. We thought it would be amazing if we also took our pre-wedding photos in Iceland. This is how we found Mait.
We planned a two week road trip around the ring road and have Mait joined us for part of the trip. Everything was booked and ready to go. Then the pandemic happened. Due to all the uncertainty regarding travel, the virus, and borders locking down around the world, we decided to delay the trip for everyone’s safety. We were disappointed and sad at the time because we really looked forward to visiting Iceland for the very first time.
Two years since our original departure date, we finally departed for Iceland in February 2022. We spent the first 3 days with Mait before we continued on to complete the whole ring road. During our time in Iceland, we experienced howling wind, heavy snow storms, road closure, etc. We even got our rental car stuck in deep snow. Thankfully, Mait was with us at the time, we were able to find a local Icelander who has a monster truck and were able to pull us out and get us to safety. It was definitely an adventure that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Everything we saw and experienced in Iceland was amazing. From the epic landscapes, the majestic horses, to the delicious food and the very hospitable Icelandic people, it was a unique and beautiful country. Even with the occasional bad weather, we still think that it is well worth the effort to see this country. We are already thinking about when we can visit Iceland again. Perhaps in a different season than Winter. We are so glad that Mait was able to capture some amazing photos for us. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we do
