Kafta Ice Cave

Some weeks ago, we'd booked an ice cave and glacier hike tour for today, but on Monday they advised they had cancelled it and to consider another. So we booked the Kafta Ice Cave tour.

Witht the gales and blowing snow overnight, we almost didn't make it out of the hotel car park, it was still galey (?) but less blowing snow. A group of 11 of us set off from Vik in this super jeep, which was like a mini van with massive wheels that they could deflate the tyres for an easier drive. It was about a 40 minute journey out to the glacier where we put on helmets and crampons and walked for about 20 minutes to the foot of the glacier.

We had no idea what we were going to see, but boy oh boy... this massive ice arch formed naturally. We walked through it and marvelled at it. We then walked down and through a 150m tunnel through the ice, over wooden bridges, holding onto ropes, marvelling as we went. Then back again and through other tunnels. 

The tunnels looked like they were a gigantic worm hole, or something from Alien, the movie. Or more recently Prometheus, which was much filmed in Iceland anyway. The ice was often blue and you could see ash layers from volcano eruptions, allowing them to determine the glacier's age, much like a tree's rings. Most of the ice we saw was 500 years old, new layers get added from the top with fresh snow every year. A hike back to the jeep and bumpy ride back to the car, where the weather worsened.

After lunch we strolled against the wind down to the black sand beach. Then set off for a long journey to our next port of call on as road that had been closed yesterday, due to the winds. We saw an overturned tour bus on the way. A wet stop at Diamond Beach where icebergs flow from the lagoon to the sea, but we saw one. Some were washed up on the beach. With the weather worsening, we set off for our hotel, and dressed properly for dinner and a game of uno.

Since we were so impressed with the ice caves, all the photos and extra today are of them.