Ice Cave Network beneath Iceland’s Giant Vatnajokull Glacier

The magnificent ice cave of Iceland’s Vatnajokull glacier appear in a kaleidoscope of colors as the light and conditions change in these incredible photographs by local guide Einar Runar Sigurosson. More than two hundred British tourists annually brave the network of caves in Europe's largest glacier mass found in the south of Iceland where Einar runs tours for profound photographers throughout the winter, the only time visitors can go inside. The ice takes on the form of massive teeth or gigantic waves trapped in suspended animation in the maze of interconnected frozen chambers and they can be a glowing blue as they enhance the sky's reflection or close fluorescent oranges and reds when a fire is lit inside. He has taken these photographs on the south side of Vatnajokull glacier, which is beautifully, covers over 8,100 square kilometers or over 8% of Iceland and is estimated to have a volume of 3300 cubic km. Every year, in autumn, we’re start looking for the ice cave visit, and we find caves in several different locations on the south side of Vatnajokull.

Sometimes they are very different, sometimes not as exceptional but become distinctive in the right light and conditions. Sigurosson runs the ice cave tours with his wife “Matt” and son “Aron” through their company Local Guide of Vatnajokull, formerly known as From Coast to Mountains. Some caves are very stable and we can go in there in any weather, but others are less safe and we might not even go there at all, even if they are very beautiful. However some caves are only accessible in below zero conditions for example if there is water in the floor that needs to be frozen over to walk into the cave.