Ice Cave Season is Here And It's a Uniquely Beautiful Experience Every Time

November 1 through the end of March is a special time of year in Iceland. Marked by a drop in temperatures throughout the country, it’s a period known as ice cave season during which tour operators begin offering explorations of the eerily beautiful caverns formed by summertime shifts of the country’s glaciers.

“This cooler period is pivotal for finding ice caves that are safe to enter,” Hidden Iceland’s Co-Owner, Ryan Connolly recently explained to TravelPulse. “During the summer, the ever-present glaciers in Iceland are constantly moving and melting and it’s during this period that all of the weird and wonderful shapes are carved out on the glacier.”

The glacial movement leaves behind open caverns, deep crevasses, bottomless holes and yes, ice caves. But it's only as temperatures drop in winter that the constant shifting and shaping slows down enough to allow safe exploration of the newly formed structures while they’re temporarily frozen. The result is a stunning display of the power and beauty of nature, and each year, the experience is uniquely different. Here’s a closer look.