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.

Glacier ice is hundreds of years old and visitors can walk on top of glaciers safely year-round with a guide, says Connolly. Ice caves, however, are temporary creations inside of the ice. "They're an entirely different terrain. Less affected by the corrosive nature of sunlight," Connolly told TravelPulse. "The surface of glaciers gain what's known as a 'sun crust' when the sun hits them, making them turn a murky white. However, under the surface, without the impact of the sun, these shielded caverns remain a brilliant blue cathedral."

The ice caves that Hidden Iceland explores come winter are generally created in two primary ways - from glacier movement or from melting or a mix of both, said Connolly.

"This is a simplification of the process but largely correct," Connolly explained. "The ice caves each look so different because they're formed in such unique ways every time. Depending on the year they could be on different glaciers from the last. They might require long glacier hikes to get to or be right by the edge of the ice."

Ice caves can be small room-size blue holes or cathedral style archways, said Connolly. "Bigger isn't always better. The small, and more contained they are the more stable they tend to be," said Connolly. "Though the larger ice caves let in the low lying winter sun creating a tapestry of color that's hard to describe with words alone."

Some ice caves are formed when glacier ice crumples against the ground in front of it creating a bunching effect, said Connolly. Still, other ice caves are the product of one glacier folding over the top of another, mixed with summer meltwater.

"The two ice caves from the 2018 winter season were formed mainly from meltwater flowing out from a sub-glacial vein creating a large stable hole," Connolly continued. "One of which formed a building-sized archway that we had hoped would remain stable until this year. It didn't."

The newest addition to Hidden Iceland's inventory this year is an ice cave affectionately named, Sapphire due to its bright blue appearance. "This ice cave was deemed safe by our partners only a few weeks ago," said Connolly. "It was mainly formed from a river of meltwater under the glacier itself."

Local guides are often the ones who discover the caves first, Connolly explained, and they continue to be an essential part of ice cave season. Hidden Iceland runs its tours with local guides because the caves require constant monitoring and supervision.

Climate change is having an impact on nearly everything, including Iceland's ice cave season. In fact, according to Connolly, it's hard to say whether there will even be an ice cave season in Iceland next year.

"With the onset of climate change and an average temperature rise in Iceland that means cold periods are not so cold anymore," said Connolly. "And the glaciers are melting further and further back. Or more accurately retreating up the mountain, remaining in colder climes. Ice caves will reform next year for sure somewhere on the glaciers in Iceland. However, finding one that's easy to get to and safe to go into is another matter."

Found on the same glacier where Game of Thrones was filmed in early 2018, sadly Svinafellsjokull White Walker ice cave is no longer accessible as the glacier has become unsafe to walk on, said Connolly.

To create an ice cave you need water and movement, says Connolly. Sometimes the caves flood and carve out even bigger caverns, as in this example at Falljokull glacier in 2016.

Svinafellsjokull ice cave, found in 2016, was one of the largest ever discovered and explored by Hidden Iceland. It included a sprawling labyrinth of tunnels, said Connolly. Unfortunately, the cave only lasted a few short months before squeezing closed again.

In some ways, it is precisely because of the devastating impact of climate change, that this year's ice cave season is so special, said Connolly. "Not only is it likely that there's a brand new cave each year. But there's always a question mark over whether we will be able to find another one the next year," said Connolly. Want to check out the ice caves for yourself? More information about Hidden Iceland's tours can be found here.