Glacier & Ice Cave Trips
Glaciers and ice define many of the world's most dramatic cold destinations. These trips include ice cave walks, glacier lagoons, icefjord cruises, and polar ice experiences with planned day-by-day logistics.
Common questions
Where are the best ice cave trips?
Iceland's Vatnajökull region is the top ice cave destination in winter. Cold Tourism also lists Greenland icefjords and Antarctic expeditions for deeper ice experiences.
Can you visit glaciers in summer?
Yes. Iceland, Norway, Alaska, and the Alps offer summer glacier access. Winter adds ice caves and blue ice. Filter trips by season on coldtourism.com.
How difficult are glacier trips?
Day trips from Reykjavík or guided ice walks suit most fitness levels. Multi-day polar trips require more preparation. Each listing describes terrain and duration.
Curated trips (15)
Zermatt Alpine Ski
- Country: Switzerland
- Region: Valais Alps
- Suggested stay: 7 nights
- Est. price: ~$3,200 / person
Car-free village beneath the Matterhorn. Glacier runs, fondue evenings, and crisp high-alpine air at every turn. A classic winter ski trip with postcard views from the first lift.
- Fly into: Geneva (GVA)
- Day 1: Scenic train to Zermatt, settle in
- Day 2–5: Klein Matterhorn glacier skiing
- Day 6–7: Village walks, fondue, final runs
- Est. total: ~$3,200
Ilulissat Icefjord
- Country: Greenland
- Region: Disko Bay
- Suggested stay: 5 nights
- Est. price: ~$3,600 / person
A UNESCO icefjord where house-sized icebergs calve and drift out to sea. Boat among the ice, sled behind a Greenlandic dog team, and scan the bay for humpbacks. The most remote, most awe-inducing trip on the list.
- Fly into: Ilulissat (JAV)
- Day 1: Boardwalk to the icefjord at golden hour
- Day 2: Iceberg boat trip on Disko Bay
- Day 3: Dog-sledding across the tundra
- Day 4–5: Whale watching + Sermermiut hike
- Est. total: ~$3,600
Vatnajökull Ice Caves
- Country: Iceland
- Region: South Iceland
- Suggested stay: 5 nights
- Est. price: ~$2,300 / person
Self-drive the South Coast past black-sand beaches and thundering waterfalls to Europe’s largest glacier. Hike the ice with crampons, step inside a glowing blue ice cave, and watch bergs drift at Jökulsárlón lagoon.
- Fly into: Keflavík (KEF)
- Day 1: South coast waterfalls, overnight Vík
- Day 2: Guided glacier hike on Vatnajökull
- Day 3: Blue ice cave tour
- Day 4–5: Jökulsárlón + Diamond Beach
- Est. total: ~$2,300
Abisko & the Icehotel
- Country: Sweden
- Region: Swedish Lapland
- Suggested stay: 5 nights
- Est. price: ~$2,500 / person
Abisko’s rain-shadow microclimate makes it one of the most reliable aurora spots on Earth. Ride the chairlift to the Aurora Sky Station, mush a husky team through birch forest, and sleep a night in the famous Icehotel.
- Fly into: Kiruna (KRN)
- Day 1: Transfer to Jukkasjärvi, Icehotel check-in
- Day 2: Aurora Sky Station chairlift + night watch
- Day 3: Husky safari across the tundra
- Day 4–5: Snowshoe treks, aurora nights
- Est. total: ~$2,500
Torres del Paine
- Country: Chile
- Region: Patagonia
- Suggested stay: 7 nights
- Est. price: ~$3,400 / person
Granite towers, wind-scoured valleys, and glaciers calving into milky lakes. Walk the famous W trek past the Base of the Towers and Grey Glacier, with guanacos and condors for company. Cold comes from the wind here, not the calendar.
- Fly into: Punta Arenas (PUQ)
- Day 1: Transfer into the national park
- Day 2: Base of the Towers day hike
- Day 3: French Valley lookout
- Day 4: Grey Glacier + ice viewpoint
- Day 5–7: Refugio treks, return to town
- Est. total: ~$3,400
Chamonix Mont-Blanc
- Country: France
- Region: French Alps
- Suggested stay: 6 nights
- Est. price: ~$3,000 / person
The birthplace of alpinism, ringed by glaciers and serious peaks. Ride the Aiguille du Midi cable car into thin air, ski the legendary Vallée Blanche, and ride the little red train to the Mer de Glace.
- Fly into: Geneva (GVA)
- Day 1: Transfer to Chamonix, town stroll
- Day 2–4: Ski Grands Montets & Brévent
- Day 5: Aiguille du Midi + Mer de Glace
- Day 6: Spa day, final runs
- Est. total: ~$3,000
Antarctic Peninsula
- Country: Antarctica
- Region: Antarctic Peninsula
- Suggested stay: 11 nights
- Est. price: ~$9,800 / person
The ultimate cold-tourism journey. Sail from Ushuaia across the Drake Passage to a continent of blue ice, cruise between icebergs by zodiac, and step ashore among penguin colonies while whales surface nearby.
- Fly into: Ushuaia (USH), then board ship
- Day 1–2: Drake Passage crossing
- Day 3–8: Zodiac landings, penguin colonies
- Day 9–10: Return crossing, onboard talks
- Day 11: Disembark in Ushuaia
- Est. total: ~$9,800
Trolltunga & Hardangerfjord
- Country: Norway
- Region: Hardanger, Odda
- Suggested stay: 5 nights
- Est. price: ~$2,300 / person
The Trolltunga rock ledge juts out 700m above Ringedalsvatnet, the reward for one of Norway’s most famous long day hikes. Base in Odda on the Hardangerfjord, with fruit orchards, waterfalls, and the Folgefonna glacier close by.
- Fly into: Bergen (BGO)
- Day 1: Drive the Hardangerfjord to Odda
- Day 2: Trolltunga day hike (10–12h)
- Day 3: Buarbreen glacier arm + Låtefossen
- Day 4–5: Fjord kayaking, orchard villages
- Est. total: ~$2,300
Kebnekaise Summit
- Country: Sweden
- Region: Swedish Lapland
- Suggested stay: 5 nights
- Est. price: ~$2,400 / person
Trek in to the Kebnekaise mountain station and climb Sweden’s highest peak by the western route, across snowfields and rocky ridgelines. Long summer days give hours of light for the ascent and sweeping Lapland views.
- Fly into: Kiruna (KRN)
- Day 1: Nikkaluokta walk-in to fell station
- Day 2: Acclimatise, lower valley trails
- Day 3: Summit day via the west route
- Day 4: Glacier valley + Tarfala
- Day 5: Walk out, depart
- Est. total: ~$2,400
Laugavegur Trail
- Country: Iceland
- Region: Highlands
- Suggested stay: 6 nights
- Est. price: ~$2,800 / person
Iceland’s most celebrated trek runs from the rhyolite mountains and hot springs of Landmannalaugar to the green birch valleys of Þórsmörk, across black-sand deserts, glacial rivers, and steaming, colour-streaked ground.
- Fly into: Keflavík (KEF)
- Day 1: Highland bus to Landmannalaugar, soak
- Day 2–5: Trek to Þórsmörk (mountain huts)
- Day 6: Return to Reykjavík, depart
- Est. total: ~$2,800
Kenai Fjords National Park
- Country: USA
- Region: Kenai, Alaska
- Suggested stay: 5 nights
- Est. price: ~$2,700 / person
Tidewater glaciers, sea otters, and breaching whales out of the fishing town of Seward. Hike the Harding Icefield Trail beside Exit Glacier and cruise a fjord full of ice, puffins, and orcas.
- Fly into: Anchorage (ANC)
- Day 1: Rail or drive to Seward
- Day 2: Harding Icefield Trail hike
- Day 3: Kenai Fjords wildlife cruise
- Day 4: Kayak Aialik / Resurrection Bay
- Day 5: Return to Anchorage, depart
- Est. total: ~$2,700
Wrangell–St. Elias & Kennecott
- Country: USA
- Region: Alaska
- Suggested stay: 6 nights
- Est. price: ~$3,000 / person
The largest national park in the US — bigger than Switzerland. Base at the historic Kennecott copper mill, hike out onto the Root Glacier in crampons, and disappear into a roadless mountain wilderness of ice and peaks.
- Fly into: Anchorage (ANC)
- Day 1: Drive the McCarthy Road
- Day 2: Kennecott mill town history walk
- Day 3: Root Glacier ice hike
- Day 4: Bonanza Mine trail climb
- Day 5–6: Backcountry day + return
- Est. total: ~$3,000
Highlands Bikepacking
- Country: Iceland
- Region: Central Highlands
- Suggested stay: 6 nights
- Est. price: ~$2,400 / person
Gravel roads and black-sand plains cross the heart of Iceland before the summer crowds arrive. Ride between steaming vents, glacial rivers, and rhyolite hills under vast spring skies — a bikepacking loop through the island’s raw interior.
- Fly into: Keflavík (KEF)
- Day 1: Reykjavík, bike fit + route briefing
- Day 2–3: Landmannalaugar gravel traverse
- Day 4–5: Sprengisandur track, hut camps
- Day 6: Return to ring road, depart
- Est. total: ~$2,400
Rallarvegen Downhill
- Country: Norway
- Region: Hardangervidda
- Suggested stay: 4 nights
- Est. price: ~$2,000 / person
Norway’s most famous bike route drops 900 metres from the Hardangervidda plateau to the fjord at Flåm. Ride past alpine lakes and the Finse research station, then freewheel through 80 km of mountain scenery to the Aurlandsfjord.
- Fly into: Bergen (BGO)
- Day 1: Train to Finse (1,222 m)
- Day 2: Rallarvegen: Finse to Haugastøl
- Day 3: Haugastøl to Flåm descent
- Day 4: Fjord cruise, return to Bergen
- Est. total: ~$2,000
Nuuk Fjord Kayak
- Country: Greenland
- Region: Nuuk Fjord
- Suggested stay: 5 nights
- Est. price: ~$3,400 / person
Paddle among icebergs calved from the Greenland ice sheet in one of the world’s largest fjord systems. Humpback whales surface beside your kayak, glaciers gleam on the horizon, and the capital feels a world away.
- Fly into: Nuuk (GOH)
- Day 1: Nuuk, kayak briefing + harbour
- Day 2–4: Fjord paddling, iceberg camps
- Day 5: Whale watching paddle, depart
- Est. total: ~$3,400