Iceland Six-Day Five-Night Travelogue: The Blue Ice Cave Wonder and a Southern Adventure of Northern Lights Nights (Part 2)

Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Trip Diary - Guide to Iceland Local Tour

Day 2 of our 2-day trip to the south on 3/23 — this hotel offered a breakfast buffet, and since we knew there wouldn't be lunch again today, we all agreed to eat as much as we could at breakfast!Also, it turned out that yesterday's "mission continued" was actually the notification sound for Lumos finishing charging - "mission completed" - and I happened to mistake it for some kind of mysterious sign. The first stop this morning was Diamond Beach. The scenery I most looked forward to on this Iceland trip - the Northern Lights - I've already seen; next up are the blue ice cave and the glacier. I didn't expect the ladies to unanimously rank Diamond Beach as their second most anticipated spot - it really seems girls just can't resist the allure of diamonds! The diamonds on Diamond Beach are giant icebergs that break off from the glacier and flow through Jökulsárlón lagoon into the Atlantic Ocean, then get washed back onto the beach by the waves. I originally thought this was a scenic spot you could always count on seeing, but according to the guide, for it to look truly beautiful you actually need quite a bit of luck — the intensity of the sunlight and the number of ice chunks on the beach both make a big difference. Looks like our luck hasn't run out yet!

Blocks of drift ice, big and small, are scattered across the beach — it's not just the girls who get to strike a pose like internet celebrities, I had a great time taking photos too!

The second stop is right across from Diamond Beach, and it's also one of the places I've long dreamed of visiting: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. It's a glacial lagoon formed by the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue, where icebergs calved from the melting glacier tongue drift into this lake that connects to the Atlantic Ocean. It's a beautiful yet heartbreaking sight, because global warming has caused the Earth's temperature to rise — the glacier tongue began melting rapidly in 1920, and it wasn't until 1935 that this lagoon was formed.

Facing the vast lake, we first competed to see who could throw ice pieces the farthest, then Lumos started skipping stones on the water. While we were playing, a seal poked its head out, and we all joked that we must have woken it up. The glacier lake is truly beautiful, like a painting created using only shades of blue and white!

Next up was the Iceland winter-exclusive Blue Ice Cave tour I'd been really looking forward to. This tour was led by a different tour group, and the four of us were assigned to the same small group, riding in a massive modified jeep for about 15 minutes to reach the center of the glacier. (Even though it's the center of the glacier, the route passes through very steep, gravelly terrain — it felt like riding a 4x4 through the desert in Egypt!) The Blue Ice Cave is formed when meltwater flows from the glacier's surface every summer, carving out an underground passage along the glacier's base. In winter, when temperatures drop low enough, this passage freezes solid and becomes an ice cave. The shape, size, location, and number of Blue Ice Caves change every year, so you can't visit on a self-drive trip — you have to join a local tour, since only they can scout ahead and pinpoint the location with GPS. After parking, we first walked a stretch of gravel terrain

Getting ready to enter the glacier, putting on crampons

Bonus at the Blue Ice Cave~ a short glacier hike (Lumos really came alive during this part — he'd been wearing casual shoes the whole trip, and finally had a day where he could walk freely without worrying about slipping)

Listening to the sound of ice cracking beneath my feet, crunch crunch, it's so therapeutic~ This is the entrance to the Blue Ice Cave~ Honestly, it kind of resembles the entrance leading down to the underground tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

Slowly stepping into the blue ice cave, following the ice steps carved out by the survey team downward

The blue ice cave isn't entirely underground — there's also an opening you can walk out through. Take a photo with the naturally formed ice wall!

Because of the sunlight, today's ice cave looks a bit more green.

Icicles formed by natural erosion (somewhat resembling the scenery you'd find in a limestone cave)

A group photo of the four of us~ Thank you all for giving me the chance to come to Iceland

Finally stepping out through the exit at the other end, leaving the blue ice cave

I'm so happy — this Iceland trip really started low and then made a big V-turn back up. The two-day southern coast trip let me see the Northern Lights, an ice cave, and a glacier lagoon, so it's time to head back to the capital. There's also good news: the Northern Lights bus tour finally happened! Tonight's Kp value is 4, so there's a good chance of seeing the aurora for two nights in a row~

前菜手做麵包及鮭魚沙拉；主菜魚排/羊排；甜點冰淇淋+布朗尼每道都很好吃，這餐一人2500，我們的晚餐是越吃越豪華阿~ 極光巴士集合時間8:30-9:00，不過我們那台車到最後一刻8:57才到達，導遊是個很嗨的年輕人，跟乘客有很多美式的互動(英文不夠好的我們無法get到他的點) 他很有經驗的先是在距離市區十來分鐘的車程就先讓我們下車，不愧是Kp4的活耀度，天空中很明顯的一條極光，一路從地平線上竄

According to what I researched beforehand, only auroras with a Kp index of 6 or higher would dance, but today's aurora was also visibly dancing to the naked eye, and it was even captured in video mode.

Finally, I was able to successfully capture a photo of a person together with the aurora.

The tour guide here handed out hot cocoa to us — it truly was a timely rain. On the vast snowfield, the wind was piercingly cold, and even though we were already wearing sweaters plus down jackets, we were still shivering with cold. Finally, at around 11:30, we reached the last observation point. Because it was so cold, after taking photos outside for a bit of the green aurora, we went back into the vehicle to warm up. Suddenly the guide ran back onto the bus calling for everyone to get off — it turned out the aurora had erupted again, covering the entire sky, and this time purple and pink colors appeared too. Even the moon couldn't outshine the brilliance of the aurora.

We didn't get back to the city until after 12 from watching the aurora — thank you, Goddess Aurora, I really feel so blessed~ Explore more of this magical 6-day-5-night journey through Iceland! 👉 [Iceland 6-Day Highlights Self-Guided Travel Guide] Itinerary Planning × Local Group Tour Experience × Cost Estimate Get the full picture of the itinerary and start planning your dream trip to Iceland! 👉 Iceland 6-Day-5-Night Travelogue: The Start of the Journey and a Bumpy First Day Arriving in Iceland, strolling through Reykjavik 👉 Iceland 6-Day-5-Night Travelogue: Snæfellsnes Peninsula One-Day Tour Guide and Hidden Gems Exploration Explore Iceland's enchanting peninsulas and capture magnificent natural landscapes. 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: Classic Attractions and Tips for the Golden Circle Day Tour Feel the breathtaking charm of Iceland's classic attractions and gain memories that will last a lifetime. 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: Exploring the Magnificent Black Sand Beaches and Waterfalls of VIK in the South (Part 1) Step into the mysterious world of VIK and feel the natural beauty of the south. 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: The Wonders of the Blue Ice Cave and a Night of Northern Lights - Southern Adventure (Part 2) Experience the blue ice cave adventure firsthand and capture the wondrous sight of the aurora shimmering over the northern land. 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: Helicopter Volcano Sightseeing Experience, Overlooking the Magnificent Lava Land Fly over Iceland's volcanic landscape and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime adventure journey.