Some tour companies have decided to stop sending tours to the “Ice cave” in Langjökull glacier. The reason, according to a tour operator is that the picture painted in advertisements is nothing resembling the actual reality. Among the problems are excessive melt in the tunnel, dirt around the entry and a crumbling entry.
The cave has been featured on many travel websites as well as in foreign media. Lonely Planet placed it on its list of the most interesting places to visit this year.
Fails to live up to expectations
Karl Ólafsson, at the tour company Nordic Luxury tells local newspaper Fréttablaðið that a tour he took to the cave a few days ago was very disappointed.
„The group I had in the area had seen advertisements which had been distributed around the world. The idyllic image these ads had painted and the actual conditions were completely black and white. The group was expecting a beautiful ice tunnel with majestic lighting but got something completely different.“
Karl will no longer send groups to the cave, citing numerous serious problems, including flooding, dirt and the crumbling of the entry into the cave.
The glacier is alive, and ice melts during the summer
The operators of the cave claim the problems are only temporary, and that they are working hard to keep everything in order. „We know that the glacier is alive, in the sense that it melts during the summer. We have water falling from the ceiling in the first 50 metres of the tunnel, but not further in.“ Sigurður Skarphéðinsson the manager of the cave tells Fréttablaðið .
He argues that the reason for the approach to the cave being dirty is that when cars which have been driving on dirt roads stop at the cave the dirt drips off, leaving the approach dirty“.
Sigurður regrets that some visitors have not been completely pleased with their experience and assures everyone that the cave is perfectly safe.
Some tour companies have decided to stop sending tours to the “Ice cave” in Langjökull glacier. The reason, according to a tour operator is that the picture painted in advertisements is nothing resembling the actual reality. Among the problems are excessive melt in the tunnel, dirt around the entry and a crumbling entry.
The cave has been featured on many travel websites as well as in foreign media. Lonely Planet placed it on its list of the most interesting places to visit this year.
Fails to live up to expectations
Karl Ólafsson, at the tour company Nordic Luxury tells local newspaper Fréttablaðið that a tour he took to the cave a few days ago was very disappointed.
„The group I had in the area had seen advertisements which had been distributed around the world. The idyllic image these ads had painted and the actual conditions were completely black and white. The group was expecting a beautiful ice tunnel with majestic lighting but got something completely different.“
Karl will no longer send groups to the cave, citing numerous serious problems, including flooding, dirt and the crumbling of the entry into the cave.
The glacier is alive, and ice melts during the summer
The operators of the cave claim the problems are only temporary, and that they are working hard to keep everything in order. „We know that the glacier is alive, in the sense that it melts during the summer. We have water falling from the ceiling in the first 50 metres of the tunnel, but not further in.“ Sigurður Skarphéðinsson the manager of the cave tells Fréttablaðið .
He argues that the reason for the approach to the cave being dirty is that when cars which have been driving on dirt roads stop at the cave the dirt drips off, leaving the approach dirty“.
Sigurður regrets that some visitors have not been completely pleased with their experience and assures everyone that the cave is perfectly safe.
