Ice cave tours can start again

The board of Vatnajökull National Park has agreed to allow ice cave tours on the glacier again. There have been no ice cave tours in the area of ​​the national park since an American man died in an accident during such a trip on Breiðamerkurjökull glacier at the end of August.

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This is stated in the meeting minutes of the board of the Vatnajökull National Park.

It says that the validity period is until November 1st and that additional security provisions would be added.

The safety of people is the responsibility of companies and guides

It will only be possible to go on trips in the places where a risk assessment has been carried out. At the same time, the conditions will stipulate a cooperative group of operators and the Association of Mountain Guides in Iceland, which will carry out a daily situational assessment of the safety of the ice formations.

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Such an assessment would be based on a risk assessment that Vatnajökull National Park had done in 2017, in addition to a methodology that the collaborative group submits to the national park for approval, the announcement says.

Furthermore, it is stated that this is a pilot project that may develop during the validity period.

The board also points out that the safety of travelers on sold trips is ultimately the responsibility of the tourism company and the guide.