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Home » Blog » Nature’s Ice Palace: Discovering Wonderland Underneath the Hintertux Glacier
Pink-and-Yellow-Ice-Crystals

Nature’s Ice Palace: Discovering Wonderland Underneath the Hintertux Glacier

//  by Simon//  4 Comments

When we started walking down the narrow corridor at the entrance of the Nature Ice Palace, I was not expecting to discover wonderland underneath the Hintertux Glacier, the mountain resort at the end of the Zillertal in Tirol (Austria)

Pink and Yellow Ice Crystals

Ice rooms, crystal chambers, stalactites, ice crystals and a glacial lake, the further we went along the walkway and up and down ladders, the greater was the awe.

I was awe-strucked. Never would I have figured to see so much beauty beneath the Hintertux Glacier

Who could have pictured such an amazing scenery could exist at 25 meters  beneath a glacial crevasse? The game of white, yellow, pink, green and blue lights made the natural ice sculptures and the caves all the most spectacular and breathtaking.

It was like adventuring in wonderland, through a magic landscape I thought existed only in dreams and fairy tales.

Nature's Ice Palace - Ice Shapes Hintetux Glacier - Ice Stalactites

No matter how cold (or hot) it is outside. The temperature inside Nature’s Ice Palace is constantly at 0°C-2°C

When we arrived at the top station of the Gletscherbus 3 cable car at 3,250 meters (10,662 ft), the weather was all but welcoming. Cloudy, windy and with a temperature of -25°C (-13°F), I wondered if I would survive the visit of the Nature’s Ice Palace. Inside the cave, however, it was much warmer and the guide explained that throughout the year the internal temperature is constant, between 0°C and -2°C (32°F-28°F).

Colored Ice Crystals

Ice crystals, stalactites, crystal caves… It was like discovering wonderland

The truth is that no-one should feel discouraged, no matter the weather, as the wonderland beneath the Hintertux Glacier is an unforgettable experience, a view of a magic world that words can hardly describe.

My only piece of advice is, if you’re spending a few days in the Zillertal, to visit the Nature Ice Palace from the second day onwards, since the high altitude might be problematic in some cases, and a little acclimatization can only render the view of the ice caves all the most enjoyable.

Nature's Ice Palace - Small Ice Cave

After the visit, and with the stunning images of the ice sculptures still in my mind, I tried to imagine the sense of marvel felt by the ski guide Roman Erler when in 2007, by mere chance, he discovered  the crevasse and the ice masterpieces created by nature that had been hidden for centuries. And I thought at the amazing work that has been done to make the Natural Ice Palace ready to be visited and admired.

Purple and Yellow Ice Crystals Yellow and Purple Ice Crystals

Useful Information:

The Nature Ice Palace at the Hintertux Glacier is open all year round and can be visited daily, without advanced notice

– Regular tour (45 minutes) daily at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Admission: adults € 8,00 and children € 4,00 (Minimum age: 8 years).

– Grande tour (70 minutes) following the regular tour (except for at 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.) Admission adults € 16,00 and children € 8,00.

– Good walking boots and a jacket are recommended.

Website: http://www.hintertuxergletscher.at/en/experience/natures-ice-palace.html

_______

Note: Warm thanks – despite the polar temperature 🙂 – to the Tirol and Tux-Zillertal Tourism Boards for the invitation to discover wonderland at the Nature Ice Palace, as well as enjoying some great skiing. My opinions, as you can easily figure, were only driven by the generous amount of alcohol I had to drink to overcome the cold! 

 

Simon

Travel addict and passionate about photography, Simon Falvo started Wild About Travel back in 2009. Leveraging her strong PR background, she developed an extensive knowledge of Digital Communications and Social Media Marketing. Besides travel writing Simon holds workshops and trainings, she collaborated with tourism boards for digital marketing campaigns and participated as a speaker at several events.

Category: AUSTRIATag: europe, nature & landscapes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Leigh

    at

    Very pretty and something I’d love to do.

    Reply
  2. Anita Mac

    at

    Very cool! Literally and figuratively. Love your photos. The colours and shapes are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Lori

    at

    I love glaciers – I visited only the onw in my country which is the oldest in the world and has also a cave. I love your photos and if I’ll be in Tirol, I’ll definitely go here.

    Reply
  4. Jennifer

    at

    Wow, the ice cave is beautiful! I hadn’t heard of it before your post and now I want to go. Something new to discover in Austria!

    Reply

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simon-falvo

Hi, I’m Simon!

A solo and independent traveler for over 20 years, and a 50+ girl young at heart.

I worked for over a decade in Investment Banking, then a few years in one of the largest international PR groups. In 2009, after a burn-out, I left the corporate world and started a new adventure.

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