Description

Summary

Tour starts

Skaftafell, Skaftafell, Iceland

Duration

3 hours

Difficulty

Easy

Languages

English

Available

All year

Minimum age

8 years old

3,123 reviews

Description

Join a glacier hike along Iceland’s awe-inspiring South Coast at Skaftafell. This is the perfect way to add excitement to your holiday by hiking on top of an outlet glacier of Vatnajokull, Europe's largest glacier. This exciting tour is perfect for those traveling the South Coast of Iceland who want to combine incredible landscapes with a thrilling adventure.

A stop at Skaftafell is a must for travelers on Iceland’s south shore. It is a stunning area of amazing contrasting scenery where jet-black sands surround enormous white glaciers. Scaling one of Iceland’s mighty glaciers is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that should not be missed, and this tour will allow you to hike up the tongue of the largest glacier in Europe.

You will meet your certified glacier guide at a designated tour meeting point along the Ring Road, near Skaftafell. They will give you all the necessary equipment and then take you on a short 15-minute drive to the glacier tongue, where you will receive all the equipment and safety instructions necessary to scale the massive ice cap. You’ll learn all the basics of glacier hiking before heading out on the ice.

On this tour, you will be given the unique opportunity to hike up an incredible glacier and see its constantly changing environment firsthand. Your expert guide will lead you through this frosty wilderness, past magnificent ice formations, deep cracks, and blue crevasses. Standing on top of the glacier might give you a feeling of being alone in the world, surrounded by nothing other than the blinding whiteness of the glacier.

Once you reach the ice cap, you’ll have plenty of time to marvel at the surrounding landscape and enjoy the views. During this tour, on a clear day, you might see the magnificent Hvannadalshnukur, the country’s highest peak. The views of Icelandic terrain from atop this mighty glacier are a truly breathtaking experience.

Discover the ancient and untouched wilderness of Vatnajokull glacier and the surrounding areas. Book now to secure your place on this unforgettable glacier hiking tour.

Check availability by choosing a date and booking this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Attractions

Vatnajokull Glacier

Skaftafell

South Coast

Southeast Iceland

Hvannadalshnúkur

Good to know

This tour is suitable for beginners and requires no prior experience. It is accessible to most individuals in good overall physical condition.

The experience is 3 hours in total, including gearing up and a bus ride to the glacier, where you will spend around 1.5 hours on the ice. Bring hiking boots that are tight around the ankle and have a hard sole (or you can rent shoes during the booking process). Jeans are not recommended for glacier activities. Once it gets wet, it takes a long time to dry, leaving you cold.

The tour starts at West of Hofgardur, 785 Hof. Driving east from Reykjavik, it takes approximately 4.5 hours (210 miles/340 km) to reach Hof. The nearest towns to Skaftafell are Kirkjubæjarklaustur, 42 miles (69 km) to the west, and Höfn, 80 miles (130 km) to the east.