Itinerary
This tour is a easy glacier hiking tour suitable for most people in fair condition that allows travellers to explore the magnificent icy world of one of Vatnajokull's outlet glaciers.
Stop At:
• Skaftafell National Park, Vatnajokull National Park 785 Iceland
See Availability.
Arctic Adventures (Skaftafell Base Camp), 228J+CPM, 785 Skaftafell, Iceland
4 hours(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Difficulty level: Easy
This tour departs from Arctic Adventures Booking Hut in Skaftafell (gray house with the turf roof). Skaftafell is located 327km (203 miles) from Reykjavík. The nearest towns to Skaftafell are Kirkjubæjarklaustur, 69km to the west and Höfn, 130km to the east.
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum age of 8, and minimum shoe size of EUR 35.
Iceland is known for colorful weather. It can sometimes show you all 4 seasons in one day. Dressing for this sort of weather can be a challenge so we always recommend to dress in layers.
You will need sturdy hiking boots that fit crampons for the glacier hike. If you do not own a pair then we rent out good hiking boots as well as a waterproof clothing at our hut in Skaftafell for a small fee.
Most travelers can participate
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : 766isabellex
We took a tour yesterday with Jergus, he made sure everyone in our group felt safe (carving steps for paths that were too steep, and was there for the group at all times) , was very professional, knowledgable, and fun, and really tailored the experience to make it suitable and fun for all group members. The spots he took us to and the photos he took were so cool too! Really made this experience the highlight of our trip.
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Posted On : 2024-05-13
Posted By : F752YEdavidr
Amazing experience with friendly and highly knowledgeable guides! The hike was beautiful, climbing over the glacier and learning more about Iceland with a small group of people from all over the world was awesome!
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Posted On : 2024-05-04
Posted By : Discover40937842320
Rob was all you wanted in a guide: treated safety as a priority, kept every member of our small group involved and engaged (and was very patient with my partner who had an ankle injury!), very knowledgeable of our surroundings and showed genuine passion for the job and Iceland. I can’t rate this tour highly enough and seeing the glacier took my breath away!
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Posted On : 2024-03-04
Posted By : SGS1260
Hike a glacier before they are gone! Consider it fun education. The effects of global warming were very evident when you take this tour and will make you think about how you treat the planet.
I had a difficult time deciding what tour group to use for this adventure, and even what city I wanted to have a glacier hike start from. This tour is away from the Golden Circle only visitors and seemed more genuine. It was perfect for our family.
You meet at the huts of the Skaftafell Visitor Center where they outfit you with gear. From there, you are driven in buses to the site of the glacier that you will be hiking. The bottom of the glacier is dirt, the first sign of the glacier melting. You follow a trail up to where the ice is stable. The guides go slow, but you must be in some physical shape to proceed. We saw a couple of people choosing to go back down before they even got to the ice. Once on the ice, the guides take good care teaching you how to walk around, and digging out steps when needed to traverse to a new level. Our guides were Kira, Anna, and Kami and they were tremendous. Although the trip is labeled a "hike", once on the ice you stay in a small area of the glacier and don't go very far. You take pictures.
Our group had 3 guides for 10 people. You could see other groups on different areas of the glacier. There is a longer tour offered that I considered, but this one was perfect. We did not need any more time.
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Posted On : 2024-01-23
Posted By : Chaoyu_M
Our guide is wonderful! The whole activity is perfect! We learned a lot about glacier and even tried some real glacier water. We also got to see the very rare polar stratospheric clouds!
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Posted On : 2023-12-26
Posted By : natalialV2169CK
I'm mesmerized by glaciers but careful about going on them because I'm not a climber, although in good general health. Our guide Wawa was amazing! He made sure safety was first & everyone enjoyed exploring the glacier as much as possible while taking good care of all of us & constantly yet seamlessly keeping an eye on everyone in the group. He's very knowledgeable and very easy going and easy & pleasant to talk to. He shared a lot of his experiences about living in Iceland, climbing the glaciers & frozen waterfalls & that passion was contagious. I have been fascinated with glaciers for a long time but now I'm becoming seriously obsessed. Thanks Wawa for sharing your passion about the glaciers, it really resonated with me. Time to think about the next expedition or maybe even ditching the corp job for a more nature lifestyle filled with glaciers.
Practical: about 20min drive on a cool giant bus, then short 5 min up the glacier moraine & debris, then put on crampons with good instructions & supervision & checking everyone. Then up to the glacier plateau part & up there walk around & explore the crevasses & moulins walking up & down in crampons which was fun to do since I've never tried it. Enough time for pictures, be sure to book this tour when the weather is comfortable for you. I am so glad that I checked it beforehand - ended up exploring the glacier in great light during a nice sunset, and the colors were otherworldly which I as an artist thoroughly enjoyed. Another recommendation: wear high socks, it will help with crampon straps. Enjoy, it will be amazing!
I wish I booked the ice climbing tour to be honest. This was amazing but I just got so inspired that I wish I did some ice climbing too. Next time then.
Highly recommend.
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Posted On : 2023-10-23
Posted By : emunne
We would like to thank Artic Adventures and our guide Francesco. This guy is amazing and made us enjoy a lot at the glacier. His passion and willigness to enjoy and make others enjoy of the mountain, the glacier and the experience made our day perfect. We would like to recognize him. We highly recommend this experience
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Posted On : 2023-08-31
Posted By : martinmA1075KF
My family and I had a great experience. Our guide Marcus was friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely recommend for people who want to explore the glacier.
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Posted On : 2023-08-24
Posted By : O7806ESfelixb
Camille made this experience so lively and educative. All was well organized and allowed us to truly walk up on the glacier. It’s an easy hike but still offers stunning sensations.
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Posted On : 2023-08-05
Posted By : Jan_L
The glacier hike was the most amazing part of visiting Iceland! The group in the bus was ~20 people, but we got split between the 2 guides for the hike, so it was still a small group experience. When approaching the glacier it looks like the tour will never get to the actual ice, but we were on the ice pretty quickly. Our guide Gabi was very nice, fun and knowledgeable about the glacier. She even suggested good spots for photos and took some group photos for us. Don’t worry about getting the best views from the bus, the views from the glacier itself are much better!
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Posted On : 2023-08-05
