Solheimajokull Glacier Hike Adventure: Meet at the Glacier
by Gravel Travel · Glacier hiking · Hiking & trekking · cruise-excursion · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón
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Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Gravel Travel's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.
More photos of Solheimajokull Glacier Hike Adventure: Meet at the Glacier
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Duration
3 hours
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
Sep – Apr
Starts in
Vík
Meeting
Hotel pickup available
Languages
EN, DE, NO, FI, RU, SV, KO, IT, PT, FR, ES, ZH, ZH, EN, DA
Departs
10:45
Minimum age
8
Cancellation
Free until 24h before
About this experience
Step into an otherworldly landscape of ice and ash with our 3-hour guided glacier hike on Sólheimajökull, one of Iceland’s most accessible and striking outlet glaciers. This adventure is perfect for travelers looking for a hands-on glacier experience without the need to travel from Reykjavik—simply meet us at the glacier parking lot, and your journey begins.
After meeting your expert glacier guide on-site, you'll gear up with crampons, a helmet and harness.. Following a short walk to the glacier’s edge, you'll step onto the ice and begin your guided hike into the frozen heart of Sólheimajökull.
As you hike across the glacier's surface, you'll encounter deep crevasses, moulins (ice holes), ridges, and dramatic ice formations. Your guide will explain how glaciers are formed, how they’re changing, and the powerful natural forces that continue to shape them. It’s a fascinating blend of adventure, education, and raw natural beauty.
Get ready for an unforgettable journey across ancient ice. Book your Sólheimajökull glacier hike today and experience Iceland’s frozen wilderness up close.
Description from the operator, Gravel Travel. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Included
- Certified glacier guide
- Glacier gear: crampons, helmet, harness
- Safety briefing and instruction
- Small group experience for a personal and safe adventure (max 15 per guide)
Not included
- Food and Drink
Good to know
- Dress according to weather
- Water and windproof outerwear
- Hiking boots
- Headwear
- Gloves
- Camera
- Food, Drinks and Snacks
- Glaciers are natural and ever changing and do not always reflect photos.
- We recommend that you are able to walk 2 km on uneven ground and can climb a set of stairs.
- If required you must provide your own car seat. Per Icelandic LAW: Children under 135 cm must use a child car seat when travelling in a car. Taller children are free to use car seats as long as the car seat is intended for children of that height and weight. Children under 150 cm must not sit in front of an active airbag. For more information please see: https://island.is/en/children-in-cars
Cancellation for this tour
Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.
If the weather cancels this tour
Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is high wind or rain on the ice — the guide decides at the meeting point, sometimes after you have set off. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.
- 1Gravel Travel decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
- 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
- 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.
What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.
Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →
Why this one and not the cheaper one?
The nearest cheaper Solheimajokull Glacier Guided Hiking Small Group Tour from Nordur Travel Services ehf is €85 — €15 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.
| Gravel Travel · €100 | Nordur Travel Services ehf · €85 | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | Picks you up | You make your own way |
| How hard it is | Moderate | Easy |
The €15 buys you hotel pickup. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.
Sold out on your date?
Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.
Who this is not for
- Children under 8 cannot join this one.
- Not available in summer; the operator runs it roughly September to April.
Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.
Why we list it
Gravel Travel is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →
What travellers say about Gravel Travel
Read all 116 reviews on Google →Operator rating 4.4/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.
★★★★★ · 5 months ago
We went for Katla Ice Cave tour this morning on 29 Mar. Gunnarr is our guide. He can drive superjeep very well and is a very interesting guide. Would recommmend to join their ice cave tour which is of very good experience we had
★★★★★ · a month ago
The Landmannlauger super jeep tour departing from Hella (I chose pick up there, but pick up from Reykjavik is also possible) was wonderful and so much fun! Our tour guide was great, had a sense of humor and explained the scenery and history of all the places we visited very well. The super jeep is huge and comfortable, so can cross the rivers easily and makes for a fun ride. The tour included lots of incredible, beautiful spots like the famous Landmannlauger area and scenery of course, which also included time to go on a brief hike and relax at the hot spring, lots of volcanic scenery between points of interest on the tour, much of it looking like a different planet, a big crater with lake, a few gorgeous waterfalls including the tallest in Iceland, beautiful and unique scenery all around. The tour is packed with so many amazing sites and is the perfect way to explore the highlands. I highly recommend booking with Gravel Travel, as the itinerary was perfect, customer service was friendly and prompt, and the experience was one of the highlights of my Iceland trips.
★★★★★ · 3 months ago
The Katla ice cave tour from Vík was great! The ice caves are changing constantly, but at least in late May the cave was about 30 meters deep and the walls were beautiful mix of blue, clear, white and black stripes. There were no other groups at the cave, and the guide allowed us to stay in as long as we liked. The journey to the cave and back was fun as well, with the guide sharing stories and facts about the areas we drove past.
★★★ · 7 months ago
I have to say I was disappointed by the Super Jeep Northern Lights tour. The lights were incredible, however, I’m not sure what we gained with the Super Jeep. For the added cost from a traditional tour, there did not appear to be any evident difference. Don’t waste your money on this upgraded experience if you’re expecting something special by being in a “super jeep”. Guide was a little rough around the edges, though, brought us to a great spot. Pick up was late, drop off was over an hour early. A 4 hour experience was actually less than 2.5 hours.
Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 2026
Read before you book
- Sólheimajökull, Skaftafell or Vatnajökull — which glacier hike to actually bookThree glaciers sell almost the same walk at different prices and distances. Which one fits your route, what 'easy' means, and what blue ice really requires.
- Snowmobiling on Langjökull or a glacier hike — pick one glacier day, not bothAn hour on a snowmobile from €241 or three hours in crampons from €92. They feel nothing alike, and one is the better first glacier day for most people.
- An easy glacier hike on Sólheimajökull still means crampons and cold handsWhat 'easy' means on Sólheimajökull, what you need to bring, how long you're on the ice, and which tour to pick from the glacier or from Reykjavík.
Reviews from our travellers
Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.
No reviews yet from our travellers on this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.
Glacier hiking — questions people ask
Which glacier is best for a first glacier hike?
Sólheimajökull on the South Coast, about two and a half hours from Reykjavík. It is the most accessible glacier tongue, the walk from the car park is short and the three-to-four-hour tours (/experience/6853/ or /experience/914990/) suit beginners. Skaftafell in the southeast has bigger ice and fewer people, with tours like Glacier Wonders (/experience/17340/), but it is a five-hour drive each way, so it only works if you are staying out there.
Can you hike on a glacier in Iceland in summer?
Yes. Glacier hiking runs all year. In June to August the ice is grey and gritty on the surface with blue crevasses and meltwater channels, and the weather is milder. In November to March the ice is whiter and you may see ice formations, but daylight is short and the wind bites. Neither is better; summer is easier, winter is prettier. The one thing you cannot do in summer is visit a natural blue ice cave.
How fit do I need to be for a glacier hike?
Moderately. You walk two to three hours on uneven ice in crampons, with some short steep sections. Anyone who can manage a hilly day walk will be fine; the pace is slow because the guide is checking the route. It is not for anyone with knee or balance problems, and most operators set a minimum age of eight to ten. Check the tour page. Longer tours like Glacier Explorer (/experience/17338/) push further onto the ice and need more stamina.
What do I need to bring on a glacier hike?
Sturdy boots with ankle support, waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers, gloves and a hat, plus water and a snack. The operator provides crampons, a harness, a helmet and an ice axe. Jeans and trainers are not allowed on the ice, and guides do turn people away. Most meeting points rent boots and rain gear for a small fee; check the tour page and book them in advance in summer.
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