Black Sands & Riverbeds Helicopter Tour from Skaftafell

by Atlantsflug · Helicopter & flightseeing · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón

Fine on your own
Luxury

from €733.35 per person

Next departure: Thu 22 Oct

Black Sands & Riverbeds Helicopter Tour from Skaftafell — Atlantsflug

Black Sands & Riverbeds Helicopter Tour from Skaftafell, photo 3

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Skaftafell National Park and mountains view

Black Sands & Riverbeds Helicopter Tour from Skaftafell, photo 8

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25 photos from Atlantsflug. Tap any one for the full-size original.

Duration
1 hour and 5 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Season
All year
Starts in
Öræfi
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Skaftafell Terminal
Flugvallarvegur 5, Öræfi
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
09:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00
Cancellation
Free until 24 hours before

About this experience

Take off from Skaftafell Terminal on this up to 65-minute helicopter tour in Iceland and explore the vast outwash plains shaped by glaciers and volcanic activity. This route focuses on black sand landscapes and braided river systems, with a landing in a remote location within the landscape.

What to Expect

After departure, your pilot will guide the route based on weather and visibility, flying out over Skeiðarársandur, where glacial rivers spread across the plains in continuously shifting patterns.

From above, you’ll see how meltwater channels divide and reconnect, forming intricate lines across the black sand. The surrounding landscape includes glacier views, volcanic terrain, and wide-open plains stretching toward the coast.

The tour includes a landing at a carefully selected location within the black sand area. Here, you can step out, take photos, and experience the scale and openness of the landscape from the ground. The exact landing site varies depending on conditions.

You may see:

Skeiðarársandur black sand plains
Braided glacial rivers and river systems
Vatnajökull’s outlet glaciers
Surrounding volcanic terrain

Why Choose This Tour

This tour combines aerial views with a landing in one of Iceland’s most visually distinct landscapes. It’s well-suited for those who want to experience the patterns and scale of glacial river systems from both the air and the ground.

Note

This is a scenic sightseeing flight. For dedicated aerial photography flights with flexible routing and shooting conditions, explore our Photo Flight options here.

Description from the operator, Atlantsflug. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

Up to a 65-minute pilot-guided helicopter tour
1 scenic landing in the black sand plains
Free parking at Skaftafell Terminal
Coffee or tea after the flight

Good to know

We recommend wearing closed, sturdy shoes and dressing in warm, layered clothing suitable for changing weather conditions.

Minimum passengers: 4 per departure. You’re welcome to book with fewer — we’ll try to combine your booking with other guests. If the minimum isn’t reached, you can reschedule or receive a full refund.
Flights and landings are always dependent on weather and safety conditions. Routes and departure times may vary accordingly.
Landings are only performed when deemed safe by the pilot, and locations may vary.
Flight duration may vary slightly depending on conditions and aircraft, while maintaining the overall experience.

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 wind and visibility — flights are grounded well below the limits you would guess. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

1Atlantsflug 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 Black Sands & Riverbeds Airplane Tour from Skaftafell from Atlantsflug is €312 — €421 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

	Atlantsflug · €733	Atlantsflug · €312
How long it runs	1.1 hours	45 minutes

The €421 buys you 0.3 more hours out. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Why we list it

Atlantsflug is one of 204 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 Atlantsflug

Read all 444 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.9/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

Marcin
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
I truly think this was the best experience/activity that we did on Iceland. It was a gift for my Wife on her birthday and I think this was a bullseye! Absolutely phenomenal experience and breathtaking views. We did not get a proper weather, it was a bit windy, cloudy and pouring some light rain - due to those circumstances we had a risk of cancelling the flight, but at least after 1-2h wait as they suggested us, the sky got a bit better and we got an opportunity to fly for a smaller package of 30 minutes as Atlantsflug suggested us the day before the trip (with a refund from the package that we have chosen, which was also super nice! ❤️). On top of that I'd like to thank you again Palmi - our great pilot that just make our flight experience absolutely stunning. Safe and enjoyable flight! I do think this activity should be an obligation on the Iceland to-do list. Definitely recommend!
Wendy Jackson
★★★★★ · 5 months ago
This was an amazing experience all round. We chose to see the Vatnajokull Glacier from the air and were not disappointed. The welcome on arrival from Malina was great with a free drink. We were in a Cessna plane with 3 others and all of us had window seats. Magnus the pilot was knowledgeable regarding the glacier and its formation. We were lucky with the weather as visibility was superb. Later that day we saw part of the glacier up close on a glacier hike. A great time with a professional & friendly organisation. I would highly recommend this experience.
Anna Przybylska
★★★★★ · 4 months ago
A highlight of our trip! Unforgettable experience! Very helpful and polite lady at the desk in the terminal and super pilot. Beautiful views, lovely people- I can recommend enough! Must do! Just got off the scenic view and can’t stop smiling :)
Łukasz Strep
★★★★★ · 7 months ago
The day after our engagement, we took a helicopter flight with landing at Atlantsflug, and it was truly unforgettable. Wera was incredibly helpful and made everything smooth and easy for us from the start. The whole experience felt perfectly arranged. Our pilot, who was from Sweden, was outstanding. Calm, professional, and knowledgeable. We felt completely safe the entire time, and he showed us the very best the glacier had to offer. The views were breathtaking and the glacier landing was simply magical. Highly recommended. A once in a lifetime experience.

Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026

Read before you book

Sightseeing flight in Iceland: plane or helicopter?A small plane costs about half as much per minute as a helicopter and covers more ground. Pay for the helicopter only when you want the landing.
Helicopter tour from Reykjavík: which flight to bookSkip the 20-minute city hop. A flight with a landing is the one worth paying for, and a private super-jeep day that ends by helicopter costs thousands.
Helicopter tours from Skaftafell: which flight?What €409, €674 and €1,615 buy you over Vatnajökull, why the landing matters more than the minutes, and the four-passenger rule nobody mentions.

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Skaftafell, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón →

One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
203 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it

from

€733.35 per person

Atlantsflug's own price. 3% off the whole trip when you book two or more tours together, in one checkout.

Your date

The next departure we can see — change it if this tour is for another day.

Pick a date to check departures.

Departs09:0011:0012:0014:00

Skaftafell: light 08:16–17:28, 9 h 12 min of daylight.

✓ Free cancellation until 24 hours before
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Atlantsflug cancels for weather or safety: a full refund, or another date
✓ Card — Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device offers it — through Stripe; the charge is made in Icelandic krónur
✓ Price promise: Atlantsflug's own price, or we refund the difference
✓ One checkout, even with tours from several operators
✓ Vetted operator — the six checks every operator passes

Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €26 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.