Glacier Hike + Ice Cave Adventure
by Icarus Rising ehf · Glacier hiking · Ice caves · Hiking & trekking · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón
- Fine on your own
- Luxury
from €293.64 per person
Next departure: Fri 23 Oct
1 / 9
Duration
5 hours
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
Sep – Apr
Starts in
Höfn
Pickup
Hotel pickup available at extra cost, or meet at the start point
Starts at
Ice Pic Journey, í Hornafirði, Jökulsárlón, Glacier Lagoon, , Höfn
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
10:00, 12:00
Minimum age
10
Cancellation
Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 730 days of departure.
About this experience
We cannot wait to take you on the Glacier Hike and Ice Cave adventure. Your guide will drive you to Vatnajokull Glacier via a super jeep to begin your adventure. After a hike through an alien-like glacial tundra, we will arrive at the edge of the glacier where your guide will assist you in putting your crampons on. Geared up, we will explore both the lower and upper ice caves where your photographer will capture you inside these natural wonders.
Once through the lower cave, we will gear up for our hike on the glacier. With crampons on, we will hike to many different formations on the glacier including our famous crystal crevasses. The visuals you will see all around you will create an unimaginable experience as your photographer captures you amongst it. This tour involves approximately 5 to 6 km of hiking in total and is considered to require a moderate level of fitness.
At the end of your tour, we will edit your photo and you will get a photo package in ~14 days as the perfect souvenir to remember your epic adventure in Iceland.
Optional Add-On: Pickup/Drop-off out of Reykjavik is available for an additional 225,000 ISK per group. Adding this on will make the tour private we well. Pickup time would be ~7 am from your accommodation and the duration of the tour would change to approx. 15 hours. When this option is available it will be visible once you click ‘continue’ at the checkout.
Description from the operator, Icarus Rising ehf. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Winter Glacier Hike + Ice Cave Adventure
Included
- Small Groups – Limit of just 10 people per guide
- Certified Glacier Guide and Professional Photographer
- Glacier Equipment: helmet, harness, crampons
- 5 Shot Photo Package Included (Per Person)
Not included
- Food and Drinks
Good to know
✓ Water Bottle (Recommended) – You will have many spots to fill it up with glacier water.
✓ Proper Seasonal Clothing – Warm layers for freezing or wet conditions. Warm hat and gloves.
✓ Waterproof Jacket – Rentals are available under extras.
✓ Waterproof Pants – Rentals are available under extras.
✓ Hiking Boots – Water resistant is preferred. Rentals are available under extras.
- Participants must be in reasonably good health to embark on the tour they have booked. Pregnant individuals are not permitted on tours.
- Our standard age requirement for our Ice Cave tours is 8 years old. For our Glacier Hikes , Glacier Ziplines,and private ice climbing tours the minimum age is 10 .
- Ice caves are a dynamic ever-changing natural phenomenon. Each year, old ice caves melt and new ice caves appear. Photos that you see of the cave at any given time on our website or any social media will not necessarily mean that is what you will necessarily experience on your tour. This makes each experience unique and special for our guests.
- This tour involves roughly 10km of total hiking. The first half of the terrain is very flat yet rocky and is relatively easy for a person of average fitness. The second half is hiking on the glacier which goes up a gradual incline for about 20 minutes. The overall hike is rated as easy with some areas of moderate exercise.
- Beware: It will be colder than you think up on the glacier. Therefore, it is very important that you have dress appropriately for our Glacier Tour. As it’s windy and exposed on the glacier.
- A minimum of 2 slots is required to run the Glacier Hike Experience.
- The minimum age for this tour is 10 years old in the winter and 8 years old in the summer.
- Photo packages may sometimes take more or less than 14 days to edit. This is just our average turnaround time.
- Also be aware that if there is a request to have specific photos from the day, advance notice via email is required before the editing process begins.
- Our Cancellation Policy can be found here. Also, check out our FAQ page if you have further questions.
- Children on Tours: Our IPJ team has specific policies concerning children, please reference our Terms and Conditions. Be aware, we require parents to bring car seats / booster seats to be put in our 4×4 vehicles before the departure time (please arrive early). Additionally, we also require parents to ensure their children are under control, calm, and listen to our guide’s directions at all times.
Cancellation for this tour
Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 730 days of departure. 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.
- 1Icarus Rising ehf 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 the cutoff shown above, 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 Glacier Wonders from Arctic Adventures is €101 — €193 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.
| Icarus Rising ehf · €294 | Arctic Adventures · €101 | |
|---|---|---|
| How long it runs | 5 hours | 4.2 hours |
| Changing your mind | Not stated | Free until 24 h before |
| How hard it is | Moderate | Easy |
The €193 buys you 0.8 more hours out. 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 10 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
Icarus Rising ehf 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 →
Read before you book
- Best Glacier Hike in Iceland (2026): 5 PicksThe glacier hikes we would book ourselves in Iceland, on Sólheimajökull and in Skaftafell, with real adult prices, departure points and who each one is not for.
- Best Ice Cave Tour in Iceland (2026): 5 PicksThe ice cave tours we would book ourselves, from the Vatnajökull caves near Jökulsárlón to Katla near Vík, with real prices and meeting points.
- Boat tours in Iceland: the five kinds explainedWhale boats, aurora cruises, glacier-lagoon zodiacs, island ferries and sea angling. What each one actually is, what it costs, and which are worth a slot.
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.
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.
Hotels
Where to stay for this tour
From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Höfn í Hornafirði, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.
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
Pairs well with
Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €14 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.
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David The Guide
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Icarus Rising ehf
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28% below the €254 typical for ice cave tours
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34% below the €254 typical for ice cave tours
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15% below the €216 typical for glacier hikes
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Your Transfer ehf
Transfer from KEF to Jökulsárlón / Jökulsárlón to KEF
pickup included
5 h 45 · from Keflavík Airport
- Family friendly
- Private