Glacier Hike from Skaftafell

by Icefall Tours · Glacier hiking · Hiking & trekking · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón

5.0· 28 Google reviews of the operator

Fine on your own

from €172.51 per person

Next departure: Thu 20 May

Book Thu 20 May · €172.51 Other dates

Glacier Hike from Skaftafell — Icefall Tours

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9 photos from Icefall Tours. Tap any one for the full-size original.

Duration
4 hours and 30 minutes
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
All year
Starts in
Öræfi
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Icefall Tours Meeting Point
Skaftafellsvegur, Öræfi
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 13:00 …
Minimum age
14
Cancellation
Free until 2 days before

About this experience

Glacier hike Skaftafell

In this glacier hike we hike on Falljökull, one of Vatnajökull´s steepest outlet glaciers.

The Total tour duration is about 4-4 ½ hours. Our meeting point is Skaftafell Terminal https://goo.gl/maps/EKEpP6gZDA2wM6zo6

Let us show you around this magnificent glacier outlet coming straight out of Iceland’s tallest glacier-covered volcano. Right at the footsteps of iceland’s highest peak we’ll be hiking on a very impressive glacier outlet towards a very steep and jagged icefall. Our goal here is to explore. We’ll get closer to a great variety of features such as crevasses, moulins or nearly bottomless sink holes, ice towers and seracs.

This is a tour for those who really want to get the insides of a glacier hike and exploration; we might from time to time even need to use our ropes and ice screws to get closer looks, or even to access places.

It isn’t a technical or big physical challenge, but it is a thorough exploration, and designed for people who want to hike a longer time. Our pace is the group pace, our challenges are those the team of the day want to face, nothing more, nothing less. But we sure will try our best to give you a memorable experience.

It takes about 25 min drive fro mour base (Skaftafell air terminal) to the roots of Falljökull glacier. We'll then almost straight away walk on the glacier, through its terminal moraine. Right before heading onto the white/blue ice we will teach you how to use our equipment, and let you gear up the crampons, harness and with ice axe we head on.

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

Where you go

Skaftafell Meeting Location

Included

Included

Guided Glacier Hike

Transportation from and to meeting point
Certified Glacier Guide according to AIMG* standards
Specialized Glacier Gear:
- Helmet
- Crampons
- Harness
- Ice axe

* AIMG: Association of Icelandic Mountain Guides

Not included

Not included

hiking boots

food and drink

warm clothes

gloves, hats...

Good to know

Here is what you need to bring with you

Good hiking boots are essential. The boots should be high enough to provide good ankle support. Regular street shoes or sneakers are not appropriate shoe wear for this trip.
Base layer (shirt and long johns) synthetic or wool, mid layer such as good sweater, wool or fleece.
Mid layer such as fleece jacket, thick wool garment, prima-loft jacket or similar. Second mid layer can be added for colder days. Hiking pants, fleece or soft shell or similar.
Waterproof breathable jacket like Gore-tex jacket and pants or similar.
Good thermal headwear and gloves
Socks, synthetic or wool.
Small backpack (Can be handy to carry camera, rain gear and all extras).
Jeans are not accepted for our glacier tours.
pic-nique or snacks

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 2 days 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.

1Icefall Tours 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 2 days 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 Glacier Wonders from Arctic Adventures is €101 — €72 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

	Icefall Tours · €173	Arctic Adventures · €101
How long it runs	4.5 hours	4.2 hours
Changing your mind	Free until 48 h before	Free until 24 h before
How hard it is	Moderate	Easy

The €72 buys you 0.3 more hours out and free cancellation up to 48 h before. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Who this is not for

Not for families with children under 14 — the operator will not take them, even with a parent.

Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.

Why we list it

Icefall Tours 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 Icefall Tours

Read all 28 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 5.0/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

Joanna G
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
This was surely one of the most extraordinary experiences in my life!! We had a 5h tour in a very small group. The glacier is incredible and Laurent was a dream guide! I felt safe and taken care of all the time even though many things during the hike I was doing for the first time ever. I very much appreciated the huge knowlegde of our guide and a good sense of humor:) If you dream of a glacier tour you look no further - you’re gonna love it!
Nuno G.
★★★★★ · 10 months ago
We had a really amazing experience on the glacier in Vatnajökull National Park. Laurent was an excellent guide. He took us safely across the ice and explained many interesting things about the glacier, like the moulins and other formations. He managed very well to make the hike enjoyable for us while also paying great attention to our safety. The glacier is beautiful and impressive, but it can also be dangerous, and Laurent handled everything with care. I am glad we chose Icefall Tours.
PEI RU LEE
★★★★★ · 12 months ago
We joined the 6-hour glacier hike today and had an amazing experience! Our guide, Ási, was super friendly, patient, and helpful throughout the tour. He always made sure everyone was safe and even pointed out the best photo spots. The scenery was absolutely stunning — from the sparkling blue ice to the vast glacier views. It was truly unforgettable and one of the best parts of our Iceland trip. Highly recommend both the tour and our fantastic guide, Ási!
Gabriel Höller
★★★★★ · a year ago
Wonderful experience on the glacier thanks to Icefall Tours. Our guide Jan was super friendly, helpful and transpires his passion for mountains, glaciers and hiking. Furthermore, we got a lot of good tipps for other tours and things to do/visit in the following days. We felt super safe throughout the whole tour. Thanks, we will definitely come back 🙏

Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026

Read before you book

Skaftafell glacier hike: 3, 4 or 6 hours?The four-hour walk is the one to book at Skaftafell. Three hours is mostly the drive and the crampons; six only pays if you want to try ice climbing.
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.
Glacier hike in Iceland: which glacier to 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.

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 Skaftafell, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón →

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from

€172.51 per person

Icefall Tours'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.

Departs08:3009:0009:3013:0013:3014:0014:30

Skaftafell: light 03:41–22:27, 18 h 45 min of daylight.

✓ Free cancellation until 2 days before
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Icefall Tours 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: Icefall Tours'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 €9 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.