Glacier Hike and Ice climbing in Skaftafell

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

5.0· 28 Google reviews of the operator
  • Beginners welcome
  • Fine on your own

from €241.52 per person

Next departure: Thu 20 May

Book Thu 20 May · €241.52Other dates
Glacier Hike and Ice climbing in Skaftafell — Icefall Tours

  • Duration

    6 hours and 30 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

    08:00, 13:30

  • Cancellation

    Free until 2 days before

About this experience

Difficulty 3 out of 5 - Moderate

Price 29.900 Isk per pers.

Age minimum 16 years old

Guide to client ratio: 1:6

This trip will place on Falljökull or Virkisjökull, some of Vatnajökull’s outlets glaciers..

The Total tour duration is a bit over 6 hours. Our meeting point is Skaftafell Air Terminal https://goo.gl/maps/EKEpP6gZDA2wM6zo6

Our ultimate experience, where you’ll combine an extensive glacier hike/trek on Falljökull’s outlet glacier (or Virkisjökull) with an introductions ice climbing session. Your guide will teach you all you need to know for your first ever ice climbing challenge, and will select wall(s) according to everybody’s conditions, so that it remains a great experience for all.

Great sceneries, climbing experience, and great times away from the crowd is our aim.

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

Included

  • Guided Glacier Hike and introduction to ice climbing
  • Transportation from and to meeting point
  • Certified Glacier Guide according to AIMG* standards
  • Specialized Glacier Gear:
    • Helmet
    • Crampons
    • Harness
    • Ice axes

Good to know

What you need to bring:

  • Good hiking boots are essential. The boots should be high enough to provide good ankle support, and as stiff sole as possible. 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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 — €141 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Icefall Tours · €242Arctic Adventures · €101
How long it runs6.5 hours4.2 hours
Changing your mindFree until 48 h beforeFree until 24 h before

The €141 buys you 2.3 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.

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

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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Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €12 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.

from

€241.52 per person

Book Thu 20 May · €241.52