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.
The short version
- Almost every Skaftafell glacier walk goes onto the same ice: Falljökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull.
- A three-hour tour gives you about an hour and a half on the ice. The rest is gear, briefing and the drive to the glacier.
- Minimum ages run from 8 on the shortest walks to 16 for the hike with ice climbing.
- Crevasse Labyrinth from Arctic Adventures shows dates in every month; Icefall Tours' calendar currently shows May to September only.
- Skaftafell is about four hours' drive east of Reykjavík, so these tours suit people sleeping nearby.
Book the four-hour walk. At Skaftafell the short tours and the long ones go onto the same glacier, Falljökull, and the extra hour is where most of the walking happens. Three hours is mostly the drive, the briefing and putting on crampons. Six hours is worth it only if you want to try ice climbing.
If you haven’t decided between Skaftafell and the South Coast glaciers, start with our glacier hike guide. This one assumes you are going to Skaftafell and are choosing how long to stay on the ice.
What every tour has in common
You meet at a hut or the terminal building at Skaftafell, in Vatnajökull National Park. A 4x4 bus or truck drives you 20 to 25 minutes to the end of Falljökull, a steep outlet glacier coming down from Iceland’s highest peak. You walk over gravel to the ice, put on crampons, helmet and harness, and the guide leads you up. The crampons and helmet are included on every tour we list. Boots with ankle support are not optional. Bring your own or hire them at the hut.
So the tour length is not about seeing a different glacier. It is about how far up the ice you get, and how much of the day goes on logistics.
Three hours: the short walk
Melrakki Adventures’ Skaftafell 3 Hour Glacier Walk is from €130 and has the most departures, from 09:00 to 18:00. The guide aims for about an hour and a half on the ice. You see crevasses, moulins and blue streaks near the edge of the glacier. The minimum age is 8, and boots can be borrowed free.
Icefall Tours’ short glacier hike is from €131, also about three hours, with a minimum age of 12 in the operator’s own description. Its calendar currently shows dates from May to September.
Three hours suits families with younger children and anyone driving on to Jökulsárlón or Höfn the same day. The downside is that you turn round just as it gets interesting.
Four hours: the one we would book
Arctic Adventures’ Crevasse Labyrinth is from €122, just over four hours, and shows dates in every month of the year. It follows a scouted route through a maze of ice walls. You walk about 4 km and climb 200 to 250 metres. The minimum age is 8, and the national park fee is included. It is cheaper than either three-hour walk, which is the strange thing about the Skaftafell market.
Melrakki’s Skaftafell Glacier Adventure is from €171 for four and a half hours. It goes further up towards the icefall, and the minimum age is 12. Icefall Tours’ Glacier Hike from Skaftafell is from €173, four to four and a half hours, minimum age 14. Their guides sometimes use ropes and ice screws to reach a feature, which tells you something about where they take you.
Four hours gives you a proper walk without eating the whole day. You are back by lunch on a morning departure.
Six hours: hike plus ice climbing
Icefall Tours’ Glacier Hike and Ice Climbing is from €242 for about six and a half hours. You walk a long way onto Falljökull or Virkisjökull, then the guide sets up a rope on an ice wall and you climb it with two axes. The operator rates it 3 out of 5. The minimum age is 16 and there is one guide for every six people. Its calendar currently shows dates from May to September.
Ice climbing is the reason to book this, not the extra walking. If you only want more glacier, the four-hour tours are enough. Our ice climbing guide says more about what the climbing is like.
Season and cancellations
Glacier walks at Skaftafell run all year, but not every operator does. Crevasse Labyrinth shows dates every month. Melrakki shows no December or January dates in its current calendar. Icefall Tours’ calendar only opens in mid-May. Operators often add winter dates late, so check the calendar on the tour page rather than this list.
Arctic Adventures and Melrakki allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Icefall Tours asks for two days. Wind and rain cancel glacier tours, and you get a refund or a new date.
Our honest take
For most people it is Crevasse Labyrinth at €122: four hours, a real walk, year-round, and an age limit of 8. If you want to go further up the ice and have older children or none, Melrakki’s four-and-a-half-hour tour is the step up. Book three hours only if you are driving on to Höfn the same day. Book six only if you want to swing an ice axe. Whichever you choose, sleep near Skaftafell the night before. This is not a day trip from Reykjavík.
