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Vatnajökull National Park

Vatnajökull National Park: Our most recommended tours and activities

Skaftafell: Extra-Small Group Glacier Hike

1. Skaftafell: Extra-Small Group Glacier Hike

Embark on a small-group tour of Vatnajökull glacier and benefit from an intimate experience with a maximum of 8 participants. After meeting your guide at the meeting point in Skaftatell Airport, get geared up and prepare for your 20-minute 4x4 drive to the base of the Falljökull outlet glacier. At the base, step onto the glacier and listen to a quick briefing on how to wear your ice crampons. Then, it's time to begin your glacier hike. Follow your experienced guide through stunning ice formations, moulins, crevasses, and crystal-clear blue pools. Spend up to 120 minutes exploring the unique landscape of the glacier. Witness breathtaking views, listen to interest local anecdotes, and have your photo taken against this stunning natural landscape before heading back to the 4x4. Get dropped off back at the meeting point at the end of your hike.

Skaftafell: Guided Glacier Hike Day Trip

2. Skaftafell: Guided Glacier Hike Day Trip

Enjoy a frozen adventure in the wilderness of Skaftafell and hike across a stunning outlet glacier of Vatnajökull in the company of an expert guide. Get a short safety briefing and collect all the necessary equipment at the meeting point. Then, marvel at the majesty of the landscape on the short hike to the ice cap. Put on your crampons for security out on the ice. See different formations, including deep crevasses and ice sculptures, and get panoramic views over Skaftafell National Park. Learn how glaciers are formed and hear how their future is under threat as a result of global warming. Get an introduction to more advanced stages of glacier hiking before heading back to the meeting point.

Skaftafell National Park: Glacier Hike

3. Skaftafell National Park: Glacier Hike

Discover what it feels like to walk on impacted ice on an amazing hike across the outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier. Get breathtaking views of the ice-covered peaks of Skaftafell National Park in the epic wilderness of Iceland. Meet your guide at the meeting point to pick up your crampons, ice axes, harnesses, and helmets. Then, drive by bus to the start of your hike and put on your crampons and steel frames tied to your hiking boots for the amazing adventure ahead. Spend around 60 to 90 minutes on the ice to see crevasses and deep cracks on the surface. Learn about the vertical shafts known as moulins, formed when melting water finds its way into the fissures and cracks. Look into small ice tunnels and capture the beautiful blue heart of the ice in the winter. Learn the history of the glacier from your English-speaking guide.

Glacier Wonders Glacier Hiking Trip from Skaftafell

4. Glacier Wonders Glacier Hiking Trip from Skaftafell

To get your glacier adventure started, board one of the buses leaving from Skaftafell National Park several times a day for the short 15-minute ride to access Falljökull glacier. After arriving at the glacier tongue, strap on your crampons and start your hike into Iceland's wilderness. As you get on the glacier, make your way up the icy but easily accessible slopes. On the way, you will see the area's unique ice formations, learn about how they were formed and how the glacier continues to change shape every day. Then prepare to approach and watch the awe-inspiring icefall to see how the chunks of glacier ice stoically fall hundreds of meters off the mountain top below, flowing ever-so-slowly towards the ocean. Then listen to how the glacier's journey will never be completed, as global warming continues to fuel glacial melting and their slow retreat. Take your chance to explore the peaceful Icelandic scenery and get up close with the ancient ice and gain a new understanding of why these glaciers are so important to the world as a whole.

From Reykjavik: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Full-Day Trip

5. From Reykjavik: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Full-Day Trip

Explore the dramatic landscapes of the south of Iceland on a full-day sightseeing tour by bus. Go to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon outlet of the largest glacier in Europe, leaning about its history and formation from your local guide. Following a pickup from your hotel in Reykjavik, transfer to the southern coast and the dramatic Glacier Lagoon. Enjoy plenty of time to see the floating icebergs and enjoy the stunning scenery. During the season, make sure to reserve your ticket to the boat cruise on the Jökulsárlón and experience the unique Glacier Lagoon spectacle up close. When you prebook, your place is guaranteed. Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is Iceland’s largest and deepest glacier lagoon. It branches from Breidamerkurjokull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajokull, Europe’s largest glacier. Return to Reykjavik, stopping at the gorgeous waterfall Seljalandsfoss. You will visit the Diamond beach with black sand, and there will be an additional stop in Iceland's southernmost village at Vík for dinner.

Vatnajökull: Short Glacier Encounter Walk

6. Vatnajökull: Short Glacier Encounter Walk

This glacier encounter tour is the perfect introduction to Icelandic glaciers, hiking on the picturesque Falljökull glacier, an outlet glacier of Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajökull. The meeting point is at Freysnes gas station in the South-East of Iceland. The tour begins with a transfer by a 4x4 SuperJeep through the glacier valley that gets you as close to the base of the glacier as possible, reducing the time spent on accessing the glacier and maximising the time exploring up on the ice. After a short walk to get to the ice, your guide will teach you how to put on your crampons and how to use your ice axe. After a short safety speech you are ready to go on the ice. The hike in total is around 1.5 km and you will spend around 1 hour on the ice. The total duration of the tour is 2.5 to 3 hours. Along the way, your guide will be pointing out some of the fascinating natural features of the ice, the crevasses, moulins and dirt cones, while also teaching you about some of the local geography and history of the area.

Skaftafell: Vatnajökull Glacier Explorer Tour

7. Skaftafell: Vatnajökull Glacier Explorer Tour

Take a walking tour of the Vatnajökull Glacier, the largest in Europe, with a certified guide. Head with your group to the ice fall on a scenic and exhilarating walk and enjoy artful ice sculptures formed by the frozen waters of Falljokul Glacier along the way. Follow your guide on a scenic walk, during which you can appreciate the dramatic landscape carved by the glacier. Once at the tongue of the glacier, put crampons on, undergo a safety briefing, and then make your way to the real adventure. Head up towards the incredible ice fall (from which Falljokull derives its name), where you will explore a dramatic terrain, full of frozen ice formations and ice sculptures. Get plenty of photo opportunities while witnessing the rugged and majestic ice fall. Learn how the glacier was formed and how it keeps changing its shape day after day from your guide.

From Jökulsárlón: Crystal Ice Cave Day Tour

8. From Jökulsárlón: Crystal Ice Cave Day Tour

Experience the majestic beauty of a natural ice cave on a tour of Vatnajökull Glacier. Meet your certified glacier guide at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, and then take a 20-30 minute scenic drive to the ice cave.  Get ready to see a magical world of blue ice as you enter the ice cave. Your guide will ensure that you are safe and secure once inside the cave. Gear up with all necessary glacier gear, provided for your safety. Cast your eyes on the heavenly shades of blue ice once you are inside the cave. Take stunning photos of the ice as you spend approximately 40 minutes exploring this miracle of Mother Nature. Discover all that the ice cave has to offer before heading back to Jökulsarlón Glacier Lagoon.

South Iceland: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour

9. South Iceland: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour

Meet at the Café by Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, about 40 minutes east of Skaftafell, for the start of a unique winter activity and look at an extraordinary natural phenomenon. Go inside some of the ice caves that form after water runs beneath the Vatnajökull Glacier during the summer. Every fall, local guides hunt for new ice caves, as their location can change each year. The structure and condition can also vary from year to year, but rest assured your guide will decide which is the best cave to visit, depending on the safety and weather conditions. Drive for approximately 20 to 30 minutes to the ice cave chosen by your guide, and then walk for 5 to 15 minutes to the mouth of the cave. Upon arrival, enjoy between 1 and 1.5 hours to look inside at the miraculous blue ice of the cave, and take in the natural beauty of the surrounding area.

Skaftafell: Blue Ice Experience with 2.5-Hour Glacier Walk

10. Skaftafell: Blue Ice Experience with 2.5-Hour Glacier Walk

You will meet your qualified glacier guide in Skaftafell National Park, where you will be outfitted with crampons and an ice ax. When everyone is ready, a short bus ride will take us to the foot of the glacier. During the tour, you will explore one of Vatnajökull National Park's many outlet glaciers, extending from the mighty Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe. After a short lesson on how to use the crampons and ice ax, you will step onto the glacier and be transported to an icy, foreign planet. The unique landscape truly seems out of this world, with white, clear and deep blue ice, deep crevasses, ice ridges and stunning scenery as far as the eye can see. We will take our time and make sure there are plenty of photo opportunities while your guide explains the inner workings of these white giants. Glacier walks are one of the most popular outdoor activities in Iceland and this is where it all started. Operating since 1994, this easy and safe tour made the Icelandic glaciers accessible to everyone, and today, you can't really visit Iceland without going on a glacier walk.

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What people are saying about Vatnajökull National Park

Overall rating

4.7 / 5

based on 5,399 reviews

AMAZING tour. One of the highlights of my trip. Our guide, Albert, was so fun and knowledgable, and even stopped some extra times to show us even more sights! We even got to see the Northern Lights on our night at the hotel. A fantastic way to see the south coast, and the ice cave tour was awesome. Would recommend bringing some power bars/snacks, as we didn't stop for lunch/dinner until 5pm the second day. But the bus made lots of bathroom stops and you could buy snacks there too. The hotel was great that they had booked us in. All around a well planned and super fun tour! (our tour bus didn't have outlets unfortunately, so I would definitely recommend a portable charger)

Our guide was fantastic and shared his adventures and the history of the glacier and ice caves. We were in a group of about 13 people including ourselves. The van ride was very crowded but getting to the ice caves relieved that experience. The hike to the caves was about 30 minutes and beautiful rocky and icy scenery. The ice caves were stunning. There were other groups but it wasn’t overly crowded. We were able to get photos with just the two of us and no one else in the background. I’d do it again, it was a great experience!

Wonderful experience to walk on this beautiful glacier. The ice cave is not very big, but still impressive! It was great. The guides speak very good English.

The tour was amazing! Guna (not sure how to spell their name) was upbeat and so informative. If you have a chance to go on this adventure, don’t miss it!

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and we could tell how much he loved his job. The views and caves were spectacular and the hike was great!