Included: An experienced, local glacier and ice climbing guide with extensive knowledge of the area Full-day glacier hiking and ice climbing tour on Vatnajökull (7–7.5 hours) All necessary glacier and technical climbing gear (crampons, helmet, harness, ice axes, ropes, carabiners, etc.) All required safety equipment Add-ons (pricing shown at checkout) Equipment rental — waterproof jacket and waterproof pants Not included: Transportation to Iceland Meals or snacks Accommodation Anything not mentioned in the ‘Included’ section above Guide gratuities — optional Insurance — recommended, available at checkout

How fit do I need to be?

In order to join this Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull, great fitness is required , along with a good level of comfort moving on uneven, icy terrain. The most you’ll hike within the day is up to 8 km (5 mi), with up to 400 m (1,300 ft) of elevation gain. Since part of the day is spent ice climbing on a vertical wall, expect some upper-body effort on top of sustained hiking— no prior climbing experience is necessary , your guide teaches everything on-site. Note that crampons can’t be fitted to shoe sizes below EU 35, so sturdy, ankle-supporting boots of your own are a must. Want to see what else is there in the area? Discover more Iceland adventures here !

What do I need to bring?

Gear: Sturdy hiking boots (crampon compatible) Day pack (25–40L) Water bottle/hydration bladder (min. 2L) Sunglasses with UV protection Gloves (warm, flexible for gripping tools) Camera or phone (optional, but highly recommended) Clothing: Waterproof rain jacket and pants (shells) Warm, moisture-wicking base layers Insulating mid-layer (fleece or light down) Wool or synthetic hiking socks Warm hat and a buff or neck gaiter Other: Snacks or small packed lunch Sunscreen and lip balm Personal medications/essentials Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

Do I need my own glacier equipment?

No experience or personal gear is necessary for this Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull—crampons, an ice axe, a helmet, and a harness are all provided and fitted by your guide, included in the tour price. Crampons matter here specifically because you’re not just hiking on ice, you’re climbing it—they’re metal spikes that attach to your boots and dig into the ice for grip, both on the glacier hike and on the ice wall. One thing to note: crampons only fit securely from EU shoe size 35 upward , so bring appropriate backup footwear if yours is smaller. All gear gets returned to your guide at the end of the tour.

Group sizes and age requirements

Group sizes and pricing: For this Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 6:1 . The maximum group size is set at 6 participants . Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull can be accommodated for larger groups upon request— contact us to make arrangements. Min. age requirements: If you are older than 18, you’re good to go. Minors older than 14 may be permitted to join the Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian. If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

Getting there and meeting location

The starting point of this Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull is the Skaftafell Booking Center, inside Vatnajökull National Park, about 327 km (203 mi)—roughly a 4.5- to 5-hour drive—east of Reykjavík. To get there, most people fly into Keflavík International Airport (KEF) , then rent a car or take a bus toward Skaftafell. There’s no pickup included, so you’ll need your own transportation to the meeting point. Parking at Skaftafell isn’t included—a fee applies (from around 1,040 ISK for a standard car, payable online or on-site), valid until midnight the same day. You will meet your guide at 9:30 am in the tour operator’s base by Skaftafell parking lot .

Safety measures and insurance

We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout. Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.

SKAFTAFELL | ICELAND

Extreme Glacier Hiking & Ice Climbing Tour: Vatnajökull, Iceland

Name: Glacier Hike & Ice Climbing Tour in Skaftafell, Iceland
Brand: 57hours
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (7 reviews)

1 day | Challenging | 5.00

From $279 ()

Reserve now

Vatnajökull isn’t just Iceland’s biggest glacier—it’s the largest ice cap in Europe, covering close to 8% of the country in slow-moving blue ice. From the Skaftafell area in the southeast, its outlet glaciers spill down toward black sand and green valleys, and Falljökull is where this trip puts you right on the ice. You’ll strap on crampons, wind between crevasses and wind-carved ice formations with your guide, then clip into a harness for a hands-on ice climbing session on a wall of vertical blue ice. No climbing experience needed—just a taste for something a little wild.

Adventure Highlights

Try real ice climbing, no experience needed: Your guide teaches the basics on-site, then it’s ice axes and crampons on a vertical wall of blue ice
Walk on Europe's largest ice cap: Vatnajökull covers close to 8% of Iceland, and this hike takes you right into it, past crevasses and ice formations most visitors never get close to
Small groups, up to six per guide: Technical terrain like this deserves proper attention, and you’ll get it

Duration

1 day

Season

Year-round

Group size

Up to 6 people

The adventure, day by day

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This full-day trip takes us onto Falljökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, for a combination of glacier hiking and ice climbing. After a safety briefing and gear fitting at the Skaftafell Booking Center, we drive about 20 minutes to the edge of the glacier and rope up before heading out onto the ice. We wind between crevasses and blue ice formations on the hike, then spend time on a vertical ice climbing wall, using an ice axe and crampons with our guide's support the whole way—no prior climbing experience needed. The tour runs 7 to 7.5 hours in total and covers around 8 km (5 mi) on the ice, with up to 400 m (1,300 ft) of elevation gain.

What the day looks like

Glacier hiking and ice climbing adventure in Falljökull Glacier | Iceland

Arrive at the meeting point near Skaftafell and get fitted with all necessary glacier gear. We’ll start with a safety briefing before hiking across rocky paths to the tongue of Falljökull, with huge ice formations unfolding before us. Once on the glacier, your guide shows you how to use crampons and the ice axe, then leads you to steep blue ice walls perfect for your big climb. Everyone gets a chance to try multiple vertical climbs, with instruction and encouragement the whole way. After a few hours of adrenaline and panoramas, we make our way back down, taking one last look at the otherworldly glacier landscape.

Distance: ~6 km (3.7 mi) hiking on ice and rock
Elevation: ~300 m (~985 ft) of climbing and descent

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Ice Climbing in Falljökull Glacier | Iceland

Adventure, packed to go

Extreme Glacier Hiking & Ice Climbing Tour: Vatnajökull, Iceland

Adventure Brochure

Adventure brochure

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What others say about this adventure

5.00 (7 reviews)

Valentin Jouanet

Merci Lily for the smile and the good expérience.
Je recommande vraiment.

Sara Marye

We’d give this a 10/10 if we could! This was one of the best excursions we’ve ever experienced. Our guide, Dara, was awesome. He gave us an excellent tour and even though we were just a hiking tour, he took us pretty far up the glacier to almost as high as the glacier climbers. We learned a lot, the views are unbeatable, and would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants a really cool Iceland adventure.

Anna S

Amazing experience. Highlight of Iceland. It was really fun hiking on the glacier. Our guide Christian was really nice and explained a lot of things. We always felt safe during the hike. Really recommend, it is so worth it.

Show all reviews

Valentin Jouanet

Merci Lily for the smile and the good expérience.
Je recommande vraiment.

Sara Marye

Anna S

Eleonora Bertacchi

We were a big group of 11 people and we had the best time! Our guide, Lily, knew how to lead us on the glacier, she was very responsible, cared and lovely with 11 messy Italians like us! She was available to help the ones who were a bit afraid to walk on the ranpons!
We had the best support even when we had to book the tour
Very organised agency
Well done guys!

Daniele

Beautiful excursion! A special thanks to Nicola, very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful, and to the whole team. An experience that will remain in our hearts forever. Thank you so much.

Ellie Smith

BOOK THE XTREME TOUR.
WOW. If we could give this more than 5 stars, we absolutely would. My brother (20) and I (18) were looking for a genuinely adventurous glacier experience, not just a scenic walk, and the Xtreme Glacier Hiking & Ice Climbing Tour was exactly what we were hoping for.

Yes, it costs more than the standard tours. It is worth it. If you’re in good physical condition and want to actually challenge yourself, BOOK THIS ONE.

The biggest difference is the experience you get on the glacier. The group is limited to 6 people, and within about 10 minutes we had climbed our way to a place where we were completely on our own. We spent the rest of our time climbing walls, navigating through ice crevasses, and exploring the glacier with just our small group and guide. The landscape is incredible. And the ice climbing is not just one climb for a photo. You climb repeatedly throughout the tour, we got to rappel and climb down/out of a 80-foot glacier canyon that had a waterfall! even the hiking itself takes you through crevasses and challenging glacier terrain. We spent hours actually exploring and climbing rather than simply walking across the ice.

And our guide Darragh was incredible from start to finish. We genuinely cannot say enough good things about him. He was extremely knowledgeable and clearly knew the glacier and ice climbing inside and out, but he was also fun, kind, encouraging, and just an awesome person to spend the day with. He pushed us but we always felt safe. By the end, it honestly felt like we had spent the day adventuring with a friend.

We researched SO many tours because we wanted something that would actually challenge us and be epic, and taking the chance on the Xtreme tour was one of the best decisions we made in Iceland. It was worth every penny.

Darragh, thank you for making this experience so incredible. We genuinely enjoyed it more than you could know, you were a huge part of what made this the highlight of our trip.

Giampaolo d'Aleo

A great first experience on the Falljökull glacier. A special mention to our guide Josh. His passion for his work made the experience even more special and made us feel safe throughout. Ps great British humor.

Things to know

Included:
- - An experienced, local glacier and ice climbing guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  - Full-day glacier hiking and ice climbing tour on Vatnajökull (7–7.5 hours)
  - All necessary glacier and technical climbing gear (crampons, helmet, harness, ice axes, ropes, carabiners, etc.)
  - All required safety equipment
Add-ons (pricing shown at checkout)
- - Equipment rental — waterproof jacket and waterproof pants
Not included:
- - Transportation to Iceland
  - Meals or snacks
  - Accommodation
  - Anything not mentioned in the ‘Included’ section above
  - Guide gratuities — optional
  - Insurance — recommended, available at checkout
In order to join this Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull, great fitness is required, along with a good level of comfort moving on uneven, icy terrain. The most you’ll hike within the day is up to 8 km (5 mi), with up to 400 m (1,300 ft) of elevation gain.

Since part of the day is spent ice climbing on a vertical wall, expect some upper-body effort on top of sustained hiking—no prior climbing experience is necessary, your guide teaches everything on-site. Note that crampons can’t be fitted to shoe sizes below EU 35, so sturdy, ankle-supporting boots of your own are a must.

Want to see what else is there in the area? Discover more Iceland adventures here!
Gear:
- - Sturdy hiking boots (crampon compatible)
  - Day pack (25–40L)
  - Water bottle/hydration bladder (min. 2L)
  - Sunglasses with UV protection
  - Gloves (warm, flexible for gripping tools)
  - Camera or phone (optional, but highly recommended)
Clothing:
- - Waterproof rain jacket and pants (shells)
  - Warm, moisture-wicking base layers
  - Insulating mid-layer (fleece or light down)
  - Wool or synthetic hiking socks
  - Warm hat and a buff or neck gaiter
Other:
- - Snacks or small packed lunch
  - Sunscreen and lip balm
  - Personal medications/essentials
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

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No experience or personal gear is necessary for this Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull—crampons, an ice axe, a helmet, and a harness are all provided and fitted by your guide, included in the tour price.

Crampons matter here specifically because you’re not just hiking on ice, you’re climbing it—they’re metal spikes that attach to your boots and dig into the ice for grip, both on the glacier hike and on the ice wall. One thing to note: crampons only fit securely from EU shoe size 35 upward, so bring appropriate backup footwear if yours is smaller. All gear gets returned to your guide at the end of the tour.
Group sizes and pricing:
- - For this Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 6:1. The maximum group size is set at 6 participants.
Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull can be accommodated for larger groups upon request—contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:
- - If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  - Minors older than 14 may be permitted to join the Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
The starting point of this Skaftafell glacier hike and ice climbing on Vatnajökull is the Skaftafell Booking Center, inside Vatnajökull National Park, about 327 km (203 mi)—roughly a 4.5- to 5-hour drive—east of Reykjavík. To get there, most people fly into Keflavík International Airport (KEF), then rent a car or take a bus toward Skaftafell. There’s no pickup included, so you’ll need your own transportation to the meeting point.

Parking at Skaftafell isn’t included—a fee applies (from around 1,040 ISK for a standard car, payable online or on-site), valid until midnight the same day.

You will meet your guide at 9:30 am in the tour operator’s base by Skaftafell parking lot.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.

Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
- Fully refundable within the initial 48 hours from booking, unless the trip date is less than 7 days from the time of the booking.
- Cancellations up to 7 days prior to the trip date are refundable 100%.
- Cancellations within 7 days prior to the trip date are non-refundable.

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