Skaftafell

Glacier Hike from Skaftafell - Extra Small Group

Badge of ExcellenceÖræfi, Iceland
Likely to Sell Out

From $125.00

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Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
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  • 3 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Many glacier tours in Vatnajökull National Park require travelers to walk from the parking lot to the glacier terminus, eating into their time on the ice. On this tour, maximize your time on Falljökull glacier by traveling as near as possible in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Explore moulins, crevasses, and other formations in the company of an Association of Icelandic Mountain Guides-certified guide.
  • Enjoy an exhilarating glacier hike in Vatnajökull National Park
  • Certified guides share safety information and insights
  • Avoid the crowds with an evening departure (June–August only)
  • A small group ensures personalized attention

What's Included

  • Harness, crampons and ice axe
  • Weather dependent clothing
  • Hiking boots (Minimum size needed for our crampons is size 34 EUR)
  • Sunglasses
  • Backpack with extra clothing layers, bottle of water and small snacks.

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • Skaftafell Terminal - Tour Center
    Flugvallarvegur 5, 785 Öræfi, Iceland

    The meeting point is at Skaftafell Terminal Tour Center (Skaftafell Airport). Skaftafell Terminal Tour Center is OUTSIDE of the National Park. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to starting time. Bring clothing according to weather.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
Operated by Melrakki Adventures

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips

This is the best company around, I did the 9am tour so we were the first ones on the glacier and our guide was great!
The groups are small so it's much more hands on.
Reviews
5.0
277 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 277 reviews
Wow…experience of a lifetime
Paul_W, Mar 2023
What an amazing experience. Words can’t describe how much we enjoyed this. Our guide was fantastic, made us feel at ease, was very funny and gave us memories we’ll never forget
Had an amazing time. Our...
Frank_V, Jan 2023
Had an amazing time. Our guide was super awesome, and we were the only ones that booked for that time frame so it was a personalized glacier hike. Beautiful scenery and so much fun. Highly recommend.
Great experience and worth the extra dollars
Ritesh_K, Oct 2022
Great tour and incredible experience. Our tour guide was fantastic. He was extremely knowledgeable and funny. Our group was just of six friends. Our tour did not include just walking on ice but using the harness to see glacier holes and climbing through small ridges on glacier. I saw tours from other companies that had 12 or more people and they were just walking on the ice. This tour is worth every penny!!
Great tour!
Tracy_D, Sep 2022
Excellent tour of the glacier. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Easy hike up and down the glacier.
The trip was amazing. It...
Christine_P, Aug 2022
The trip was amazing. It was great getting onto the glacier. Tom was a great guide and shared wonderful information. It was a little difficult as a few people in our group where very unsure walking in the ice so it was a slow trip with some waiting.
Small group, ride to start of hike, worth the price!
Lynne_G, Jul 2022
We really appreciated the small group and individualized attention. Being able to drive right up to the start of the hike added a lot of time actually on the glacier! Our guides Tom and Ollie were fun, knowledgeable, patient and kind. Safety was a primary concern and we felt completely safe the entire time. The meeting point was only 10 minutes from the start of the hike so we had close to 2 1/2 hours on the ice! Worth every penny!
Great experience!
Tonya_R, Jul 2022
Great experience. Our guide was super knowledgeable and professional. We felt safe at all times. It is definitely more difficult than the description indicated. You have to be fairly good at hiking steep hills and uneven terrain.
Our guide was really...
Sukanya_G, Jun 2022
Our guide was really good. She was knowledgeable and amiable. It is a hike worth doing. I am not the sporty type, but this was well managed.
Fabulous experience.
Cheryl_P, Jun 2022
There were eight people in our small tour group, which is more than I was expecting. Two of the people in our group were completely clueless even walking rocky terrain in hiking boots, no less crampons, so my initial expectations were pretty low. Our guide managed to keep them moving and part of the group, and we were able to see some spectacular glacier formations. The smaller group and longer tour length allowed us to go higher on the glacier than the other tour companies, all of whom had 20+ individuals in their groups. It was a spectacular day with perfect weather and gorgeous scenery. Our guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable. We had an excellent time and would highly recommend this tour!
Small Tours Are Unquestionably Better
Elizabeth_H, Apr 2022
We had an amazing, amazing glacier hike with our tour guide Otterare (I know I’m spelling this incorrectly, I apologize). I’m not sure why anyone would book with a large tour group company. It ended up being just my group of 3 alone on the hike with the guide, while many other groups had as many as 17+ people (in which case you have to take a bus and don’t get to experience as much as you’re only doing as much as the least capable person’s ability in the group). Our guide was extremely friendly, knowledgeable about the glacier, clearly loved his job and the natural beauty. It was physical, would not recommend for those with knee, hip, or ankle issues, or generally out of shape. However, it wasn’t extremely difficult and everyone in my group had a fantastic time. Stunning views, and the glacier changes every year with melting in the spring and summer and formation in the winter, and glaciers in general may not be around at some point in the future; so you may be seeing what could be a relic of the past when you do this tour. I felt safe the whole time, directions were super easy for finding your guide, you take a Land Rover defender right up to the glacier. Masks worn during transport which I was thankful for. Spectacular views gained at the top. Highly recommend. Huge value for the price.
Peak of memorable experiences!
Marc_v, Oct 2021
Had an amazing time! Went up with Katy who shared plenty of stories and insights in regards to the Glacier Left plenty of time and room for pictures (assisting with them too!), all the while keeping a good eye out on the whole group to ensure everyone had the most optimal experience possible. Highly recommend!
Incredible Glacier Tour
Matthew_S, Sep 2021
The glacier was incredible and the small group size was nice. The guide Franziska was super knowledgeable and patient. Had a great experience
A must do activity
stephryan61, Sep 2021
This tour was the definition of a once in a lifetime experience. Luckily for us, it had rained the previous days so when we hiked the glacier it was blue. Absolutely picturesque. This was my favorite activity I did while in Iceland. I would recommend it to everyone. I will say it’s a bit of an incline so be prepared to walk that. And I would also suggest going as early as possible to avoid most of the crowds.
Just great
ALEXANDER_K, Aug 2021
I spent quite a bit of time researching various tours before booking, and I’m so happy that I did! The guide was very nice and entertaining, and small size of the group made a lot of difference. On our way back, I was watching with awe that other groups had dozens of people in them - thank you, but no thank you!
Highly Recommend!
JuliK, Aug 2021
The small tour was a fantastic experience. Katarina was the best guide, super fun, energetic, informative. She made sure we were all safe, but also enjoyed the sites. Our favorite part was drinking the glacier water/push up challenge. Such a wonderful experience, I would highly recommend this tour when you are in Iceland!
Five star hiking experience
Audrey_M, Aug 2021
Outstanding experience and would strongly recommend to anyone of reasonable fitness traveling through Southern Iceland. Our guide, Oddur, was experienced and capable. He interacted well with all members of the small group, and he clearly enjoyed being out on the glacier. The hike itself was unique and gorgeous, allowing an up-close look at the fascinating glacial terrain. The logistics of an extra small group gave us the opportunity to move more expediently and therefore see more “secret spots” than one might in a larger group. Five stars!
Must see/do in Iceland!
Peter_G, Jul 2021
Fantastic trip, Katarina was a wealth of knowledge and made us feel safe and good. The best part was the amazing sights you get to experience!
Best glacier hike tour!
Chi, Jul 2021
Definitely recommend! There was only one other person on my tour so a total of 4ppl. The guide Katerina(?) drove us up close to the bottom of the glacier, other big tour buses parked outside at the parking lot which is ~30min walk. From the bottom of the glacier we then hiked ~10min from the sand covered glacier to where we were on real ice. Katerina then helped us put on crampons and we started the tour! Sun was out that day so we didn't feel cold at all until we reached the highest point for the tour. We stopped multiple times for pictures and got a taste of the real glacier water at one point. Best tour ever!!
Awesome experience and guide! Best company around
Niklas_J, Jul 2021
This is the best company around, I did the 9am tour so we were the first ones on the glacier and our guide was great!
The most helpful accommodating tour operators. If you do one tour in Iceland, make it this one!
Dakshayini_A, Jul 2021
If you're going to choose a tour operator choose this one. The hike that they provide is on one of the most scenic glaciers, and the extra small group is a must for such hikes (based on all of my extensive research). But beyond this, the tour operators are INCREDIBLY kind and accommodating. We had some mishaps that messed up our itinerary but the operators were amazing and flexible. Iceland roadtrips can be packed, and stressful with uncertainty of timing and sometimes confusing routes. Booking tours with people as kind as this is a MUST to help alleviate said stress. I never write reviews, but if you do book a tour coming to Iceland this should be the one!

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