



Skaftafell 3 hours Easy Level Glacier Hike
Tour Description
Explore the unique ice formations of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier, on a guided walk. This tour offers a direct experience with a constantly changing landscape. You will see deep crevasses, vertical shafts known as moulins, and potentially an ice cave. Your guide will also point out rare features like glacier mice, a type of moss found on the ice. This hike provides an opportunity to witness the immense scale of the glacier and its uniquely carved landscapes up close.
Join a guided glacier hike on Falljökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull National Park. The tour begins at our comfortable meeting point in Hof, located very close to the glacier. Our indoor facility is cozy and offers free parking, which allows you to avoid the parking fees charged at the Skaftafell Visitor Centre. Please arrive 20 minutes before departure to meet your highly qualified English glacier guide. All essential safety gear is provided, including a helmet, crampons, harness, and ice axe.
After a short ride on the "Tröll Bus," you will walk a short distance to the edge of the glacier. Your guide will demonstrate how to use the equipment and how to safely walk on the ice. During the walk, you'll observe how the receding ice has shaped the surrounding landscape, noting visible marks on the bedrock and a lagoon formed by meltwater.
The tour guarantees 1 hour and 30 minutes on the ice, with an additional 10-minute shuttle ride each way. The remaining time is allocated for a safety briefing and a 20-minute walk on a gravel path to the glacier tongue. Your guide will provide information about the glacier's geology and its impact on the Icelandic environment. This tour is designed to be an educational experience, offering a factual look at a natural phenomenon.
This hike is suitable for most individuals with a reasonable fitness level. Participants should wear warm, layered clothing and sturdy footwear.After returning to the meeting point, enjoy a complimentary hot drink (coffee/hot chocolate) and a candy bar.
Skaftafell
All Year
3 Hours
Meet on location
Easy to moderate
Highlight Of The Tour






What’s Included
Available Add-ons
Rent shoes for keeping your ankles safe to prevent injuries
Rent a jacket to keep you dry
Rent pants to keep you dry

Buy our Troll Beanie and Gloves to feel part of our winter Trolls and keep you warm in the Icelandic cold

Buy our Troll Neck-warmer to feel part of our winter Trolls and and protect your face from cold wind

Buy our Troll Summer-Cap to feel part of our summer Trolls and protect yourself from the sun
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Join this adventure tour where you will experience all the fantastic features of a glacier; you will hike up an outlet of Vatnajökull glacier, Europe’s largest glacier, where you’ll have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enter a crystal blue ice cave.
Skaftafell is a beautiful nature reserve in south-east Iceland, filled with spectacular natural wonders. You will explore one of these wonders on a glacier outlet of Vatnajökull glacier.
Vatnajökull is not only Europe’s largest glacier, but it is also home of the highest mountain range in Iceland. During the glacier walk, you will explore breathtaking ice formations and moulins while learning how glaciers are formed and constantly change. The most breathtaking feature you will see is undoubtedly the naturally formed ice cave. You will be able to walk inside this dazzling structure to see the fantastic blue ice found within.
Lace up your hiking boots and prepare for an incredible journey up and inside a glacier with a fantastic Ice Cave!
Join us for an incredible adventure by taking a 4x4 Super jeep up to the Glacier, where you will see the beautiful Crystal Ice Cave also known as Blue Ice Cave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Glaciers form when loads of snow collects on the mountains within many years, and not enough of it melts. Snow becomes incredibly heavy over time, therefore starts compressing on its own weight – eventually becoming glacier ice. Roughly, 50 meters of snow compresses into 1 meter of ice.
Individual glacier outlets have already seen 15-50% of ice loss since the year 2000.
Unfortunately Icelandic winters are no longer cold enough for the glaciers to grow. During winter months, glaciers tend to remain the same size since it's not warm enough to grow, while during summer months glaciers melt at a great rate.
No, you don’t! The meeting point is warm, cozy, and conveniently located close to Falljökull. Parking here is free, unlike Skaftafell, where parking fees apply.
Items
- Warm clothes
- Inner layer – Shirt / T-shirt (wool or synthetic)
- Insulating layer – Polyester Sweater / Fleece Sweater / Insulated Down Jacket
- Outer layer – Waterproof jacket and pants (can be rented from Tröll)
- Hiking pants / fleece pants
- Socks (wool / hiking)
- Hiking / Climbing boots (boots need to have an ankle support to protect your ankle from potential sprains while hiking; Tröll has boots rental at location if needed)
- Hat, gloves, sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Small water bottle
- Joy & happiness!
Easy to Moderate Clients must be fit enough for the activity they are participating in. They must be dressed and geared up according to weather conditions
8 years old, and the minimum shoe size to be able to participate in the tour is EU 33/34
📍Meeting Point – Google Maps Search:Troll Expeditions Skaftafell
Hof (next to Route 1, approx. 5 hours from Reykjavík in good road conditions)
Meeting point is a short distance from the Skaftafell Visitor Centre in Southeast Iceland.
We highly recommend that you arrive at our meeting point 20 minutes before the departure time stated on your ticket. Please note that if you arrive after departure time, your place on the tour cannot be guaranteed or refunded.
Jeans are not recommended for glacier activities. Once it gets wet, it takes a long time to dry, leaving you cold.
Select extras (shoes, waterproof jacket, waterproof pants) during checkout, or rent them out at the meeting point directly with our guides.
The temperature on the glacier is just a few degrees colder than at the Skaftafell Terminal, however much more windy due to a higher elevation.
Find the weather information here
Feel free to contact Tröll customer service for any questions on [email protected] or call+354 519 5544
Wish you a magical hike!
• All day tours can be cancelled 24 hours before the departure time by sending a written email to [email protected]. You will receive a full refund except the 3% card fee. All cancellations requested less than 24 hours from the departure time are non refundable. • In the case of cancellation of the tour by the operator because of extreme weather, road conditions, or other factors, we will assist you with rebooking to another date or booking other activities when possible or provide a full refund.