🧊 Glacier Hike in Iceland: Firsthand Review & Tips

🍀 Lukiih’s Overall Rating	6.6
🦄 Uniqueness	High
😊 Enjoyment	Moderate
💰 Value	Very Expensive
🎒 Preparation	Minimal
🌟 Book a Tour	View Price

Iceland is one of the few countries where hiking a glacier is easily accessible. Here’s my honest review and firsthand tips.

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🍀 Lukiih’s Verdict

I recommend hiking a glacier in Iceland if you’ve never done it before as it’s a memorable experience.

• Glacier hiking is unlike your typical hiking experience. You walk through crevasses and surround yourself in a magical glacier landscape.
• A glacier hiking tour is very expensive. Due to the risks involved and the equipment necessary to hike a glacier, a licensed guide is highly recommended.
• Minimal preparation is required, as you need to book the guides in advance (especially during the high season) and wear appropriate clothes and boots.

Planning a trip? Here’s what to know about Iceland.

🏆 Where Does It Rank?

Hiking a glacier ranks as my #8 thing to do in Iceland. Here’s how it compares to other experiences on my trip:

#	Experience	Location	Overall Rating
1	❄️ Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon	East	7.9
2	💧 Seljalandsfoss	South	7.7
3	🌀 Blue Lagoon	Reykjanes	7.7
4	⛰️ Landmannalaugar Hike	Highlands	7.5
5	🔥 Stokkur Geysir	Golden Circle	7.3
6	💧 Kvernufoss	South	7.0
7	💧 Skógafoss	South	6.7
8	🧊 Glacier Hike	South East	6.6
9	🐍 Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon	South	6.6
10	🏖️ Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach	South	6.5
11	💎 Diamond Beach	Reykjanes	6.5
12	♨️ Hrunalaug Hot Spring	West	6.4
13	🐧 Dyrhólaey	South	6.4
14	💧 Svartifoss	South East	6.3
15	🌋 Kerid Crater	Golden Circle	6.2
16	💧 Gulfoss	Golden Circle	6.2
17	🥾 Glymur Waterfall Hike	West	6.1
18	🐴 Icelandic Horse Riding	South	6.0
19	💧 Gljufrabui	South	5.9
20	♨️ Secret Lagoon	Golden Circle	5.8

My Iceland itinerary features the above experiences.

✈️ About My Trip

For context on my review, here’s what to know about my trip:

• I finance my trips and don’t receive sponsorship; this review reflects my honest opinions.
• This post has updated 2024 information, but I hiked a glacier in 2022.
• My Iceland trip was in August when it was very crowded and expensive.

🦄 Uniqueness: High

The Uniqueness Score is based on how rare and memorable an experience is.

Rarity: Uncommon

Glacier hiking is an uncommon experience – I estimate fewer than 50 places worldwide where visitors can do it.

• Iceland’s glaciers offer stunning and diverse glacial landscapes, ranging from deep crevasses to ice caves.
• It’s relatively accessible in terms of transportation and who can physically do it.

Iceland offers glacier hikes on Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull. See the two glaciers you can hike in Iceland.

• Glacier hikes are also available in other places, including New Zealand (which has landscapes comparable to Iceland), Canada, Argentina, Switzerland, Norway, and Alaska.

Most glaciers are receding at an alarming rate due to climate change, so access will become harder in the future.

Memorability: High

Hiking a glacier is one of my most memorable experiences in Iceland.

• The varying ice formations and landscapes you walk by are unforgettable. During my tour, we walked through a crevasse, passed by a waterfall, looked into a deep glacial hole, and drank delicious fresh glacial water.

• You’re only on the glacier for a maximum of two hours, so you won’t go too far up. At the deepest point, you can still clearly see the glacier’s edge, so you are never entirely surrounded by ice.

Read on for the glacier hike’s itinerary.

😊 Enjoyment: Moderate

The Enjoyment Score is based on how much happiness and reward an experience provides.

Happiness: Moderate

I found hiking a glacier fun with some caveats.

• The glacial landscape is stunning and unlike anything I’ve seen before. Every ice formation is a novelty.

• Weather conditions on the glacier can change rapidly, so wearing the right clothes is important or you’ll have a miserable time. Although my glacier hike started sunny, it rapidly turned into a hail storm.

The best time to hike a glacier is during the summer when there is a higher chance of clear and sunny skies.

Reward: Moderate

Glacier hiking is a somewhat rewarding experience.

• Walking on a glacier for two hours while having to concentrate on every step to avoid falling can feel like an accomplishment.
• It’s educational and eye-opening to hear a knowledgeable guide share the impact of climate change on the very glacier you’re standing on.

• You’ll be on a glacier for a short time, so it won’t feel like a rewarding hike that requires significant endurance.

💰 Value: Very Expensive

The Value Score is determined by the price divided by the duration of an experience. All prices mentioned here are in USD.

Price: $150 PP

A hike on Vatnajökull, Iceland’s larger glacier, costs between $110 and $240 depending on the season, group size, and duration. The tour typically lasts about four to five hours and includes transportation and gear. At about $35 per hour per person, I consider this experience very expensive.

Lukiih Paid: $230

I booked my tour with the highly-rated Arctic Adventures and paid $230 during the high season. Here are the prices of other well-rated tour companies (I last checked prices in May 2024):

• Troll Expeditions: $110 for three hours
• Glacier Adventure: $140 for four hours
• Melrakki: $145 for three hours and an extra small group

See my Iceland trip expenses.

🎒 Preparation: Minimal

The Preparation Score is based on the required skills & fitness, transportation, and bookings & packing. The higher the score, the less preparation is needed.

Skills & Fitness: Minimal

You need minimal skills and fitness to hike a glacier in Iceland.

• You don’t need to have prior experience or know how to hike a glacier (e.g., how to use a crampon or what to do in an emergency) if you go with a licensed guide.
• It’s not difficult if you’re in average physical shape. There is some incline, but the distance is short, and the walking pace is slow.

The pace of hiking a glacier is slow because you need to use your crampon correctly with every step, and the guide needs to constantly assess the path forward to avoid hollow glaciers.

Transportation: Easy & Short

The meeting point to hike Vatnajökull is typically in the nearby town, Skaftafell.

• The most straightforward way to get to Skaftafell is to rent a vehicle and drive there. I rented a campervan and enjoyed it.
• From Skaftafell, the tour operator will take you closer to the glacier by bus, which takes about 20 minutes.

Booking & Packing: Minimal

To hike a glacier in Iceland, you’ll need minimal booking and packing:

• A ticket is not required.
• Hire a guide in advance, as they will provide the gear and know how to safely hike a glacier. During the peak season, book about a week ahead.
• Wear appropriate clothes and shoes. Gear will be provided, so you don’t need to rent it at an extra cost.

How To Guide & Tips

Interested in doing a glacier hike after reading my review? Below is a practical how-to guide and firsthand tips.

Where to Hike

Tour companies will take you to the two glaciers that you can hike, and both are located in the southern part of Iceland:

• 🧊 Sólheimajökull – Sólheimajökull glacier is the smaller one. It’s a two-hour drive from Reykjavík and usually a shorter hike (about an hour on the glacier).

Sòlheimajökull is a popular glacier hike because it’s near Reykjavík. Most tour operators offer pick-up from the capital city.

• 🧊 Vatnajökull – Vatnajökull is Europe’s biggest glacier. It’s a four-hour drive from Reykjavík and usually a longer hike (about two hours on the glacier). Visitors tend to stay at the nearby Skaftafell town when hiking this glacier.

Being on the glacier for longer means you can go higher into it and see more of it. However, you won’t reach the top of the glacier, as that requires more expertise and time.

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Itinerary

A typical Vatnajökull hiking tour is just under six hours long. The most surprising part is that you’re on the glacier for only two hours.

Here’s how a glacier hike tour breaks down:

Timing	Glacier Hike Itinerary
40 mins	Gear up – At the Skaftafell meeting point near, you’ll put on the right helmet size, ensure you have acceptable hiking boots, etc.
15 mins	Educational introduction – Your tour guide will walk you through a quick introduction to Vatnajökull.
20 mins	Bus ride – You’ll take a quick, bumpy bus ride to the start of the glacier trail.
45 mins	Hike to the glacier – This is an easy, flat hike. Before getting on the glacier, the guide will teach you how to use crampons.
2 hours	Glacier hike – The glacier is ever-changing, so the route you take on it varies. I walked through deep crevasses, saw a waterfall, peeked into deep holes, and drank glacier water (which was very refreshing!).
45 mins	Hike back – You’ll hike the same way back.
20 mins	Bus back – The bus takes you back to the tour’s meeting point.

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What To Pack & Wear

Wearing the right clothes on an Iceland glacier hike will ensure you don’t have a miserable experience if the weather doesn’t hold up.

The weather on an Iceland glacier is ever-changing; it can be warm and sunny for a few minutes and then turn cold and windy. My hike started sunny and turned into a hail storm.

Here’s what to wear and pack to an Iceland glacier hike:

• Acceptable hiking boots – If you don’t want to rent boots, you must bring ones that meet the glacier hike requirements.

Acceptable hiking boots for a glacier hike need ankle protection, hard soles, and the right shape for the crampons. Since my boots didn’t meet these requirements, I rented boots for 1000 ISK (roughly $7).

• Waterproof outer top – You’ll want a jacket that you can easily remove if it gets too warm. I wore my regular rain jacket.
• Waterproof pants – My biggest regret was bringing water-resistant pants instead of waterproof ones. My legs were freezing during the hail storm, and having waterproof pants would have significantly lessened how cold I was.
• Layers for your upper body – If the weather stays sunny, you won’t want to wear your puffer jacket or warm clothing. Before the hail storm, I was warm in my sun hoodie, and some people wore short sleeves.
• Waterproof gloves – When it gets cold, you’ll likely not want to hold your metal ice axe with your bare hands, so it’s good to pack some waterproof gloves.
• Hat or headband – It can get very gold, so you’ll want head protection.
• Day pack with rain cover – You’ll need a bag to hold your snacks and extra layers. My backpack had straps in the front that could carry my ice pick, which was convenient because I didn’t use them at all.
• Sunglasses (optional) – Keep in mind that glaciers can be very reflective. I didn’t feel like I needed them, but others had them.
• Reusable water bottle – Glacier water is safe to drink in Iceland, so you’ll want to bring something that can scoop up the water. I carried my reusable water bottle.
• Snacks or lunch – My tour operator encouraged us to pack snacks and lunch. Since it rained and hailed during lunchtime and there was no cover, my group skipped lunch and ate later while waiting for the bus.

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Iceland Trip Planner 2024

To make your travel preparation easier, download the trip planner below. It has destination-specific travel information, itinerary, map, and packing list.

My trip planners are built on Notion, which I use for all my travel planning. I genuinely love this tool and creating an account is free.