Adventurous Vatnajökull Glacier Exploration - Full Day Hike

Recommended by 100% of travelers

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Skaftafell, Iceland

1 day (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Take an unforgettable hike across Iceland’s largest ice cap, Vatnajökull, on this small-group adventure. Accompanied by a guide, you’ll marvel at naturally-formed ice caves, venture through more difficult routes that larger groups cannot reach, and soak up Iceland’s iconic ice giants with ample photo opportunities. Tours include safety training plus all equipment needed, including crampons, helmets, harnesses, and ice axes.

A full-day hike across the largest glacier in Europe
Capped at 4 travelers for a personalized experience
Refreshments provided during the tour
Learn about Icelandic history and geology from your guide

What's Included

Coffee and/or Tea
Safety Equipment (Helmet, Harness, Ice Axe/s, Crampons)
1-2 days before your trip, we'll get in touch to give you a weather & expected conditions report.
Pre-trip communication with your guide on Whats-app/Email

Bottled water
Mountain Boot Rental (if you don't have your own)

€15.00 per person
Transportation (you'll need your own car)
Lunch

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Freysnes
785, Iceland
Freysnes Gas Station (Black and Pink building) -Your guide/s will have gold/yellow uniform waiting by the front entrance of the building.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.9:00 am

What To Expect

Vatnajokull Glacier

Vatnajokull National Park

Vatnajokull

Skaftafell National Park

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a strong physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 4 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

5.0

based on 36 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great expérience that I recommand

Jose_P, Aug 2025

I Have a great time with thé tour. I totally recommand Ice Guardians iceland company. It’s a Smaller company, but it’s worth it. You Have Time to know your guide and so does he. I recommand richard (rich). He is very Well trained. He challengés his group depending on their skills. He triés to make feel everybody safe and comfortable. He uses another trail than the others groups. So We Have seen more landscapes and didn’t Have to follow the pace of other people. Thanks!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you very much for your wonderful review José. It was a real pleasure guiding you on this tour and I'm glad you enjoyed your third glacier in Iceland! Perhaps we may see you back one day in the winter. Best wishes, Rich.

Very good

Alejandro_C, Nov 2024

We had a great time with our guide … away from the big groups …. I highly recommend if you want to have a better experience

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thanks for the kind review Alex, it was a pleasure to share the journey to the icefall together and explore our most favourite terrain on the glacier. Best wishes, Ice Guardians team

Once in a lifetime experience

Joshua_V, May 2024

This review is a year in the making because I forgot to leave it. This was a once in a lifetime experience for us, not only was our guide professional, knowledgeable, and skilled. He was fun, energetic, and personable. He took us up and down the glacier, he showed us some of the ice caves that were forming and even found one in the middle of the glacier that we crawled through. When I come back to Iceland I will definitely be going with them again. They had all the necessary equipment and not once did I feel like anything was out of control or unnecessarily risky. It was fun, breathtaking, and rewarding. During the day we saw several pieces of ice fall and felt the reverberation of the impact in our bones and it was awe inspiring.

Incredible!

Leon_H, Aug 2023

What a wonderful experience. The small group hike was amazing. Kish was extremely knowledgeable about Iceland and the Glacier. At the same time he had our safety in mind as he guided across and through the glacier. We had a wonderful time.

Strongly suggested tour of 8 hours on two glaciers

Mauro_F, Jul 2023

The excursion on the two glaciers was fantastic. Richard ,the guide, was very professional and explained us many facts about the place so he gave us the opportunity to understand the nature of the site where we were walking. We strongly suggest this tour of 8 hours with him.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you for the great review Mauro! It was a real pleasure having you both on the tour. Please don't hesitate to get in touch for any advise for any winter plans for a return to Iceland. Best wishes, Rich.