Skaftafell Blue Ice Glacier Hikes on Vatnajökull
Three operators run beginner glacier hikes from the Skaftafell base camps, and they cost $97, $98.82 and $103.44. All three put crampons on your feet and walk you onto an outlet of Europe's largest ice cap, all three take people who have never done it, and the gaps between them are the minimum age, the group size and whether you can upgrade to a longer route. These run every month of the year, which is what makes them the answer when the caves are shut. Full prices sit with the Vatnajökull ice cave and glacier hike comparison.
About These Hikes
Three hours on the shortest, up to four and a half on the extended route
Around sixty dollars less than any cave tour on this glacier
Unlike the caves, these run through summer as readily as through February
Helmet, glacier crampons and a harness where the route needs one
Depends on the operator; the family-friendly option starts at 8
Waterproof, above the ankle, rentable at the base camp
Check Hike Dates
Live availability for the $98.82 beginner hike on Falljökull. Summer afternoons and the whole of July fill fastest, since this is what runs when the caves are closed.
Which of the Three to Book
$98.82, four hours: the default
The best-supported of the three, at 4.7 from 1,339 reviews, and the one the listing sells as beginner and family friendly. It walks on Falljökull, takes children from 8, and includes every piece of glacier safety gear.
Four hours is enough to get past the scrappy lower ice and onto the part worth photographing. If you only read one line on this page, book this one.
$103.44, 3.5 to 4.5 hours: the small-group upgrade
Five dollars more and the highest rating on the glacier, 4.8 from 416 reviews. The listing lets you choose between the easy blue ice hike and an extended trek, which none of the others offer, and the guides are Icelandic Mountain Guides working from their own Skaftafell base camp.
The minimum age is 10 rather than 8, and pregnant travellers are ruled out. Take this one if you want the option of going further, or if the smaller review count does not bother you next to the higher score.
$97, three hours: the short one
The cheapest and the shortest, at 4.4 from 81 reviews. Three hours covers the walk on and a look at crevasses and ice formations without the longer route.
The small review count means less signal, and one recent guest reported the meeting point moving to Skaftafell airport with a group of 13. Confirm your meeting location the day before rather than driving to the visitor centre on assumption.
Worth booking if your afternoon is short or the other two are sold out.
All Three Skaftafell Hikes
Same base area, same ice cap, three operators. The spread between cheapest and dearest is six dollars.
from $98.82 
from $103.44 Skaftafell: Small Group Blue Ice Glacier Hike on Vatnajökull
Read the full guide → Check Availability
from $97 The Three Side by Side
What a Glacier Hike Is Actually Like
The first ten minutes decide the rest
You put crampons on at the edge of the ice and take about ten steps before your brain accepts that the points are holding. Guides teach it in the same order every time: weight through the whole foot, short steps, feet apart, never cross one in front of the other.
After that it stops being a thing you think about. One guest brought her 65-year-old mother and reported that age turned out not to matter much, which is the honest summary of the difficulty.
What does matter is the surface. Ridged, uneven, and wet in summer, which is why the boots requirement is not decoration.
- Crampons fitted at the ice edge, not at the base camp
- The group walks in a line on a route scouted that morning
- Crevasse edges are approached, looked into, and walked around
- Meltwater channels run blue and fast on warm days
- Sinkholes and moulins where surface water drops through
Summer versus winter on the same ice
In July the ice is bare, grey-white on top and blue where it has been cut, and meltwater runs across it in channels you can hear. In February the same route is under snow, quieter, and the blue reads deeper because there is less light bouncing around.
Summer gives you nineteen hours of daylight and warm enough weather for light layers. Winter gives you five hours of daylight, better colour and the chance to add a cave to the day.
Neither is the wrong answer. They are different walks on the same glacier.
How a Hike Runs
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30 min before
Skaftafell base camp
Check in at the operator's base camp at Skaftafell on Route 1. Confirm the exact meeting point the day before, since one operator has moved it to Skaftafell airport.
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0:00
Gear fitted
Helmet and glacier crampons issued and fitted, plus a harness on the routes that use one. Boots are checked here.
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0:20
Transfer to the ice
A 4x4 bus or short drive from the base camp to where the moraine meets the glacier tongue.
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0:45
Crampon briefing
Technique taught on flat ice before the group moves. No prior experience is assumed on any of the three.
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1:15
Onto the glacier proper
Crevasses, meltwater channels, ash bands and blue ice, with the guide stopping to explain how each formed.
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3:00 to 4:30
Back down
Return across the ice, crampons off at the edge, and the transfer back to base camp. Gear handed in there.
Before You Book
What is included on all three
The technical gear and the guide. The difference between $97 and $103.44 buys time and group size, not equipment.
- Included: certified glacier guide and all glacier safety gear
- Included: helmet, crampons, and a harness on the routes that need it
- Included: transfer from the base camp to the foot of the glacier
- Not included: waterproof hiking boots above the ankle, rentable on site
- Not included: food, drink, and the drive to Skaftafell
Not suitable for
Restrictions vary by operator, and the strictest list belongs to the small-group tour.
- Children under 8 on the $98.82 hike, under 10 on the $103.44
- Pregnant travellers on the $103.44 and $97 hikes
- People with heart problems, on the $97 hike
- Anyone with a mobility impairment
- Jeans, trainers, and cotton base layers
What to wear on a summer hike
Warm days catch people out here. One July guest walked in light layers and was comfortable, but the same route in wind and rain is a different proposition, and the weather turns inside an hour.
Layers with a waterproof shell, waterproof trousers, gloves and a hat, whatever the forecast said at breakfast. Sunglasses matter more in summer than in winter, because the glare off wet ice under a high sun is severe.
For the full kit list, including what gets people turned away at the base camp, see what to wear on the glacier.
Where You Meet
Questions About the Skaftafell Hikes
How much is a glacier hike from Skaftafell?
$97 for three hours, $98.82 for four, and $103.44 for the small-group version running 3.5 to 4.5 hours. All three include a certified glacier guide and every piece of safety gear, and none charges at booking. That puts them around sixty dollars below any ice cave tour on Vatnajökull.
Do glacier hikes run in summer?
Yes, every month of the year. This is the difference between hikes and caves on Vatnajökull: the natural caves close at the end of March when meltwater starts running again, while the hikes carry on across the same ice. In July you get nineteen hours of daylight and bare grey-blue ice with meltwater channels running through it.
Is a glacier hike hard if you have never done one?
No. All three tours are sold as beginner routes with no experience assumed, and the technique takes about ten minutes to learn: weight through the whole foot, short steps, feet apart. The minimum ages of 8 and 10 tell you how technical it is. What you do need is general fitness for three to four hours on uneven ground, and boots that crampons can clamp onto.
Which Skaftafell glacier hike is best?
The $98.82 four-hour hike, on the weight of 1,339 reviews at 4.7 and a minimum age of 8 that suits families. The $103.44 small-group tour scores higher at 4.8, from 416 reviews, and is the one to take if you want the option of upgrading to a longer trek on the day. The $97 three-hour hike is the shortest and cheapest, with only 81 reviews behind it.
Can you see an ice cave on a glacier hike?
Not on these three. They walk past crevasses, meltwater channels and blue ice hollows, but entering a cave needs the separate cave tour and the November to March season. The one tour that combines both is the Skaftafell blue ice cave and glacier hike at $164.83, which puts a chamber inside a four-hour route on Falljökull.
What Recent Guests Wrote
Amazing experience. Great interesting guide. Weather was great as well. I was with 65 years old mother, so for both it was great. It means age doesn't really matter a lot.
We loved the glacier hike with our experienced guide, Tomasz. He was so great with our 8-year old daughter. Tomasz explained everything very clearly and gave us the courage to do it.
Everything was great! Our guide Christian was very informative, helpful and funny! Another new experience hiking in glacier and suitable for beginner hikers!
Quotes reproduced from the GetYourGuide listings for these three tours, shortened with an ellipsis where marked.