Tours/Skaftafell/Skaftafell Glacier Hike 3-Hour Small Group Tour
Viator · group up to 12 pax

Skaftafell Glacier Hike 3-Hour Small Group Tour

4.7(595)Skaftafell1 hour
VIATOR4.5(100)TRIPADVISOR4.7(495)

Description

Come join a three-hour hike up an outlet of Vatnajökull glacier, Europe's largest glacier, located in Skaftafell National Park. Experience the breathtaking natural scenery that has inspired dozens of filmmakers. You and your group of, at most, 12 people, will get the opportunity to explore the wilderness of the ice formations and crevasses under the guidance of a certified guide.

Tour Options

Skaftafell Glacier Hike
  • Grab your hiking boots and get ready, because youre going on an expedition onto an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull in Skaftafell, Iceland.
4.30pm Skaftafell Glacier Hike
  • Grab your hiking boots and get ready, because youre going on an expedition onto an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull in Skaftafell, Iceland.

Highlights

Small Group (14 Participants Max)
Short Drive to the Glacier Outlet
Certified Glacier Guide
All the Necessary Glacier Equipment: Helmets, Harness, and Ice Axe
Coffee and Chocolates

What's included

Included
Small Group (14 Participants Max)
Short Drive to the Glacier Outlet
Certified Glacier Guide
All the Necessary Glacier Equipment: Helmets, Harness, and Ice Axe
Coffee and Chocolates
Not included
Hiking Boots Rental (1,750 ISK)
Hotel pickup and drop-off from Reykjavík or other areas
Food and drinks
Waterproof Jacket Rental (1,750 ISK)
Waterproof Pants Rental (1,750 ISK)
Hat and Gloves Combo with Logo (3,000 ISK)
Neck Warmer with Logo (500 ISK)
Summer Cap with Logo (1,500 ISK)

Traveller Ratings

4.7
595 reviews
5
510
4
32
3
23
2
15
1
15

Important Information

  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Minimum age is 8 years

Reviews(595)

1
131dilial
June 30, 2026
Excellent experience

This was an awesome hiking experience, Bête our tour guide was extremely knowledgable and helpful during the hike. Unfortunately I fell and dislocated two knuckles 2 min left on the hike. Bête, Nate & Georgie were awesome in helping navigate the next steps. They made sure I was comfortable and got the emergency care that I needed. Bête drove me to the hospital and stayed with me and my family as I went through the emergency room at Selfossi. She is a kind and caring soul my family wanted to adopt. After spending five hours with us as she drove us to the hospital and waited until I got the care I needed. She even offered to drive us back to our tour, which was a six hour trip for her. We chose to go another route because we didn’t feel it was necessary. I would always trust her to keep you safe.

G
GoPlaces08304139809
June 23, 2026
Followed the Guide's Safety Advice — Lost Our Entire Payment

We paid for a tour, followed the guide's professional safety recommendation not to participate, and still lost the entire cost of the booking. Once the tour had started and we reached the first checkpoint, the guide strongly advised us that the tour was not suitable for us and raised significant safety concerns. As paying customers, we relied on the guide's professional assessment. When a guide responsible for guest safety tells participants that a tour is unsafe or inappropriate for them, it is unreasonable to expect those participants to disregard that advice and proceed anyway. As a result, we did not continue the tour—not because we changed our minds, but because we followed the guide's recommendation. Despite this, we were denied a refund. The fundamental issue is that the decision that we should not participate was effectively made by the guide, not by us. We acted responsibly by trusting the expertise of the company's representative on site. It is difficult to understand how customers can be expected to accept a guide's safety assessment and then bear the full financial loss for doing so. Future customers should carefully clarify the company's policy regarding situations where a guide determines that participants should not proceed due to safety or suitability concerns. Had we known that following the guide's recommendation would result in the complete loss of our payment, we would have asked far more questions before booking. While the guide was professional and courteous, the company's handling of the refund request was disappointing and, in our view, unfair.

V
veasss
June 23, 2026
Highlight of our Iceland Trip!

We had a wonderful experience during this glacier hike! Our guide, Laura, was super kind, informative, and patient. She taught us so much about the formation of glaciers and how they change with the seasons. I would highly recommend this activity and Laura!

P
Pahul_M
June 20, 2026
Not worth it

DO NOT BOOK this activity unless maybe you’re a senior or you have kids with you. 3 hour glacier hike = 1 hour getting to the glacier base and getting on equipment and 1 hour getting back. The remaining hour on the glacier is mostly spent standing around and the guide stalling for time. We were back at the glacier base walking towards the bus two hours and 15 minutes in. I wrote this review within the 3 hours because that’s how much time we had not doing the glacier hike. Probably the worst activity and money I spent on a trip. Maybe the 5 hour hike is better but the glacier is melted anyways. I suggest not doing this activity as your money is better spent doing and seeing other things in Iceland.

D
davidzM1982RH
June 19, 2026
Maria is an amazing guide

Maria was an amazing guide and the hike was beautiful. She cared for an inexperienced hiker the entire time and made sure that everyone felt safe the whole trip. One of a kind guide and Troll is lucky to have her!

H
Hara_F
June 14, 2026
Great family experience

It was a great hike for the whole family. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and safe and took lots of photos.

O
Olivia_B
June 6, 2026
A must-do Iceland experience!

Our guide, Maria, was helpful and knowledgeable and made this such a great experience for us! It was such a unique experience getting to hike up onto the glacier, see the little water flows, and ice caves on this quickly changing landscape. We nearly decided not to take the time to drive out to Vatnajökull, but I’m so glad we did!

D
Dharsika_S
May 30, 2026
Great experience

We thoroughly enjoyed the glacier hike. Our guide, Lorenzo, was amazing! He was full of knowledge and guided us through the glacier very safely. We came on a coach bus and then divided into smaller groups of 10-14 people. Since our group was on the younger side, Lorenzo took us up a little further on the glacier, which we all really appreciated. We rented hiking boots, but all the other necessary equipment was provided. I would highly recommend this tour.

G
G91EZmichaelg
May 28, 2026
Great glacier hike with Troll.

Spectacular hike with great guide Erin🙏 All nice people from start till end.

S
Samuel_D
May 27, 2026
Erin was a great tour...

Erin was a great tour guide, she told us lots of info about the glacier and its ecology, and kept us safe as we hiked up. It wasn’t too strenuous of a hike, mostly up to a 10% grade in some parts and others more gradual. They supplied everything we needed including crampons and one of us needed hiking shoes which they had available. Coffee and chocolate at the end was a nice touch, we were cold after our hike! I would recommend this as a good introductory hike for someone who hasn’t hiked a glacier before or used crampons, and if you are looking for a unique experience. People of a variety of fitness levels including children were able to do this hike in our group without much difficulty.

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