Iceland Glacier tours on Vatnajökull start at bases around Skaftafell and at the glacier lagoon, not in Reykjavík. You drive there, meet your guide and choose from hikes, climbs, ice caves and the lagoon on the largest ice cap in Europe by volume.
Check in at the Tröll base near Hofgarður 20 minutes early, collect helmet, harness and axe, and take a short drive to a Vatnajökull outlet. Coffee and chocolates end the hike. Children from 8; boots rent at the base.
From $112 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Three hours on Vatnajökull from the car park at Skaftafell airfield, with ice axe, harness, helmet and crampons in the fare. Pick a morning or an afternoon start, and look for the operator's logo at the meeting point.
From $96 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A local glacier guide meets you at the black truck beside the gas station, and a 4x4 carries the group to the ice. Crampons, axe, helmet and harness are included; boots and rain gear rent on location. From age 14.
From $163 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Five hours and about 8 km on an outlet glacier of Öræfajökull, from the booking hut in the national park car park. A 4x4 bus runs you to the foot of the ice. From 14, with ankle-support boots required.
From $168 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Hike onto the ice from the Tröll base, then climb a wall of blue ice with a certified guide. Hiking boots come with the harness, helmet, axe and crampons. Six guests at most, from age 12.
From $256 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The long day: ice climbing plus about 8 km on the glacier with 350 to 400 m of ascent, seven and a half hours from the park car park. Ice-climbing boots are supplied. Ages 14 to 65, and strong fitness needed.
From $230 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Hike a Vatnajökull outlet to an ice cave from the Tröll base, with free parking, crampons, harness, helmet and axe, then coffee and chocolates. It runs in the cold months, and the cave changes every winter.
From $163 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Three and a half hours from the Mountain Guides camp beside the visitor centre: a vehicle to the ice, a hike and a natural ice cave. Crampons, axe and helmet included; from age 10, one youth per adult.
From $160 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The gentlest cave tour: a 4x4 bus from the park car park, then about 3 km on the ice to a natural ice cave. Crampons, walking axe, harness and helmet are included. From age 8, shoe sizes 35 to 50 EU.
From $159 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Starts at the lagoon car park: a jeep ride of about 30 minutes, some 75 minutes on foot across the ice and about an hour in a blue ice cave. Eight guests at most, rated moderate to hard, from 14.
From $242 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Your boat weaves through the icebergs of the smaller lagoon, then you hike the glacier behind it, in about four hours. Life vest, flotation jacket, crampons, harness, helmet and axe are included; boots rent on site.
From $244 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Paddle among the icebergs of the big lagoon with a kayak guide, in a drysuit and life vest, then hike on the ice with a glacier guide. Six hours in all; bring water and snacks. From age 14.
From $232 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Hotel pickup for a fourteen-hour day to the lagoon: a 30-minute ride among the icebergs by amphibian boat and about 30 minutes on the black beach. Nobody walks on the ice. From age 6.
From $286 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Hikes at the Skaftafell bases start at $96, and every tour here refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead. Pick your date and see the meeting point before you pay.
Check availabilityA tour that starts at the ice. Vatnajökull covered around 7,500 km² in 2023, and its national park was inscribed as a World Heritage Site on 5 July 2019. You reach its outlet glaciers from bases off Route 1: the Tröll base near Hofgarður, the Arctic Adventures hut in the park car park, the Mountain Guides camp by the visitor centre, the airfield car park, the gas station at Freysnes and the glacier lagoon.
From each base a vehicle or a short walk takes you to the ice. Depending on the tour you hike, climb, walk to an ice cave, or take to the lagoon in a kayak or a boat.
Every ice cave, most of the climbing and the lagoon trips all start here. If you want more than a first walk on the ice, this is where the choice is.
Because nobody pays for a coach from Reykjavík, the hikes cost less: from $96 for three hours at the airfield and $112 from the Tröll base.
The Explorer covers about 8 km in five hours; the climbing day about 8 km plus the climbs in seven and a half. One traveller on that day counted five climbs.
| A Vatnajökull tour | A day trip from Reykjavík | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you start | A base near Skaftafell or the lagoon | A Reykjavík bus stop or hotel |
| Fares | $96 to $286 | $131 to $337 |
| Ice caves | In the cold months | None |
| Your driving | 4.5 to 5 hours from Reykjavík, once | None |
| Nights away | At least one | None |
Compare the Vatnajökull glacier tours
The only day trip from the capital that reaches Vatnajökull is the fourteen-hour lagoon day, and it does not walk on the ice. The Reykjavík options are laid out on glacier tours from Reykjavík.
You get a certified guide and the ice gear; the set varies by tour, so read each card. The Arctic Adventures and Local Guide tours add a 4x4 to the foot of the ice, several Tröll tours end with coffee and chocolates, and the kayak and iceberg-boat trips add the water kit.
You do not get transport from Reykjavík, lunch or, on most tours, boots. You pay the park’s regional fee at Skaftafell and the lagoon, 1,110 ISK for a car, with a second fee area the same day at half price. Our visitor guide has the details.
| What to expect | |
|---|---|
| Fares | $96 to $286 per person |
| Length | 3 to 7.5 hours at a base |
| From Reykjavík | 4.5 to 5 hours |
| Youngest | 8 to 14 by tour |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours ahead |
Sleep near the base. The park puts Kirkjubæjarklaustur 70 km west of Skaftafell and Höfn 130 km east, and the campsite at Skaftafell is open all year. See where to stay and the meeting-point map.
Arrive early: Tröll asks for 20 minutes before departure. In the cold months, add an ice cave to the plan; in summer, add the lagoon.
Ice climbing and about 8 km on the glacier in seven and a half hours, with ice-climbing boots supplied. Pick your date before you pay.
Check availabilityNext: Plan the ring-road day in the one-day itinerary, or check the cave season in the ice cave season guide. Every fare sits side by side on Iceland Glacier Tours.