Glacier Explorer - Glacier Hike Adventure

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Top Attractions:

Vatnajökull Glacier National Park

Overview

Our renowned “Glacier Explorer” tour will take you on an adventure to Falljökull (the falling glacier): a stunning outlet glacier, which expands out of the Vatnajökull ice cap. We will traverse the ever-evolving glacial landscape of Falljökull, taking in the deep crevasses and the majestic ice formations. Falljökull is a giant frozen waterfall, which is slowly falling inch by inch in front of your very eyes!

The dramatic landscape of Falljökull has been carved over millions of years, making it a truly sensational experience. Climbing this ancient icefall will transport you into an alien world full of stunning colors and incredible natural ice sculptures. Falljökull guarantees a memorable day out and is a must-see for anyone visiting Iceland.

Tour Snapshot

Duration

6 hours

Level

Moderate

Availability

All year

Starting point

Skaftafell Nature Reserve

End point

Skaftafell Nature Reserve

Languages

English

Trip style

One-day tours

Minimum age

14 years

What to expect

On tour

Guided Glacier Hike
Glacier-walk gear
Safety Equipment
Expert guides

Transportation

Meet on location
Meet us at the Skaftafell Booking Center, situated in Vatnajokull National Park
Pick & up drop-off in Reykjavik

Accommodation & Meals

Accommodation
Meals

6 hours

Overview

Upon arrival to Falljökull, our friendly, certified guides will give you a safety talk and introduce all the equipment you will be using for your glacier hike. We'll provide you with all the equipment you need for Falljökull: ice axes, crampons, helmets, and safety lines. Your safety is paramount, and our friendly experts will ensure that you are always safe on the ice!

Falljökull offers sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding mountains: the perfect reward once you have reached the top! As long as our experts feel that the glacier is safe, we will enter the mesmerizing icefall and gaze down on the spot where it tumbles over the mountain towards the ocean below. At Falljökull, you will get up close and personal with some of the planet's oldest ice, providing an unforgettable experience.

Our tour of the Falljökull glacier will give you plenty of photo opportunities. Our friendly experts will teach you about the outlet glacier and how it formed, giving you a deeper understanding of Falljökull, one of our world's most majestic natural features.

Starting point

Skaftafell Nature Reserve

End point

Skaftafell Nature Reserve

Meet on location information

Meet us at the Skaftafell Booking Center, situated in Vatnajokull National Park. Skaftafell is located about 203 mi (327 km) from Reykjavik. The nearest towns to Skaftafell are Kirkjubæjarklaustur, 43 mi (69 km) to the west and Höfn, 81 mi (130 km) to the east.
More detailed directions can be found on our Meet On Location Information Page.

Please note: We will meet at our Skaftafell booking center (coordinates: 64°00'58.0"N 16°58'05.2"W) and then travel to the glacier.

Practical information

We provide you with all the necessary glacier hiking equipment but make sure to bring warm outdoor clothing, waterproof jacket and pants, headwear, and gloves. Sturdy shoes are a must!
If you don’t own all the necessary clothing, you can rent hiking boots and rain gear in the booking process or on location. Be sure to book these items in advance.
Shoe Size: Please note that if your shoe size is smaller than 35 EU, our guides will not be able to fit crampons into your shoes for glacier activities.

Important Duration Information

Participants should account for up to 1 additional hour beyond the stated duration. This covers check-in, gear fitting, a safety briefing, and transport to and from the glacier. It’s recommended not to book another tour or activity within 7.5 hours of the start time. Please note that total tour time may vary depending on seasonal or operational factors.

Arctic Adventures

Arctic Adventures is a top Icelandic tour operator known for its small-group experiences. Since 1983, they’ve specialized in guiding travelers through Iceland’s wild terrains, from glaciers to volcanoes. Their tours are all about adventure and sustainability, led by expert guides who make sure every trip is safe, fun, and memorable. Arctic Adventures combines deep local knowledge with a strong commitment to nature, making them a trusted choice for anyone looking to explore Iceland up close and responsibly.

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Packing list

Get ready for your trip, here are some items, you should not forget.

What to bring (Required)

Warm outdoor clothing
Water & Windproof Jacket and Pants
Headwear
Gloves
Hiking boots
Rent with us, +29 USD per person

We're here to answer your questions

Iceland is known for unforeseeable weather. It is likely that you can see all 4 seasons in one day.

Dressing for that kind of weather can always be demanding, so we suggest dressing in layers. 3 or 4 upper layers are highly recommended, for example, a light t-shirt (preferably wool) next to the skin, then a fleece or heavy wool garment topped off with a waterproof windbreaker.

Jeans are not recommended for our trips as they are not suitable for the weather conditions, they become very heavy, cold and uncomfortable to wear when they get wet.

Lightweight hiking pants, track pants or long cotton pants are convenient and wear wind/waterproof pants over them. There is high UV and sunlight reflecting off on the glacier so we highly recommend using sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is cloudy.

You will need sturdy hiking boots that fit crampons for the glacier hiking tours. If you do not own a pair then we rent out suitable hiking boots as well as a waterproof raincoat and trousers.

It is good to bring your own backpack on our full day or half day tours. It’s the best carry-on for a small lunch, extra clothes and other necessary items.

The scenery on the tour is full of stunning, scenic views that are photographable so you should definitely bring your camera along.

This is surely a personal choice, we do not deny pregnant women on our glacier trips but we highly recommend you to take a closer look at our trip description and difficulty ratings, they will hopefully give you a better idea. We also recommend you to contact your physician, as pregnant women’s health can be quite different. If you have any further questions or concerns then feel free to contact us.

Lunch is not provided on any of our trips, therefore we recommend you to bring your own lunch especially for the longer trips, snacks and a bottle of water (you can refill it on the trip).

Crampons make you enable to walk on the glacier ice without slipping. They are metal spikes that we attach to the soles of your hiking shoes.

Yes, we have specially trained and certified glacier guide on every glacier tour that we offer. And for our 3rd party tours we only partner with operators that meet our quality and safety standards.

Yes, we provide you with all the necessary glacier gear for our glacier hiking tours. Ice axe, crampons, harness, and helmets are provided. This will help you to complete the tour safely. The minimum shoe size to attach crampons is EU 35.

Iceland is known to have a lot of snow and when the snow stays long enough in one place than it turns to ice. Over long periods of time, the ice layers up becoming huge blocks called glaciers. It forms to create ginormous glaciers that sweep across huge masses of land. Iceland is home of the largest glacier in Europe that is called Vatnajökull. The Glacier Guides can tell you more about and everything you need to know about the Glaciers.

Rain is common in Iceland but we never let the rain be in our way to go forward with our tours.
That’s why we highly recommend appropriate clothing so you can be warm and dry on the tours.
Nature is out of our control and therefore we need to adapt to the weather. Your safety is our first priority so if your safety is compromised by going on the tour then we will cancel it and you will get full reimbursement.

The pickup time is stated on your voucher and therefore we recommend you to review your voucher carefully. We ask all participants to be ready from the start of the pickup time indicated as you may well be the first pick up of the day. Please be at your assigned location at the right pick up time that you chose when booking the tour.

Wait for your guide at your assigned pick up location.

Have your email and phone number listed with us so we can contact you if we run into any trouble finding you.

View our pick-up locations in Reykjavík.

Alcohol is prohibited on all of our tours before and during activities. If we find the participant to be intoxicated, we will prohibit them from taking part in the activity.

After the activities of the day are finished then you are more than welcome to have a drink and relax.

Yes, we do have a tour into Langjökull Ice Cave that has no minimum age and it is a fantastic option for the whole family. As a Whale Watching with our partner company Special Tours, enjoyable tour for a family traveling with young children, these guys have an enormous success rate in seeing whales (upwards of 98% in the summertime).

If you want to explore parts of Icelandic Highlands than we have our magnificent Landmannalaugar Safari tour that also offers you to bathe in natural hot springs. Almost all of our jeep tours are suitable for children over the age of 6 years old. Then we also have a relaxing experience that we highly recommend, our Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon tour.

We reserve the rights to adjust the itinerary and/or take different routes depending on conditions. Your safety is our number one priority.

Please read more information in our terms and conditions in regards to this matter.

Yes, we have specially trained and certified guide on all of our tours, expect on our self-drive tours.

All of our tours are English guided.

No, for all your questions and concerns you would need to contact our customer service.

In Iceland, the standard is 230V and 50Hz and we use F-type power sockets and plugs. If you are visiting from the UK, USA, Canada or other countries using a different voltage, Hz or plugs, therefore, we highly recommend you to bring an adaptor.

We have four different categories that help participants to get a better understanding of what to expect from the tour. The categories are Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Demanding. All of our tours are rated to make it easier for you to find a tour that suits you.

For further information about the difficulty ratings and descriptions.

Still not convinced?

Customer Care

For Iceland, Scandinavia & Baltic tour

Open daily from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM GMT

Address

Köllunarklettsvegur 2

104 Reykjavík

+354 562 7000