Blue Ice Glacier Hike and Ice Climbing in Iceland

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Top Attractions:

Solheimajokull Glacier in South Iceland

Overview

Join us for an afternoon glacier hiking and ice climbing the fourth largest glacier in Iceland. You’ll explore the deep blue crevasses, steep ridges, and lily-white ice of Solheimajokull Glacier.

Solheimajokull Glacier is one of the fastest shrinking glaciers in Iceland. Explore this magical place while you still can.

Tour Snapshot

Duration

4.5 / 11 hours

Level

Moderate

Availability

All year

Group

Small (8)

Starting point

Solheimajokull Glacier in South Iceland

End point

Solheimajokull Glacier in South Iceland

Languages

English

Trip style

One-day tours

Minimum age

14 years

What to expect

On tour

Guided Glacier Hiking
Introduction to Ice Climbing
All Required Gear and Safety Equipment
(Harness, Helmet & Ice Ax)

Transportation

Meet on location
Meet us at Solheimajokull Car Park
Pick & up drop-off in Reykjavik
Select tour with transportation from Reykjavik

Accommodation & Meals

Accommodation
Meals
We recommend you bring your own snacks

Route map

Use our interactive map to investigate the details of your adventure.

4.5 / 11 hours

Pick-up & Drop-off from Reykjavik

Itinerary overview

With our Blue Ice Hiking and Climbing Tour, you have two options: we can pick you up from your hotel in Reykjavik, or you can meet us on location at Solheimajokull Car Park.

Starting point

Solheimajokull Glacier in South Iceland

End point

Solheimajokull Glacier in South Iceland

Glacier & Ice Climbing

Now it’s time to hit the ice! Jump into crampons, hike on top of the vast glacier, and try your hand at ice climbing!

Iceland is one of the more unique locations for ice climbing. At Solheimajokull, you’ll be climbing ice walls known as moulins or crevasses.

Our expert guide will provide you with all the safety equipment and climbing gear needed and instruct you on using it. All you need to have is some warm underlayers, a waterproof outer layer, good hiking shoes, and an appetite for adventure. Your guide will have your back every step of the way, so you don’t have to worry about a thing!

The Land of Fire and Ice is perfect for those who want to bring back something more than just pretty landscape pictures. Step out of your comfort zone and into an ice adventure!

About Solheimajokull glacier

Solheimajokull Glacier is an outlet glacier of Mýrdalsjökull Ice Cap, the fourth largest ice cap in Iceland. It's around 4 miles (8 kilometers) long and 1.4 miles (2 kilometers) wide. It's one of the most visited glaciers in Iceland, thanks to its deep crevasses, steep ridges, ice caves, and proximity to Reykjavik. Towering ice formations scattered around the glacier's surface make it a perfect ice climbing destination for beginners and experts!

Practical information

Pick-up Information: Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes. Your patience is greatly appreciated! The tour will last around 11 hours.

Meet On Location: Be at Solheimajokull Car Park at least 10 minutes before your tour. The tour will take around 4.5 hours.

Please Note: Good hiking boots are essential on this tour as we’ll need to fit crampons on them. If you don’t have hiking boots, you can rent them at the time of booking. Due to limited sunlight, during the darker months (November - February), we won’t stop to marvel at Skogafoss Waterfall. However, you’ll have an impressive view from the bus as we drive past.

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.

Waterfalls

Reykjavik・Optional extension

If you choose to be picked up from Reykjavik, a guided sightseeing tour of rural Iceland is also included. On our way to Solheimajokull, we’ll stop to marvel at the incredible 196-feet (60-meter) tall Seljalandsfoss Waterfall and the neighboring Skógafoss Waterfall. Here, you’re welcome to snap some of those perfect vacation pictures. Then we’ll continue toward Solheimajokull Glacier.

For those who are staying outside of Reykjavik or choose to meet us on location, please be at Solheimajokull Car Park well in advance of your tour.

Departure from

Reykjavik

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
Sturdy shoes
Headwear
Gloves

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

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