Jökulsárlón Kayak & Glacier Hike

Top Attractions:

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

Skaftafell Nature Reserve

Vatnajökull Glacier National Park

Overview

Join us on location at the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon for a kayaking adventure amongst shimmering sapphire icebergs. Then, strap on your crampons and go on a thrilling glacier hike in Skaftafell National Park.

This single-day combination tour has it all, offering fun, excitement, exquisite natural beauty, and incredible wildlife. If you want to make the most of your time in the land of fire and ice, this kayaking and glacier hiking tour is an absolute must!

Tour Snapshot

Duration

6 hours

Level

Easy

Availability

may - september

Starting point

Skaftafell Nature Reserve

End point

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

Languages

English

Trip style

One-day tours

Minimum age

14 years

What to expect

On Tour

All necessary kayaking & glacier hiking gear
Licensed kayaking guide

Transportation

Meet on location
Depending on which route will fit your schedule, you can start the tour at Jokulsarlon or Skaftafell.
Pick-up & drop-off in Reykjavik

Accommodation & Meals

Meals
Accommodation

Itinerary

6 hours

Kayaking at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

You’ll meet us on location in the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon parking lot, where one of our qualified kayaking guides will explain the order of the day and answer any questions you may have. From there, we’ll make our way down to the shores of Jökulsárlón for a quick paddling lesson before the actual kayaking begins.

As soon as you get on to Jökulsárlón, you’ll realize how special it is. Its crystalline waters are dotted with gleaming icebergs that have broken away from the retreating Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier and are slowly drifting out to sea. We’ll paddle between these sparkling diamonds, seeing unimaginable shades of blue in the ancient ice.

The Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon teems with nature, and we might see a playful seal bobbing in and out of the icebergs or regal seabirds soaring overhead. The backdrop to this magnificent scene is the glacial peaks of Vatnajökull and Breiðamerkurjökull – enhancing its beauty even further. Seeing Jökulsárlón from the shore is a magical experience – but it pales compared to kayaking on it.

Our passionate kayaking guides will accompany you – pointing out all the important sights and helping any less-experienced kayakers. If you want the ultimate Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon experience, this tour is for you!

Glacier Hike on Falljökull Glacier

One of our super jeeps will collect you in the Skaftafell Parking Lot and drive you to the foothills of the Falljökull Glacier – then, our glacier hiking adventure will begin!

You’ll immediately be struck by the sheer size of the glacier – a seemingly never-ending expanse of white dotted with twisting crevasses, deep moulins, and dramatic ice sculptures. Falljökull is known as the falling glacier, and it has a number of spectacular ice falls that cascade off the glacier – radiating an illusory kind of frozen energy.

It’ll take us around 30 minutes to hike to Falljökull’s peak – a magnificent snow-covered pyramid that offers majestic vistas over the surrounding area. We’ll see Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier, along with Hvannadalshnúkur – Iceland’s tallest peak. Along with the sprawling glacial tongue of Virkisjökull that extends all the way down to the sea.

One of our professional glacier guides will be with you every step of the way, taking you to hidden places of remarkable beauty and ensuring that you get the best photo opportunities. They’ll also tell you how glaciers have crafted Iceland’s unique landscape and more about their future. If you want to explore a genuine natural wonder, then this is the tour for you.

Notable Information

Depending on which route will fit your schedule, you can start the tour at Jokulsarlon or Skaftafell. You can choose between the two variations in the booking widget. Upon booking, you will receive a confirmation voucher that includes important information such as your meeting points and meeting times. Driving between the two meeting points will take about 40 minutes. Transportation between the two locations is not included.

This is a combination of two separate tours. If one of the tours is cancelled, you will still be able to join the other part.

Meet Your Operator

At Adventures.com we love transparency, there are operators involved in your booking, we just stay with those we trust. This tour is operated by:

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 clothes
A change of clothing

We're here to answer your questions

Warm outdoor clothing is well recommended, for example, a fleece or wool sweater and pants. It is also a good idea to bring a change of clothing and swimwear.

There is no prior kayaking experience required for the tours as our professional guides will teach all the technique on location.

All of our kayaking tours are listed at a level easy or moderate so most people should be able to do the tour. Just bear in mind that the activity is an outdoor nature activity so some physical strength is needed.

Top of the line plastic sea kayaks is used on all of our kayaking tours.

Our kayaks are very stable and easy to use.

Of course, they can tip over, although they are very stable and it happens rarley. If they tip over the guide has the necessary equipment and ability to quickly tip them over again.

Do not worry if your kayak tip over as all participants get life jackets and neoprene suits so they will stay warm even if they fall in.

Yes, all of our kayaking tours are operated by experienced and certified professional 4-star BCU sea kayak guides.

We recommend a waterproof camera when going on a kayaking tour. However, we do not recommend you to take too much with you on the kayaking tour as there is really no need for it.

You don’t need to be able ‘’swim’’ while kayaking, although we recommend that you can. People that can’t swim tend to panic when they are in the water. You must be comfortable with floating in the water.

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.

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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