Skaftafell Ice Climbing & Glacier Hike
- Let our experienced guides will teach you all you need to know about the glaciers
- Combine both glacier hiking and ice climbing in one epic adventure
- All necessary glacier equipment and certified guide included
Tour departs from
Duration
Available
Pick up / meeting point
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Difficulty
Minimum age
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Overview
Come on this comprehensive ice climbing and glacier hiking tour, perfect for those seeking that extra bit of thrill. The only thing you need to bring is patience and endurance to climb to the top of a glacial ice wall on Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier. Your glacier guide will introduce you to the basics of ice climbing and much more!
What's included?
All necessary glacier equipment (hiking boots included in the price)
Certified Glacier Guide
A taste of pure glacier water
Small group experience
Pick up and drop off
What to expect?
We will take you to an outlet glacier part of the largest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull glacier, where you will be able to experience the breathtaking views to the ice covered highest peaks of Iceland rising more than 2,000 metres (6,500 ft) over your helmet. These glaciers and their spectacular landscape has been scenery for dozens of movies like James Bond, Interstellar and Game of Thrones.
Your highly qualified glacier guide will provide you with all the equipment you need: hiking boots, crampons, ice axes, harnesses and helmets. Then you will enter the troll bus and drive for about 10 minutes to the parking of the glacier. From there it’s only a 15 minutes walk to the edge of the ice where your guide will show you how to put on the crampons.
Since the glacier is impermanent and ever changing your guide often has to scout out each time a new crevasse or moulin for your climbing session, avoiding the potential crowds on the glacier as well. Your guide will install massive ice screw and attach a safety rope before you climb up the ice wall or rappel into a crevasse and climb up again. This will be an adventure of a lifetime.
You will also spend some time hiking on the glacier to see the ice formations in the area such as crevasses, deep cracks in the surface of the glacier, and so called moulins, often vertical shafts in the ice which are formed by melting water finding it’s way into fissures and cracks. In the wintertime, it is often possible to peek into small ice tunnels and capture the beautiful blue heart of the ice.
You will stay about 3 hours on the glacier itself.
Good to know
Arrive at our meeting point 20 minutes before the departure time stated on your ticket
Jeans are not recommended for glacier activities. Once it gets wet, it takes a long time to dry, leaving you cold.
Total tour duration varies between 4 to 5 hours
What to bring
Warm clothing (first layer)
Waterproof clothing (second layer)
Gloves and a hat