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In one day, you'll meet Iceland's ice two ways: kayaking among drifting icebergs on Fjallsárlón lagoon, then hiking onto Falljökull glacier at Skaftafell. Fjallsárlón is the quieter neighbor of nearby Jökulsárlón, and at water level you'll paddle right up to the icebergs and hear them creak and shift around you. Groups are capped at six, and your guide covers the basics first, so no experience is needed.
For the glacier hike, you'll drive on to Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park and step onto Falljökull, an outlet of the Vatnajökull ice cap, Europe's largest by volume. With crampons on and a certified guide alongside, you'll look into deep crevasses and learn how these glaciers form, move, and retreat.
Availability
May–Sept
Duration
5–6 hours
Departs From
Fjallsárlón and Skaftafell
Level
Moderate
Expert Guides
• Deep local knowledgeThe day begins at Fjallsárlón lagoon, just off the Ring Road west of Jökulsárlón, where you'll meet your kayaking guide at the Viewpoint of Fjallsjökull. After a drysuit and life jacket fitting, you'll help carry the lightweight 5 kg (11 lb) kayak about 200 m (660 ft) down to the shore, then get a short paddling briefing. You'll head out for about 1.5 hours on the lagoon, weaving past floating ice of every size and shade, from bright white to pale blue to volcanic ash-gray.
After the paddle, you'll drive yourself to our Skaftafell meeting point in Vatnajökull National Park, roughly 30 to 40 km (19 to 25 miles), or a 45-minute drive in good conditions. Your certified glacier guide meets you at the Arctic Adventures hut close to the Vatnajökull National Park Visitor Center and fits you with all necessary safety gear, including specialized glacier crampons, a helmet, harness, and an ice axe. A 25-minute transfer (11 km / 7 miles) then takes you toward Falljökull, with Hvannadalshnjúkur, the summit of Öræfajökull, rising nearby. A 30-minute hike brings you to the glacier's edge. From there, you'll spend around 1.5 hours on the ice, looking into crevasses and moulins, the meltwater shafts that drop deep into the glacier, before returning to base.
Meet on location means travelling to the location of the tour yourself and then meeting our tour guides rather than being picked up and taken to the location.
This is a great question. We ask all participants to be ready from the start of the pickup time indicated. This is because you may well be the first pick up of the day. Please be at your assigned location at the start time that you chose when booking the tour.
Here you should wait for your guide.
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.
Before and during activities on the multi-day tours consumption of alcohol is prohibited. If we suspect that a participant is intoxicated, we will prohibit them from joining the activity.
After the activities of the day are finished, you are welcome to have a drink and relax.
Yes, we do. Langjökull Ice Cave is a magical experience, the tour has no minimum age and is a wonderful option for the whole family. Whale Watching with our partner company Elding has been a favourite with families traveling with young children, these guys have a great success rate in seeing whales (upwards of 98% in the summertime).
Another option would be the Landmannalaugar Safari on this tour you get to explore parts of the Icelandic highlands and bathe in natural hot springs. Most of our super jeep tours are also suitable for children over the age of 6 years old. If you would like a nice and relaxing experience we would also recommend the Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon tour.
Your safety is our number one priority! Keeping this in mind, Arctic Adventures reserves the right to adjust the itinerary and/or take different routes depending on conditions. Please read more information in our cancellation policy.
Yes, there is a specially trained and certified guide on each of our tours. The only exception to this is for our self-drive tours.
All of our tours are guided in English.
No, our guides are not able to provide information on these matters, but our team will be happy to assist you. We kindly ask that you reach out to our customer care team regarding any questions or concerns.
The standard in Iceland is 230V and 50Hz and we use F-type power sockets and plugs, so you might have to bring an adaptor if you are visiting from UK, USA, Canada or other countries using a different voltage, Hz or plugs.
Our tours are split into four different categories that help participants to understand what to expect from the tour. The categories are Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Demanding. Each tour is rated making it easier to find tours that suit you.
For further information about the difficulty ratings and descriptions.
We’ve partnered with the Kolviður Fund in a new carbon offsetting program, which passengers can select to participate in at the time of booking.
The Kolviður Fund is the oldest, most respected carbon offsetting program in Iceland. With your support, one tree will be planted in special Kolviður forests in Iceland to carbon offset your tour with us.
Kolviður forests are strategically planted to absorb the maximum amount of CO2 and the forests are protected for a minimum of 60 years. During their lifetime the trees absorb carbon and store it in their root system, trunk, and branches. Trees also prevent soil erosion and maintain storage of carbon in the soil.
We provide you with a headlight and a helmet.
Like always in Iceland, it’s best to dress in layers. Warm layers closest to you preferably wool/thermal underwear, pants sweater and on top waterproof outdoor clothing. We also recommend that you wear good hiking boots and gloves. Jeans have proven to be a bad choice.
