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Fjallsárlón is the quieter, smaller neighbor of the better-known Jökulsárlón, and this combo lets you see its ice two ways in one day: from the water and on foot. On the lagoon, you board a Zodiac, a small inflatable boat that rides low enough to slip in among the floating icebergs and up to the glacier wall they break from. On the glacier, a certified guide fits you with crampons and leads you onto Falljökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest ice cap by volume, where you look into crevasses and learn how the ice moves and pulls back.
Both parts of this meet-on-location tour suit beginners, with no experience needed, and each is a small, guided group.
Expert Guides
• Deep local knowledge
Availability
April–November
Duration
5.5 hours
Departs From
Skaftafell/Fjallsárlón
Level
Easy
Suitable for most people in fair condition.
This tour brings together two experiences at two spots on the South Coast: a Zodiac cruise on Fjallsárlón and a guided glacier hike at Skaftafell. You can do them in either order, and you choose which comes first when you book. Both are meet-on-location, the two sites are about a 40-minute drive apart, and you provide your own transport between them.
At Fjallsárlón, you’ll climb aboard a Zodiac, a small inflatable boat that rides low on the water, so you're right down among the icebergs rather than looking out over them. Your guide steers you between the scattered ice and in toward the face of Fjallsjökull, the outlet glacier that feeds the lagoon. Chunks can break off the ice cliff and drop into the water as you watch, a process called calving, and on a still day, you can hear it before you see it.
The lagoon is young, formed over the last century as Fjallsjökull retreated and meltwater filled the basin behind it. Look closely at the icebergs, and you'll spot gray streaks in the white, layers of volcanic ash left by past eruptions. Your guide fills in how the lagoon came to be and how quickly it's still changing.
The hike starts at the Arctic Adventures Skaftafell Base Camp, where your guide fits you with crampons, a harness, and a helmet and shows you how to move on the ice. A short approach brings you to the edge of Falljökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull, and you step onto the ice itself.
From there, you follow your guide over the lower glacier, weaving around crevasses and past moulins, the near-vertical shafts where meltwater drills down through the ice. The surface shifts as you go, ridged and cracked, and your guide explains how a glacier like this forms and flows. It's an easy, beginner-friendly walk, though the ground underfoot is uneven, so you'll want sturdy boots with ankle support.
Zodiac boat tour:
Glacier hike:
Zodiac boat tour:
Fjallsárlón is just off Route 1 (the Ring Road), about 47 kilometers (29 miles) east of Skaftafell and 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Jökulsárlón. Meet at the Fjallsárlón Tour Reception, behind the Frost restaurant.
Glacier hike:
Meet at the Arctic Adventures Skaftafell Base Camp. The drive between Fjallsárlón and Skaftafell takes about 40 minutes.
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.
Skaftafell is located about 330 kilometers from Reykjavík. See map for directions.
The main difference between these trips is that they take you to different locations on the glacier.
Our Glacier Explorer (5.5 hours) trip spends approximately 3 hours on the ice, exploring the magnificent ice-fall where it falls down from the Öræfajökull caldera.
The Glacier Wonders (4 hours) trip explores the easier part of the glacier which is lower and you will spend approximately 1 hour on the ice, giving you a fantastic but brief encounter to the highlights of Falljökull glacier.
Both trips start about 15 min driving away from our Skaftafell base camp. After the drive, we continue on foot following the retreat of the glacier for about 25-30 minutes where we set foot on the ice. Once there the 3.5-hour walkers spend their time exploring the features of the lower glacier and seeing spectacular views of the icefall. The 5.5-hour walkers explore the glacier more thoroughly and experience majestic pinnacles and deep crevasses. Both trips sometimes come across spectacular ice-caves but due to the nature of glaciers, this is not always the case.
The 5.5-hour walk requires a higher level of fitness and agility as you will be on your feet for a longer period of time and the terrain is more challenging.
Meet on location means traveling to the location of the tour yourself and then meeting our tour guides rather than being picked up and taken to the location.
Iceland is known for its colorful weather. It can sometimes show you all 4 seasons in one day.
Dressing for this sort of weather can be a challenge so we always recommend dressing in layers. 3 or 4 upper layers are highly recommended such as 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 become very heavy, cold and uncomfortable to wear when they get wet.
Lightweight hiking pants, track pants or long cotton pants are best and then wind/waterproof pants over. We also recommend using sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is cloudy due to the high UV and sunlight reflecting off of the glacier.
You will need sturdy hiking boots with ankle support that fit crampons for the glacier hiking tours. If you do not own a pair then we rent out good hiking boots as well as a waterproof raincoat and trousers.
We recommend bringing your own backpack on our full day or 1/2 day tours. It’s great to carry a small lunch and some extra clothing.
You can bring your camera along, and you should definitely bring one since the setting on the tour is full of amazing, scenic views.
This is, of course, a personal choice, we have often had pregnant women on our trips. We recommend you take a close look at our trip description and difficulty rating, they will hopefully give you a better idea. It is also good to contact your physician, pregnant women’s health can be quite different. Feel free to contact us if you have further questions or concerns.
We do not provide lunch on any of our trips, so we recommend you bring your own lunch (for the longer trips), snacks and a bottle of water (you can refill it on the trip).
Crampons are metal spikes that attach to the soles of your hiking boots, providing a secure grip on icy surfaces to prevent slipping. On all our glacier tours where you'll be walking on ice, we provide specialized glacier crampons—sturdier and designed for tougher conditions than regular ice spikes. Your guide will help you put crampons on properly before stepping onto the glacier, and they will be returned after the tour. You can learn more about crampons in this guide.
Yes, there is a specially trained and certified glacier guide on every glacier tour that we offer.
When glacier hiking you will be provided with an ice axe, crampons, harness and helmet. This will help you to complete the tour safely. The minimum shoe size to attach crampons is EU 35.
When snow stays long enough in one place it turns to ice. Over long periods of time, the ice layers up becoming huge blocks called glaciers. As there is a lot of snow in Iceland, it forms to create ginormous glaciers that sweep across huge masses of land. Iceland is home to Europe’s largest glacier named Vatnajökull. This Glacier Guide will also tell you everything you may want to know about Glaciers.
Rain is not uncommon in Iceland. However, we do not let the rain stop our tours. This is why having appropriate clothing is very important to keep you warm and dry. Nature is not something that we can control and therefore we need to adapt to the weather. If your safety is compromised by going on the tour, we will cancel and you will be fully refunded.
This guide to Glacier Hiking includes all the information you might need when preparing for a glacier hike.
