Guide · Hike and cave

A glacier hike and ice cave tour in Iceland

A glacier hike and ice cave tour in Iceland gives you real hours on the ice with crampons and an axe before you step into the cave. Here is how Skaftafell and the long lagoon hikes compare.

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Editorial team, blue-ice-cave-iceland.comUpdated October 25, 20266 minutes to read22 sources

Bookable here: the tour Skaftafell: Ice Cave Tour and Glacier Hike 4.5 (1,962 reviews) 4 hours from$162per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

What to know

01Skaftafell: Hikes on Falljökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, about 4 hours in total.
02From the lagoon: Longer Breiðamerkurjökull hikes of 4-6 km, often with several caves.¹
03Gear: Crampons, harness, helmet and ice axe are fitted at the base on the Skaftafell tour.
04Ages: From 8 on one Skaftafell hike, from 13 on the longer lagoon tour.²
05Price: The Skaftafell tour sold here starts from $162.

Why add a glacier hike to the cave

A short cave tour shows you the inside of a glacier; a glacier hike and ice cave tour in Iceland shows you how it works from the top. You walk among ridges, crevasses and the deep vertical shafts that meltwater drills, called moulins, and then enter a cave the same water carved. The cave becomes the end of a story rather than a quick stop.

The trade-off is effort and time. The Skaftafell tours last about 4 hours and the longer lagoon hikes 5.5 to 6 hours, against about 3 hours for a simple super jeep cave tour. You need to be comfortable walking on uneven ice in crampons, and the minimum ages are higher. In return you see far more of the glacier than the short tours ever show, and the cave arrives as a reward at the end of real effort.

Safety advice points the same way. Vatnajökull National Park recommends always going onto glaciers with a guide who has experience of glacier walks, and Safetravel says you should never go on a glacier without experience or proper equipment.³ ⁴ A guided hike gives you both, along with a guide who knows where that winter's caves are.

The Skaftafell tour, step by step

From the base in Hof to the cave and back

Start

Meet at the base

Tröll Expeditions Skaftafell, in Hof, where gear is fitted.
15 minutes

Bus to the glacier

A short drive into Vatnajökull National Park.
30 minutes

Safety briefing

How to walk in crampons and use the axe.
2 hours

On Falljökull

Hiking on the glacier and into the ice cave.
30 minutes

Walk back

Off the ice to the vehicle.
15 minutes

Back to Hof

The bus returns to the base.

Skaftafell and Falljökull

Skaftafell is the classic base for glacier walks. It became a national park on 15 September 1967 and was folded into Vatnajökull National Park when that was founded on 7 June 2008.⁵ The park says Skaftafell is accessible year-round, weather and road conditions permitting, and warns that outside the summer months conditions can change rapidly.⁶

The Skaftafell ice cave tours climb Falljökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull. Tröll Expeditions, whose tour this page sells, meets at its base in Hof, drives 15 minutes, gives a 30-minute safety briefing, spends 2 hours hiking on the glacier and the cave, then walks 30 minutes and drives 15 minutes back. It is limited to 12 participants and rated 4.53 from 1,962 reviews.

Arctic Adventures runs a similar Skaftafell ice cave hike from its hut near the Skaftafell visitor centre: 20 minutes by bus each way and 2.5 hours on Falljökull, with crampons, helmets and ice axes provided. It also caps groups at 12 and is rated 4.62 from 848 reviews. The choice between them comes down to dates, start point and the details below. Both tours start close to Skaftafell, so you can combine them with a walk around Skaftafell on the same day if the weather is kind.

Time on tour

How long the hike-and-cave tours last

hours

Total tour length as each GetYourGuide listing states it, including transfers from the meeting point.

Side by side

Hike and cave tours compared

Tour	Glacier	Group	From
Skaftafell cave & hike, Tröll	Falljökull	Up to 12	from $162
Skaftafell blue cave & hike	Falljökull	Up to 12	from $167
Cave & glacier exploration	Breiðamerkurjökull	Up to 8	from $275
Hike to a remote cave	Breiðamerkurjökull	Up to 8	from $285
Blue cave & glacier walk	Vatnajökull	Up to 8	from $242
Sólheimajökull hike & blue cave	Sólheimajökull	Up to 8	from $193

Glaciers and group caps come from the listings themselves; each price is the lowest a tour starts at, so your date may cost more.

The hikes

Skaftafell or a long day from the lagoon

Sold on this page

Skaftafell, Tröll

Falljökull

Length: 4 hours
Reviews: 1,962
Price: from $162

See this tour

Skaftafell: Blue Ice Cave & Glacier Hike on Vatnajökull

Minimum age 8

Skaftafell, Arctic

Falljökull

On the ice: 2.5 hours
Rating: 4.62
Price: from $167

See this tour

Several caves

Exploration tour

Breiðamerkurjökull

Walking: 4-6 km
Group: Up to 8
Price: from $275

See this tour

Decision helper

Which hike suits you?

Match the tour to your legs and your base

I am staying near Skaftafell I want several caves in a day I want the most remote ice I travel with a 10-year-old I only want the cave

Skaftafell hike

Tours meet at Hof or by the visitor centre.

Exploration tour

It typically visits two or more ice caves.¹

Remote cave hike

It spends 4.5 hours on the glacier for fit walkers.

A Skaftafell hike

Arctic Adventures sets the minimum age at 8.

Short lagoon tour

About 3 hours with 1-4 km of walking.

Care should always be taken when hiking in front of glaciers and on them. Use appropriate safety gear and go with a guide who has experience with glacier walks.

Vatnajökull National ParkSource 3

The long hikes from Jökulsárlón

From the lagoon, the hiking tours go onto Breiðamerkurjökull, the same glacier as the short cave tours, but further. Ice Explorers' Ice Cave and Glacier Exploration Tour runs from October to April, lasts 5 to 6 hours, takes at most 8 guests per guide and requires a minimum age of 13.⁷ It typically visits two or more ice caves and walks 4-6 km on the glacier.¹

Ice Walkers goes further still. Its remote-cave hike from the Jökulsárlón main parking lot spends 4.5 hours on Breiðamerkurjökull, with a 45-minute transfer each way, and asks that you be fit enough for 8 km with uphill sections. It is limited to 8 participants and rated 4.98 from 264 reviews; lunch is not provided.

These are the tours for people who want the glacier to be the main event. They cost more, from $275 and $285, and they need fitness, and they cap groups at 8. If you already booked the short cave tour, one of these can replace it rather than add to it.

Map

Where Iceland's ice caves are

The lagoon, the glacier and Skaftafell on the south-east coast, then the other ice cave regions between Reykjavík, Vík and Langjökull.

Map of south-east Iceland with Jökulsárlón, Breiðamerkurjökull, Falljökull, Skaftafell and Höfn — Jökulsárlón to Skaftafell

Map of Iceland with Reykjavík, Húsafell, Langjökull, Geysir, Vík, Mýrdalsjökull and Jökulsárlón — Ice cave regions of Iceland

1
Jökulsárlón
The ice cave tours meet at the lagoon cafeteria, which Ice Explorers places around 370 km east of Reykjavík and around 90 km west of Höfn.⁸
In Google Maps ↗
2
Breiðamerkurjökull
The outlet glacier where the caves of this site form; the national park rangers of Breiðamerkursandur are responsible for its ice caves.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
3
Falljökull
The Skaftafell hikes climb this outlet glacier of Vatnajökull; one listing spends 2.5 hours on it.
In Google Maps ↗
4
Skaftafell
A national park since 1967, part of Vatnajökull National Park since 2008, with Kirkjubæjarklaustur 70 km to the west.⁵ ¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
5
Höfn
The nearest town to the east; Skaftafell lies 130 km from it.¹⁰
6
Reykjavík
Long day tours to the Katla cave leave from here with 27 pickup location options.
7
Húsafell
The meeting point for the ice tunnel in Langjökull, about 2 hours from Reykjavík.
8
Langjökull
About 953 km2, the second-largest glacier in Iceland, with a man-made tunnel 500 metres long.¹¹ ¹²
In Google Maps ↗
9
Geysir
Snowmobile tours to a natural ice cave on Langjökull meet behind the visitor centre.
10
Vík
The start of the Katla cave tours, and Iceland's southernmost village.¹³
In Google Maps ↗
11
Mýrdalsjökull
The ice cap over the Katla volcano, about 535 km2; the cave sits in its outlet glacier Kötlujökull.¹⁴ ¹⁵
12
Jökulsárlón lagoon
At 248 metres deep, NASA calls it the deepest lake in Iceland.¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

For a hike and a cave

Usually provided

Crampons and harness
Helmet
Ice axe

You bring

Stiff boots covering the ankle
Warm, waterproof, breathable layers
Water and a snack for longer hikes

Calculator

Price a hike for your group

Choose a tour and enter how many people are going

Skaftafell, Tröll4 hoursfrom $162 Skaftafell, Arctic4 hoursfrom $167 Exploration tour5.5 hoursfrom $275 Remote cave hike6 hoursfrom $285

People 2

Total from$324

per participant from $162

Check availabilityfree cancellation

We take the cheapest GetYourGuide price of the ice cave tour you choose, multiply it by your group and convert it with the ECB daily rate; checkout on GetYourGuide has the final figure.

Video

A glacier hike with an ice cave in Iceland

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Gear you get and gear you bring

Technical gear is provided on these tours. On the Skaftafell hike sold here you are fitted indoors with crampons, harness, helmet and ice axe, and hiking boots can be rented. Arctic Adventures provides crampons, helmets and ice axes and rents boots, waterproof jackets and waterproof pants on site.

Boots are the item that decides whether you can join. Arctic Adventures makes sturdy hiking boots with ankle support mandatory, and its crampons only fit shoe sizes 35-50 EU. Ice Explorers asks for stiff boots that cover the ankles and does not allow soft, foam or low shoes or sneakers. Ice Walkers warns that the wrong footwear can mean being refused.

Clothing is your job. Ice Explorers notes that it is cold on the glacier and that its tours run on windy and rainy days, so wear warm, breathable waterproof layers. Safetravel's rule of thumb fits glacier days well: wool and synthetics, no cotton.¹⁷

Sólheimajökull, the hike near Vík

If your route runs along the south coast rather than out to Skaftafell, Sólheimajökull offers the same combination closer to Reykjavík. A small-group listing pairs a glacier hike with a blue ice cave there in 3.5 hours, limited to 8 participants and rated 4.9 from 24 reviews. Another Sólheimajökull hike with an ice cave also lasts 3.5 hours and starts from $162.

Sólheimajökull is an outlet of Mýrdalsjökull, about 11 km long, falling from about 1350 m above sea level to about 100 m, according to the Katla Geopark.¹⁸ It is also one of the clearest places to see glacier retreat: the geopark counts a retreat of 1312 m by 2019, every year since 1996.¹⁹

These listings carry far fewer reviews than the Skaftafell and lagoon tours, so read their details carefully and check what the cave looks like in the current season. For a hike-and-cave day on a south coast road trip, though, they save you several hours of driving east.

Fitness, ages and group sizes

Be honest about your legs before booking. Ice Explorers rates its exploration tour as medium difficulty, while Ice Walkers asks participants to manage 8 km with uphill sections. The Skaftafell tours are shorter on the ice, about 2 to 2.5 hours, a more modest effort.

Age limits rise with the difficulty. Arctic Adventures sets a minimum age of 8 for its Skaftafell hike, and Ice Explorers sets 13 for its winter exploration tour against 7 for its short cave tour.² If you travel with younger children, the short cave tour or the Langjökull tunnel are the easier options.

Groups are small. The Skaftafell tours cap participants at 12 and the long lagoon hikes at 8. Ice Explorers also states that all of its glacier guides are professionally certified by the Association of Icelandic Mountain Guides.²⁰

Risks on the ice and how tours handle them

Glaciers move, and that brings hazards you cannot judge from the surface. Safetravel warns that crevasses can appear with limited warning signs.²¹ Ice Explorers lists ice collapses, shifting glaciers, strong winds and unpredictable weather among the natural hazards on its trips.²²

Tours respond by changing plans. Ice Walkers says its tour runs only while weather stays within its safety limits and may be cancelled or adjusted at the last minute if conditions worsen or a group member struggles. Arctic Adventures chooses the ice cave visited by conditions and safety.

Your part is simple: follow the guide's line exactly, keep crampons on until told otherwise, and tell the guide early if you feel tired or cold. A good hike ends at the cave with energy left for the walk back, which on the long tours is as long as the walk out. Eat something before you set out and carry a drink for the way back.

This winter's cave