Verdict
The best glacier hike in Iceland, after comparing all seventeen
Seventeen walks, one decision, and a straight answer at the end. The ranking here does not start with the ice, because the ice is largely the same. It starts with where you are sleeping, which eliminates most of the list before price is even mentioned.
Quick answer
For most people: the four-hour walk and ice cave out of Skaftafell, at $153. 1,962 ratings, the most in this niche, and the only listing here that does both halves on one ticket. If you are in Reykjavík without a car, take the twelve-hour south coast day at $136 — rated 4.9, which is the highest on this page. If you want the cheapest way onto a glacier, $91.
The short answers
- Best overall
- The Skaftafell walk and ice cave$153, 1,962 reviews
- Best without a car
- The south coast day$136, rated 4.9
- Best for a first time
- The easy Falljökull hike$101, 1,674 reviews
- Cheapest
- Three hours on Vatnajökull$91, no transport
- Most demanding
- The advanced Falljökull route$155, 1,181 reviews
- Longest on the ice
- The XTreme route$230, seven and a half hours
- Best small group
- The half-day in the park$153, rated 5.0
- Best with an axe
- The climbing introduction$199, 458 reviews
- Closest to Reykjavík
- Sólheimajökullabout 160 km
- Highest price
- The private expedition$1,803, twelve hours
How this is ranked
Where you sleep comes before which glacier
Where you sleep, then the grade, then whether you want an axe.
Most “best glacier hike” lists compare glaciers. That is the wrong axis, because from the surface of the ice the differences are smaller than anyone admits: they are all outlet tongues of large ice caps, all ridged and channelled and streaked with ash, all walked in crampons at a similar pace.
What actually decides your day is geography. Sólheimajökull is about 160 kilometres from Reykjavík and is the only glacier close enough to reach and return from in a day. Every south coast day tour therefore uses it, and on a twelve-hour tour you are on it for about two hours. Skaftafell is 330 kilometres out. Nobody does it from the capital as a day trip, which is exactly why the walks there are quieter, the routes longer and the prices lower.
So the first question is not which ice. It is: are you driving the south coast and sleeping out there, or are you based in Reykjavík? Answer that and the list halves itself. Then pick the grade honestly, then decide whether you want an axe, and you are down to two or three candidates.
Every trip, current fare
All seventeen, ranked by price
The cost-per-hour column is worth reading. It shows the twelve-hour day tours are not the expensive option they look like, and that the cheapest ticket is not the cheapest hour.
| Hike | Length | Price | Glacier | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vatnajokull: Skaftafell Glacier HikeThe cheapest guided walk on the ice | 3 h | $91 | Vatnajökull | $30.33 | 4.5 · 93 |
| Skaftafell: Falljokull Glacier Easy Group HikeThe easy Falljökull group hike, 1,674 reviews | 3 h | $101 | Falljökull | $33.67 | 4.6 · 1,674 |
| Sólheimajökull: Guided Glacier HikeThe closest glacier to Reykjavík | 3 h | $107 | Sólheimajökull | $35.67 | 4.6 · 3 |
| From Reykjavík: Waterfalls, Black Beach & Glacier Day TripWaterfalls, black beach and a glacier, rated 4.9 | 12 h | $136 | Sólheimajökull | $11.33 | 4.9 · 502 |
| Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Guided Hiking TourVatnajökull from the lagoon side | 4.5 h | $140 | Vatnajökull | $31.11 | 4.8 · 1,054 |
| Skaftafell: Half-Day Vatnajökull National Park Glacier HikeHalf a day in the national park, small group | 4 h | $153 | Vatnajökull | $38.25 | 5.0 · 143 |
| Skaftafell: Ice Cave Tour and Glacier HikeA glacier walk and an ice cave, most reviewed here | 4 h | $153 | Falljökull | $38.25 | 4.5 · 1,962 |
| Skaftafell National Park: Falljokull Glacier Advanced HikeThe advanced Falljökull route | 5 h | $155 | Falljökull | $31.00 | 4.8 · 1,181 |
| Skaftafell Glacier Explorer - Extended Small Group TrekFive hours and a longer route on the ice | 5 h | $158 | Vatnajökull | $31.60 | 4.8 · 375 |
| From Reykjavik: South Coast & Glacier HikeThe south coast day with a glacier walk in it | 12 h | $186 | Sólheimajökull | $15.50 | 4.8 · 504 |
| Reykjavík: Glacier Hike, Waterfalls, & Black Sand BeachGlacier, waterfalls and Reynisfjara in twelve hours | 12 h | $191 | Sólheimajökull | $15.92 | 4.7 · 120 |
| Reykjavík: Sólheimajökull Glacier Hike & Ice Climbing IntroA walk plus a first go at ice climbing | 5.5 h | $199 | Sólheimajökull | $36.18 | 4.8 · 458 |
| Skaftafell: Glacier XTreme - Hike & Ice Climbing AdventureThe longest day on the ice here | 7.5 h | $230 | Falljökull | $30.67 | 4.9 · 83 |
| Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing TourIce climbing on Sólheimajökull, no walk | 4 h | $273 | Sólheimajökull | $68.25 | 4.8 · 52 |
| Glacier Hike, South Coast Iceland, Black Beach & Sky LagoonGlacier, black beach and a hot lagoon to finish | 10 h | $287 | Sólheimajökull | $28.70 | 5.0 · 5 |
| From Reykjavik: Fire And Ice Helicopter Tour with 2 LandingsTwo glacier landings by helicopter | 2 h | $913 | Two landings | $456.50 | 4.7 · 158 |
| Reykjavík: South Coast Glacier Private ExpeditionA private twelve-hour south coast expedition | 12 h | $1,803 | South coast | $150.25 | New |
The verdicts
Six winners, and why each one wins
Every one of these is right for somebody. None is right for everybody.
- Best overall — the Skaftafell walk and ice cave, $153
Four hours, small group, and the only listing here that gives you the glacier on top and a cave underneath on one ticket. 1,962 ratings, more than anything else in this niche. If you can reach Skaftafell, book this.
- Best without a car — the south coast day, $136
Twelve hours from Reykjavík: Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Reynisfjara and a guided walk on Sólheimajökull, with the coach both ways. 502 ratings at 4.9, the highest score on this page.
- Best first glacier — the easy Falljökull hike, $101
Three hours at the easy grade with nothing technical in it and 1,674 ratings. The walk most first-timers end up on, and one of the few times the crowd is right.
- Cheapest — three hours on Vatnajökull, $91
The lowest price on this site for a guided walk with crampons, harness and axe included. If you simply want to stand on a glacier and you are already at Skaftafell, this does it.
- Most on the ice — the XTreme route, $230
Seven and a half hours, a full line across Falljökull and a climb on blue ice at the end. Almost everything else here gives you about two hours on the glacier; this is the exception.
- Best with an axe — the climbing introduction, $199
A walk and then a rope on a wall of blue ice, with no experience assumed. 458 ratings at 4.8. Six listings here add climbing; this is the one to start with.
Almost every walk here is about two hours on the ice, whether the tour is three hours or twelve. That number, not the tour length, is what to compare.
How hard it actually is→What not to book
Three mistakes that are easy to make
Compare ice hours, pick the grade honestly, and sort the bed before the walk.
Booking a twelve-hour day tour expecting a day on the ice. You are on the glacier for about two hours of it. The rest is the coach and three excellent stops. If the glacier is the point rather than the south coast, a three-hour walk at Skaftafell gives you the same ice time for half the money.
Booking the advanced route to save face. It is steeper and longer and the group keeps moving. There is no shame in the easy grade — it has 1,674 ratings for a reason, and the ice looks identical from both routes.
Booking Skaftafell from Reykjavík without a plan for the night. It is four hours each way. In December that is most of the daylight gone before you start. Sleep at Hof or Kirkjubæjarklaustur, or book a Sólheimajökull day tour instead.
Common questions
The best Iceland glacier hike, answered
Which glacier hike is best in Iceland?
For most people, the four-hour walk and ice cave out of Skaftafell at $153: 1,962 ratings and the only listing here that does both halves. Without a car, the twelve-hour south coast day at $136, rated 4.9.
Which is the best glacier walk in Iceland for beginners?
The easy Falljökull group hike at $101. Three hours, nothing technical, crampons and harness supplied, and 1,674 ratings behind it.
Is Skaftafell or Sólheimajökull better?
Skaftafell has longer routes, more choice of grade and lower prices, and it is 330 km from Reykjavík. Sólheimajökull is 160 km out and is the only glacier that fits inside a day from the capital. Pick on where you are sleeping.
What is the best glacier to see in Iceland?
For walking on, Falljökull and the Vatnajökull outlets above Skaftafell. For looking at, Breiðamerkurjökull, which calves into the Jökulsárlón lagoon an hour further east.
Should I book the small-group walk?
If you can. Eight walks here cap numbers, and on a glacier a cap decides how often the line stops and how much the guide can actually explain.
Do I need to book in advance?
In July and August, yes, especially for the capped groups. Every walk on this site cancels free, so an early booking costs nothing to change.
Go deeper
More on walking on an Icelandic glacier
What a glacier hike in Iceland costs
Seventeen walks priced per person and per hour, from $91 to $1,803.
SkaftafellThe Skaftafell glacier hike
Falljokull and Vatnajokull from the national park, and which route is which.
SolheimajokullSolheimajokull glacier hike
The closest glacier to Reykjavik, and the one most day tours actually use.
Glacier walksGlacier walks in Iceland
What a guided walk on the ice involves, and how it differs from a hike.
FalljokullThe Falljokull glacier hike
Easy, advanced and extended on the same tongue of ice — the real difference.
South coastThe south coast glacier day
Twelve hours, three waterfalls, a black beach and a walk on the ice.
