Falljökull
The Falljökull glacier hike: easy, advanced and extended on one tongue
Four of the walks on this site use the same tongue of ice above Skaftafell under three different grades, and the listings do a poor job of explaining what separates them. This page is what Falljökull is, which route is which, and how to pick without either underselling or overreaching.
Quick answer
Falljökull is an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, reached from the Skaftafell visitor centre. Its name means “falling glacier”, and it earns it: the tongue comes down steeply and breaks up as it goes, which is why one glacier can carry an easy route, an advanced one and a climbing route at the same time. Walks here start at $101.
Falljökull, at a glance
- What it is
- An outlet of Vatnajökullabove the Skaftafell visitor centre
- What the name means
- “Falling glacier”and it is steeper than its neighbours
- Walks here
- Four on this siteeasy, advanced, extended and XTreme
- The easy route
- $101three hours, 1,674 reviews
- Walk and ice cave
- $153four hours, 1,962 reviews
- The advanced route
- $155five hours, 1,181 reviews
- XTreme
- $230seven and a half hours, with a climb
- Getting there
- Skaftafell visitor centreabout 330 km from Reykjavík
- The approach
- 20–30 min on footover moraine from the car park
- Season
- All yearthough winter shortens the routes
Why one glacier carries three grades
A steep tongue breaks up, and broken ice gives you options
Steep ice fractures. Fractured ice gives you an easy route and a hard one on the same tongue.
Most glacier tongues are fairly uniform: you walk up the middle and the ground is much the same for a kilometre. Falljökull is not like that. It comes down a steep slope, and ice under that kind of stress fractures — which means that within a short distance you can have a flat lower section, a broken middle with crevasses and ridges, and walls of clean blue ice steep enough to climb.
That is why four listings can use the same glacier and offer genuinely different days. The easy route stays on the flatter lower ice. The advanced route goes further up into the broken part. The extended trek takes a longer line across it. And XTreme goes furthest and finishes with a rope on one of those blue walls.
It also means the routes change through the season. A crevasse that was crossable in June may not be in September; a wall that was climbable last winter may have collapsed. The guides walk it constantly and the line moves with the ice, which is why no operator prints a map.
Every trip, current fare
Every walk, with the four Falljökull routes
Four of the seventeen walks here use Falljökull. They differ in how far up the tongue they go and how long they take, not in technique.
| 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 four routes
Which Falljökull walk to book
Same glacier, four different days.
- Easy — $101, three hours
The flatter lower tongue, a short approach and a pace that suits a mixed group. 1,674 ratings at 4.6. For a first time on a glacier this is the right booking and there is no reason to feel it is the lesser one.
- Walk and ice cave — $153, four hours
The same kind of ground plus a cave underneath the ice, in a small group. 1,962 ratings, the most in this niche. In the months when a cave is open this is the best-value day on the site.
- Advanced — $155, five hours
Further up into the broken middle of the tongue: more ascent, more crevasses, more ground covered, and a group that keeps moving. 1,181 ratings at 4.8.
- XTreme — $230, seven and a half hours
The longest time on the ice of anything on this site, finishing with a roped climb on a wall of blue ice. 83 ratings at 4.9. Not a first glacier.
Falljökull is one of two tongues used from Skaftafell. The other, Svínafellsjökull, is the one most people photograph without knowing its name.
Vatnajökull in full→Common questions
The Falljökull glacier hike, answered
Where is Falljökull?
In Vatnajökull National Park, above the Skaftafell visitor centre, about 330 kilometres from Reykjavík. It is an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull.
What does Falljökull mean?
“Falling glacier”. The tongue comes down a steep slope and breaks up as it does, which is what makes an easy route and a climbing route possible on the same ice.
Which Falljökull route should I book?
The easy three-hour route for a first glacier; the four-hour walk and ice cave if one is open; the five-hour advanced route if you want the walk to be the point; XTreme if you want seven and a half hours and a climb.
Is the advanced route much harder?
It is longer and steeper and the group keeps moving, but it is not technical. If you walk regularly you will be fine. If you are unsure, the operators answer that question honestly by email.
How long is the walk to the ice?
Twenty to thirty minutes over moraine from the visitor centre car park, and it gets longer every year as the glacier retreats.
Is there an ice cave on Falljökull?
In some seasons, yes, and one listing on this site pairs a walk with a cave underneath. Whether a cave is open depends on the year and no operator promises a specific one.
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.
VerdictThe best glacier hike in Iceland
Seventeen walks ranked for one decision, with a straight answer at the end.
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.
South coastThe south coast glacier day
Twelve hours, three waterfalls, a black beach and a walk on the ice.
