From Reykjavík
Glacier hikes from Reykjavík: which ice you can actually reach
There is no glacier near Reykjavík. Every walk sold from the capital drives you at least two and a half hours to reach one, and which glacier that turns out to be is decided entirely by arithmetic. This page is what is reachable, what it costs in hours, and when to drive yourself instead.
Quick answer
Sólheimajökull, about 160 kilometres out, is the only glacier close enough to Reykjavík for a day trip. Six walks on this site include transport from the capital, from $136, and all of them go there. Skaftafell, where the longer and quieter routes are, is 330 kilometres away and nobody sells it as a day tour from the city.
Leaving from Reykjavík, at a glance
- Nearest glacier
- Sólheimajökullabout 160 km, two and a half hours
- The other base
- Skaftafellabout 330 km, four hours
- Day tours from the capital
- Six on this siteall to Sólheimajökull
- Cheapest with transport
- $136twelve hours, rated 4.9
- Shortest with transport
- $287ten hours, ending in a hot lagoon
- With ice climbing
- $199a rope on blue ice, same glacier
- Private
- $1,803twelve hours, your own group
- Time on the ice
- About 2 hourson all of them
- Winter driving
- road.isconditions updated in real time
- Cancellation
- Freeon all six
Why the capital has no glacier
Geology, not bad luck
Every tour from the capital is a long transfer with two hours of ice in it.
Reykjavík sits on a peninsula in the south-west, in the part of Iceland with the least ice. The big ice caps are elsewhere: Langjökull inland to the north-east, Mýrdalsjökull above the south coast, and Vatnajökull, by far the largest, in the south-east. Glacier walking happens on the outlet tongues of those caps, and none of those tongues is anywhere near the city.
So every glacier walk from Reykjavík is structurally a long transfer with two hours of ice in the middle. The question is not whether that is worth it — it plainly is — but which transfer you buy.
The twelve-hour south coast day is the default: three waterfalls, a black beach and Sólheimajökull, with the driving done for you. The cheapest of them is rated 4.9, which is the highest score on this site.
The ten-hour day ending at the Sky Lagoon swaps a couple of the stops for hot water at the end, in a smaller group.
The climbing introduction uses the same glacier and puts a rope on a wall of blue ice instead of two of the sightseeing stops.
And if none of that appeals: drive to Skaftafell, sleep out there, and walk a longer route for less money the next morning.
Every trip, current fare
Every walk, with the six that include transport
The cost-per-hour column is the point of this table. The twelve-hour day tours divide down to less per hour than almost any walk that meets at a glacier.
| 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 |
If you would rather drive
Six things about doing it yourself
Entirely possible, and the thing people most often underestimate in winter.
- Check road.is every morning
The Icelandic road administration publishes closures and conditions in real time. In winter the south coast road closes with little notice and no booking overrides it.
- Count the daylight, not the kilometres
In December there are about four usable hours of light on the south coast. Skaftafell and back in one day means driving most of it in the dark.
- Sleep out there for Skaftafell
Hof or Kirkjubæjarklaustur. This single decision is what separates an easy glacier day from a punishing one.
- Take the sand and ash insurance
A specific Icelandic add-on that exists because the south coast wind does specific things to paintwork. Ask for it by name.
- Sólheimajökull is an easy drive
Main road the whole way, then a short gravel spur to a car park. Nothing about it needs a 4x4 in summer.
- Book the walk, not the tour
Meeting at the glacier costs $107 against $136 for the same two hours on the ice. The difference is the coach and the waterfalls.
Common questions
Glacier hikes from Reykjavík, answered
Is there a glacier near Reykjavík?
No. The nearest one you can walk on is Sólheimajökull, about 160 kilometres away on the south coast. Skaftafell, where the longer routes are, is about 330 kilometres.
How long is a glacier hike tour from Reykjavík?
Ten to twelve hours, of which about two are on the ice. The rest is the coach and the stops on the way.
Which glacier do Reykjavík tours go to?
Sólheimajökull, in every case on this site. It is the only glacier that fits inside a day from the capital.
Can you do Skaftafell as a day trip from Reykjavík?
Not sensibly, and nobody sells it. It is four hours each way, and in winter that is more than the daylight. Sleep at Hof or Kirkjubæjarklaustur instead.
Is it cheaper to drive myself?
Cheaper per walk, yes: $107 meeting at the glacier against $136 with the coach. Once you add a hire car, fuel and winter tyres for a single day, the day tour usually wins.
What is the best glacier hike from Reykjavík?
The twelve-hour south coast day at $136, rated 4.9 with 502 reviews — the highest score on this site — or the ten-hour day ending at the Sky Lagoon if you want a smaller group and hot water at the end.
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.
FalljokullThe Falljokull glacier hike
Easy, advanced and extended on the same tongue of ice — the real difference.
