Vatnajökull
Hiking on Vatnajökull: the ice cap and the tongues you actually walk
Vatnajökull is the largest ice cap in Europe and nine of the walks on this site are on it — but not on the cap itself. This page is what the difference is, which outlet tongue each walk uses, and why the name on a listing tells you less than you think.
Quick answer
Vatnajökull covers roughly eight per cent of Iceland and feeds dozens of outlet glaciers. Nobody walks on the cap itself on a day tour: the walks go on its tongues, chiefly Falljökull and Svínafellsjökull above Skaftafell and the outlets above Jökulsárlón. Nine of the seventeen walks on this site use Vatnajökull ice, from $91.
Vatnajökull, at a glance
- What it is
- Europe's largest ice capabout eight per cent of Iceland
- Where
- South-east Icelandinside Vatnajökull National Park
- What you walk on
- Its outlet tonguesnot the cap itself
- Main bases
- Skaftafell, Jökulsárlónabout an hour apart
- Tongues used here
- Falljökull, Svínafellsjökull, Breiðamerkurjökullthree of dozens
- Walks on this site
- Nine of seventeenfrom $91
- From Reykjavík
- 330–380 kmfour to five hours
- Under the ice
- Active volcanoesincluding Grímsvötn and Bárðarbunga
- Thickest ice
- Several hundred metresin places
- Season
- All yearsummer exposes the bare ice
Cap and tongue
The difference decides what your day is
Everyone walks the tongues. Nobody day-trips the cap.
An ice cap is a dome: snow accumulates on a high plateau faster than it melts, compresses into ice, and the mass spreads outward under its own weight. Vatnajökull is that on a scale which is difficult to grasp from the road — roughly eight per cent of Iceland, hundreds of metres thick in places, with active volcanoes underneath it.
What you actually see and walk on are the outlet glaciers: tongues squeezing out between mountains and running down towards the coast. They are moving, cracking and melting at the front, and it is that movement that makes the crevasses, the runnels and the ice caves. Walking on a tongue is a three-hour activity. Walking on the cap itself is an expedition with tents in it, and nobody sells it as a day tour.
The practical consequence is that “Vatnajökull” on a listing tells you almost nothing. It tells you the ice cap. What decides the day is the tongue and the meeting point: Falljökull from Skaftafell is steep and broken; the outlets above Jökulsárlón are approached from the lagoon side an hour further east. Read the meeting point, not the ice cap.
Every trip, current fare
Every walk, with the nine on Vatnajökull
Nine of the seventeen walks here use Vatnajökull ice. The eight that do not are on Sólheimajökull, which belongs to a different ice cap entirely.
| 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 tongues
Which glacier each walk actually reaches
Three names cover everything on this site.
- Falljökull
The steep, broken tongue above Skaftafell. Four walks here use it, at easy, advanced, extended and XTreme grades, and it is where the ice climbing happens.
- Svínafellsjökull
The other Skaftafell tongue, wider and less steep. Used by the half-day and the cheapest walk on this site.
- The Jökulsárlón outlets
Approached from the lagoon car park, an hour east of Skaftafell. The four-and-a-half-hour walk at $140 goes here, with 1,054 ratings behind it.
- The cap itself
Nobody on this site sells a walk onto the plateau. It is a serious expedition environment rather than a day activity, and the interesting ground is on the tongues anyway.
Sólheimajökull, which every day tour from Reykjavík uses, is not part of Vatnajökull at all — it belongs to Mýrdalsjökull.
Sólheimajökull in full→Common questions
Hiking on Vatnajökull, answered
What is Vatnajökull?
Europe's largest ice cap, covering roughly eight per cent of Iceland in the south-east. Dozens of outlet glaciers flow down from it towards the coast.
Can you walk on Vatnajökull?
You walk on its outlet tongues, with a guide, crampons and a harness. Walking on the ice cap itself is an expedition rather than a day trip, and nobody sells it as one.
Which Vatnajökull walk should I book?
The four-hour walk and ice cave at Skaftafell for $153 if you want both halves; the easy Falljökull route at $101 for a first glacier; the four-and-a-half-hour walk from the lagoon at $140 if you are already at Jökulsárlón.
How do I get to Vatnajökull?
The Ring Road runs along its southern edge. Skaftafell visitor centre is about 330 kilometres from Reykjavík and the Jökulsárlón lagoon about 380.
Are there volcanoes under Vatnajökull?
Yes, several, including Grímsvötn and Bárðarbunga. Their ash is what makes the black bands visible in the ice on almost every walk here.
Is Vatnajökull better than Sólheimajökull?
Different, and further. Vatnajökull has longer routes, more choice of grade and lower prices; Sólheimajökull is the only glacier within a day of Reykjavík.
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.
