Blue Ice Discovery – Guided Glacier Hike from Skaftafell
Three and a half hours from the guides' lodge at Skaftafell: a bus to the foot of the ice, crampons and axe, and a hike with 15 at most; from age 10.
From $107 per person
Check AvailabilitySkaftafell or Jokulsarlon: Which Vatnajokull Base Fits Your Glacier Tour
Almost every day on Vatnajökull starts in one of two places: the bases around Skaftafell, or the car park at the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. They sit on the same ice cap and sell different days. This guide sets them side by side, so you can pick the Vatnajokull glacier tour that suits your route, your group and the month you travel.
Two bases, one ice cap
Skaftafell is the old national park in Öræfi, on Route 1 below Öræfajökull. The guiding companies have their huts and lodges beside the visitor centre, and one more base stands at Hof, west of Hofgarður. From here you walk onto the outlet glaciers that fall from the ice cap: the hikes, the ice climb and the Skaftafell ice cave tours start here.
Jökulsárlón is the glacier lagoon further east, on both sides of Route 1. Its main car park is a meeting point for 4x4 trucks that drive onto Breiðamerkurjökull for the ice caves, and for the kayaks on the lagoon itself. The snowmobile base lies further east again, 34 km past the lagoon.
How far is each base from Reykjavík?
Both are a long way. Arctic Adventures gives 327 km and 4.5 to 5 hours from Reykjavík to its hut at Skaftafell. Operators put the lagoon 370 to 390 km from the capital, so it adds distance on top of that. Neither is a sensible day trip in your own car.
One traveller on a lagoon cave tour warned that the satnav underestimates the drive time. Plan the road on how to get to the bases, and sleep near the base the night before a morning tour.
What starts at Skaftafell?
The walking. Icelandic Mountain Guides run Blue Ice Discovery from their lodge by the visitor centre: three and a half hours, departures through the day, from age 10, for $107. Arctic Adventures run a four-hour blue ice hike from their hut next door for $104, with a 4x4 bus to the ice and the park fee in the fare.
The longer days start here too. The five-hour Tröll expedition leaves the Tröll base at Hof for $164, and the Mountain Guides adventure spends about four hours on the glacier with eight people at most. The ice climb, from $256, takes six. In the cold months the Skaftafell cave tours join them, from $159. All of them are compared on the glacier hike tours page.
What starts at Jökulsárlón?
The caves and the water. The Original Ice Cave Tour leaves from beside the cafeteria in the main car park: a 4x4 truck onto the glacier, helmet and spikes, and a walk of 1 to 5.5 km to a cave or blue ice feature, from age 10, for $169. The Crystal Cave Tours sign in the same car park is the meeting point for more cave tours, from $157.
The lagoon kayak leaves from the same car park: an hour and a half among the icebergs in a sit-on-top kayak, from 14, for $157. There is no plain hike from the lagoon; every on-ice tour there is a cave tour. The lagoon is also where the day trip from Reykjavík stops, for a look from the shore.
Which base has ice caves, and when?
Both. The national park contracts cave and glacier-walk operators on Breiðamerkurjökull, west and east of the lagoon, on the outlets above Skaftafell and on Skeiðarárjökull, one contract year at a time from 1 October. On either side the season is the cold months, roughly October to April, and the operator confirms each visit on the day.
The lagoon side sells more cave tours, and the trucks shorten the walk: on one of them you spend about an hour on the glacier and in the cave. The Skaftafell caves are reached on foot after a short ride. Read the ice cave season guide before you book either.
Plan on no cave in summer. Almost every dated
account of the cave tours falls in the cold months. Travelling between May and September,
book a hike instead, and check the calendar by activity.
Which base for a first glacier hike?
Skaftafell, because that is where the plain hikes are. The gentlest is the four-hour Arctic Adventures hike: a 20-minute bus, a 30-minute walk to the ice and about an hour and a half on Falljökull. One traveller over 55 found it a little challenging and still recommends it.
If you want more ice for the same money, Blue Ice Discovery spends about three hours at Skaftafell and on the glacier. One traveller measured the hike itself at two hours. The Tröll five-hour day goes higher: a traveller who weighed it against the four-hour tours wrote that the group went much further up, to the ice wall.
Which base with children?
Skaftafell takes the youngest walkers. The Arctic Adventures hike and cave both start at 8; their crampons fit EU 35 to 50 only, so check a child’s shoe size first. Blue Ice Discovery and the Mountain Guides cave start at 10, with one youth per adult on the cave.
At the lagoon, the Original Ice Cave takes no one under 10 and the kayak no one under 14. The Crystal Cave Tours caves publish no minimum age at all; ask before you book. The ages for every tour are on our FAQs.
What does each base cost?
Skaftafell has the cheapest way onto the ice, at $104 for the Arctic Adventures hike, and the dearest, the ice climb at $256. Its caves cost $159 to $160. At the lagoon the caves run $157 to $169 and the kayak costs $157; with no plain hike there, the cheapest way onto the ice is at Skaftafell.
The park’s regional fee applies at both car parks, and the second one on the same day is half price. Boots are extra on most tours. The tour prices guide adds it all up.
Can you do both in one day?
Yes, if you sleep nearby. Book a morning hike at Skaftafell, then drive east to the lagoon for the afternoon and the black beach. The reverse works with an afternoon hike, since Blue Ice Discovery leaves through the day.
Keep it to one tour a day. Tours booked back to back leave no room for a late start, a slow road or wind. The two-day itinerary lays out the order that works.
Where do you sleep for each?
For Skaftafell, sleep west or in the park. The campsite is open all year, cannot be reserved and costs ISK 2,800 per person per night. The park puts Kirkjubæjarklaustur 70 km to the west.
For the lagoon and the snowmobile, sleep east, towards Höfn, which the park puts 130 km east of Skaftafell. The options are on where to stay.
What about the snowmobile side?
It is a third start, and the only one with no walking. Glacier Journey’s base stands on Route 1, 34 km east of the lagoon. A vehicle drives you up the Skálafellsjökull road, you put on overalls, a helmet and gloves, and you ride for about an hour on the ice cap with a stop at the Jöklasel mountain hut. The snowmobile tour takes three hours and costs $262.
Arrive 30 minutes early, because a late arrival counts as a cancellation. Drivers need a valid licence, and two riders on one machine may weigh 180 kg together at most. One traveller who is afraid of heights found the drive up hard going, and said the ride was worth it.
Which base is quieter?
Neither, in the busy months. One summer traveller on the Tröll five-hour hike found the lower glacier crowded, and the crowds thinned only higher up. At the lagoon, a winter traveller found the meeting point busy with several companies at once, and another spent more time waiting behind other groups than inside the caves.
You can still pick your moment. A longer hike climbs away from the short tours, and on the cave tours the first or the last group of the day tends to have the ice to itself. For a quieter shore, the park points to Fjallsárlón, 10 km from the big lagoon.
What is the quick answer for your trip?
| Start | Who runs it | What you can do | Fares from | Youngest | Be there |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skaftafell visitor centre | Mountain Guides, Arctic Adventures | Hikes, ice caves | $104 | 8 | 20 min early at the Mountain Guides lodge |
| Tröll base, Hof | Tröll | Long hikes, ice climbing | $164 | 12 to climb | 20 min early |
| Lagoon car park | Local Guide, Crystal Cave Tours, IceGuide | Ice caves, kayak | $157 | 10; kayak 14 | 10 to 20 min early |
| Snowmobile base | Glacier Journey | Snowmobile | $262 | Not published | 30 min early |
Driving east with one day for the ice? Take Skaftafell for a hike in any month, the lagoon for a cave in the cold months. With a child of 8 or 9, only Skaftafell has a tour you can all join.
Where these facts come from
- Skaftafell: access, history and trails (national park)
- The glacier lagoon: services, trails and wildlife (national park)
- Glacier walk and ice cave contracts, 30 October 2023 (national park, in Icelandic)
- Pricelist: the regional fee and camping (national park)
Choosing a base: frequently asked questions
Is Skaftafell or Jokulsarlon closer to Reykjavik?
Skaftafell. Arctic Adventures gives 4.5 to 5 hours to its hut there, and Jökulsárlón lies further east along Route 1.
Which base has more ice cave tours?
The lagoon car park, where most of the cave tours meet. Skaftafell has cave tours too, and both sides run them only in the cold months, roughly October to April.
Where is the cheapest glacier hike?
At Skaftafell, where the Arctic Adventures hike costs $104 per person and includes the park fee. There is no plain hike from the lagoon.
Can I kayak at Skaftafell?
No. The kayak starts at the lagoon car park and lasts an hour and a half. You need to be 14 and able to swim.
Which base suits children best?
Skaftafell, where the Arctic Adventures hike and cave both start at age 8. At the lagoon the youngest published age is 10.
Do I pay the parking fee at both?
Yes, the regional fee applies at both car parks. The second one on the same day is half price, and the fee is valid until midnight.
Can I do a hike at Skaftafell and a cave at the lagoon on one day?
It is possible in the cold months but tight. One tour a day, with the lagoon shore in the other half, is the plan that survives a late start or wind.
One hike and two caves, from either base
Jökulsárlón: The Original Ice Cave Tour on Vatnajökull
About three hours from the lagoon car park: a 4x4 onto the glacier, helmet and spikes, and a walk to a blue ice cave or tunnel in the cold months; from age 10.
From $169 per person
Check Availability
Skaftafell: Blue Ice Cave & Glacier Hike on Vatnajökull
Four hours from the Arctic Adventures hut: a 4x4 bus to the ice, about 3 km on foot and a natural ice cave, with crampons and harness; from age 8.
From $159 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Turn the choice into a trip with the two-day itinerary, or cost it in the tour prices guide. Every fare sits side by side on Vatnajokull Tours.