Skaftafell: Blue Ice Glacier Hike on Vatnajökull
Four hours from the Arctic Adventures base at Skaftafell, with a 4x4 bus to the ice, crampons, harness and helmet, and the park fee in the fare; from age 8.
From $104 per person
Check AvailabilityVatnajokull in Two Days: a Ring-Road Glacier Itinerary from Reykjavik
Two days is the shortest trip that does Vatnajökull properly from Reykjavík: one to drive east, one on the ice and at the lagoon. This guide gives the order that works, the stops on the way, where to sleep, the fee that catches you twice, and the winter and water versions of the plan. It is built round the glacier hike tours most drivers take.
What do the two days look like?
Book the fixed thing first. The hike has a check-in time and the lagoon does not, so the hike sets the shape of day two.
| When | Where | What | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1, morning | Reykjavík | Leave early on Route 1 | Hire car |
| Day 1, on the way | The South Coast | Waterfalls and the village of Vík | No |
| Day 1, evening | West of Skaftafell or in the park | Sleep near the base | Yes |
| Day 2, morning | A Skaftafell base | Check in, gear up, hike | Yes: the hike |
| Day 2, afternoon | The glacier lagoon | Shore trails and the black beach | No |
| Day 2, evening | East, or back west | Sleep, or drive on | Yes |
How long is the drive on day one?
Arctic Adventures gives 327 km and 4.5 to 5 hours from Reykjavík to its hut at Skaftafell. That is driving time. With stops, the day fills. One traveller on a lagoon cave tour warned that the satnav underestimates the time, and another, on the coach, was stuck behind an accident until the road cleared.
Check the weather at vedur.is and the road before you leave, as the park advises. If the forecast is bad, SafeTravel lets you leave a travel plan that search and rescue can act on. The route is on how to get to the bases.
Where can you stop on the way?
The Reykjavík coach day to the lagoon shows the classic stops, and you can make the same ones at your own pace. It stops 25 minutes at Skógafoss, 45 minutes at Vík and 40 minutes at Freysnes, and calls at Seljalandsfoss on the way back. In your own car you can take Seljalandsfoss on the way out instead.
Keep the last stop short if you have a morning hike the next day. The things to do page lists the walks near the bases.
Where do you sleep the first night?
West of Skaftafell or in the park itself. The park puts Kirkjubæjarklaustur 70 km to the west. The Skaftafell campsite is open all year, cannot be reserved and costs ISK 2,800 per person per night, paid on site.
Book the bed before the hike. A morning check-in is not something you can make from Reykjavík. The choices by distance are on where to stay.
Late means lost. Tröll asks you to be at its base
20 minutes before departure, and says a place cannot be guaranteed or refunded after it. The
Mountain Guides cave asks for the same 20 minutes. Sleep close, and read the
check-in rules.
What happens on the ice on the morning of day two?
At the Arctic Adventures hike, you gear up at the base, ride a 4x4 bus for about 20 minutes, walk about 30 minutes to the ice and hike about an hour and a half on Falljökull. The whole tour takes four hours, costs $104 and includes the park fee. One traveller put the walk from the bus at 20 minutes of trekking.
Want more time on the ice? Blue Ice Discovery spends about three hours at Skaftafell and on the glacier for $107, from 10. Every hike is on the glacier hike tours page.
Where do you eat between the two?
Bring it. Almost no fare includes food, and a few Tröll hikes end with coffee and chocolates, which is not lunch. The visitor centre at Skaftafell has a souvenir shop and rangers, and its hours change through the year.
By month, the visitor centre opens January and February 10:00 to 17:00; March to May 09:00 to 17:00; June to August 09:00 to 19:00; September and October 09:00 to 18:00; November 09:00 to 17:00; December 10:00 to 17:00. At the lagoon, the main car park has a cafeteria.
How do you spend the afternoon at the lagoon?
On foot, for the price of the parking. Trail B1 is 1.2 km and takes about 15 minutes to a view over the lagoon and the glacier behind it. Across the road, trail B2 follows the Eystri-Fellsfjara shore, the black beach sold as Diamond Beach, for 1 km in about 40 minutes.
The rangers at Breiðamerkursandur are on duty every day of the year, on 842-4355. Seals use the river mouth, and in winter reindeer herds stay on the eastern side of the sandur. For a quieter shore, Fjallsárlón is 10 km from the big lagoon, and the park notes fewer crowds there.
Do you pay the parking fee twice?
Yes, but the second is half price. The park charges a regional fee at Skaftafell and at the lagoon: 1,110 ISK for a car with five seats or fewer. It is valid until midnight, cameras read the number plate, and you pay online or at the machines.
The park gives 50% off the fee if you already paid at another fee area that day. The Arctic Adventures hike above includes a park fee in its fare, so ask at the base what that covers. The fee rules are on the visitor guide.
What changes in winter?
The morning can be an ice cave instead of a plain hike. The caves run in the cold months, roughly October to April, and the operator confirms each visit on the day. The Mountain Guides cave tour starts at the same lodge as Blue Ice Discovery: three and a half hours, a vehicle to the ice and a natural cave, from 10, for $160.
The days are short, so keep the lagoon for the last light and drive in daylight. Route 1 stays open in winter when the weather and the road allow. The ice cave season guide explains how the caves are chosen.
Can you swap the hike for a kayak?
Yes, and it moves the whole of day two to the lagoon. The lagoon kayak lasts an hour and a half among the icebergs in a sit-on-top kayak, with a two-piece suit and a guide, for $157. You must be 14 and able to swim, and you arrive 20 minutes early.
Wind decides it. One traveller had a morning kayak cancelled for strong winds and paddled in the afternoon instead. Another saw seals. The traveller accounts all date from September, and no season is published, so ask the operator for the month you travel.
What if the weather turns?
Hikes go out in rain; one traveller hiked in rain heavy enough to soak every waterproof and still rated the day. Wind is what stops things. Tröll’s five-hour hike has been cancelled for high winds on more than one date, and the kayak is the first to go.
Every tour here refunds in full if you cancel 24 hours ahead. Keep the spare time in the trip, not in the day. Skaftafell’s wettest month on the station record is September, at 190 mm, and its driest is May; the month-by-month weather has the rest.
What should you pack for the two days?
Boots with ankle support first. Arctic Adventures make them mandatory on the hike, and Tröll checked one traveller’s shoes and swapped them for rental boots. If yours are not up to it, rent at the base: Arctic Adventures and the Mountain Guides charge 1,500 ISK a pair.
Then layers you can take off. One traveller found the temperature on the glacier about the same as on the ground, so dress for the day, not for the ice. Bring gloves that fit, a waterproof layer, water and a snack. The gear list is on the visitor guide.
Can you do the two days without a car?
Not in this shape. No hike here includes transport from Reykjavík, so the Skaftafell morning needs a car or a night nearby that you reach some other way. The car-free option is the day trip from Reykjavík: 14.5 hours on a coach, about 1 hour 35 minutes at the lagoon and the black beach, and no walk on the ice.
If you want the ice without driving, the eight-day tour round Iceland includes an ice cave on Breiðamerkurjökull and pickup at Reykjavík bus stops. The car-free choices are compared on the Vatnajokull tours from Reykjavik page.
Where these facts come from
- Skaftafell: access, history and trails (national park)
- Pricelist: the regional fee and camping (national park)
- The glacier lagoon: services, trails and wildlife (national park)
- The smaller lagoon to the west (national park)
- Monthly precipitation, station 748 at Skaftafell (Icelandic Met Office)
- Leave a travel plan (SafeTravel)
Planning the two days: frequently asked questions
Can you see Vatnajokull in two days from Reykjavik?
Yes, with a car. Drive east on the first day, then hike at Skaftafell in the morning and walk the lagoon shore in the afternoon of the second.
Should I hike first or visit the lagoon first?
Hike first in most cases, because the hike has a fixed check-in and the lagoon does not. Blue Ice Discovery leaves through the day if you need an afternoon slot.
How long is the drive from Reykjavik to Skaftafell?
Arctic Adventures gives 4.5 to 5 hours for 327 km to its hut. Add stops, and leave early.
Do I pay the parking fee at Skaftafell and the lagoon?
Yes, at both. The car rate is 1,110 ISK, valid until midnight, and the second fee area on the same day is half price.
What is the winter version of the plan?
Swap the plain hike for an ice cave tour in the cold months, roughly October to April. Keep the lagoon for the last of the light.
Can I kayak instead of hiking?
Yes. The lagoon kayak lasts an hour and a half, from age 14, for swimmers only. Wind cancels it more readily than a hike.
Where should I sleep the night before the hike?
West of Skaftafell or at the Skaftafell campsite, which is open all year and cannot be reserved. A morning check-in is not something you can reach from Reykjavík.
Tours that fit a two-day glacier trip
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Kayaking Tour
An hour and a half among the icebergs in a sit-on-top kayak, with a two-piece suit and a guide, from the lagoon car park; from age 14.
From $157 per person
Check Availability
Skaftafell Glacier Hike & Natural Ice Cave Tour
Three and a half hours from the guides' lodge at Skaftafell: a vehicle to the ice, crampons, axe and helmet, and a natural ice cave; from age 10.
From $160 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Choose your base in Skaftafell or the lagoon, or check the winter plan in the ice cave season guide. Every fare sits side by side on Vatnajokull Tours.