How to Get to Vatnajokull

Every tour on the ice starts at a base in the park, not in Reykjavík. Before any Vatnajokull booking, plan the drive east first, then find the right hut, sign or car park for the morning.

Route 1 east: the drive the operators quote

Vatnajökull is a long way from the capital. Arctic Adventures puts its Skaftafell hut 327 km and 4.5 to 5 hours east of Reykjavík. Tröll says around four and a half hours to its base. The lagoon is further again, and the operators there disagree on the exact distance.

No operator or park page gives a distance between Skaftafell and the lagoon, so we do not print one. The park puts Kirkjubæjarklaustur 70 km west of Skaftafell and Höfn 130 km east. Plan on arriving the evening before a morning tour. The park asks you to check road conditions at vegagerdin.is before you set off, above all in winter.

The Skaftafell bases

Three meeting points sit within a short drive of each other in Öræfi. They are not interchangeable, so check the one on your booking. Two of them are beside Skaftafellsstofa, the park's visitor centre.

At all three, gear comes first. You are fitted with crampons, a harness and a helmet, and you rent boots if you need them. Come dressed for the ice, with your waterproofs on or in your hand.

The Jökulsárlón car park

East of Skaftafell, the ice caves and the kayak start from the main car park at the glacier lagoon. It is busy, and several operators share it. Each one marks its own spot.

• The original ice cave: the big 4x4 by the cafeteria, 15 minutes before departure.
• The super-jeep ice cave: the Crystal Cave Tours sign next to the car park, at least 10 minutes early.
• The hike and ice cave: look for the Crystal Cave Tours or Guide to Iceland logos.
• The kayak: the IceGuide meeting-point sign, 20 minutes early.

You pay the park's regional fee here as at Skaftafell: 1,110 ISK for a car, read from your plate. If you already paid at Skaftafell the same day, you pay half.

The snowmobile base, 34 km east

The snowmobile starts at Glacier Journey's summer base on Route 1, 34 km east of the lagoon, postcode 781 Hornafjörður. A vehicle drives you up the Skálafellsjökull road to the ice. You then get about an hour on the machines.

This base is the strictest. Arrive 30 minutes before departure. A late arrival is an automatic cancellation, with no refund of the fare.

From Reykjavík without a car

Only the lagoon day and the eight-day tour collect you in the capital. The lagoon day meets at the BSÍ Bus Terminal, with pickup in central Reykjavík included. It runs 14.5 hours and stops for 40 minutes at Freysnes on the way east. It stays on the shore and never goes onto the ice.

The eight-day tour round the island collects you from designated bus stops in Reykjavík. Its ice cave is on Breiðamerkurjökull. Everything else needs you to drive yourself, or to stay near the bases.

Arrive early: the check-in rules

Each operator sets its own arrival time, and it is earlier than you think. Gear is fitted before you leave, so a late start costs you time on the ice.

The meeting-point map

The map opens on Skaftafell. Zoom east for the lagoon and the snowmobile base.

Use the table to match your tour to its base. Every address comes from the tour's own listing.

Asked about getting there

Every meeting point, arrival time and drive time is the tour's own listing, saved 23 September 2026. The distances from Skaftafell and the lagoon are the national park's, read 23 September 2026.

• Skaftafell: access, history and trails (national park)
• The glacier lagoon: services, trails and wildlife (national park)
• The smaller lagoon to the west (national park)
• Pricelist: the regional fee and camping (national park)