Is Vatnajökull Worth Visiting? Reviews and Verdict for Glacier Hikes

• Top choice Blue Ice Cave & Hike from US$167 Duration4 hours^[2]Rating4.62 from 848 reviews^[2]GuideLive tour guide: English^[2]Booking termsReserve now & pay later^[2]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[2] Check availability
• Blue Ice Glacier Hike from US$106 Duration4 hours^[5]Rating4.71 from 1,357 reviews^[5]GuideLive tour guide: English^[5]Booking termsReserve now & pay later^[5]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[5] See this tour
• Jökulsárlón Ice Cave Tour from US$164 Duration3 hours^[6]Rating4.25 from 2,171 reviews^[6]GuideLive tour guide: English^[6]Booking termsReserve now & pay later^[6]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[6] See this tour

Is Vatnajökull worth visiting?

Vatnajökull is not a flat sheet of white. It is an ice cap that spills toward the coast in long outlet glaciers, each with its own crevasse fields, moraine ridges and meltwater rivers. The scale is hard to hold in your head: a surface area of approximately 8,100 square kilometres (3,127 square miles), which makes it the largest glacier in both Iceland and Europe.^[1] The ice averages about 380 metres thick, and in places it is almost a kilometre deep.^[8] Since 5 July 2019 the national park around it has been on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.^[9]

Whether that adds up to a good day out depends on what you want from it. If you picture standing on blue ice, hearing a guide explain how the glacier moves and looking down into a crevasse field, the answer is straightforward. If you want a quick stop from the car park, a glacier is the wrong errand: a guided walk plus the drive in and the walk out takes the better part of a day, and the ice decides the pace, not you.

What the Skaftafell blue ice cave and glacier hike is like

The most popular way to get onto the ice from Skaftafell pairs a glacier hike with a visit to a blue ice cave. The tour runs 4 hours, with a live guide speaking English and a small group limited to 12 participants, from US$167.^[2] You can reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[2] The route runs by bus or coach to Vatnajökull and on to Falljökull before returning the same way.^[2]

Guided glacier days tend to follow a fixed pattern: a briefing at the base, the walk out onto the ice, time in the cave, then the walk back. On the glacier the ice changes colour as cloud passes: grey, white, and a deep blue where the ice is dense and old. Inside a cave, daylight comes through the roof in bands and the whole space glows. The cold is dry and sharp rather than damp, and the quiet stays with you afterwards.

Falljökull is an outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull ice cap, so the ice under your feet belongs to the same mass that covers much of the south-east.^[10] Icelandic outlet glaciers have retreated exceptionally fast since 2000, and their mass loss is among the highest recorded in the world.^[11] Guides set the route on the day, and conditions decide which cave you see.

Blue ice and grey moraine on an outlet glacier below the Vatnajökull ice cap

Vatnajökull reviews: how travellers rate the tours

Ratings are the quickest way to sort the different operators running trips out of Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón. The Skaftafell blue ice cave and glacier hike is rated 4.62 from 848 reviews.^[2] A neighbouring blue ice glacier hike is rated 4.71 from 1,357 reviews, with a guide score of 4.9 and value for money at 4.4.^[5] An ice cave tour and glacier hike from Skaftafell is rated 4.53 from 1,962 reviews,^[12] and the Jökulsárlón ice cave guided tour is rated 4.25 from 2,171 reviews.^[6]

It helps to read the numbers next to group size and duration rather than on their own. Two trips that both leave from Skaftafell can differ in how long they spend on the ice and in how many people share the guide. Look at what reviewers say about the guide, the pace and how much time is spent inside the cave, then weigh that against the price on the page.

A practical way to read reviews here is to look at how each tour uses the day. A 4-hour trip with a cave visit splits its time between travelling and walking on the ice; the stops on the Skaftafell blue ice cave and glacier hike run bus or coach, Vatnajökull, Falljökull, then bus or coach back.^[2] Trips leaving from Jökulsárlón run 3 hours,^[6] while a Reykjavík departure covers the south coast in a 14-hour day.^[13]

When to go: ice cave season and visitor centre hours

Ice caves in Vatnajökull are only accessible during winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.^[4] That window shapes a winter trip: book inside it, and treat any single day as weather-dependent. Outside those months you can still walk on the glacier and see the lagoons, but the caves are not accessible.

Skaftafellsstofa Visitor Centre opens 10-17 in January and February, 9-17 in March to May, 9-19 in June to August, 9-18 in September and October, 9-17 in November and 10-17 in December.^[14] It is a sensible first stop for current conditions before a walk. Winter daylight is short, so build the drive and the tour around the brightest hours and keep a margin for wind and closed roads.

Summer is a different trip: long daylight, green slopes below the ice and lagoons full of icebergs. Glacier hikes still run, and so do kayak trips, including a 1.5-hour Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon kayaking tour from US$159.^[15] If a blue ice cave is the reason you are coming, plan around the winter window instead.^[4]

Getting to Skaftafell and where to stay

Almost everyone arrives by car. Skaftafell is about 327 km (203 miles) from Reykjavík via Route 1, a drive that takes approximately 4.5 hours.^[3] From Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón is 35.4 miles (57 km) further east, about 50 minutes in normal traffic.^[16] Parking at Skaftafell carries a regional fee, with a passenger car of 5 or fewer seats charged 1,110 ISK.^[7]

Staying in the area is easier than driving from Reykjavík on the day. Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon is a four-star superior hotel near Skaftafell with 125 rooms, complimentary parking, electric car charging points, a gym and a wellness spa.^[17] Guesthouses and campsites along the coast fill the gap, and a night nearby means a short drive to the meeting point in the morning.

If you are coming from Reykjavík, the drive itself is a highlight: waterfalls, black sand plains and the long run toward the ice. Long south coast tours from Reykjavík cover the lagoon and Diamond Beach in a single day, with durations of 14 hours, 14.5 hours and 14 to 15 hours on different listings.^[13][18][19]

Prices, group sizes and how to book

From-prices for guided trips out of Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón spread widely. A short glacier hike from Skaftafell starts from US$105,^[20] an easy group hike from US$106,^[21] and a half-day glacier hike from US$157.^[22] Listings that pair a glacier walk with an ice cave include an ice cave tour and glacier hike from US$162,^[12] the Skaftafell blue ice cave and glacier hike from US$167,^[2] and a hike to a remote ice cave from US$285.^[23]

Group size matters more than most people expect on the ice. The Skaftafell blue ice cave and glacier hike is limited to 12 participants,^[2] and other listings cap groups at 8.^[23] These listings can be reserved now and paid later, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[5] Starting times vary by date, so check availability for the slot you want before you commit to the drive south.

For a longer look at the ice, add a day: an advanced hike on Falljökull runs 5 hours and is limited to 10 participants,^[24] and a 6-hour hike to a remote ice cave is limited to 8.^[23] Multi-day options exist too, including a 2-day south coast tour with a blue ice cave and Jökulsárlón,^[25] and a 3-day tour covering the Golden Circle, the glacier lagoon and an ice cave.^[26]

Kit, ages and other things to do nearby

Dress for cold, wet and windy whatever the forecast promises: a waterproof shell, warm mid layers, gloves, a hat, sunglasses against glare and boots with ankle support. On the ice you are walking on a surface that is uneven, slippery in places and always changing, so a steady pace and a free hand matter more than speed. If you have never walked on crampons before, say so at the briefing.

Family trips are easier than they look. For easy glacier hikes the minimum age is 8 years old, while more difficult glacier walks may have a higher minimum age.^[27] Nearby, Hvannadalshnúkur stands at 2110 m (6900 ft).^[28] Jökulsárlón's amphibian boat tour lasts 30-40 minutes and includes an English-speaking guide,^[29] and the Katla Ice Cave in Mýrdalsjökull is one of the few ice caves in Iceland that can be visited year-round.^[30]

Plan a buffer. Weather in the south-east can close caves and slow the drive, and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance gives you room to move plans rather than lose the day.^[2] If you are heading west afterwards, Sólheimajökull has its own glacier hike and blue ice cave listings, from US$192.^[31]

Plan the Skaftafell day

1. Book the slot

   Check availability to see starting times for your date, and book ahead: ice caves are accessible from November and usually throughout March.^[4]

2. Drive south on Route 1

   Skaftafell is about 327 km (203 miles) from Reykjavík via Route 1, a drive that takes approximately 4.5 hours, so leave early.^[3]

3. Arrive with time to spare

   Parking at Skaftafell costs 1,110 ISK for a car of 5 or fewer seats, so arrive with time to change layers.^[7]

4. Dress for wet cold

   Wear a waterproof shell, warm layers, gloves, a hat and boots with ankle support. Ice is uneven and the weather turns fast.

5. Add the lagoon

   Jökulsárlón is 35.4 miles (57 km) east of Skaftafell, about 50 minutes in normal traffic, and worth adding to the day.^[16]

What people want to know