Vatnajokull National Park Visitor Center: Skaftafell Base Facilities

• Top choice Ice Cave & Glacier Hike from US$167 Duration4 hours^[4]Group sizeLimited to 12 participants^[4]Rating4.62 from 848 reviews^[4]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours ahead^[4] Check availability
• Easy Blue Ice Glacier Hike from US$106 Duration4 hours^[6]Group sizeNot specifiedRating4.71 from 1,357 reviews^[6]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours ahead^[6] See this tour
• Jokulsarlon Ice Cave Tour from US$164 Duration3 hours^[7]Group sizeNot specifiedRating4.25 from 2,171 reviews^[7]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours ahead^[7] See this tour

Arriving at the Skaftafell base in Vatnajokull National Park

Skaftafell sits on the south side of Vatnajokull, where the Ring Road crosses a wide outwash plain of grey sand and braided rivers. Almost everyone arrives the same way, by car or on a coach tour, and stops in the same place: the service area around the Skaftafellsstofa, the Vatnajokull National Park visitor center for this side of the park. From Reykjavik the drive is about 327 km (203 miles) along Route 1 and takes approximately 4.5 hours^[1], so most people either push straight from the city in one long run or break the journey with a night on the south coast.

Vatnajokull National Park was inscribed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites on 5 July 2019^[8], and Skaftafell is one of the main gateways into it. The glacier above the base covers approximately 8,100 square kilometres (3,127 square miles) and is the largest glacier in both Iceland and Europe^[9], and its ice averages about 380 metres thick, reaching almost a kilometre deep in places^[10]. From the car park none of that is obvious. The ice sits up and out of sight behind the slopes, and the walk in is part of the day.

If you are driving, parking at Skaftafell is subject to a regional fee, and a passenger car of 5 or fewer seats is charged 1,110 ISK^[3]. The Skaftafellsstofa keeps monthly opening hours: 10-17 in January and February, 9-17 from March to May, 9-19 from June to August, 9-18 in September and October, 9-17 in November, and 10-17 in December^[2]. Check those before you rely on the building for information, shelter or a warm break.

Toilets and washrooms at Skaftafell

The toilets sit in the service cluster at the base, a short walk from where the coaches park and where the glacier guides meet their groups. That makes the stop easy to fold into your arrival: park, use the washroom, fill a bottle, then walk over to the meeting point. In the middle of a summer afternoon you will have company, and in winter the same building is somewhere warm to wait out the last few minutes before you set off.

Go before you leave, because there is nothing on the ice. The Skaftafell: Blue Ice Cave & Glacier Hike on Vatnajokull runs for 4 hours^[4] with a group limited to 12 participants^[4], and no guide will halt a line on a glacier for a comfort break. For families, that single detail is the most useful thing to know about the base.

If you are travelling with young children, or with anyone who needs step-free access, ask at the visitor centre when you arrive and staff will point you to the right door. The base also fills up when a coach pulls in, so timing your stop just before or just after one makes the whole thing quicker.

Blue ice inside a cave under Falljokull, minutes from the Skaftafell base

Food and refreshments near the meeting point

The Skaftafell service area has a cafe and a small shop beside the visitor centre and the car park, which makes it the easiest place on this stretch of the Ring Road to eat before or after a tour. The shop covers the basics, from snacks and drinks to the small bits of kit people forget, and the cafe is where most people thaw out afterwards. If you have a long drive ahead, it is also one of the few places to sit down with a hot drink.

Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon is a four-star superior hotel a stone's throw from Skaftafell, with 125 rooms^[11], and it is the obvious choice if you would rather eat a slow meal and sleep nearby than drive on in the dark. Book ahead if you are travelling in winter.

Bringing your own food is often the simplest plan. The drive east to Jokulsarlon is only 35.4 miles (57 km), about 50 minutes in normal traffic^[12], so a late lunch further along the coast is easy, and a flask of something hot earns its place in the bag on any glacier day.

Water refill and hydration before the hike

Fill your bottles at the base before you leave. The taps in the service area are the last easy refill point before you walk onto the glacier, and water is the thing people most often leave behind in the car. Take more than you think you need, and keep it somewhere you can reach without taking your pack off.

Cold weather hides thirst. You work harder than you notice on the approach to the ice, and wind on the glacier dries you out. A bottle that fits a jacket pocket or a side pocket is better than one buried at the bottom of a day bag.

Hot drinks help too. A flask of coffee, tea or simply hot water with lemon makes the wait at the meeting point far more pleasant in winter, and the base is the right place to fill it before you go.

Waiting time before your ice cave tour

Tours from Skaftafell run to a schedule, and you can check availability to see starting times^[4] when you book. Build in slack anyway. You will want time to park, find the meeting point and get your gear sorted before the group walks out together, and doing all of that in a hurry with cold hands is no fun.

The hike itself lasts 4 hours and is limited to 12 participants^[4], with stops at Bus/coach, Vatnajokull and Falljokull before the return by Bus/coach^[4]. A small group means less standing around while a long line shuffles through a cave, which many walkers prefer.

Waiting happens at both ends of the day. Before the tour there is the car park, the toilets and the meeting point; afterwards there is kit to hand back and, in winter, a dark drive home. If you are the driver, plan the return leg before you set off, and remember the direct run to Jokulsarlon takes about 50 minutes in normal traffic^[12].

Skaftafell visitor centre: luggage, signal and pets

There is nowhere on the ice for a suitcase, so leave anything you do not need locked in your car or at your accommodation. If you arrive by coach for the tour alone, keep everything in one small day pack and ask at the Skaftafell visitor centre whether a larger bag can wait while you are out.

Valuables are best carried with you. A phone works as a camera on the ice, but batteries drain fast in the cold, so keep it in an inside pocket and pack a power bank. Mobile coverage around Skaftafell comes and goes with the terrain and your network, so download offline maps and your booking details before you leave the last town.

If you are travelling with a dog, remember that a glacier is no place for one, so plan for someone to stay at the base while the others walk, or split the group. Ask at the visitor centre where dogs can and cannot go in the park before you set off, and never leave an animal shut in a car through a long tour, whatever the season.

Where to stay and what to do before your tour

Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon is a four-star superior hotel a stone's throw from Skaftafell, with 125 rooms^[11], and it is the closest full-service place to sleep on this stretch. Smaller guesthouses, farm stays and campsites are spread along the coast, and Hofn works well as a base if you are heading further east afterwards. For winter dates, book early.

There is plenty to fill the day either side of a tour. Jokulsarlon is close enough for an easy add-on, 35.4 miles (57 km) from Skaftafell and about 50 minutes in normal traffic^[12], and the amphibian boat tour there lasts 30-40 minutes^[13]. Inland, Hvannadalshnukur stands at 2110 m (6900 ft) above the sandur^[14], and it is a landmark you keep spotting from the road.

Winter is the season that matters most. The ice caves in Vatnajokull are only accessible during winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather^[5]. What you see is also on the move: since the year 2000, Icelandic outlet glaciers have retreated exceptionally fast, and their mass loss is among the highest recorded in the world^[15]. Any visit is a snapshot of a landscape in transition.

Planning your visit

1. Book your slot

   The Skaftafell: Blue Ice Cave & Glacier Hike on Vatnajokull starts from US$167 and is limited to 12 participants.^[4]

2. Time your drive

   From Reykjavik it is about 327 km (203 miles) and roughly 4.5 hours via Route 1, so leave early in winter.^[1]

3. Arrive with spare time

   Use the base before you go on the ice: toilets, a cafe, water and shops are all a short walk from the meeting point.

4. Check the season

   Ice caves in Vatnajokull are accessible from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.^[5]

5. Plan the rest of the day

   Jokulsarlon is 35.4 miles (57 km) east and about 50 minutes away, easy to add before or after the hike.^[12]

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