Skaftafell National Park: Glacier Hikes, Waterfalls & Wild Trails
Skaftafell is a scenic wilderness area located about 330 kilometers (205 miles) east of Reykjavík, roughly a 4.5 to 5-hour drive along Iceland’s stunning South Coast. Now part of Vatnajökull National Park, Skaftafell is known for its dramatic landscapes shaped by glaciers, volcanic activity, and centuries of erosion — a place where black sand plains meet lush birch forests and towering glacial tongues spill down from Europe’s largest ice cap. Despite its remote setting, Skaftafell is a well-developed base for outdoor activities like hiking, glacier tours, and nature photography, making it a must-visit stop on any South Iceland itinerary.
Glacier Hikes Near Skaftafell
Glacier hiking is one of the most popular activities in the Skaftafell region, with most tours taking place on the striking outlet glaciers Falljökull and Virkisjökull—both part of the mighty Vatnajökull ice cap. Skaftafell, Hof and Freysnes are the most common meeting points for guided glacier tours near Skaftafell. These tours will range from easy two- to three-hour excursions to longer, more adventurous treks.
Falljökull, known as the “Falling Glacier,” is especially popular for its dramatic icefalls and ever-changing formations, while Virkisjökull offers sweeping views and a more peaceful setting with fewer crowds. Tours are led by certified glacier guides and include all necessary equipment, making it easy and safe for visitors of all experience levels to explore this stunning frozen landscape.
Popular Skaftafell Glacier Tours
Skaftafell Nature Reserve is one of the best places in Iceland for glacier hiking thanks to its accessibility, safety, and stunning surroundings. Located within Vatnajökull National Park, it sits right next to several outlet glaciers, especially Falljökull and Virkisjökull, which are ideal for guided hikes. These glaciers are relatively stable and easy to reach without long or difficult approaches, making them suitable for both first-timers and experienced hikers.
Guided hikes on Falljökull and Virkisjökull are run in all seasons, with special ice cave hikes being available from October to April (depending on conditions).
Explore the ever-changing ice formations of Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier, on a guided walk. This tour gives you a close look at a landscape shaped by ice, where conditions shift from season to season. Depending on the time of year, you may walk into crevasses,or see ice features from above as the surface changes in summer. Your guide may also point out interesting details like glacier-shaped formations or patches of “glacier mice,” small moss balls found on the ice.
Your adventure begins at our Troll base, offering free parking and only a short drive from the glacier. Please arrive 20 minutes before departure to meet your certified English-speaking glacier guide. All essential safety equipment, helmet, crampons, harness, and ice axe, is provided.
After gearing up, we take a 15-minute ride to the glacier car park, followed by a 15-minute walk to the edge of the ice. Along the way, your guide will show how the glacier has retreated over time, pointing out exposed bedrock and the nearby meltwater lagoon. Once on the ice, your guide will teach you how to walk safely using your equipment.
You’ll spend 1 to 1.5 hours exploring Falljökull. What you see varies with the season, but every tour offers a chance to experience the glacier’s scale and the unique formations created by its movement. Throughout the hike, your guide will share insights into how the glacier forms, shifts, and affects the surrounding environment.
After returning to the meeting point, enjoy a complimentary hot drink and a candy bar
Embark on a longer and more in-depth glacier hike on Falljökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier. This extended tour takes you higher onto the ice, where you can explore more remote terrain and enjoy wide panoramic views over Skaftafell National Park.
Why choose this 5-hour tour? This experience is perfect for guests who want to spend more time on the glacier, see a wider variety of features, and explore areas that shorter tours don’t reach.
Your adventure begins at our Troll base, located just minutes from the glacier with free parking available. Please arrive 20 minutes before departure to meet your certified English-speaking glacier guide. All essential safety equipment, helmet, crampons, harness, and ice axe, is provided.
Once the group is ready, we take a 15-minute ride to the glacier car park, followed by a 15-minute walk to the glacier’s edge. During this walk and the safety briefing, your guide will explain how to use the equipment and what to expect on the ice.
From there, you will spend 3.5 to 4 hours exploring Falljökull. Depending on the season, you may walk through deep crevasses, look into moulins, see sculpted ice formations, or view features from above when the surface is smoother in summer. As you climb higher, wide views over Skaftafell open up, showcasing the dramatic landscapes shaped by the glacier. Your guide will also share insights into how Falljökull forms, moves, and changes over time. After returning to the meeting point, enjoy a complimentary hot drink and a candy bar.
Take on our most adventurous glacier tour, a full-day journey that takes you deeper onto the ice than any of our other hikes. This experience gives you access to remote terrain and the dramatic landscapes surrounding Europe’s largest glacier.
Why choose this 6-hour tour? This is the ideal option for guests wanting a longer and more technical glacier experience. With rope-assisted sections set up by your guide, you’ll reach areas of the glacier that are otherwise inaccessible on standard tours.
Your adventure begins at our Troll base in Hof, just minutes from the glacier and offering free parking. Please arrive 20 minutes early to meet your certified English-speaking glacier guide and gear up with a helmet, crampons, harness, and ice axe.
Once the group is ready, we take a 15-minute ride to the glacier car park, followed by a 15-minute walk to the edge of the ice. During this walk and the safety briefing, your guide will show you how to use your equipment and move safely on the glacier.
From there, you’ll spend 4.5 to 5 hours on the ice, exploring the glacier’s upper areas and wilder terrain. Depending on conditions, you may travel through deep crevasses, pass moulins, see cool formations, and in winter, look into small ice tunnels. Where needed, your guide will set up secure anchors and ropes to help the group access steeper or more technical sections safely.
Throughout the tour, your guide will explain how the glacier forms, moves, and constantly changes. After returning to the meeting point, enjoy a complimentary hot drink and a candy bar
Join an unforgettable adventure on Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier, located in the beautiful Skaftafell area. The highlight of this tour is the chance to step inside a naturally formed blue ice cave, an experience very few people ever get to have.
Your journey takes place on Falljökull, an accessible and stunning outlet glacier in Vatnajökull National Park. The tour starts at our Troll base in Hof, just minutes from the glacier and offers free parking. Please arrive 20 minutes before departure to check in and meet your certified English-speaking glacier guide. After a short introduction, your guide will help you gear up with all the essential safety equipment: helmet, crampons, harness, and ice axe.
Once everyone is ready, we take a 15-minute ride to the glacier car park. From there, it’s an easy 15-minute walk toward the glacier, where your guide will point out signs of the glacier’s retreat, like exposed bedrock and the nearby meltwater lagoon. When you reach the ice, your guide will show you how to move safely with your equipment.
You’ll spend around 2 hours exploring Falljökull, where you’ll get the rare chance to walk through deep crevasses and discover unique ice formations that change from season to season. You’ll also get to enter a naturally formed blue ice cave, the main highlight and a must-see for anyone visiting the glacier. Throughout the tour, your guide will explain how the glacier forms, moves, and changes from year to year.
Back at the meeting point, you can warm up with a complimentary hot drink and a candy bar.
Skaftafell Combo Tours
Glacier hikes are ideal to combine with tours that run from Jökulsárlón. The driving time from Skaftafell to Jökulsárlón is about 45 minutes, making those two attractions ideal for same day stops. From Hof, where the Troll meeting point for Skaftafell tours is located, the driving time to Jökulsárlón is even shorter, only 30 minutes.
During summer, a Skaftafell glacier hike and glacier kayaking is an ideal combination for those seeking activities. Glacier hikes on Falljökull also come with a Ice Climbing combo in one tour. Highly recommended for the adventurous.
This tour offers a thrilling combination of glacier hiking and ice climbing on Falljökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier. Highlights include using specialized gear (crampons, harness, and twin ice axes) to climb a secure ice wall or crevasse face, spending approximately 3 hours on the ice, and exploring dramatic ice features like moulins and crevasses in the stunning mountain landscape of the Skaftafell area. No previous climbing experience is required, as expert guides teach you the necessary techniques.
Join this adventure tour for anyone seeking an added thrill on a glacier, suitable for travelers in good physical health. The tour targets Falljökull, a magnificent outlet glacier located in the beautiful Skaftafell area of Southeast Iceland.
You will meet your guide at the dedicated Troll base minutes from the glacier with free parking available, where you must arrive 20 minutes prior to departure to meet your certified English-speaking guide and get equipped. All essential gear is provided, including a helmet, harness, crampons (for walking on ice), and an ice axe.
After a short 15-minute ride and a 15-minute walk, you will arrive at the ice edge. Your guide will provide a crucial safety briefing and demonstration of how to walk on the ice. The adventure includes approximately 3 hours actively spent on the glacier. Your guide will select the safest and best feature available on the day—often a vertical ice wall or a crevasse edge—and set up a secure climbing anchor. You will then have the chance to climb the ice wall using the provided ice axes, supported by a rope and your guide. Additionally, the tour includes hiking to explore other dramatic features like deep crevasses, vertical moulins (ice tunnels), and unique sculpted ice formations, immersing you fully in this dramatic, film-featured landscape.
Embark on a full-day combo tour that takes you deep into the wild beauty of Southeast Iceland with two unforgettable glacier experiences. You can either start your day paddling through the surreal iceberg-dotted waters of Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon on a guided kayaking adventure. Then, lace up your hiking boots and set out for an exhilarating glacier hike in the heart of Skaftafell Nature Reserve, where you'll explore the frozen landscape of an outlet glacier from Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest ice cap.
This adventure is split into two separate tours, each led by certified glacier and kayaking guides, with all safety gear and instructions provided. Travel between the two locations is self-drive, giving you time to enjoy the scenery along Iceland’s stunning South Coast.
You’ll select which adventure to begin with.
If you start with kayaking, meet our guides at Troll.is Glacier Lagoon in Jökulsárlón 20 minutes before departure at 10:00 am and make sure to reach Troll.is - Skatafell 20 minutes before departure time set at 2:00 pm
If you start with the glacier hike, head to Troll.is Skaftafell 20 minutes before departure time set at 09:00 AM and make sure to reach Troll.is Glacier Lagoon 20 minutes before depature time set at 1:30 PM (Exact locations are easily found by searching “Troll.is Glacier Lagoon” or “Troll.is Skaftafell” on Google Maps.)
Experience two epic adventures in one day. Book now and experience two of Iceland’s most breathtaking activities in one epic journey!
Skaftafell Private Tours
A private glacier tour on Falljökull offers a more personal, immersive, and flexible experience on one of Iceland’s most scenic outlet glaciers. Unlike large group tours, a private tour allows you to move at your own pace, ask all the questions you want, and explore quieter areas of the glacier with your own expert guide.
This tour offers a chance to explore Falljökull, a dramatically carved outlet of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier. Highlights include a guided 3-hour hike on the ice, witnessing spectacular features like deep crevasses, vertical moulins (ice tunnels), and massive ice falls. Guests will see evidence of the glacier's recession and deformation of the bedrock, along with a glimpse of ancient blue ice. All necessary safety gear, including crampons and ice axe, is provided by a qualified glacier guide.
Join this guided glacier hike to explore the magnificent Falljökull (the "Falling Glacier"), an impressive outlet of the vast Vatnajökull ice cap in Southeast Iceland. You will meet your guide at the base in Höf (near Skaftafell) 20 minutes before departure.
After receiving all necessary equipment—crampons, helmet, and ice axe—you will take a shared 15-minute shuttle bus ride, followed by a 20-minute walk to reach the ice. This initial walk highlights the rapid retreat of the glacier, showing the newly exposed land and the surrounding moss line where the ice once stood.
Once on the ice, your guide will provide a safety briefing and teach you how to walk correctly with crampons. The hike is rated as not technically hard, but can be steep and rocky, requiring some physical strength. Over the 3-hour hike, you will navigate the dramatically carved ice landscape, viewing features such as deep crevasses (cracks caused by ice movement), smooth moulins (vertical shafts), and areas containing glacier mice (unique moss balls). The high elevation often provides beautiful, windy views over the surrounding mountains. Your guide will also explain the immense scale of Vatnajökull, which covers 9% of Iceland, and the serious impact of global warming on the world's glaciers.
Feel free to contact Tröll customer service for any questions on info@troll.is or call +354 519 5544 if you wish to book a Private Tour
This private, extended 5-hour tour offers an in-depth hike on Falljökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier. Highlights include spending 3.5 to 4 hours on the ice to explore deeper into the glacier, witnessing a wider variety of features like deep crevasses and moulins (vertical shafts), and gaining wide panoramic views over Skaftafell National Park. This tour is perfect for guests seeking more time and immersion on the ice, with all essential safety gear (crampons, harness, ice axe) provided by your certified guide.
Join this private, extended glacier hike designed for travelers who desire more time and personalized attention on the ice. The tour explores Falljökull, a dramatic outlet glacier located within the scenic Skaftafell National Park area of Southeast Iceland.
You will meet your guide at the dedicated Troll base minutes from the glacier located with free parking available, where you receive your safety equipment. The adventure begins with a brief 15-minute ride, followed by a 15-minute walk to the edge of the ice, where your guide will give a safety briefing and instruction on using the crampons and ice axe.
You will spend 3.5 to 4 hours actively hiking across the rugged glacial terrain. This extended duration allows you to climb higher than on shorter tours, accessing more remote areas and enjoying sweeping views of the entire Skaftafell region, dramatically shaped by the ice. Your guide will interpret the geological features, pointing out crevasses and moulins, and explaining how the glacier continuously forms, moves, and changes based on the season. This private experience ensures a flexible pace, dedicated focus from your certified guide, and a memorable, detailed look at the immense power of Europe’s largest glacier. A complimentary hot drink and candy bar are provided upon return.
This private, comprehensive tour offers an intensive 3-hour experience on Falljökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier. Highlights include a dedicated ice climbing session, where you use twin ice axes to scale an ice wall or crevasse face after a guide sets up a safety rope. You will also hike to explore major glacial features like deep crevasses and vertical moulins (ice tunnels). The tour provides all required technical gear (climbing boots, crampons, axes, harness) and offers views of the highest, ice-covered peaks in Iceland.
Join this private, medium-difficulty adventure designed for enthusiasts seeking a focused and specialized exploration of the magnificent Vatnajökull Glacier near the Skaftafell area. The tour is suitable for anyone in good physical condition and requires only endurance and patience, as no previous climbing experience is necessary.
You will meet your highly qualified glacier guide 20 minutes before departure in Hof. The guide will fit you with all necessary safety and climbing equipment, including stiff hiking boots, crampons, harness, and ice axes. A short 10-minute bus ride followed by a 15-minute walk brings you to the edge of the ice, offering views of bedrock deformation caused by the glacier's recession.
You will spend approximately 3 hours actively on the glacier. Your private guide will scout out the best ice feature of the day (crevasse or moulin) and set up a secure safety rope using an ice screw. The main activity involves using two ice axes to climb the ice wall or rappel into a crevasse and climb out, providing a unique physical challenge. The tour also includes time for hiking to explore fascinating ice formations, such as deep crevasses and vertical moulins (ice shafts). In winter, you may be able to peek into small ice tunnels, capturing the blue light within the glacier. This private format ensures personalized instruction, avoids crowds, and maximizes your safety and experience on the glacier.
Glaciers Near Skaftafell
Skaftafell isn’t just next door to glaciers — it’s basically roommates with some of the most dramatic ice formations in the country. These frozen heavyweights may have unpronounceable names, but they more than make up for it by being outrageously photogenic, adventure-ready, and mildly intimidating in the best way.
Falljökull – The Feisty One
Nicknamed the “Falling Glacier” (because it literally tumbles down the mountain), Falljökull is a dynamic beauty—think towering ice walls, deep crevasses, and the kind of scenery that makes your phone storage weep. It’s a top pick for glacier hikes, and you’ll feel like you’re trekking across frozen thunder.

Virkisjökull – The Hidden Gem
Slightly more shy, but no less majestic. Virkisjökull shares its ice cap with Falljökull but is often less crowded, giving you that "I discovered this" explorer buzz. Its dramatic icefall and pristine ridges make it a quiet favorite for guided hikes and glacier photography. Basically, it’s Iceland’s frosty introvert—and we love that.
Svínafellsjökull – The Cinematic One
The Skaftafell area is surrounded by some of the most accessible and impressive outlet glaciers in Iceland, making it a prime destination for glacier exploration. These glaciers—most notably Falljökull, Virkisjökull, and Svínafellsjökull—flow down from the massive Vatnajökull ice cap, Europe’s largest glacier, and are all within easy reach of the Skaftafell Visitor Centre. Shaped by centuries of ice movement and volcanic activity, they offer a dramatic landscape of crevasses, icefalls, and striking blue ice formations. Svínafellsjökull, in particular, has gained fame as a filming location for blockbuster movies like Interstellar, Batman Begins, and Game of Thrones, thanks to its otherworldly, frozen terrain. While Svínafellsjökull is currently closed to hikers due to safety concerns, Falljökull and Virkisjökull remain popular for guided glacier tours. Whether you’re joining a hike or simply soaking in the views, the glaciers near Skaftafell provide a breathtaking window into Iceland’s cinematic and geological wonders.
Skaftafell FAQs: You Ask, We Glacially Answer
Planning a trip to Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park? Smart move. But before you lace up your waterproof boots and charge your camera, here are some answers to the most common (and occasionally odd) questions travelers ask about this icy playground.
Frequently Asked Questions
Skaftafell is a chunk of southeast Iceland where nature went full overachiever. We're talking glacier tongues, trails that flirt with mountain edges, and waterfalls like Svartifoss that look hand-carved by some moody Norse sculptor. If you're into hiking, ice, or epic photo ops that make your friends jealous, this is your spot.
Roughly 4.5 hours (327 km) from Reykjavík if you’re driving the Ring Road like a responsible adult. It’s wedged between Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Vík — basically halfway between “woah” and “wait, is that a glacier goat?”
So glad you asked. Try this lineup:
- Trekking Falljökull — because walking on ancient moving ice is a normal vacation activity.
- Visiting Svartifoss, the waterfall that looks like it belongs in a gothic cathedral.
- Hiking trails that range from scenic to “I need a breather but it’s worth it.”
- Dropping by the visitor center, where maps, advice, and indoor heating live in harmony.
Totally safe—as long as you’re with a legit guide (like the pros from Troll.is) and not wandering out solo with a selfie stick and poor life choices. Crampons, helmets, and certified guides are part of the deal.
Layer like you’re prepping for a hike on the moon:
- Waterproof hiking boots (not sneakers, not flip-flops, not dreams)
- Thermal layers (base, fleece, and a waterproof outer shell)
- Gloves + warm hat = good life choices
- Sunglasses and sunscreen (because glaciers bounce back sunlight like disco balls)
Gear like crampons, helmets, and axes-that-make-you-feel-cool are provided on the tour.
Skaftafell doesn’t have an off-season — it just has moods. April to October is prime time for glacier hikes and mellow weather. Winter? It’s magic… but also cold, dark, and moody. Like Iceland itself. Plan ahead and pack smart.
Absolutely—if they’re 8+ and have an adventurous streak. Some hikes are family-friendly and perfect for making “Remember when we walked on a glacier?” memories. Just check the difficulty level before you book.
Got More Questions?
Our team of Iceland experts is just a message away. Whether you’re curious about tour details, weather prep, or which adventure suits you best, we’re here to help. Chat with us or Contact our support team and let’s plan your perfect Iceland experience.
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