This is a hard post to write. Hiking on a glacier in Iceland, hiking on “Europe’s largest glacier,” was a remarkable and unforgettable experience for me. As far as the eye could see, the expanses of ice – all the blues, the gravel, the eerie silence, the strange sculptures – made for a moment that brought tears to my eyes.
And yet.
It is impossible to process this adventure without acknowledging that the adventure which meant so much to me is also contributing to the problem: the glacier melt, the disappearing of earth’s assets due to climate change exacerbated by human movement.
It is hard to parse through how much guilt to hold over all this – as a travel blogger, travel writer, and travel enthusiast I work to inspire and to encourage others to see the world. Yet all the movement around the world is contributing to environmental changes.
Is it possible to be a good steward of the world while also moving about on planes and in cars to see it all?
I hope so. I wanted to see this glacier (and I am glad I saw this glacier), but I do want it to be around for my grandkids. Unfortunately, at current melt rates, it won’t be.
I don’t have an easy answer to this question. I don’t know how much to be “selfish” and go on the adventures that fill me up, and how much to scale back to be part of a global solution.
I am not trying to create guilt in others, either. Hiking the Vatnajokull Glacier in Iceland was a stunning and otherworldly experience I am grateful to have had. And I think you should do it!
But if you can figure out ways to ease the existential crisis, to minimize the impact, please let me know.
In the meantime, as you go off and have your big adventures, here it is…
A Guide to a Glacier Hike in Iceland.
Table of Contents
There may be affiliate links below. Clicking on them provides a small amount of support to The Family Trip. Read more on our policies here.
Why We Chose Skaftafell and Vatnajokull Glacier over Langjökull or Sólheimajökull
Sólheimajökull glacier is much closer to Reykjavik, at a two hour drive time. Langjökull is under two hours from Reykjavik. But Vatnajokull is over four hours from the city. It isn’t really possible to do Vatnajokull as a day trip from Reykjavik – at least, not in the way we wanted to travel.
Heading out to Skaftafell and Vatnajokull takes much more vacation time and commitment.
So is it worth it?
For us, it was.
Lanjokull and Sólheimajökull see many more tourists and visitors due to their proximity to Iceland’s only major city. Vatnajokull still gets its fair share of tourists, but because there isn’t much lodging close by, our experience on the glacier felt in some moments as though we were the only ones in the world up on the ice.Â
Also, we felt the allure of visiting “Europe’s largest” glacier.
This wasn’t my first glacier or even my first glacier in Europe. Among glaciers in Alaska, I most recently walked a glacier in Chamonix, France. But I hadn’t seen a glacier this large. It was a draw.
Of course, once at and on the glacier, the absolute, indescribable enormity of it made me wonder if “largest” even matters – my mind couldn’t even take it all in. But perhaps that was part of the overall experience?
Getting to Skaftafell and Where to Stay
There aren’t many lodging options available in this area of the world at all. And the ones that exist fill up up to a year in advance.
We ultimately decided to rent a campervan so we could see this part of Iceland.
We drove through the town of Vik, and there were quite a few more opportunities for lodging here, as well as restaurants and a grocery store. Vik is about two hours from Skaftafell, which would be a decent next option.
Regardless of where you stay, the odds are you are going to need your own transportation. While some of the guide companies offer some transportation options to and from specific areas, it’s not a guarantee and usually requires a more robust tour package.
We found having our own van to be critical to making this portion of our trip successful.
We enjoyed the drive along the southern coast, stopping at various waterfalls and places of interest while we took our time getting to Skaftafell.
How and Why We Picked Arctic Adventures as our Guide Company
Right off the bat, it’s important to know that you should not do any glacier hikes without guides.
Glaciers are constantly shifting, moving, and losing pieces. They are rivers, just mostly frozen. There are active volcanoes under the ice that do erupt. It would be silly to do this without a professional. Additionally, it is possible to get lost. Once on top of the glacier, you can lose sense of bearings when the horizon becomes nothing but ice. And, finally, there are techniques and skills that make glacier hiking possible and more enjoyable. Having someone explain how to walk down the side of a glacier in crampons was very helpful to us. (Believe it or not, we don’t do that in our daily lives of soccer practice drop-offs, typing on computers all day, and grocery shopping at Target.)
I knew before heading to Iceland that not only did we want to experience this massive glacier, but we also wanted to kayak Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. I wanted a company that would allow us to do both.
Arctic Adventures had this exact itinerary and, even within this tour option, a lot of flexibility within it. We could kayak first, hike second, or swap it up. Either way, though, you are going to need your own transportation to and from the adventure starting points. There are no such things as uber or taxis out here.
There are, of course, plenty of other guided tour options. Arctic Adventures simply has a huge range of options for any and all levels and also had consistently high ratings.Â
With any of these, you are looking at a pricetag of anywhere between $100-175 USD per person.
About Vatnajokull Glacier
Vatnajokull Glacier is not Europe’s largest if you are measuring by area, it’s the second. But it is the most voluminous. Looking at a map, it definitely stands out.
Up close, it is breathtaking. It is hard to fathom where it ends and begins, and how far it stretches. The fingers of ice poking through mountaintops look like they are in motion, even as they are frozen.
Believe it or not, I can see how when looking at the sea of ice, some out there don’t believe climate change is affecting anything – there is still a lot of ice. Of course, a lot of the ice is gone, too, melting at alarming rates.
Vatnajokull glacier is around 8,000 square kilometers in surface area (of course, it is melting and pieces are breaking off, so exact measurements change). For comparison, Sólheimajökull is 10 km long and 2 km wide. They don’t even compare. The big glacier could eat the small glacier for a snack. And sill be hungry.
Langjökull is still smaller than Vatnajokull at 15 km long and 20 km wide.
It is impossible to describe the enormity of this glacier and this area. Vatnajokull National Park, which surrounds the glacier, is 14% of the entire country of Iceland. The glacier itself has been featured in movies and TV shows (most notably, Game of Thrones).
There are new, modernized visitors centers and many services and tours.
About the Experience of Hiking on Europe's Largest Glacier
When we arrived at Arctic Adventures’ hut inside the National Park, my heart sank. There were dozens of people getting outfitted – of varying levels of fitness and preparedness. We were all loaded together on a huge charter bus while cold sheets of rain started to fall. I was angry, cranky, and frustrated. The tour felt oversold and I believed our experience was going to be a giant herd of people.
Luckily, this turned out not to be the case.
Because we were doing the half-day (which meant slightly easier) tour option as we also wanted time to kayak, we were on one of the most popular tours.
But Arctic Adventures brought many guides and divided the group. To some degree, we were grouped into similar levels of ability and fitness (although not a perfect process).
We ended up with a guide that was fantastic and a group that I adored. All of the people in our group were adventurous and good-natured, willing to try anything. Our guide gave us lessons on how to tackle glacier hiking, including going downhill in crampons (not that easy). And we were off!Â
I was also really cranky because of the rain – complaining about how our outdoor adventure travels always get ruined by rain, like this adventure here. (Which is not true, especially if you consider our Ireland luck.)
But we were cold and wet on the walk to the glacier trailhead. Also, it does take a fair amount of mobility to do this adventure as the trail to get to the glacier is steep (but short).
I was happy we dressed in layers, wished I had better gloves, and loved it when the rain stopped. To be fair, I stopped noticing how drenched I was once we stepped onto the glacier. It was hard to think anything other than, “Oh my gosh, I am on a glacier! In Iceland!”
What to Wear and What to Bring on a Glacier Hike
Iceland is an island nation and the weather can change drastically and dramatically in short periods of time. It is best to be prepared for anything.
It is best to bring:
- Closed-toe, waterproof boots (although Arctic Adventure does have these to rent, too – but we found bringing our own useful for our Glymur waterfall hike as well)
- Rainproof, lightweight pants (this is super important! Feel free to wear leggings underneath, but make sure the top layer is waterproof)
- Good, thick socks
- Waterproof gloves
- Hat
- Waterproof jacket (dress in layers!)
- Backpack
- Change of pants/socks
- Water bottle
- Sunscreen (I know our pictures don’t show this, but the glacier gets sun! And if the sun is shining, it is easy to get burnt fast.)
- Sunglasses (same reason)
- Camera/phone – of course!
The guide company provides all the safety equipment you will need, and that is determined based on what adventure you choose.
We’re all out here trying to do it the best we can, to experience what brings us joy and, hopefully, at the end of our precious days on earth to feel like we really LIVED. I don’t know how to wrestle with the fact that living here on this planet makes a dent and changes things, but I also know that walking on a massive glacier in Iceland is an adventure I treasure.
My footsteps will melt away – and likely already have. But what I keep inside me, what I can share with you here, is part of a legacy that will outlive my breath.
Links and More Information
Like it?
Save it!
