Falljökull Advanced Glacier Hike: Five Hours, Three on the Ice
Rated 4.8 out of 5 by 1,149 people, this is the best-scored tour on the glacier and the one that actually climbs it. Five hours from the Skaftafell base, about three of them walking on Falljökull. Here is what the extra $57 over the shorter hike on the same ice buys.
About the Tour
About three of them walking on the glacier, the longest ice time here
Per person, $57 above the easy hike and $89 under the ice climb
The highest-rated tour from this base, with guides scoring 4.9
Small enough to keep moving through the crevassed sections
Younger children need the easy hike instead
Crampons, helmet, harness and ice axe, fitted at the meeting point
Check Dates on the Advanced Hike
Live availability for the $162 departure. Summer mornings sell out a week or more ahead, and the guides reassess the line up the icefall on the day: what worked last week can close.
Why This Is the One to Book
Three Hours Changes the Walk
Ninety minutes on ice gets you onto a glacier. Three hours gets you up it. The advanced route climbs toward the icefall, where the ice bends over the slope and splits into the shapes that make photographs look unreal.
At that height Skaftafell National Park opens out below you: the black outwash plain running to the sea, the moraine ridges, and Hvannadalshnúkur at 2,110 m on the caldera rim behind. The easy hike turns around before any of it.
What the Ratings Say
This tour holds 4.8 out of 5 from 1,149 reviews, with guides rated 4.9 and value for money 4.6. Read the gap the way regulars do: people rate the person who took them higher than the ticket.
The recurring criticism is about grouping. Ten people can hold very different paces, and the guide sets the speed for the slowest. Reviewers who wanted a harder day sometimes got a slower one.
What You Will See Higher Up
The Upper Route
The features get bigger with height. What follows is what guides stop at on a normal day, weather and ice allowing.
- The crevasse field, where splits widen from step-over to walk-around
- Moulins, loud in summer with meltwater still draining through them
- The icefall itself, blocks and seracs where the ice breaks over the slope
- Ash bands from the 1362 and 1727 Öræfajökull eruptions in the white
- The view back over Skaftafell National Park to the sea
- Small ice tunnels in winter, when the meltwater stops running
What Is Included and What Is Not
The Tail of the List Is the Exclusions
GetYourGuide prints inclusions and exclusions in one column on this tour, which trips people up. Hotel pickup and food are not part of the ticket.
| Included | Not included |
|---|---|
| Certified glacier guide | Hotel pickup and drop-off |
| Crampons, helmet, harness, ice axe | Food during the five hours |
| Free parking at the meeting point | Hiking boots, rentable on site |
| Coffee and Icelandic chocolates | Waterproof jacket and trousers, rentable on site |
| Safety briefing and crampon training | National park parking, 1,040 ISK at the visitor centre |
How the Five Hours Run
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20 min before
Tröll Expeditions base, Hof
Check in on Route 1 at Hof, 1 km west of Hofgarður, about 9 km from the glacier. Free parking. Gear fitted here.
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0:00
Transfer toward the ice
Roughly half an hour by bus and track from the base toward the glacier car park.
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0:30
Safety briefing
Half an hour on crampon technique, axe handling, rope discipline and what the ice does when it moves.
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1:00
Onto Falljökull
Crampons on at the ice edge and straight into the climb. The gradient starts gentle and steepens toward the crevasse field.
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2:00
The upper ice
Around two hours in, the group reaches the height where the icefall and the view back over the park open up.
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4:00
Off the ice
Down the same route, roughly half an hour of walking back across the moraine.
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5:00
Back at the base
Coffee and chocolate, then the drive on to Jökulsárlón if that is the plan, 57 km east.
Important Things to Know
Fitness and Age
Minimum age is 12. No climbing experience is needed, but three hours on crampons with gradient asks more of your legs than a flat walk of the same length.
Reviewers who describe themselves as active still finish it winded. One hiked it 27 weeks pregnant and said the same: doable, tiring, worth it. If that reads as a warning rather than a boast, book the three-hour easy hike instead.
Weather and Cancellation
Guides cancel for high wind, heavy rain and lightning near the ridge, and the operator refunds in full when they do. Your own free cancellation runs to 24 hours before departure.
Cloud on the icefall is common and does not stop the tour. Blue ice reads better under flat light than under hard sun, so an overcast morning is no reason to move your booking.
Where You Meet
Who This Tour Is For
A Quick Check
This is the best value on the glacier if your legs are up to it, and the wrong ticket if they are not.
- Regular hill walkers who want the icefall rather than a taste of ice
- Photographers: the upper route holds the crevasses and the long view
- Anyone weighing $105 against $162 who has the full morning free
- Travellers aged 12 and up, in a group capped at ten
- Not for you with younger children, or with a Jökulsárlón booking the same afternoon
Questions About the Advanced Hike
How hard is the advanced hike?
Three hours of walking on crampons with real gradient. Fit walkers finish tired. No technical skill is required, and crampon training takes ten minutes at the ice edge. The easy hike is the gentler option at $105.
What is the difference from the easy hike?
Time on the ice and height. This tour gives about three hours against 90 minutes, climbs to the upper icefall, and caps groups at 10 rather than 14. It also starts at age 12 rather than 8.
Is hotel pickup included?
No. Hotel pickup and food are not included, which is easy to misread because GetYourGuide lists them at the end of the inclusions block. You drive to the base at Hof, where parking is free.
How far ahead should I book?
A week or more for morning departures in July and August, two or three days outside high summer. Free cancellation runs to 24 hours out, so an early booking costs nothing if plans change. See live dates on the tours from the Skaftafell base.
What should I bring?
Stiff hiking boots, waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers, hat and gloves, water and food for five hours. Boots and waterproofs rent at the base. Leave cotton in the car.
What Recent Groups Said
This tour was amazing. I could never imagine going that far up on a glacier, and every moment was an unforgettable view. We took the 5 hour tour. It was tiring but definitely worth it.
My expectations were surpassed. Our guide was very knowledgeable and visibly enjoyed doing the tour with us, making sure we got to see the best the glacier had to offer.
The terrain and vistas are absolutely breathtaking. What truly set this tour apart was the guide: patient, friendly, informative, and skilled and safe with it.
Our guide gave us a fascinating and extensive tour of the upper and lower glacier. No experience of crampons needed. Good amount of time actually walking.