Skaftafell Glacier Hike Review: Is it Worth it?

Planning a trip to Iceland, and is that a glacier hike on your list? It’s very cool, it’s also very popular! One that often comes up is the Skaftafell Falljokull Glacier advanced hike. Getting up close and maybe personal with a real glacier, especially in a setting like Skaftafell National Park, it’s definitely a super memorable adventure, or at least it usually seems to be. Let’s get into what this tour involves, things that may come up on the hike, plus whether or not, in the end, the trek is a ‘yay’ or a ‘nay’!

What Does the Skaftafell Glacier Hike Offer?

First, what even is this thing? A big piece is the glacier itself! Falljökull is one of the outlet glaciers that flow from the larger Vatnajökull ice cap. Vatnajökull, it turns out, is one of the biggest glaciers in Europe, so, actually, Falljökull is kinda like a tiny, cool offshoot. The “advanced” tour bit usually means you’re going a little further on the ice, potentially maybe exploring some cooler ice formations, plus just having more time to soak in the whole glacier environment. Typically, they’ll get you kitted out with all the hardware, such as crampons (for gripping the ice), a harness, and an ice axe. Guides, basically really skilled at being there, will steer you around, let you know about all the glacial features, and generally ensure nobody decides to go for a wild toboggan run on the ice. By the way, that would be pretty funny! Depending on the company, you could spend somewhere around three to five hours right on the ice itself, which it may surprise you to learn, is a fairly intense amount of time!

Skill Level and Physical Demand

The thing is, “advanced” can be a bit of a stretch for most glacier hikes, that’s according to some folks! So, too, is “easy,” really. A lot of tour operators will slap that on anything that’s reasonably flat, yet hiking on a glacier, any glacier, needs a reasonable level of fitness, it turns out. Now, these ‘advanced’ hikes probably shouldn’t be too insane – no vertical ice climbing with your toenails or anything like that – still, don’t think you could rock up having not walked further than your refrigerator in a year and find it a doddle, that’s the feeling anyway. There tends to be a fair bit of walking involved (on ice, often in slightly awkward crampons) so any kind of mobility problems, such as that gammy knee of yours, could cause bother. It’s likely they ask you about your fitness beforehand so everyone stays safe! This hike, it’s almost definitely somewhere between easy and moderate.

What to wear and bring with you?

Glacier hiking, it’s all about layering. So, too, is an onion, yet there’s way less chance of people weeping just because you showed up! You would do well to get your mind around these essentials:

• Waterproof layers: Very Iceland. Very Glacier! Is that rain gear? Probably for the best!
• Insulating mid-layer: Fleece or down jacket is fine. Do you have a woobie? Wrap yourself in it!
• Hiking boots with ankle support: Important, since this is so your ankles do not end up hating you at the conclusion of things. No flip flops. Do you hate your toes?
• Warm hat and gloves: Yeah, turns out that glaciers might actually be cold!
• Sunglasses and sunscreen: Yes, alright the sun reflecting off the ice is very reflective, very bright and you just may discover what snow blindness is if you’re lucky!
• Water and snacks: Going to assume you’re not planning on chewing handfuls of ice for the moisture! Is that a protein bar in your pocket or are you just happy…? Oh.
• Camera: You’ll kind of maybe want some pictures of all of that glacier magnificence! Or maybe not. No, probably yes.

Potential Pitfalls and Concerns

The biggie, apparently, can be the crowds. Skaftafell, by the way, is super popular and glacier hikes, it might surprise you, are now a “thing” (sort of.) Which probably means ending up sharing that ‘untouched’ icy wonderland with what could very easily turn into something close to your aunt’s wedding guestlist. Is that tour company running lots of tours every single day? Might make for more of a theme park experience than some meaningful commune with nature. Another factor, seemingly, can be the weather. Iceland’s weather, oh my, can change seemingly in a blink, therefore there’s always that shot it is nasty and windy, that everything is just plain difficult. Guides are likely experienced and will know where’s appropriate or safe to head, so listen when they speak!

What Makes It Special?

Being on a glacier, or really, anything that sounds like the set of a new Sylvester Stallone film, it is, in its own way, something! The shapes in the ice, especially that cool light it makes, are very something. This Falljökull Glacier, that’s part of a wider system, therefore you see ice, water, rock and epic views all rolled into the same glorious bit of Iceland scenery. You are that likely to get cool photos, the stuff that you are able to roll out whenever you are needing some extra ‘wow’ factor to demonstrate you are living your very best life. Even a smaller or relatively shorter glacier hike, turns out it puts you right into this unusual, awe inspiring natural scene, especially that you wouldn’t just go find anywhere else!

So, Is the Skaftafell Glacier Hike Worth it?

The reality here is that, actually, it rather depends! Do crowds drive you crazy, do you look to spend time in perfect quietude? It might just cause a level of aggravation if there are masses of other people there. You may have your answer, if you are picturing some intense solo communion with a mind-blowing glacier, so just lower expectations now! Still, it should not really put anyone off altogether. To spend a handful of hours on the ice? Wow. All the amazing photo opportunities? Check! It is something to consider at the bare minimum. One word to the wise, probably consider really checking what the tour operator’s offering, so you go with people running smaller groups and that also have decent environment policies (just a thought)!