Skaftafell Glacier Explorer - Extended Small Group Trek

Absolutely amazing experience! Thanks in part to our lovely guide (lady with 2 braids 😉), we look back on a wonderful adventure!!

This tour far exceeded our expectations. We went high on the glacier and were blessed with very nice weather, but our guide Ivo was positive and happy and spirited and did a great job keeping us safe but keeping us moving. The views were superlative, impossible to really describe. I would highly recommend. Of note, we were with a fit, active group, and that probably made a difference as well.

My wife and I booked this tour more than three months in advance and communicated directly with Arctic Adventures by email about appropriate clothing, what to expect, etc. We were particularly excited about this tour because it was advertised as a longer, 5-hour experience, with more time on the glacier and a route that went higher/deeper into the glacier—to the second level and through the crevasses. When we arrived, however, we were told that our tour had supposedly been scheduled for an earlier time—which we had therefore “missed”—and that the tour at the time we had actually booked was full. They initially tried to blame Viator. I then showed them both our booking confirmation and our direct email correspondence with Arctic Adventures, which clearly showed the correct time we had booked and paid for. Despite the error clearly not being ours, we were simply told there was nothing they could do. Our only option was to sit around for several hours and join their regular 4-hour glacier tour later that afternoon. Unfortunately, that experience only made things worse. The regular tour had more than 40 people, including many wearing jeans and some who appeared to be in physical condition unsuitable for even a leisurely hike, let alone a glacier excursion. In fact, several people Arctic Adventures had accepted payment from and brought on the tour couldn't even complete the leisurely 20-minute walk from the bus to the glacier, turning around after approximately 10 minutes. We also quickly discovered that what Arctic Adventures markets as a “4-hour glacier hike” resulted in only about one hour actually on the glacier. More than an hour was spent organizing equipment and watching what appeared to be very young and inexperienced staff struggle to organize the 40+ participants into smaller groups and distribute basic gear. Arctic Adventures' bus also dropped us approximately a 20-minute walk from the glacier, while buses belonging to other tour companies drove to the base/start of the glacier—we literally walked past them on our way in. So be very careful about what you think you're purchasing when Arctic Adventures advertises a “4-hour glacier hike.” In our experience, only a small part of that was spent on the glacier. Once we finally reached the glacier, our “guide” was a young university student from Scotland who told us he was there as part of a co-op/school work-experience semester. He was a nice kid, but given all of Arctic Adventures' emphasis on glacier safety, this was hardly reassuring. After all the safety talk and hype, we were apparently being taken onto a glacier by someone who had only been on that glacier a limited number of times himself. Nobody we saw or interacted with at Arctic Adventures appeared to be Icelandic—or, frankly, over the age of 25. Our 40+ person group was eventually divided into four smaller groups, but even those groups did not receive the same experience. One group was taken higher into the crevasses while others simply walked around the first level of the ice. The most astonishing and infurating moment came when our guide was preparing to take us toward the start of the crevasses. The young guide leading the group that had already gone up told him that she wanted her group to “feel special,” so our guide turned our group back. Our entire group heard the exchange and understood exactly what had happened. Apparently making one group “feel special” required deliberately giving another group an inferior experience. It was an almost perfect summary of how poorly organized the entire operation felt. Throughout the day, we saw other guides and tour operators working on the glacier. The difference was striking. They appeared to be seasoned, experienced adults operating much smaller groups and providing what looked like a significantly better experience. I believe one of the companies we saw was Local Guide. Overall, Arctic Adventures was the most disorganized and misleading tour operation I have encountered in all my travels. If you're simply looking for a large-group excursion and don't mind being moved around in what felt to us like a cattle operation, with a substantial portion of your advertised tour time consumed by waiting, (dis)organizing, transportation and equipment distribution, Arctic Adventures may suit you, but even then, I suspect the other operators will do a better job. But if you're traveling to Iceland hoping for a once-in-a-lifetime experience actually hiking and exploring a glacier, my advice is very different: Stay as far away from Arctic Adventures as you can! Book with another operator. Better yet, based on what we saw on the glacier, spend a bit extra money for a private guide (or at worst a very small-group tour). For an experience this special—and an environment where the quality and experience of your guide actually matter—I wish we had done exactly that.

Thank you to Marketa for the nice guide. She was excellent. The experience to glacier was so good as well. Thank you.

Great experience all around. Was easy to find the meet up, guides were excellent and hike was amazing. This was my son’s number one activity in our trip, and guides helped me along even with my bad knees slowing the group up. Thank you for a wonderful tour!

Absolutely worth doing if you're in the area or even in Reykjavik. We had a wonderful time from start to finish–Vero was brilliant in ensuring we had a great time, continuously checking up on us, leading us along the glacier, and helping our group grow closer together. Her relentless energy inspired us to keep going, and this honestly felt like such a different experience than any other operator, with our group venturing to parts of the glacier seemingly untouched by other groups. We never felt rushed, and this excursion was definitely one of the highlights of our time in Iceland. An absolute must-try.

Absolutely one of the highlights of our trip to Iceland and an experience I can gladly check off my bucket list! Our guide, Veronica, was amazing from beginning to end. She speaks English, but she is also fluent in Spanish, which made the experience even more special for us as Latinos. Being able to connect with her in Spanish made us feel right at home, even while standing on a glacier in Iceland! Vero truly went out of her way to give us the best possible experience. She shared her knowledge, took us to some of her favorite secret spots, and made sure we had plenty of opportunities to stop, explore, take pictures, and really enjoy the glacier instead of feeling rushed. You can tell she genuinely loves what she does and wants you to experience the glacier at its best. The whole process was also incredibly easy. They offer a pickup service, or you can meet them directly at their office, which was super accessible. And don’t worry if you don’t have glacier equipment — they provide almost everything you need for the experience. Walking on a glacier in Iceland was already a bucket-list item for me, but having such a great guide made it even more memorable. I would 100% recommend this experience as a MUST-DO while visiting Iceland. And if you can… ask for Vero! 🇮🇸🧊

Amazing double glacier hike. We loved our guide Sara and got loved getting to experience the remoteness of the second glacier. She also found us a very cool ice cave. It is incredible when someone loves their job and is able to share that love with her tour group. Highly recommend.

We had an amazing glacier hike and really enjoyed the experience. Everything was very well organized from start to finish. Our guide Josh was knowledgeable and shared lots of interesting facts about the glacier and the surrounding area. They also made safety a top priority, which made everyone feel comfortable and confident throughout the hike. The group was friendly and easy to get along with, creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. We got to see so many incredible sights, making this an unforgettable experience. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Iceland!

Great experience hiking Falljökull glacier. Our tour guide was excellent and did a great job making sure everyone was safe.

We took the glacier hike and kyak combonation and it was amazing. The views on the glacier hike were breathtaking and kyaking next to giant glaciers was unreal. The lagoon was so peaceful and had the most beautiful shade of blue. The hike itself is pretty easy, but if you haven’t been working out consistently, like me, you’ll definitely feel it by the end. Totally worth it though.

It was a blast. Our guide, Kevin, was knowledgeable, safety conscious, and made it fun.

We had an amazing experience on this glacier hike! Everything was so well organised, from the transport to the safety briefing, and the whole day ran smoothly. Our guide, Vero, was absolutely fantastic. She was knowledgeable, entertaining, and made the experience so much fun. She took us high up onto the glacier, sharing so much about how glaciers are formed, how they change over time, and the incredible landscape around us. Highly recommend this tour!

Everything was very professional and the instructor was very nice and funny. But the unneeded walk from the bus to the start of the Glacier is frustrating, there were other tours who arrived much closer and saved around 40 of this walk with all the equipment. Also this axe was really not a must.

We love hiking and this was an amazing and unique experience. Our knowledgeable guide Kevin led us as far up the glacier as you can safely travel, with incredible views along the way, including strapping in and peering down into a moulin. They provide thick hiking boots, harnesses, helmets, ice picks and crampons, but it’s not a strenuous hike.

It was the best adventure i ever did and i did plenty. Yatik and anya were laid back, funny and very careful. It was literally exploring the glacier all of us didnt know what is ahead of us that is why one would go deep, check the ice and signal for us. They explained the place while take breaks and had a lunch break next to a glacier water running river in the middle of the glacier. Its a medium to a difficult walk you need to be not afraid of heights and narrow places.

It was fantastic! I’d definitely do the extended hike. Wear layers. This was one of my favorite things to do in Iceland.

First of all: Josh is the best guide ever! Unbelievable! His knowledge, his passion. He loves what he’s doing and you can feel it with every step! Would absolutely recommend to do this trip if you want to get to know more about the glacier, the nature, about Iceland. What you can’t book at all: we’ve had brilliant weather conditions and all of that - especially Josh - made it an unforgettable experience. Thank you, Josh! Best wishes from your German group of four! Elisa, Donatella, Charlyn and Raphael Btw: Does anybody know, how old this guy is?? 🤪

In short, this was an incredible experience we’d remember for the rest of our lives! We signed up for the small group hike not knowing who else would be in the group and whether we would be fit enough to not become a burden. On the day of the hike, we met the other group members. There were 10 of us, from various countries and of very different ages. The weather was warm, and it’s a rare day of mostly sunny skies. All signs pointed to a really good hike. Our guide Kevin was great! Before we moved out from the base, he made sure every one was clear of the safety requirements and checked everyone’s equipment thoroughly. Once the hike started and we walked onto the glacier, he kept us moving always on a safe path away from dangerous crevices. He also gave us plenty of short breaks to rest and take pictures, while he talked about the glacier: how it used to be much larger, and how it changed through time, etc. that really gave us the opportunity to see the impact of climate change first hand. With the good weather and a group of relatively fit members, we got to hike to much higher point than a typical tourist group could go and that was fantastic! The view just gets better the higher you climb! We completed a big circle up, across and then down the glacier in about 4 hours. It was challenging at times climbing up but everyone made it through, safely and happily. I would highly recommend the tour, and big thanks to Kevin in particular. We got some of the best pictures taken on the glacier during our self guided tour of Iceland. We will cherish the memory forever!

We had a great experience on this tour with Arctic Adventures and our guide Kevin. He was extremely knowledgeable, kept everyone safe, and was a great guide! We had incredible views of the glacier and he made sure to modify the tour based on everyone’s ability. This tour is physically challenging and you should not participate in this tour if you are not comfortable hiking 5 miles on rocky, icy, and uneven terrain. Kevin did a fantastic job and we would highly recommend this tour to any of our friends and family.

We did the extended glacier tour and it was wonderful. Our guide was Guillaume. He was personable, funny, cared for our safety, and made the tour fun and interesting. He provided us with lots of information about the glacier. There is a lot of walking/hiking leading to the crampon gear-up spot so be prepared for that.

We arrived to the center meeting point for information about this tour and we got tickets from Amaizing lady Anayancy. When we were ready for our tour the guide didnt accept us in this tour because we couldn’t speak propper english. We didnt know that lak of English will destroy our dream to get this tour. The lady on Desk kindly helped us to change the tour and we got another amaizing guide Lilianne and she was amaizing and we have an amaizing time with her when our barrer language wasnt a problem. Thank you lilianne for all your help and i feel sorry for the company that has guides that can Reyected you if you are not good English speaking. Thnkiu anayancy and lilianne

Absolutely amazing experience. Jay adjusted the hike to meet the skill level of our group and made sure the conditions on the glacier were safe. He even brought the sunshine on what was to be a rainy and cloudy day. Highly recommend this tour group and the experience was epic!!!

If you like doing long day hikes and reasonably fit enough to climb up and down mountains, this hike is for you. Our guide was Guemo. His character and energy made the hike a pleasure! He made sure we all understood how to use gears and follow all the safety guidelines.

Absolutely amazing experience that I will remember fondly for a long time! Our guide was awesome, making sure we were safe, was very informative on what we were seeing and generally made sure we had a lot of fun. I was worried when I saw that our tour date fell on a very rainy day, but I am still very glad that we did it because experiencing the ice and seeing the view from up there was still breathtaking - I can only imagine how great this is on a sunny day, if I already enjoyed it this much in the rain! We went up higher on the glacier than expected and the higher we got, the more impressive it became. The admission fee is fair (also considering general Icelandic prices) and the group size felt fine. Definitely plan for the full five hours, maybe six for some extra buffer.

We had a great guide ( Jergus). Anayancy is amazing she recommended this tour as her favourite . She was totally right.

Amazing glacier hike experience. The guides were amazing. And we cane out in awe of the whole trek. Its an easy trek that we chose because of the kids and totally worth it

Extremely cool and fun tour! We had an amazing guide who showed us amazing natural features and gave interesting information about the formation of the glacier. This is an exceptionally unique and cool adventure!

Our guide (Gio?) was amazing. He was so enthusiastic and friendly and scouted out really cool areas to look out. There was no pressure to keep a certain pace and we stayed out longer than expected on the glacier. A once in a lifetime experience and exceeded my expectations. Ended up around a 7km hike with lots of undulations and some steeper ascents.

We went on a 6-hour Hike on the glacier with Kevin. It was an unforgettable experience and we learnt a lot about the glacier and how to safely hike on it. Kevin was an amazing and very enthusiastic guide. Thank you!

This was a great time for my wife and myself! Dom was an amazing guide through the glacier.

We did the "Arctic Adventures: Glacier Explorer" tour and it was amazing. We booked last minute (night before the tour) to make sure we have sunny weather and it turned out to be amazing. Our guide, Kevin, was really caring for everyone to have a good time and went the extra mile to make sure we can see more of the glacier. We had a wonderful time, thank you for guiding us!

Absolutely amazing. Our guide Christian was incredible. This is a good all day hike and you have to be in decent shape but man is it worth it. If you can only do one do this. Don’t do the ice caves. It sucked.

Amazing tour! Our tour guides Vero and a gentlemen (blanked on his name, sorry!) were absolutely amazing working together to keep the group safe while having fun. They found some crevasses and caves for us to explore and were extremely knowledgeable of the history surround Iceland and the glacier. Highly recommend!

This was one of the most extraordinary moments in my life thus far. Jergus was our fearless guide and he was amazing. I really cannot express adequately how incredible he was. He was extremely upbeat, kept everyone motivated and positive and extended support and amazing kindness to all. We experienced two ice caves within the glacier, repelling a bit, learning to climb with the toe spike (don't remember the technical term) of the crampon, walk within the serac, and climb much higher onto the glacier than expected (full five hour hike). I felt like I was truly within an ice castle from Disney's Frozen. The group size is small and our individual group was fantastic! Hands down the best experience of Iceland and one of my top from all of my travel experiences combined!!

What an amazing day on the Glacier! Vero was perfect! Probably the best glacier guide we could ever had!

We did the full day glacier hike / southern loop tour. Fantastic. Rebecca is an amazing guide! Great insights about Iceland, funny - made for a great day! Our northern lights tour was rescheduled to the night of this tour and she even made sure we made it back in time. Glacier hike leaders also great, knowledgeable. Will book again!

The Driver was on time and great, brilliant knowledge of the areas passing and going too. The black beach, waterfalls and glacial hike were all amazing. The hike guides were brilliant also. What an amazing experience.

Such an amazing experience with views that are unmatched. Our tour guide Josh did a great job explaining glaciers to us and keeping us safe. Lots of uphill walking so be prepared (nothing too crazy though).

One of the most incredible experiences of our lives! Highly recommend! Our very knowledgeable tour guide, Martin, made the whole experience awesome from start to finish. Amazing views, always felt safe. Cannot stop talking about this with all of our friends and family.

An amazing experience on the ice, led by our knowledgeable guide Sara. We were really lucky with the weather and saw some amazing features in the glacier.

It was a great glacier hike, the weather was great, we were able to visit a lot of different spots! Sara is the best!! She answered all our questions and explained everything with a smile! She knows a lot!! Thanks! It’s not difficult, don’t miss it!!

The hike was amazing. Sara was a geeat guide and we walkwed and climbed 3 hours through the crevases of rhe glacier. A once in a lifetime experience! Thank you!

We had a great glacier hiking experience with our guide Lucie who was very energetic and friendly by helping us find many fun spots for photos and videos.

Our guide, Lucie, was very enthusiastic. While leading us on the glacier hike, she also shared a lot of interesting knowledge about glaciers. We even got to see a blue ice cave. Lucie is also great at taking photos — she helped us record videos and group shots. There was a shuttle bus that took us from the visitor center to the base of the mountain. Throughout the entire trip, safety was well taken care of — we were provided with crampons, ice axes, and safety ropes. We spent about three hours on the glacier, and the whole experience was fun and very much worth it.

Lucie is the best guides!!! Professional and good photographer!! It's a unforgettable experience in my whole life!!!!!!!

Incredible experience- is a must do when in Iceland! Firstly a huge shout out to Neil our guide - he was AMAZING! Took the time to make sure we were all ok, taught us loads of stuff about the glacier and had such a great sense of humour! The glacier walk was so good we got to explore an ice cave, walk in deep crevasses and go up pretty high away from other groups to get great photos. It was one of our favourite experiences in Iceland and would highly recommend arctic adventures. Such informative guides who kept everyone safe and made sure we all understood everything we needed to from the start! The glacial views are just spectacular!

Very nice discovery of the glacier. Various terrains. Duration 4h with Kristian, a very nice guide from Slovakia who explained very well many things about the glacier. I recommend

Stunning place. We had a very nice hike with marvellous views. Our guide Sara was professional, helpful and friendly. I truly recommend!