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Glacier Encounter
  • Glacier Hiking

Glacier Encounter

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A short glacier hike on Falljökull glacier with Local Guide of Vatnajökull, which is a local family company. Our meeting point is close to Skaftafell nature reserve. From there it is only a short drive in our super jeeps for our small group experience.

Tour type
Day Tour / Activity
Duration
3 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Pickup service
No
Booking in advance
2 days
Availability
May, September
Minimum age
10 years
Guide
Live guide

The experience

About this tour

Glacier Encounter is our classic short tour and the perfect  introduction to glaciers in Vatnajökull National park. In this 3 hour  tour we explore the icy landscape of the outlet glacier Falljökull. By  driving to the glacier on our super jeeps, we reserve our energy and add  time for enjoyment up on the beautiful glacier. We carbon offset all of  our tours as we believe it to be our responsibility as a glacier  guiding company.

Once we reach the edge of the glacier we put on  our crampons, and armed with an ice axe, we venture onto the ice to  explore the fascinating ice features such as moulins, crevasses,  moraines and dirt cones. Your guide will tell you about the local Öræfi  region, home to the highest peak of Iceland and several volcanoes.

The glacier surface and colours change drastically depending  on the time of the year. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the views  of the high mountain peaks and black sand beaches stretching out into  the ocean in the distance.

Our meeting point is Freysnes Service station, 2 minutes from Skaftafell National Park.

What to bring:

Hiking boots with ankle support, outdoor clothing appropriate to the weather as well as a hat, gloves (sunglasses and sunscreen are recommended if sunny)

Hiking boots can be rented on location for 1500 ISK.

This tour has a 24h cancellation policy with 100% refund. Please feel free to read more about our cancellation policy here.

  • Outdoor

Itinerary

How it runs

1 stop

  1. 01

    We expect you to arrive at our meeting location 15 minutes before the tour starts.

    Our meeting point is at Freysnes Service Station. You will see there our big black van marked with a Local Guide logo. You can purchase a coffee or any snack at the station as well as use the toilets before and after the tour.

What the price covers

Included
We Will Take You On Falljökull, An Outlet Glacier Of VatnajökullExperience Walking On A Glacier
4×4 Transfer To And From Our Meeting Location; We Are Able To Drive Closer To The Glacier, Which Means Less Walking To Reach It.Local Experienced Glacier Guide
Crampons And All Glacier Safety Equipment IncludedSmall Group Size
Supporting A Small Local Family CompanyThis Tour Is Carbon Neutralized
Ticket types
  • Adult (17+)
  • 8-16 Years (5 - 16)

Where it starts

Meeting
Meet on location
Pickup
No
Location code
Skaftafell (Skaftafell, IS)

Good to know

Your ticket

Please be at the meeting point at least 15 min before the departure.

Meeting point for our Glacier Encounter tour: Freysnes Gas station Parking Lot. The Local Guide base is at Freysnes petrol station, 320km east of Reykjavík. It is located by the main highway road number 1, across the road from Hótel Skaftafell. When driving the ring road from Reykjavík direction it is on your right, five minutes after passing a sign for Skaftafell Nature Reserve. 

Google Maps: Freysnes (Orkan / Shell petrol station) GPS: 63.990591, -16.896465

In collaboration with 66°North we offer each of our customers a discount on their products     

  • Shop at 66°North and get 15% discount + Tax Free in their stores in Iceland* 
  • Shop online at 66°North and get a 15% discount with the code 66localguide

*Not valid in Airport store and Outlet.

All of our tours are fully carbon neutralized.

We offer a 24h cancellation policy with a full refund on our public tours.

Local Guide and its guides reserve the right to refuse service to anyone they deem unfit to participate in the activities they have enrolled in.  Local Guide reserves the right to change the tour itinerary and chosen route with safety in mind due to environmental factors and other factors outside human control. Furthermore, we don’t repay the fee if the client is late, or doesn’t show up even if the weather is very bad, in case we can offer the trip. So we recommend staying in a hotel or guesthouse east of Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park, and west of the town of Höfn.

Type
Day Tour / Activity
Season
May, September
Requests confirmed within
2 days
Live guide
Icelandic, English
Details updated
10 Sep 2026