Iceland is truly the land of ice and fire. Here you’ll find volcanoes and glaciers side-by-side, and glacial lagoons depositing icebergs into the sea only a few miles away from geysers shooting scalding hot water high into the sky.

If you’re interested in glaciers and their impact on the landscape, Iceland is the best place in the world to come and observe them in action.

Because the best way to explore glaciers is on a guided glacier tour, some tours only take in one aspect of a glacier while others encompass everything from the glacier to the terminal lake, including waterfalls and ice caves.

Be sure to see our reviews of Northern Lights Tours, Whale Watching Tours and ATV Tours.

Best Glacier Hikes In Iceland

	5-Hour Glacier Hike Adventure From Skaftafell	2-Day South Coast Tour With Glacier Hike & Boat Tour	2-Day South Coast Tour With Blue Ice Caves From Reykjavik
Departure Point:	Skaftafell Terminal Tour Center	Pick up from Reykjavik hotels	Nicetravel Office, Fiskislóð, Reykjavik
Departure Time:	10:30 AM, 2:30 PM	9 AM	9 AM
Duration:	5 hours	2 days	2 days
Includes:	Glacier guide, glacier hike, ice ax, crampons, harness, helmet	Tour guide, visits to 4 waterfalls, a walk on a black beach, a glacier boat tout and a glacier hike	Tour guide, visits to 4 waterfalls, visit to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, ice cave tour, 1-night’s accommodation, breakfast
	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking

Be sure to see our other Iceland tour reviews: Northern Lights Tours and Whale Watching Tours.

Quick Answer: The 7 Best Rated Iceland Glacier Tours In 2024

1. 5-Hour Glacier Hike Adventure From Skaftafell
2. 2-Day South Coast Tour With Glacier Hike & Boat Tour
3. 2-Day South Coast Tour With Blue Ice Caves From Reykjavik
4. Iceland 2-Day Tour With Ice Cave & Glacier Lagoon
5. Crystal Ice Cave Tour From Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
6. Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Full-Day Tour From Reykjavik
7. Skaftafell National Park: 3-Hour Glacier Hike

We have reviewed the top rated glacier tours in Iceland providing overviews and highlighting the details of each. We also make recommendations on staying in Iceland in our guide section.

Iceland Glacier Tour Reviews

1. 5-Hour Glacier Hike Adventure From Skaftafell

If you’re anything like me, you find glaciers fascinating. In some ways, they’re like rivers, but in many other important ways, they’re completely different.

This is the best glacier tour if you want to learn about glaciers—how they are formed, what they do, how they terminate, and their role in the study of global warming.

Not only will you hike across Vatnajökull Glacier in a small group led by an experienced guide, but you’ll also see ice sculptures and deep crevasses. During your hike, you’ll enjoy stunning panoramic views of Skaftafell National Park.

Your certified guide will introduce you to some more advanced techniques of glacier hiking and give you the opportunity to taste pure glacier water.

This is the longer version of this tour. If you simply want a short hike along a glacier without so much educational input, check out the final tour below.

By the time you return to the Skaftafell Terminal Tour Center, you’ll be an expert on glaciers and Arctic exploration. This glacier tour will provide you with memories that last a lifetime.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

Other Experiences You May Enjoy:

2. 2-Day South Coast Tour With Glacier Hike & Boat Tour

This is the best glacier tour for people who want to see how ice and water created the beautiful landscape of Iceland.

Over the course of 2 memorable days, you’ll explore the southern coast of Iceland and visit many scenic spots.For me, the best thing about his tour is the 4 waterfalls you’ll visit, including Seljalandsfoss.

Seljalandsfoss is one of the best-loved waterfalls in Iceland not only because it is powerful and aesthetically pleasing but also since visitors can walk behind the falls and observe the world through a rippling curtain of water.

Another highlight of this tour is the amphibious boat cruise across Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Icebergs break away from the bottom of the glacier and float out across the lagoon.

You may find the lagoon familiar because it has been used as the setting for several Hollywood movies, including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

The beaches near Jökulsárlón are fascinating. Because of black basalt formed in hexagonal columns by lava flows, you’ll walk across a beach of smooth black pebbles and see intriguing formations of basalt columns in the cliffs.

Frequently, icebergs wash ashore and sit stranded on the black beach, sparkling like giant diamonds.

If you like glaciers, you’ll love the 1½-hour hike across Mýrdasjökull Glacier on this tour. The icecap of this glacier covers an active volcano that is expected to erupt soon.

It is constantly supervised by a dedicated team of geologists who will warn the local population when the activity inside the magma chamber indicates an imminent eruption.

This comprehensive tour of the south coast of Iceland will provide you with countless photo opportunities.

By the time you return to your hotel in Reykjavik, you’ll have a strong impression of how volcanoes, ice, and water have shaped the geography of this amazing country.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

3. 2-Day South Coast Tour With Blue Ice Caves From Reykjavik

This is the best Iceland glacier trip for anybody who wants to tour the glacial landscape of the south coast and explore inside an ice cave.

Maybe you’re visiting Iceland primarily to see the glaciers and Arctic landscape, but the waterfalls are spectacular.

At Skógafoss, the powerful Skóga River falls 200 feet in a single drop. This picturesque waterfall has been used as a setting in several Hollywood and Bollywood movies, including Thor: The Dark World.

And speaking of film sets, this tour also takes in Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, with its eerie collection of icebergs breaking away from the glacier and floating out to sea.

Near this famous lagoon, you’ll visit the sleepy village of Vik, the most southerly settlement in Iceland.

Just west of Vik, you can walk along Reynisfjara Beach, which is famous for its black sand and distinctive basalt columns.

If you’re lucky, you’ll catch sight of puffins diving into the Atlantic Ocean from one of the offshore igneous formations.

North of the village, the beautiful wilderness found in the Skaftafell National Park will leave you breathless. However, it’s inside nearby Vatnajökull National Park where you’ll enjoy the highlight of this trip.

Every year, shifts in the ice and seasonal changes in temperature create ice caves inside Vatnajökull National Park.

You’ll be driven by Super Jeep across the icy landscape to one of these blue ice caves and led underground by an experienced guide.

Get your camera ready to capture the spectacular play of light across the sparkling ice crystals. You’ll probably never again see such a magical place.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

4. Skaftafell National Park: 3-Hour Glacier Hike

This is the best Iceland glacier trip for anybody who simply wants to hike along a glacier without all the other bells and whistles. You’ll also get great views of the ice-capped mountains of Skaftafell National Park and the glacial landscape of South Iceland.

After meeting your certified guide at Skaftafell Terminal Tour Center, you’ll be issued a helmet, harness, ice ax, and crampons. Then you’ll be driven to Vatnajökull Glacier, where your guide will help you to don your safety equipment.

Vatnajökull is Europe’s largest glacier, so you have a lot of ground to cover on your hike. Your experienced guide will aid you while you navigate across the ice for between 60 and 90 minutes.

Along the way, you can examine deep surface cracks and crevasses. Your guide will teach you about the vertical shafts called moulins formed by melting water. You’ll probably come across ice tunnels, where you can observe how blue the ice turns deeper into the glacier.

After this mystical experience, you’ll leave Skaftafell National Park with a wealth of memories that will last a lifetime.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

5. Crystal Ice Cave Tour From Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

This is the best tour if what you really want is to explore inside an ice cave. Accompanied by an expert guide, this is your chance to ask all the questions you ever wanted to about glaciers and ice caves.

After meeting your certified guide at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, you’ll be driven across the stunning glacial landscape until you reach an ice cave.

Before you descend, your guide will provide you with the necessary safety equipment and help you prepare.

Once inside the cave, you’ll be amazed by the blue ice formations. Enjoy exploring the natural cavern and take as many photographs as you like.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

6. Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Full-Day Tour From Reykjavik

If you want to see all the main attractions of the south coast of Iceland in just one day, this is the best tour for you. It’s amazing how the tour guide packs so many fascinating sites into a 14-hour period.

The first stop on this tour is Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where you will have the opportunity to take a lagoon cruise and sail between icebergs (weather conditions permitting).

You’ll also visit nearby Diamond Beach, where icebergs stranded on the black sand glitter in the sun like diamonds.

At lunchtime, you’ll be transported to Vik, the most southerly village in Iceland. Stop for a look around a traditional Icelandic village and maybe try out a local restaurant.

After this, you’ll travel to Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, where you can admire the scenic beauty and maybe take a stroll behind the waterfall.

On your return journey to Reykjavik, you’ll have the opportunity to view Eyjafjallajökull on a clear day. The volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajökull ice cap is the one that erupted in 2010, disrupting air traffic in Northern Europe for a week.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

7. Iceland 2-Day Tour With Ice Cave & Glacier Lagoon

If you like waterfalls, caves, and windswept beaches, you’ll love this tour of the south coast of Iceland. Get your camera ready for memorable landscapes and unique igneous formations.

After being picked up from your hotel in Reykjavik, you’ll be transported to the south coast to admire the stunning coastal scenery.

At Seljalandsfoss, you can walk behind the powerful waterfall and admire the powerful rush of water between you and the sky.

Continuing east, you’ll come to Reynisfjara Beach, renowned for its igneous formations and black sand.

There you can explore the basalt column cave and see the offshore Reynisdrangar stacks, which folktales claim are 3 frozen trolls wading through the water.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon isn’t far away, with icebergs bobbing upon its crystal-clear water. It’s no surprise that this lake has featured in many Hollywood movies, like Batman Begins.

Your tour includes a walk along Diamond Beach, where icebergs from the lagoon have washed ashore onto the black sand beach and sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight.

But the true highlight of this tour is your ice cave adventure. A qualified guide will provide you with safety equipment before leading you inside a seasonal ice cave.

Within this frozen cavern, you’ll see mystical blue ice formations that will stand out in your memories forever.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

Iceland Travel Guide

There are many reasons the Land of Fire and Ice has seen an explosion in tourism since 2019. Not only can you see the Northern Lights, active volcanoes, glaciers, and puffins, you can also explore the glaciers on an ATV tour and even bake bread inside a pot buried underground.

What you decide to do in this fascinating country is your choice, but you should take the time to do some research before you go. This guide is here to inform you where you can go, what you can do, and how you can get there, because we want you to have the best vacation of your life in Iceland.

Airports & Entry

Most visitors to Iceland arrive at Keflavik International Airport (KEF). Although Iceland only has a population of 359 thousand people, in 2018 this busy airport handled 9.8 million passengers. Despite the number of visitors, there is only one terminal. You will find the check-in times minimal, with an average 20-minute waiting time at the security check.

Inside the terminal, you will find everything clearly signposted in English. Charging points for cellphones and laptops are provided in the waiting area along with free Wi-Fi.

Strollers are provided for children, and there is a dedicated kids’ play area. The usual selection of food outlets and shops are found on the upper floor of the main building. Manned information stands are located throughout the airport.

It is 30 miles from the airport to Reykjavik, the capital city. The speed limit is 55 mph, but the drive usually takes 50 minutes due to traffic. Shuttle bus services link KEF to the city, which you can book in advance online or pay for at the airport.

Some hotels offer airport collection, and you should ask about that when you book your room. You can, of course, jump in a taxi at the airport, but it will be extremely expensive compared to the airport bus service. Car rental is available at the airport, but it is advisable to book in advance.

Planning Tips

With so many exciting things to do and see in Iceland, you’re guaranteed to have a great holiday. However, things do not always go to plan, so here are 5 tips to help you make the most of your visit.

Tip #1: If you want to see the Aurora Borealis, go between September and March

It’s easier to view the Northern Lights when the sky is at its darkest. In Iceland, the nights are especially long between September and March, but the sky doesn’t grow dark enough to view this magical phenomenon during the summer months. However, do not plan a visit around a full moon, because its light can dampen the impact of this natural light display. The best days to go are around the time of a new moon.

Tip #2: Check out the SolarHam website

If you are especially interested in the Aurora Borealis and want to earn your Geek Badge, check out the SolarHam website. This techy site provides a 3-day geomagnetic forecast, which is useful for aurora hunters to select the best time to view the Northern Lights. The same site provides a satellite map of where the natural light show is right now, so you can look up if you’re near.

Tip #3: Take your time to enjoy all the attractions of Iceland

There’s so much to see in Iceland, it would be a crime not to explore and experience as much as you are able in the time you have. While you are there, do not miss the opportunity to see so many unforgettable natural phenomena in one place. There is nowhere else on the planet where you can see active volcanoes, glaciers, and ice caves, all in one national park.

Tip #4: Book everything in advance, especially in winter

Tourism is on the rise in Iceland, and hotel rooms, tours, and attractions get fully-booked ahead of time.  Don’t miss out on seeing the Northern Lights from the best vantage point possible because all the tours were booked-up before you arrived. Many tours like the ones detailed above offer a 24-hour-in-advance free cancellation, so you take no financial risk booking. Ask about free cancellation when buying your ticket.

Tip #5: Impress your friends with quintessentially Icelandic souvenirs

The budget chain store Bonus stocks many unique Icelandic products, such as Omnom chocolate, Icelandic specialty teas, herbal sea salt blends, and licorice mixed with chocolate. At Bonus, you can pick up great, inexpensive gifts for your friends! Vinbuoin, the state-run liquor store, sells a fine selection of renowned Icelandic spirits, including Iceland’s signature tipple, Brennivin.

And if you like to sort through other folks’ debris for the hidden treasures, a special weekend market is held at Kolaportio in downtown Reykjavik where Icelanders come to sell off their unwanted goods when moving to a new house. You could find anything!

Restaurants & Eating Out

Because of Iceland’s geographical position and climate, vegetables and grains are rare in traditional foods, and many famous dishes focus on preserved seafood or meat. Also, food was scarce in yesteryears, so every part of an animal or fish was eaten. You’ll find many traditional meals involve fish or meat that is salted, smoked, dried, or fermented. Watch out for such culinary delights as baked sheep’s head and fermented shark.

Seafood restaurants are common throughout Iceland, and all serve “fish of the day”, which is usually salmon, monkfish, haddock, or cod. However, if you wish, you can seek out some of the more exotic options. Humar is a kind of lobster caught off the south coast of Iceland, renowned for its tender and tasty flesh.

It is served fried, baked or grilled, though it can also be found as a pizza topping! Plokkfishkur is a fish stew, made to the chef’s specific recipe but usually combining white fish with onions, potatoes, milk, and flour. Harofiskur is a snack you can buy in any grocery store. It is dried stockfish, eaten with butter or straight out of a bag.

Because it is difficult to grow wheat in Iceland, there are many traditional varieties of rye bread, like flatkaka, baked in thin disks on hot stones. One variety of rye bread you should try is rugbrauo, a sweet-tasting, dark bread.

The reason rugbrauo is so interesting for visitors to Iceland is that a common baking technique is to bury a dough-filled pot near one of the many hot springs, such as Fontana Hot Springs, and use geothermal heat to bake the bread. Rugbrauo baked that way is also called hyerabrauo (hot-spring bread).

Icelanders don’t only eat fish and rye bread. Sheep are the most common livestock in Iceland, so lamb is often on the menu. Sheep wander freely around the countryside, eating seaweed, grass, and berries, which tends to make lamb tender with a mild flavor.

Smoked lamb is called hangikjöt and is often served boiled during the winter holidays. Also watch out for varieties of meat you won’t see in most other countries, like puffin, horse, and whale. Despite international concern over puffins and whales, they are still commonly consumed in Iceland.

A meal on vacation isn’t complete without dessert. Popular local sweets include rugbrauosis (rye bread ice cream), pönnukökur (Icelandic pancakes), and snuour (cinnamon bread covered in caramel or chocolate). A dairy product unique to Iceland is skyr.

It is a kind of sour milk cheese eaten like yogurt and often sweetened and flavored with fruit or vanilla.

Nightlife & Entertainment

With long, cold nights throughout the winter, it’s no surprise Icelanders love their nightlife, and much of it is centered where most of the people live—Reykjavik. Because the capital is so small, most of the clubs and bars are within walking distance of one another. In fact, many are along one street, Laugavegur, the commercial artery of downtown.

Most social venues are informal and entrance fees rare. When Icelanders go out for the night, they tend to begin late, and many clubs and bars don’t get busy until after midnight. This is in part because alcohol in bars is expensive, so locals drink at home before setting out.

Many clubs and bars stay open as late as 5 am. Cocktail bars are a recent addition to Iceland’s nightlife, but with the booming tourist trade, they are rapidly expanding.

And don’t worry too much about safety at night. In 2019, the Institute for Economics and Peace in Sydney ranked Iceland the most peaceful nation on Earth for the 12^th year running. Crime rates in Reykjavik are probably lower than anywhere you have ever lived.

Getting Around

Iceland is a small country covering an area slightly smaller than Kentucky. If you wanted to drive from Reykjavik on the west coast to Faskruosfjorour on the east coast, the 425 miles route would take only 8½ hours.

However, because of its small population outside of the capital, you cannot rely on public transport to go sightseeing around the country or reach the best place to view the northern lights. This leaves you with two options: hiring a car or booking a coach tour, like the 3-day Golden Circle tour detailed above.

Within the capital and its immediate area, you do have more options: bus, taxi, bicycle, or walk. The public bus service is inexpensive and efficient, and you can ask for help to find the right bus from your hotel reception. Given that Reykjavik is so small a city, taxis are affordable.

If you want a little exercise, bicycle rentals are available in many hotels, and the city is crisscrossed by dedicated bicycle paths. If you decide to walk, make sure you wrap up well. The weather can deteriorate rapidly in Iceland.

Accommodations

Over the past few years, Iceland has seen a huge expansion in tourism. With a 378% increase since 2010, hotel rooms fill up quickly. Through Christmas and summer, hotels are usually fully booked. Since 228 of Iceland’s 359 thousand citizens live within the capital and its immediate hinterland, settlements throughout the rest of Iceland are small and rooms for visitors limited. Most hotels are in the capital.

You will probably find it most convenient to stay in Reykjavik. You will find a broad range of hotels there, it is near the airport, and many of the attractions along with most of the nightlife are found there or nearby. Many organized tours to other parts of Iceland and major tourist attractions set out from Reykjavik, such as most of the Northern Lights tours detailed above.

Within the downtown and central area of Reykjavik you will find a choice of luxury hotels, like the Hotel Borg downtown and The Icelandair Hotel Marina, overlooking the harbor. If you head a little more out of the center, you’ll find more affordable hostels, such as The Capital Inn and Bus Hostel Reykjavik.

There are some popular hotels outside of the capital near to tourist attractions, such as Hotel Skaftafell in the Vatnajökull National Park, which offers spectacular views of Iceland’s largest mountain, or Skyrhusid Guesthouse near Lake Jökulsarion in the south. Wherever you decide to stay, the important thing is to book in advance. If you don’t, you will miss out on the best rooms.

Weather

Iceland is not the place to go if you want year-round sunshine and dry weather. In fact, on 22^nd December there are only 4 hours of daylight, because that is the shortest day. That’s great if you want to see the Aurora Borealis, since it can only be seen during dark nights, but not so good for other sightseeing. In contrast, the longest day boasts 21 hours of daylight, 21^st June.

The “warm” summer period covers June, July, and August, with an average daily high of 55⁰F and a low of 46⁰F. Yes, 55⁰F is their summer high! Summers are short and cloudy. The winter period covers November through March, two months longer than summer, and is cold, wet, windy, and overcast, with frequent snow. The average daily high drops to 35⁰F in January with a low of 27⁰F.

If your main interest is the Northern Lights, you should go anytime September through March, because the sky is dark enough to view those fantastic electromagnetic displays. If the Aurora Borealis does not interest you, you’ll get the warmest weather and longer days from the end of June to mid-August.

Attractions

The Aurora Borealis is not the only unique and fascinating attraction in Iceland. The Land of Fire and Ice is the best place in the world to see and experience the majesty and power of two extremes in Nature: glaciers and volcanoes. These attractions are all part of what is called the “Golden Circle”. Taking a day tour of the Golden Circle with a guide is a great way to take in all of the best sights.

12 miles from KEF is the world-famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. Here you can laze in pools of hot, milky blue water heated by a lava flow. Nearby stands the Svartsengi Geothermal Power Plant, which uses superheated water from the lava flow to generate electricity and also provide heat for a municipal water heating system.

There are geothermal spas like the Blu Lagoon throughout Iceland, so wherever you choose to stay, you can find one near you and experience the power of molten rock.

If ice and Arctic landscapes interest you, head 140 miles east from Reykjavik to Vatnajökull National Park, which is centered on Vatnajökull glacier and the surrounding beautiful landscape. This park covers 14% of Iceland and is filled with glacial rivers and active volcanoes. One of the best ways to see this park is with a horseback riding tour! You can get up close and see all the attractions.

Vatnajökull glacier empties into the glacial lake of Jökulsarion in the south, where you can see 100-feet-tall icebergs freshly broken away from the glacier. Jökulsarion served as a setting in several major Hollywood movies.

On your drive back to Reykjavik, you can see two beautiful waterfalls around Skogar. The first, Skogafoss, is an impressive waterfall and a popular destination for Icelandic day-trippers. The best way to see these national parks is with a snowmobile tour.

18 miles west of Skogafoss is picturesque Seljalandsfoss waterfall. A path allows sightseers to pass behind the curtain of water as it falls into the crystal-clear plunge pool.

Perhaps one of the most unique attractions is seeing the continental plates splitting apart at Silfra. Here the North American and Eurasian plates are separating. If you are daring you can take a snorkel tour of Silfra and see it for yourself!

If it’s man-made cultural and historical attractions you seek, you’ll find plenty to do and see around Reykjavik. The capital’s earliest history stretches back to 874, but it only became a true city in 1785.

Around Reykjavik, you’ll find an interesting assortment of museums and tourist attractions, like the National Museum of Iceland and the Reykjavik Maritime Museum.

A famous landmark visitors flock to see is the Hallgrimskirkja Church, which is the largest church in Iceland. This unique structure was designed by a local architect to resemble the glaciers and mountains of Iceland.