The 14 Best Ice Climbing Trips in Iceland

1.Sólheimajökull Glacier Hike & Ice Climbing Intro

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 380 reviews · 4.5 - 11 hours · from $203Our pick

Choose a half-day glacier hike from Sólheimajökull parking lot or a full-day trip from Reykjavík. Your certified guide fits crampons, helmet, harness, and ice axe, then leads you across crevasses and ridges before teaching basic ice climbing. Guides such as Monica, Daniel, Steve, and Francesco are praised for patient instruction and careful safety work.

“The actual ice climbing was awesome. It does take a while to get to the specific ice climbing and doesn’t last all that long, but we thought it was well worth doing. The guides made it fun and enjoyable. The bus ride stops at the waterfalls were great for us as we weren’t getting to those waterfalls any other time during our trip.”

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2.Sólheimajökull Glacier Hike & Ice Climbing Intro – Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 151 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $211

Walk across Sólheimajökull Glacier, explore crevasses and ice formations, and try introductory ice climbing with a certified English-speaking guide. Groups are limited to eight per guide. Hiking boots with ankle support are required, and Reykjavík departures also stop at Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss.

“Everything we hoped it would be: adventure of climbing ice, walking a glacier, scenic views and a skilled and informative guide. The only reason for 4 (vs 5) stars is that we were charged for hiking boots. When we arrived we were told that hiking boots with ankle support is *required*. I don’t recall that being in the Viator description, but that’s fine, just provide the boots for us. The boots were available, and for a small enough charge, but it just feels deceptive to charge us extra. Again, it was a great tour, 5 stars in every other way, but please, just charge a tad more for the general…”

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3.Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing and Glacier Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 132 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $246Top rated

Meet your certified Troll Expeditions guide at Sólheimajökull parking lot at 2 p.m. You’ll receive crampons, boots, helmet, harness, and ice axes, then hike about 15 minutes to the ice for glacier walking and beginner-friendly climbing. Guides such as Maria, Lilly, Boris, and Joao have helped first-timers feel safe while still offering a real challenge.

“Lilly was a wonderful guide and did a great job explaining how to ice climb. We enjoyed the experience and the glacier walk.”

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4.Skaftafell Ice Climbing & Glacier Hike

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 128 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $266

Meet Tröll Expeditions in Skaftafell for a four-hour outing on Svínafellsjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull. A certified guide supplies boots, crampons, helmet, harness, and ice axe, then leads you across ice formations and up beginner-friendly walls. Guides such as Sam, Misha, Vega, and Cornelia are praised for calm, careful instruction.

“Biscuit was our guide. He did an amazing job explaining our equipment and what we should expect. I always felt safe and the views are amazing. We had enough time to hike into a fissure.”

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5.Skaftafell National Park: Falljokull Ice Climb and Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 78 reviews · 4 hours · from $259

Spend four hours at Falljökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, with a certified guide and no more than five companions. Learn glacier travel, hike among crevasses and moulins, then climb an ice wall or rappel into a crevasse. Boots, crampons, helmet, harness, ropes, ice axe, coffee, and chocolate are included.

“Very rigorous hike and climbing experience. Nothing quite like scaling a glacier wall with ice picks and crampons. Also felt safe the entire time.”

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6.Sólheimajökull Ice Climb and Glacier Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 67 reviews · 4 hours · from $241

Spend four hours on Sólheimajökull with a certified English-speaking guide and a group limited to six. You’ll learn crampon travel and basic ice-climbing technique, then climb a secured ice wall among crevasses, tunnels, and changing blue ice. Guides such as Maria, Adam, and Kevin have earned praise for patient, safety-first instruction.

“Fantastic! Our guide Adam was wonderful. Lots of patience. Very safety conscious! Great fun! Beautiful views”

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7.Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 49 reviews · 4 hours · from $294

Meet your guide at Sólheimajökull’s parking lot for a four-hour beginner ice-climbing outing. Bergur and the North Ice team provide crampons, helmet, harness, and ice axe, then teach you to climb two or three glacier routes, including a possible moulin. You drive yourself, and the group is limited to five.

“I have had an awesome first time ice climbing experience. Customized to my level. Safe and professional. Amazing location, very informative.”

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8.Glacier Hike & Ice Climbing Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 28 reviews · from $233

Spend 6.5 hours on Vatnajökull with an English-speaking guide and no more than five companions. Hike across rugged ice, learn crampon skills, explore crevasses, and climb changing ice walls. Guides such as Eric, Yaya, and Marten have helped make this a careful, personal adventure, though assignments vary.

“Amazing! We had our tour with Yaya who was fantastic. He was so considerate of everyone, checking in and making sure we were all happy with how it was going. It was a long tour but definitely worth the money for how awesome the activity was. It was interesting to see how Yaya picked the walls we were climbing as they are constantly changing so the guides find new ones they spot. We also came across the first cave of the season and had a quick explore which was so lucky. Overall amazing experience and would do it again!Read more”

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9.Glacier Xtreme: Vatnajökull Ice Climbing + Hike from Skaftafell

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 25 reviews · 5 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $250

Meet your guide at Skaftafell Base Camp for a 5.5-hour adventure on Falljökull. After a 20-minute 4x4 ride, hike about 8 km across Vatnajökull’s ice, then climb walls or descend into crevasses. Groups are capped at six, with boots, crampons, helmet, and ice axe included.

“Booked the glacier Xtreme experience and had an amazing time. A truly once in a lifetime experience with breathtaking views and thrilling climbs. Huge shoutout to Darragh who was extremely knowledgeable, communicative and helpful throughout the whole trip. He made us feel safe on the ice and gave us plenty of opportunity to scale up or down the difficulty depending on skill or preference. Will definitely book with artic adventure in the future”

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10.Small-Group Ice Climbing and Glacier Hiking in Solheimajokull

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 21 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $258

Meet North Ice at Solheimajokull for a 4.5-hour glacier hike and ice-climbing lesson. Your guide, including Bergur or Saga on some departures, teaches crampon work and climbing technique before taking you to three climbing spots. The small group, listed at a maximum of six, gives you more time on the ice.

“So much fun! We had a great guide who explained things well and always made sure we were being safe. The group size was small (about 7 people) so we were able to do three climbs at different locations. He started us on a smaller part to help explain things to us and then we gradually went to more challenging places. We had a good group and we were out there a little longer than the 4.5 hour suggested time limit. It was a lot of fun and we highly recommend!!”

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11.Micro group – Ice climbing at Sólheimajökull

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $260

Join Hyperborea Tours for a four-hour ice-climbing outing on Sólheimajökull, near Vik. After a 15-minute walk from the parking area, your small group receives a safety briefing, gears up with crampons, harnesses, a climbing belt, and ice axes, then crosses glacier ice to climb a suitable crevasse or moulin. Bring your own boots and clothing.

“Fantastic experience! Great guide, super knowledgeable and very accommodating, would 100% recommend to anyone looking to do some climbing on the glacier!”

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12.Glacier Hike and Ice Climbing Guided Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 4.5 hours · from $240

Meet your certified guide at Skaftafell, fit your helmet, harness, crampons, and ice axe, then hike onto Falljökull in Vatnajökull National Park. You’ll explore crevasses and ice formations before learning rope-supported climbing on a glacier wall. English-speaking guides, including Udi when available, tailor the outing to your group.

“My wife and I absolutely loved hiking and claiming the Skaftafell glacier. Our guide, Udi (sp?) from Spain was fantastic. He completely customized our experience to meet our needs. The views were breathtaking, the challenge was fun and the experience was memorable. Fully recommend. Request, Udi if available.”

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13.Exclusive Ice Climbing Experience on Sólheimajökull

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 5 hours · from $432

You’ll spend about three hours on Sólheimajökull with an English- or Icelandic-speaking guide, learning safe ice-climbing skills among crevasses and blue ice. The private five-hour outing also includes Dyrhóley Peninsula and Skógarfoss. Bring warm layers and proper hiking boots, since footwear is not provided.

“Fantastic experience, guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Views are gorgeous. Highly recommend if you like more unusual activities to do on a glacier.”

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14.Private Ice Climbing on Sólheimajökull

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $429

Spend about five hours on Sólheimajökull with a private Southcoast Adventure guide. You’ll walk from the glacier parking area, learn to use crampons and an ice axe, cross changing ice formations, and practice several ice-climbing techniques. Guides such as Erik, David, and Alberto bring strong climbing and glacier experience to groups ranging from beginners to active mountaineers.

“We had a private guided glacier walk for 3 active senior friends with Alberto Marini who is an Italian born mountain/rock climber. Though cautious by nature, I felt completely comfortable with Alberto who apparently trained many of the other Read more”

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