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Iceland is a beautiful country. A great way to enjoy its beauty while feeding your adventurous side is with a glacier hike. You can do just that when visiting Skaftafell.
Skaftafell is a wilderness area located in Vatnajökull National Park with huge glaciers like Skaftafellsjökull and Svínafellsjökull. And today I want to tell you about a full-day guided glacier hike on a hidden ice cave on Vatnajökull.
This is not just any glacier hike, either. The company providing the experience really specialises in providing an immersive ice experience. They have a small guide-to-guest ratio (four to one), which is one of the smallest you’ll find.
That way, you’ll be able to learn a lot from your guide. You’ll be able to get detailed explanations on questions you might have about glaciers and their impacts. You’ll also learn about the natural history of Vatnajökull, which is Europe’s most voluminous ice cap.
So you know you’ll learn a lot on this glacier hike. But it’s also a lot of fun. And definitely for those who love adventure. Speaking of which, you will need to be moderately fit in order to participate.
Also, keep in mind you will be out all day in the wilderness. So be ready for any snow, rain, wind, etc. you can face.
Itinerary
So here’s how your day will go.
You will begin by going to Freysnes Gas Station, which is a black and pink building across the road from Hotel Skaftafell. You’ll be able to spot the guide as they’ll be wearing a yellow and gold uniform and they’ll be standing near the entrance.
The tour begins at 9:00 AM. You’ll follow the guide for a short drive to a car park. There you will get equipped with safety gear.
After that is a twenty-minute trail walk to the front of the glacier where you’ll get your safety instructions.
Once you are on ice, you’ll begin on easy terrain so you’ll get used to the technique needed for glacier hiking. Once you are confident with getting around and using the equipment, you’ll get to move to steeper terrain.
You’ll get to hike to a larger ice cave that the larger group operators don’t hike to. You’ll get to descend into the ice cave as far as you can while still being safe. After that, you’ll head back. The ending point is the same as the meeting point.
Discount Code
This is a once-in-a-lifetime type activity, and I know you’d like to participate. And I know you’d like to save money at the same time.
But instead of providing you with a discount code today, I’m going to tell you about an automatic discount (which will honestly save you time versus a discount code or promo code). Just purchase a voucher here and you’ll save 10% on the price.