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About Tour

Take an adrenaline-filled zodiac boat ride on the impressive Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon and hike the outlet of the famous Vatnajökull glacier!

Highlights

  • Vatnajokull Glacier, Europe's largest glacier
  • Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon
  • Glacier Hiking
  • Zodiac Boat Ride

Included

  • Guided glacier hike
  • Certified glacier guide
  • Specialized Glacier Gear
  • Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride

What to bring

  • Warm outdoor clothing
  • Waterproof jacket and pants
  • Headwear
  • Gloves
  • Good hiking boots are recommended

Tour Snapshot

Availability May - Oct
Duration ~9 hours
Departs From Glacier lagoon parking lot
Difficulty Easy Suitable for most people in fair condition.
Ratio 1:15
Minimum age 8 years
Meet on Location Yes
Pick Up No

From

155
Per
Adult
  • Expert Guides
  • Small Group Experience
  • Free Cancellation
  • No Booking Fees
  • Best Price Guarantee

From

155
Book Now

Itinerary

During this thrilling day tour, you’ll get two explore not one but two popular attractions in Iceland – glacier lagoons and glaciers.

We’ll start our acquaintance with the ice from the Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon. Fjallsárlón is a true hidden gem at Vatnajökull National Park. Seeing the iceberg-filled lake at the foot of the glacier and Iceland’s tallest mountain, Öræfajökull glacier, is ought to leave you breathless. Since the slopes surrounding the lagoon are so steep, it is possible to navigate the shoreline without fear of getting stuck. The specially-made zodiac boats are perfect in Arctic conditions and will allow you to get very close to the icebergs.

After an adventurous boat ride, we’ll meet again at Skaftafell Nature Reserve for an even more thrilling experience – a glacier hike. During this tour, you’ll get to explore one of the outlets of the famous Vatnajökull glacier, which is the largest glacier in Iceland. We’ll hike one of the most impressive glacier tongues in the area, Falljökull. This ancient icefall falls hundreds of meters off the mountaintop towards the ocean. That is why its Icelandic name translates to the falling glacier.”

You’ll have to travel between meeting locations at Fjallsárlón and Skaftafell independently, as transport isn’t provided. Upon booking, you’ll receive all the important information, such as your meeting points and exact meeting times.

What our Travelers are saying about Glacier grand slam tour

5
Based on 5 reviews

Fjallsárlón Zodiac Boat Tour & Glacier Hike

1- of 5 reviews

Great lifelong memories made!

Reviewed on September 06, 2022 by irol73 Review from Tripadvisor

We did the "Glacier Grand Slam - Glacier Hike and Boat Ride" tour and loved it. The guides were excellent and the scenes were fantastic.

The glacier hike was what surprised us the most....in a very positive way. Getting "up close & personal" with the glacier was definitely worth it since it creates a very different experience compared to looking up at it from the roads. We are not conditioned hikers but are generally healthy people. We had no problem physically with the hike but could see how people who are in poor physical condition may have a problem.

We loved this tour and highly recommend it. Lifelong family memories were made!

Glacier Grand Slam Tour

Reviewed on September 24, 2017 by vaugkimb Review from Tripadvisor

My husband and I did the Glacier Grand Slam tour which includes the Glacier Wonders trip in the morning and a zodiac boat tour at Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great for our trip as it was a steady drizzle the entire day, but that didn't detract from the amazement I had in hiking Europe's largest glacier.

It was my first time using crampons and an ice axe (you only need to use the end of the axe to stablize yourself like a walking stick, no cutting or chopping). The glacier shape and incline can change daily depending on the weather, and the day we hiked the front of the glacier was quite steep. At first I was skeptical that crampons were really going to hold me to the side of the glacier, but of course they worked. Trust the crampons!

We really liked our guide and he provided a lot of very interesting facts about the glacier and the surrounding area. Sadly, given current melting rates, it is expected that the part of the glacier we hiked will be gone in 5-10 years. They have had more ice melt there in the last 30 years than in the prior 150 years.

The views from the glacier were beautiful (even with the rain and fog).

The zodiac boat ride was interesting as you go out into the lagoon to see pieces of the glacier. Unfortunately, given the instability of the glacier at that time, we couldn't go too close as a large piece was expected to break off very soon and it would have been dangerous if we had been too close when that happened.

I would highly recommend the glacier hike, but I'm sort of indifferent as the zodiac boat ride. The boat guides were entirely pleasant and professional, I just didn't have the same "awe" in the lagoon that I had during the hike. The boat ride was pretty relaxing though so it would likely be very good for families with children or travelers with mobility issues that may not be able to hike the glacier.

Grand slam is definitely grand!

Reviewed on August 12, 2017 by 2BlessedTravellers Review from Tripadvisor

We couldn't have been more pleased with this experience. Flooding had closed the part of the glacier they usually used so they offered us a full refund - or the option of going to another part of the glacier. So glad we went - we were blessed with a spectacular day and our guide was very friendly and informative.

Neat experience

Reviewed on July 28, 2017 by 73beckya Review from Tripadvisor

We took the grand slam tour. The glacier walk was a neat experience. I wish we could have taken the tour where you got to climb up a vertical piece of the ice, but we didn't have time (saw others doing it). There was ample time given to walk around on the glacier. A nice thing about this glacier is it has an initial steeper slope so you don't have to hike super far to see a change in the view and ice formation.

The boat ride was cool too. It was in a smaller lagoon, Fjallsarlon. This lagoon appeared to have smaller and fewer icebergs than Jokulsarlon, but I'm not sure if it was less an experience as a result. It was nice that we got to go in smaller boats that only fit 10 people. I wish our guide would have slowed down while we were passing the bergs. We got to see a piece of ice fall off the glacier into the lagoon- that was cool.

Glacier Explorer - Highlight of trip

Reviewed on June 13, 2016 by Lilyaen Review from Tripadvisor

I booked the Glacier Grand Slam (Glacier Explorer + Lagoon Boat Tour) in June 2016. Our guide, Carl from England, was superb. The hike was not physically strenuous and we spent around 4 hours walking on the ice. We lucked out with blue sky and 75 degree (farenheit) temperatures. There was another group out on the glacier the same time as us but they did not detract at all from the majesty of the glacier. I only wish we could have gone higher up.

The boat tour was not as exciting mainly because the giant buoyant life saving coat they make you wear smelled bad

FAQ

Iceland is known for unforeseeable weather. It is likely that you can see all 4 seasons in one day.

Dressing for that kind of weather can always be demanding, so we suggest dressing in layers. 3 or 4 upper layers are highly recommended, for example, a light t-shirt (preferably wool) next to the skin, then a fleece or heavy wool garment topped off with a waterproof windbreaker.

Jeans are not recommended for our trips as they are not suitable for the weather conditions, they become very heavy, cold and uncomfortable to wear when they get wet.

Lightweight hiking pants, track pants or long cotton pants are convenient and wear wind/waterproof pants over them. There is high UV and sunlight reflecting off on the glacier so we highly recommend using sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is cloudy.

You will need sturdy hiking boots that fit crampons for the glacier hiking tours. If you do not own a pair then we rent out suitable hiking boots as well as a waterproof raincoat and trousers.

It is good to bring your own backpack on our full day or half day tours. It’s the best carry-on for a small lunch, extra clothes and other necessary items.

The scenery on the tour is full of stunning, scenic views that are photographable so you should definitely bring your camera along.

This is surely a personal choice, we do not deny pregnant women on our glacier trips but we highly recommend you to take a closer look at our trip description and difficulty ratings, they will hopefully give you a better idea. We also recommend you to contact your physician, as pregnant women’s health can be quite different. If you have any further questions or concerns then feel free to contact us.

Lunch is not provided on any of our trips, therefore we recommend you to bring your own lunch especially for the longer trips, snacks and a bottle of water (you can refill it on the trip).

Crampons make you enable to walk on the glacier ice without slipping. They are metal spikes that we attach to the soles of your hiking shoes.

Yes, we have specially trained and certified glacier guide on every glacier tour that we offer. And for our 3rd party tours we only partner with operators that meet our quality and safety standards.

Yes, we provide you with all the necessary glacier gear for our glacier hiking tours. Ice axe, crampons, harness, and helmets are provided. This will help you to complete the tour safely. The minimum shoe size to attach crampons is EU 35.

Iceland is known to have a lot of snow and when the snow stays long enough in one place than it turns to ice. Over long periods of time, the ice layers up becoming huge blocks called glaciers. It forms to create ginormous glaciers that sweep across huge masses of land. Iceland is home of the largest glacier in Europe that is called Vatnajökull. The Glacier Guides can tell you more about and everything you need to know about the Glaciers.

Rain is common in Iceland but we never let the rain be in our way to go forward with our tours.
That’s why we highly recommend appropriate clothing so you can be warm and dry on the tours.
Nature is out of our control and therefore we need to adapt to the weather. Your safety is our first priority so if your safety is compromised by going on the tour then we will cancel it and you will get full reimbursement.

The guide on your Glacier Hiking tour will provide you with all the information you might need when preparing for a glacier hike.

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