Ice Climbing in Vatnajokull

In this Ice climbing tour with a local guide from Hali you experience the wonders of Vatnajökull glacier. Our guide takes you on an unforgettable journey on Breiðamerkurjökull, one of Vatnajökull’s biggest outlet glacier. The trip starts at Hali Country Hotel reception, where your guide drives you to the glacier area, away from the crowds and off the beaten path where you can breathe in the fresh Icelandic air.

Before we start the drive we need to gear you up. It’s necessary to have the correct footwear for ice climbing. We’ll have the hiking boots ready for those who have rented such.

After the Super Jeep ride to the glacier area we take a short zodiac boat trip and sail a short distance to where the glacier walk starts. (We recommend that people take a proper boat tour at Glacier Lagoon or Fjallsárlón, this one is only for 2 minutes).

The glacier walk starts with an introduction to the equipment and safety rules needed to explore the glacier. We provide ice crampons and teach you how to attach them to the boots. Crampons make it easy to walk on the ice so that there’s no worry of slipping. Other security items include helmets and ice axes.

We walk to the climbing area through a wonderland of glacial ice sculptures, ridges and the deep crevasses of the glacier. We see big sinkholes, called “Moulin”, that sometimes have drilled their way through the glacier, draining the meltwater of the ice through little waterfalls and streams. The glacier also carries with it ashes of volcanic eruptions, the ash sometimes forms into a pyramid, called “dirt cone”.

This tour has a maximum 4 participants to make sure that everyone can enjoy the climbing part of the trip.

The tour is intended for those who want to spend half a day outside walking, climbing the ice, talking and creating unforgettable moments with friends and family.

The tour takes approximately 4 to 5 hours (2 – 3 hour on the glacier), including drive back and forth from our pick up location at Hali reception. This tour is moderated and can be done by most travelers. You don’t have to have an ice climbing experience for this tour and we can adjust the climbing part to the group ability, from extreme to easy conditions.