Iceland has many things to offer, one of the most popular activities are done on the glacier.
Glacier Adventure specializes in glacier-related tour. We have many different options for activities and it all depends on what season you visit, which tour you can join.
In winter we have our famous Ice Cave Tours. That is also one of the most memorable tours you can do. During summer we have Vatnajökull Glacier Walk, Ice Climbing and then our new tour Glacier Adventure Summer Tour.
But the tour we want to tell you about is our Summer Tour.
The Summer Tour is a combination of the Glacier Walk and Ice Climb. In short, I would describe it as an “advance” glacier walk with some ice climbing experience.
So you might think, what is different between Glacier Adventure Summer Tour and Glacier Walk tour?
It is a full day glacier walk with ice-climbing. This tour is more adventures, you spend more time on the glacier, it’s like a small glacier-expedition. We will walk to the edge of Breiðamerkur glacier and see where the icebergs are calving into the Glacier Lagoon, Jökulsárlón. You’ll try some ice climbing and get the chance of being lowered in a blue moulin and climb back up secured in a line. No experience is needed as our guides will teach you everything needed. The ice climbing is optional, no one will be forced to do it.
Like all of our tours, we start at our meeting point Hali at our new office. There we get all the equipment needed, go over safety rules and head on into a super jeep that drives us to the starting point. From there it takes about 30 minutes when we finally step onto the ice. Before that we put on crampons and helmets and start the walk.
We walk on Breiðamerkurjökull, through white and ashy ridges to get to the edge of the glacier. On the way to the glacier we do a lot of small stops, photo stops, stops where the guide tells us interesting information and facts about the glacier and its surroundings.
We also do one longer stop, where we get to experience the ice climbing part of the tour. The guide finds the perfect ice wall that we will climb. First he free climbs, meaning without any ropes, just using his strength and axes to the top of the wall. When the guide gets to the top he put a secure rope that we will use for the climbing.
Euguen free climbing to attach the ropes
How is it done?
The rope is then attached to your harness and you climb up the wall. This all might sound and look really dangerous but there is nothing to worry about, you are secured and even if you fall you will be tightly harnessed. You kick the crampons into the ice to get a firm stance and then use the ice picks to lift yourself up. When you arrive at the top of the wall, you just lean back, as the rope holds you, and slowly kind of hop back down.
If you are interested in only focusing on ice climbing we have the option of only doing an ice climb.
One of the most unique aspects of our trip is that the glacial environment is in a constant state of movement and change, meaning no one tour is the same as the next. The glacier periodically forms ice caves, blue ice tunnels, moulins, and other incredible features as it melts. Our expert guides will determine if any such ice features are safe to explore on the day of the tour and may add them to the trip as a bonus.
After trying out the ice climb we continue the journey towards the edge. At the beach, where the calving happens we take a lunch break. As the tour is so long, remember to bring food and water with you. We spend some time at the beach until we head back home.
The tour takes approximately 5 to 6 hours (4-5 hour on the glacier), including drive back and forth from our meeting point, Hali. This tour is moderated and can be done by most travelers. You don’t have to have an ice climbing experience for this tour.
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