Hvannadalshnjúkur glacier hike from Sandfell

Sport lovers

Location: Iceland

Activity: Glacier Hiking

Languages spoken: English

Duration: 12 hrs

Difficulty: Extreme

Meeting point:

Open map

Minimum age: 13

Sorry, we don't offer activity at this time. If you send us your e-mail, we will be happy to inform you as soon as we relaunched it.

Highlights

Hvannadalshnjúkur
Skerið
Öræfajökull
Vatnajökull

All about the trip

We will meet up the day before the hike to tell you about what the summit day is going to be like. Our guides will also give you some instructions about how the glacier gear works.

We will also talk about your previous experience in the mountains to set the starting time of our trip right.

If you are a beginner we will start earlier, so we can do this hike on a slower pace, but if you are a good hiker and you are used to mountaineering, we can start later in the morning. The primary purpose is to be on the summit around 13:00 o´clock.

Our guides will meet you at Sandfell (Sand Hill) which is the beginning of the hike. The first part is a steep gravel hill that takes us from 20 meters up to 700 meters. On this first hill is a nice place to grab some snack.

We will continue on gravel, rocks and snow up to 1100 meters. This place is called Skerið or the Reef. At this point, we will put on harnesses and rope up for the hills ahead. This is another good place to eat and drink something. It’s nice to stop and take a snack in nature and view the surrounding area.

As we get to the plateau, we could have some lunch and enjoy the view and talk about the achievements of our morning effort. After lunch, we will start to cross the plateau to the summit. The summit rises about 200 meters above the plateau.

We will make a short break below the summit and put on crampons. This is the final push to the summit of the highest peak in Iceland. On bright days you could see from the top Hrútfellstindar, Þumall and part of Vatnajökull ice cap.

After you enjoy these fantastic views, we’ll hike back down the same way. Our way back will not take as long as the hike up, but we will move slowly due to tired muscles.

From Skerið (the Reef) we can move a lot faster back to the car.

This is a challenging day, that you can be truly proud to undertake.

What Wikipedia Says

What is included in the price

Glacier gear
Crampons
Ice axe
Ropes
Carabines
Harness
Local glacier guide

What is not included in the price

Insurance
Beverages and meals during the trip
Pick-up services

Please, take note, that this activity is demanding some effort and specific endurance. Good health and some hiking experience are required.

Instructions

What to take with you?

We recommend wearing warm clothes (rain gear pants and jacket). Bring good hiking shoes, a hat and gloves. Please, take a 20-30l backpack, food and water for the day, hiking poles and sunglasses would be fine too.

Where do we meet and where will the trip end?

Meeting place:

Sandfell (Sand hill) or in the Skaftafell national park
We arrange pick-up and drop-off from Reykjavík. Please, let us know by email (info@northiceexpeditions.is) where would you like to be picked up and dropped off.

Meeting place information:

Skaftafell national park next to the information centre. Find a car with North Ice logo on it.

Open map

Final destination:

Same as the meeting point

Cancellation Policy - Benevolent

Cancellation more than 4 days prior to the starting date. Clients are automatically refunded the full booking price.
Cancellation within 48 to 96 hours prior to the starting date. Clients are entitled to a 50% refund of the booking price.
Cancellation less than 48 hours prior to the starting date. No refunds.

The full Terms and Conditions are available on our website.