5 Best Ice Climbing in Iceland Tours in 2025

My Top 3 Picks: Ice Climbing in Iceland

#1 TOP PICK

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reykjavik/Sólheimajökull: Glacier Hiking & Ice Climbing Trip
✔️ Reykjavik Transfer
✔️ 100+ reviews
✔️ 4.5 hours on glacier

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#2 PICK

Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing and Glacier Walk
✔️ 5/5 stars
✔️ Focus on climbing skills
❌ Meet at Sólheimajökull

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#3 PICK

Skaftafell Ice Climb and Glacier Hike
✔️ Small group size
✔️ Europe’s largest glacier
❌ Meet at Vatnajökull

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1. Reykjavik/Sólheimajökull: Glacier Hiking & Ice Climbing Trip

⭐RATING: 4.9 out of 5 Stars (100+ reviews) | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 11 hours |
🧍 GROUP SIZE: Max 8 | 🧊 BOOK NOW

The best ice climbing in Iceland tour is the Reykjavik/Sólheimajökull: Glacier Hiking & Ice Climbing Trip. It’s also the tour I personally opted for when visiting Iceland.

Before even talking about the ice climbing side of things, what stands out to me about Reykjavik/Sólheimajökull: Glacier Hiking & Ice Climbing Trip is that you can get a transfer from Reykjavik for only an extra €40.

Many of these tours begin at glaciers which are far outside Reykjavik, and unless you rent a car during your trip to Iceland, you’ll find it difficult to get about without transfers.

That’s why I love that this tour begins in Reykjavik. However, if you would prefer to meet at the glacier, that’s possible too, and in that case, the tour lasts 4.5 hours instead of 11.

Now, let’s talk about ice climbing. The tour includes a half-day of exploring Sólheimajökull, one of southern Iceland’s most accessible glaciers.

All of the tours on this list are made up of a majority of hiking, with some ice climbing. Of course, you’re not going to be climbing for 4 hours straight.

But when you do get to climb, it’s the most surreal feeling. The feeling of true adventure combined with the remoteness of the glacier come together and make you feel like an old-school explorer, discovering lands never seen before.

To quote the tour company, you get to “see sights that most people will only dream of and be the envy of everyone you know”. And this could not be more true.

Hiking across a glacier, squeezing through tight icy crevices, climbing up walls of ice and even abseiling deep into a moulin…these are things of dreams.

Oh yeah, I hadn’t even mentioned the abseiling yet. As well as climbing up ice walls, you can also climb down. As part of the tour, you get to abseil down a moulin– which if you aren’t familiar, it’s pretty much a hole in the ground which goes down extremely deep.

I’m not great at estimating distances myself, but the review above says they were able to abseil down 30 feet into an 80-foot-deep moulin, which I would say is pretty accurate.

Reykjavik/Sólheimajökull: Glacier Hiking & Ice Climbing Trip definitely gets the heart going, that’s for sure. But I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll have the time of your life.

2. Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing and Glacier Walk

⭐RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars (100+ reviews) | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 4 hours |
🧍 GROUP SIZE: Max 12 | 🧊 BOOK NOW

Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing and Glacier Walk is actually the highest-rated tour on this list, with a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating after more than 100 reviews. The only reason I didn’t put it first is because it begins at the glacier itself instead of Reykjavik.

But if you’re able to get to Sólheimajökull by yourself, then I definitely recommend the Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing and Glacier Walk.

It’s always a good idea to go with a tried and tested option – no one wants to book a tour that doesn’t have any reviews, right? And this tour has more than passed the test of time. People don’t just leave good reviews for no reason!

And there are endless positive reports about the trip. One of the best things in my eyes is that even though the maximum group size is 12, most people say the group was actually around 5-7 people, which makes for a much better experience.

This is also one of the best tours if you really want to have as much ice climbing as possible. Because when you get to the ice walls, you can have as many turns at it as you want (within reason).

There’s also a real focus on teaching you how to ice climb rather than just ensuring you’re able to ice climb for the tour. I’m not sure if I’ve worded that very well- I mean that the instructors really want to teach you the principles of ice climbing and the fundamentals you need to know to be able to ice climb in future, whereas some other tours just teach you enough to get you through the day tour.

Also if you’re wondering or concerned about safety, all of these tours are completely safe with lots of protocols in place, and of course, all the equipment you could possibly need is provided.

All of the tours provide crampons, ice axes, harnesses, helmets and climbing boots as a bare minimum. Some will even go above and beyond and give you appropriate clothing, but it’s generally assumed that you come dressed prepared.

But in terms of ice climbing, Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing and Glacier Walk is the best option if you’re able to get from Reykjavik by yourself.

3. Skaftafell Ice Climb and Glacier Hike

⭐RATING: 4.7 out of 5 Stars (60+ reviews) | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 4 hours |
🧍 GROUP SIZE: Max 6 | 🧊 BOOK NOW

Skaftafell Ice Climb and Glacier Hike is another amazing ice climbing in Iceland tour. It’s also very highly rated and has lots of reviews to back it up.

Skaftafell Ice Climb and Glacier Hike provides a unique opportunity too; the opportunity to hike on Europe’s largest glacier.

The previous two tours go ice climbing at Sólheimajökull, whereas this tour goes to Vatnajökull. At 8300 square kilometres, it’s the largest glacier in Europe.

Not many people can say that they’ve been ice climbing in Iceland – it’s not exactly the most popular tour to take, despite how incredible it is – but even fewer people can say they’ve been ice climbing on Europe’s largest glacier.

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and one not to miss out on. Of course, the glacier hiking and ice climbing are the main attractions, but what’s also amazing about this tour is the views.

You get views over the Skaftafell area, which is one of Iceland’s National Parks made up of a bit of everything from waterfalls, basalt columns, woodlands and of course, glaciers. The views you get while on the glacier are unbelievable. It’s like something straight off a postcard.

And if you want an added incentive, like everywhere else in Iceland, there are Game of Thrones filming locations on the glacier which are pointed out throughout the hiking and climbing.

You’ll also get a lot of facts and history about the glacier from your guide throughout the tour. But as I said, all of these incentives are bonuses, the main attraction is always going to be the ice climbing.

And you do really get to feel like a true adventurer.

Climbing on Europe’s largest glacier just has that extra bit of spice to it, an extra kick, an extra bit of adrenaline. Iceland is a country filled with opportunities for adventure, and if you ask me, this is one of the best opportunities you’re ever going to get.

Though you won’t discover many animals. There are few animals in Iceland, there aren’t any snakes in Iceland, very few insects, only one mammal, etc.

And with unmissable opportunities comes popularity, and this tour has that, so be sure to book your Skaftafell Ice Climb and Glacier Hike well in advance as it does sometimes sell out.

4. From Reykjavik: South Coast and Glacier Hiking Tour

⭐RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 11 hours |
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If you’re looking to leave from Reykjavik, then the From Reykjavik: South Coast and Glacier Hiking Tour should be strongly considered.

From Reykjavik: South Coast and Glacier Hiking Tour offers exactly what it says on the tin. An Iceland South Coast tour with glacier hiking from Reykjavik.

To be clear, this tour is unfortunately only glacier hiking, not ice climbing. But I decided to still include it on this list of ice climbing tours in Iceland and I’ll explain why.

Very few tours leave from Reykjavik, so if like many others, you are using it as a starting point to take day trips across Iceland in winter, you need a tour that leaves from the city. And there’s only one other option which is the first tour on this list.

Secondly, a South Coast tour of Iceland is an absolute must on any trip to the country. It’s one of the most breathtakingly beautiful regions in the whole world and includes infamous attractions like the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss.

And thirdly, it does include a 1.5-2 hour glacier hike. It’s the next best thing to ice climbing, and you still get an adventure across a glacier through all of the nooks and crannies. The only difference is you don’t get to scale an ice wall using the axes, crampons etc.

I know what you’re thinking, the whole reason you Googled this was to find ice climbing in Iceland, but I still think this tour is worth considering. Especially if you have no way of making it from Reykjavik to the glaciers on your own.

If you understand my reasoning, then you can book your South Coast and Glacier Hiking Tour and I promise you, you’re guaranteed to have an amazing day out.

5. Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing Tour

⭐RATING: 4.7 out of 5 Stars | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 4 hours |
🧍 GROUP SIZE: Max 5 | 🧊 BOOK NOW

Last but by no means least of these Iceland ice climbing tours is Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing Tour which still has an impressive rating of 4.7/5 stars.

It really is a case of last but by no means least as Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing Tour offers some really good perks.

The size of the group is the smallest, with a maximum of 5 people on each tour. This allows for a much more personal experience, and a lot more time ice climbing too. As the review above says, you get to do up to 6 climbs each (usually 4). That’s a lot of ice climbing!

But equally, it’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s also the shortest tour on this list, lasting only 4 hours, so it’s good if you are short on time, but it’s also pretty intense fitting all that hiking and climbing into a short timeframe.

A typical tour has an easy beginner climb at the beginning to (quite literally) show you the ropes and how to actually ice climb, and then you get to climb up at least 3 other ice climbing locations.

Including a moulin, which as I mentioned earlier, is a huge vertical hole in the ground. It’s pretty epic to abseil down and climb up…a bit scary, but epic nonetheless.

Honestly, even though I’m ranking it as number 5, it could easily be number 1. There are lots of other tours which did not even make the cut, so don’t consider this the worst tour, because it definitely isn’t.

The tour also includes seeing Skógarfoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls which is a nice way to wrap up this summary.

If you’re short on time and/or want lots of ice climbing in a short period of time, then Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing Tour is the tour for you.