Planning your visit to Skaftafell National Park
Skaftafell National Park is one of the must see destinations in Iceland.
Skaftafell is a beautiful mountainous region in the south of Iceland on
the southern edge of the mighty Vatnajökull Glacier. The old Skaftafell
National park is nearly 5.000 km2 but is since 2008 the epicenter of
the largest National Park in Europe, Vatnajökull National Park, covering
12.000 km2.
The area is an amazing place to view the great contrasts between active
volcanoes, mighty glaciers, powerful glacier rivers and endless flat
sandy plains. The park is the birth place of Icelandic Mountain Guides.
It is where we began running glacier tours in
1994, helping people enjoy the extreme nature of the park in a safe, environmentally friendly and
enjoyable manner.
Activities in Skaftafell
There are many ways to
experience the wonders of the Skaftafell park. You can hike from your
campsite or hotel, drive to the glacier lagoon, hike up to the
Kristínartindar peaks for an amazing view, watch the documentary of the
1996 eruption in the Skaftafell Visitor Center and much more. If you
would like to experience a glacier walk or do some mountain climbing, you'll want the help of the local expert
mountain guides. We run three different glacier walks on the Svínafellsjökull Glacier along with ice climbing for all levels. On the high mountains that
encompass the park we do mountain climbs up
to the high glaciated mountains of Hrútsfjallstindar and
the highest summit of Iceland, Hvannadalshnúkur.
The glacier walks include the all time
favorite Blue Ice Experience easy glacier walk, from March 1st, Glacier Adventure 4 hour walk from May 1st and the 7 hour Full Day Glacier Adventure from June 1st.
The Skaftafell
National Park is where the story of Icelandic Mountain Guides began in
1994 and is still one of the foundations of our business. We have an
office right next to the visitors center where we sell and begin all our
tours in the park. The glacier walks are
the most popular tours and for a good reason. Setting foot on a glacier,
looking into cauldrons and crevasses is an out of this world experience
for those who have never experienced glaciers or walked on crampons. We
offer a variety of tours for all skill levels, starting with the
popular Blue Ice Experience easy glacier tour, perfect for the whole
family and going up to the longer 4 hour Glacier Adventure, where we venture further up the
ice, seeing deep crevasses and high ice ridges all around us. For the
most adventurous we have the 7 hour Full Day Glacier Adventurewhere we hike up through the
4 hour route and continue on up to the ice plateau above to find some
of the largest cauldrons glaciers can hold and getting great views of
the ice fall above us and up to theHvannadalshnjúkur summit. If you prefer something more
vertical, you can try Glacier Ice Climbing. In the Ice Climbing tours we
take small groups to some of the highest glacier walls on the
Svínafellsjökull Glacier to practice some great super safe ice climbing.
The tour can be tailored to any skill level, wether you have never
tried any form of climbing before or are a veteran rock or ice climber.
The glacier walks
suit those who want to experience glaciers without too much effort. But
for those who want a real challenge and climb a proper mountain, we have
plenty of possibilities. Our most popular mountain climb is the summit
of Hvannadalshnjúkur (2.111m), the highest peak in Iceland. This is a
beautiful hike that starts at just above sea level and ends up on the
top of Hvannadalshnjúkur, the highest peak of the Öræfajökull Glacier,
one of the most powerful volcanoes in the world. A mountain climb of a
similar level is the summit of Hrútsfjallstindar Peaks (1.875m). This is
one of the most majestic mountains in Iceland, slightly lower than
Hvannadalshnjúkur but recquiring similar skill levels and stamina while
rewarding with spectacular views over the whole Skaftafell National
Park.
Non-guided hikes
from the Skaftafell Campsite
Skaftafell National Park is a paradise for hikers.
Apart from our glacier tours there
are plenty of trails around the park for people of any skill level. The
most popular walk is up to the Svartifoss waterfall, less than an hour
from the campsite and service center. The basalt columns around
Svartifoss, although small, make it one of the most beautiful waterfalls
in Iceland. Another short easy hike that anybody can complete 
is the path to The
Skaftafellsjökull Glacier a mere half hour away from the campsite and
service center. This is the glacier Icelandic Mountain Guides used to do
glacier walks on, but as Iceland is constantly changing and the
glaciers slowly melting. A large lagoon in front of the glacier blocks
hikers access to walk onto the ice. It is still quite a sight to see
though. For longer day hikes, many people choose the Kristínartindar
Peaks (1.126m). It is possible to walk a very interesting circle around
the Skaftafellsheiði Plateau, linking the beautiful Svartifoss
waterfall, amazing views from the Kristínartindar Peaks and
strolling above the cliffs that Skaftafellsjökull Glacier has carved. This
circle takes between 4 and 6 hours and should be within the capabilities
of most. Many longer hikes are also possible, long day hikes into the
Morsárdalur Valley or overnight trips in the Skaftafellsfjöll Mountains.
All hikers intending to venture off the beaten track in the park are
encouraged to report in the visitors center and submit their plan. If
planning on camping outside the designated campsite, reporting to the
visitors center is both advised and mandatory. The park has published a
map of its most popular hiking routes, available online.
Other things to see in Skaftafell
While staying in the
Skaftafell area there are many other things possible to do depending on
the season. Stop by at our sales cabin by the visitors center to see
what's possible when you are there. We can book you on our glacier walks or sightseeing
flights from the small Skaftafell runway, send you off on kayaking trips
for the whole family or offer you tours on the back of a tractors wagon
out to Cape Ingólfshöfði to see puffins and other amazing birdlife.
How to get there and where to stay
How to get to
Skaftafell
Skaftafell is situated in South Eastern
Iceland. It is on the Ring Road, highway number 1, about 330km east of
Reykjavik and 130km west of Höfn. You can drive from Reykjavik on any
car without trouble but public buses are also available daily throughout
the summer months and a few times a week in the winter.
Where to stay in Skaftafell
The most popular place to stay in
Skaftafell is the campsite, but hotels, sleeping bag accommodation and
guesthouses are also available in the near area. Skaftafell camping is available within an easy walk of the Visitor Center and our summer office and has bathrooms, showers, dish-washing and laundry
facilities. This is the starting point for most hikes and tours in the
park. The only accommodation inside the park other than the camp site is
the small Bölti Guesthouse with sleeping bag accommodation, however
just on the outskirt of the park is Hotel Skaftafell and various farm
guesthouses.
Knowing you'll have a great time in
Skaftafell,
The Icelandic Mountain Guides Team