Svartifoss and Skaftafell: an independent travel guide

What you are visiting

Svartifoss is a 20 metre waterfall in Skaftafell, in south-east Iceland. The name means “black waterfall”, and the rock is the real subject. The water drops in front of thick, unusually regular basalt columns that formed about 300,000 years ago, when lava flowed across the Skaftafellsheiði plain and cooled.

The park rates the circuit through Svartifoss, the Sjónarsker viewpoint and the old turf house at Sel as easy. It is 5.8 km, takes about two hours and starts next to the Skaftafell visitor centre. Our Svartifoss hike guide covers the route and the longer alternatives.

Skaftafell became a national park in 1967 and has been part of Vatnajökull National Park since 2008. The park joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019. This site is an independent guide and is not run by the park. For closures, rules and trail conditions, use Vatnajökull National Park.

The visitor centre, Skaftafellsstofa, is open all year, and so is the campsite beside it. The park says the area is accessible year-round, weather and road conditions permitting, and that conditions can change quickly outside the summer months. It adds that the weather here can often be much better than in neighbouring areas, thanks to the shelter of the Öræfajökull glacier.

What most visitors actually book

The waterfall needs no booking. The glacier does. The Reykjavík Grapevine, citing state broadcaster RÚV, reported in September 2025 that around 200,000 people had joined glacier hikes or ice cave tours in the park the year before. That is what fills the calendar around Skaftafell.

Glacier hikes. Guided walks on Falljökull, a glacier that creeps down from the Öræfajökull volcano above Skaftafell. Easy hikes take about three hours and the harder ones about five. Several operators run them all year, and you do not need experience. The glacier hikes guide explains the difference between the levels, minimum ages and what to wear.

Ice caves. Natural caves inside the glacier, open only in winter and different every year. Operators list October to April. You can visit one on a Skaftafell tour that combines a glacier hike with a cave, or on a shorter trip from the Jökulsárlón lagoon. No operator can promise a particular cave, which is why the ice caves guide spends time on what can go wrong.

The lagoon. Jökulsárlón is about 45 minutes by road from Skaftafell, according to Troll Expeditions. Amphibian boats run from May, kayaking is a summer activity, and the black beach across the road from the lagoon collects chunks of glacier ice. The cards below include a kayak trip and a Reykjavik day trip with a boat ride, and both are seasonal.

Prices vary a lot. Based on the lowest prices we saw in October 2026, expect around €90 for an easy glacier hike, €140 to €160 for most ice cave tours and about €250 for the longest ones. Compare every tour type for durations, ages, fitness and seasons.

Which tour suits you

• First time on ice, short on time. The easy three-hour glacier hike. The minimum age is 8 at Troll Expeditions and 10 at Icelandic Mountain Guides.
• Visiting between October and April and want a cave. Either the Skaftafell hike that ends in a cave, or a three-hour trip from Jökulsárlón. The first involves more walking. The second is mostly a drive, though the distance on foot varies from cave to cave and week to week, so ask the operator.
• Fit, and want a long day on the ice. The five-hour hike, which has a minimum age of 12 at Troll Expeditions.
• Visiting in summer. The ice caves are closed, so combine a glacier hike with the lagoon. Amphibian boats on the lagoon suit all ages, and the kayak trip starts at age 14.
• Travelling with young children. The operator says the lagoon amphibian boats suit all ages, and Ice Explorers sets 7 as the minimum for its three-hour ice cave tour. Check the height and shoe-size limits before you book.

A short tour of the area

• The Svartifoss hike: the waterfall circuit from the visitor centre, with the options for shorter and longer walks.
• Skaftafellsjökull: the glacier tongue at the head of the valley. The park has an easy 4.1 km visitor trail that explains the glacier’s retreat and takes 1 to 1.5 hours.
• Svínafellsjökull: a glacier to look at from a distance. A 2018 Civil Protection warning advised against travel there because of rockslide risk, and operator Icelandia says guided activities are suspended, so glacier hikes now run on Falljökull instead.
• Jökulsárlón: the glacier lagoon, with boat tours, kayaking and the departure point for many ice cave trips.
• Diamond Beach: the black beach south of Route 1, where ice from the lagoon often ends up.
• Fjallsárlón: a smaller glacier lagoon about 10 km from Jökulsárlón, popular with people who want fewer crowds.
• Hofskirkja: the church at Hof, the area where Troll Expeditions has its Skaftafell base.

Planning in a nutshell

How long. One day works if you start early: the waterfall in the morning and a three-hour glacier hike in the afternoon. Two nights give you room for the lagoon and a weather buffer for the tours. See where to stay for bases nearby.

Which season. The waterfall and the glacier hikes run all year. Ice caves are October to April, and the boats on the lagoon start in May. Summer has the long days. Winter has the caves and the short days. The best time to visit page sets out the months.

Self-drive or tour. Skaftafell is about 330 km east of Reykjavik, a drive of 4.5 to 5 hours. Almost every glacier hike and ice cave tour here meets at a base at Skaftafell, Hof or Jökulsárlón, so you will need your own transport. Arctic Adventures says winter bus service to the area is very limited. Read getting there before you book a tour for your first morning. If you have only one day from Reykjavik, a lagoon day trip is the simpler option, because the operator does the driving.

Safety. Never go onto a glacier or into an ice cave without a certified guide. The safety page covers weather, crevasses and what to check before you go.

About the tour cards

The tour cards on this page and in the guides come from GetYourGuide, and we earn a commission if you book through them. The cards show the lowest price we saw at the time we checked. Operators also sell direct, and similar names do not mean identical trips, so compare time on the ice, group size and minimum age rather than the headline price alone.