Published on Jan, 2025

When they say demanding... This ended up being about 4.5 miles of hiking on the glacier. That may not seem like a strenuous hike but being on a glacier is entirely different. Having to stomp crampons into the ice with each step adds quite a lot of intensity to the hike. It also included a fair amount that was near an edge of a crevasse or other heights that would be stressful if you are afraid of heights. With that being said, it was FABULOUS. The views were incredible and since this was the "demanding" hike, we went a completely different route once we got to the glacier than all of the large group tours. This meant that all of our views were strictly of nature, not a single human outside of our group until we passed the next tour going in when we were leaving. The state of the ice cave wasn't great when we went so we didn't get to go in the cave, but still got to climb down the far side of the glacier to see the outside.

Published on Nov, 2024

My husband and I went on the "demanding" glacier hike and ice cave tour (also called "Only the Brave" on Icelandia's site) near the end of October, and it was definitively the highlight of our 10-day ring road trip. Our guide, Mark, was incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and helpful. He works for search and rescue as well, so I felt very safe with him around. Agust also drove us there and talked with us beforehand, and he was also really nice and helpful! There were only 2 other couples on the tour, and the small group size was a real benefit. We could see many of the shorter trips elsewhere on the glacier at the beginning, and the large group sizes did not look appealing at all. We moved quickly across the glacier, but the hike shouldn't be too strenuous if you are relatively fit/active. Mark was really kind to stop and help us get photographs, and he was frequently taking photographs and expressing how cool it was right alongside us. He pointed out lots of interesting features and explained their significance too. The weather was perfect that day, so we were able to go into the cave, which was a perfect middle point. I'd recommend you bring some snacks or even a small lunch for that point. We had some granola bars in our backpack, but wish we had brought slightly more snacks. The whole hike was amazing, and Mark was a fantastic guide. I can't recommend it enough.

Published on Oct, 2024

This is a very demanding tour. The guide was very upfront that he did not think me and my friend were up for this tour, so he directed us to a lesser demanding tour. He was very nice about it. I think he was correcr. We enjoyed the one we went on.

Published on Oct, 2024

My husband and I chose this tour hoping for a vigorous hike with gorgeous scenery and a small group and that's exactly what we got. Our guide, Mark, was expert in guiding us safely across the glacier and took time to teach us about the landscape. Not only did he emphasize safety but went out of his way to create opportunities for us to truly experience the glacier up close - we repelled down a short segment of ice, got to peer deep into a moulin and climbed the wall of a crevasse with ice axes. He went above and beyond to give us an amazing day and we are so grateful for the lifelong memories we have as a result. Can't recommend enough. One thing to note - this is a physically-challenging experience and a baseline fitness level is required. The guides appropriately reserve the right to decline a tour member if they don't feel their participation is safe for them and for the group (this happened on the day of our tour). Just make sure to book the right tour for you!

Published on Sep, 2024

We loved our pro and fun guide, Heini. She's so charming and lively, smiles and jokes a lot. She really cared for our group, we felt safe, excited and noticed. Her English is incredibly good! Thank you <3