Adventure trip Iceland – Glacier hike Sólheimajökull
We stood at the bottom of the ancient glacier Sólheimajökull and were all given irons under our shoes. In addition, we were also all given lap belts. Because of these precautions, I saw some people looking doubtful. Preparations had begun for the Sólheimajökull glacier hike.
’ This wasn’t dangerous or anything, was it? ’
I saw my fellow adventurers thinking.
Will you also book this cool & adventurous glacier hike Sólheimajökull when you take a round trip in Iceland? Check out your options for a glacier hike Sólheimajökull
I just got all excited about this kind of preparation, going on an adventure trip in Iceland! The idea, a glacier hike Sólheimajökull, how incredibly cool!
Where to find glacier Sólheimajökull?
Sólheimajökull is located over 160 east of Reykjavik on the coast of Iceland. This glacier is an offshoot of the large glacier Mirdalsjokull. This large ice sheet covers the active volcano Katla. The last eruption is from 1918 and, don’t worry, the volcano is closely monitored for activity. Meltwater from this glacier is drained by the Jökulsá River.
Safety preparation glacier hike Sólheimajökull
The guide told us that without these precautions it isn’t safe to walk the ancient old ice. Of course we don’t expect that anything will happen but in case it does…you have a safety belt that allowes us to get you out of a deep hole… Hmm..that wasn’t the answer they were hoping to get. The guide saw their worrying faces too and started to tell about the great sunset we would see on top of the glacier, that would give us a great landscape view! I saw tension on their faces….this would be a challenge for them!
Glacier Hike Sólheimajökull
My visit was in January and the sun sets around 4 or 4.30 pm, so twilight takes a long time during the day. We went up the glacier around 1.30 pm so we didn’t had much daylight left. I looked around me and all I saw was snow … big black mountains and a lot of snow. On the foot of the mountain was a small lake and in the lake were big ice floes.
What a great view! Most of my travels I was in summer weather and destinations but I really loved this! It wasn’t cold either, it was around freezingpoint and no wind.
The lake we stood by was the outcrop of this ancient glacier. This glestjer is called Sólheimajökull, which in turn is an offshoot of the great glacier Mirdalsjokull.
Sólheimajökull is only small compared to the ice sheet, Mirdalsjokull, of which it is a part
Walking on ice is a challenge ofcourse. And while walking up the glacier you’ll walk on unequal grounds. After all the safety gear was checked and put on the right way we left for the glacier. At last we got a pickaxe to get a bit of grip and we started to hike.
We were walking in line and it was good to do it this way. The path was safe, there the ice was thick enough to carry us. There were no wholes or airbubbles at least. The ice was tens of metres thick, year after year it freezes over and gets a bit thicker. The ice we were walking on was 80 years old. There is a black layer of ashes on the ice and in the top layer that indicated that it was of the last outburst of the Katla in 1918.
I think that is so impressive! Strange to know and walk on it 🙂
Ashes of 100 years old that came on top of Sólheimajökull
The view got better and better every time I looked back. The higher we got the more you could see. And as time passed the better the colours in the sky turned! Twilight set in and it was great to be walking on top of the glacier still!
On top of the glacier our guide showed us a great part of the glacier. Because of the melting process arcs started to arise from the ice. The first one we visited was thick enough to walk underneath and see the blue colour of the ice. We also got to this smaller one that wasn’t safe anymore but the view was great!
It was twilight already and I loved the colour of the sky and the reflections of the ice. It gave us some wonderful views over the magnificent landscape of Iceland!
Sunset while hiking on Glacier Sólheimajökull
A couple of us started to worry again. How long was the hike back down? How long would it take to get really dark? Did we even brought some light?? It didn’t turn out to be that long and the twilight in Iceland in January takes for ever 🙂 We were at the foot of Solheimajokul before dark and walked to our agency bus in dusk to drive to a restaurant to get some nice Icelandic soup!
Will you also book this cool & adventurous glacier hike Sólheimajökull when you take a round trip in Iceland? Check out your options for a glacier hike Sólheimajökull
Glacier Hike Sólheimajökull – Iceland
Stay near Sólheimajökull
Sólheimajökull is close to the small town of Vík í Mýrdal. Here you can book an overnight stay at the cute guesthouse Carina. You’ll be on the coast and can have fun exploring that town later in the afternoon.
Stay in Reykjavik
Or are you, like me, booking the trip from Reykjavik? Then an affordable option is Bed and Breakfast Idglo which is on the edge of the city centre in a residential area. Or do you opt for the luxurious Kvosin Downtown hotel which is in the city centre within walking distance of the iconic Hallgrimskirkja church.
Would you like to read about my other adventures in Iceland? Take a look at: 10 minutes in Summertime, Pingvellir About the path I used to get to a waterfall, it was a challenge and I loved it!
Or about the biggest contradiction I have ever felt! Bathing in a snowy landscape
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Read my previous posts about Iceland:
10 Minutes in Summertime… Thingvellir Nature Park
Jacomijn is een politieagent uit Nederland die jou graag laat zien hoe je veilig, actief en gezond de wereld kan over reizen. Safe and Healthy travel is a MUST
Thank you!! You’re very welcome!
Thank you for the great information, It is good to know with winter right around the corner.