Photo by Ingibjörg Friðriksdóttir
Drive from hotel
2.5 hrs
Accessability
Easy
Season
All
south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country. With a
size of 8,100 km², it is the largest glacier in Europe. The average
thickness of the ice is 400 m, with a maximum thickness of 1,000 m.
Iceland’s highest mountain, Öræfajökull (2,110 m), is located in
the southern periphery of Vatnajokull, near Skaftafell National Park. It
is classified as an ice cap glacier. Under the glacier, as under many
of the glaciers of Iceland, there are several volcanoes. The volcanic
lakes, Grímsvötn for example, were the sources of a large glacier run in
1996. The volcano under these lakes also caused a considerable but
short-time eruption in the beginning of November 2004 and another larger
in 2011.
FAQ about Vatnajökull Glacier
On our social media channels we frequently post tips, tricks & fun facts about Iceland with the hashtag #knowIceland.
Yes it is the largest glacier in Iceland and the largest glacier mass in Europe.
The best way to travel around Iceland is either by a rental car or with a local tour guides. From Hotel Rangá it is a fairly easy drive via the ring road to Vatnajökull national park, it takes approximately 2,5 hrs to drive from Hotel Rangá to the park one way.
There are numerous local tour companies that offer tours on Vatnajökull glacier, such as glacier walking and ice caving. Please check with reception for tours available today.
Distances from Vatnajökull Glacier
It takes approximately 2 hrs. and 40 min to drive to Vatnajökull national park from Hotel Rangá.
It takes approximately 4 hrs. to drive to Vatnajökull national park from Reykjavík.
