South coast and ice climbing

DURATION

10-12 hours

AVAILABILITY

All year

DIFFICULTY

Hard

PERSONS

1 to 6

BOOK

OVERVIEW

General information

This South Coast and glacier experience combines dramatic coastal scenery with an unforgettable glacier adventure. The tour includes a scenic journey along Iceland’s iconic South Coast, followed by a private guided ice climbing experience on Sólheimajökull glacier.

The South Coast is renowned for its striking natural beauty—towering waterfalls, black sand beaches, volcanic landscapes, and views of legendary volcanoes like Eyjafjallajökull and Hekla. Along the way, you’ll explore these sights with an expert guide, gaining insight into the region’s geology and history.

After the coastal exploration, the adventure continues on the glacier. Replacing the standard glacier hike, this tour includes a private ice climbing session on Sólheimajökull. Equipped with crampons, harnesses, and ice axes, and under the guidance of experienced professionals, you’ll ascend vertical walls of ice and explore the glacier’s raw, sculpted formations.

This experience offers a deeper, more physical engagement with the glacier—featuring features like crevasses, moulins, and striking blue ice-while still enjoying stunning panoramic views and photo opportunities.

Combining coastal sightseeing with active glacier exploration, this tour offers a dynamic way to experience Iceland’s diverse landscapes and learn from knowledgeable local guides.

Highlights

Seljalandsfoss waterfall
Skogafoss waterfall
Sólheimajökull glacier hike
Shipwreck black sand beach

Price

240,000 ISK per tour

What's included

Private luxury 4×4
Professional driver-guide
Detailed personal itinerary
Photo package of your trip

What to bring

Warm clothes
Hat and gloves
Good hiking shoes
Waterproof clothing

ITINERARY

					  Can't recommend enough - TL;DR: BOOK THEM!!

If you’re planning a trip to Iceland, I have two bits of advice: book a private tour, and book Arctic Exped for that tour.

Planning... read more a trip to Iceland can be overwhelming—at least for us. Every place we wanted to visit seemed to have an 18-letter name that was impossible to pronounce. We found Julian and spoke with him about what we wanted to see and the overall vibe of the trip we were looking for.

He worked with us on the itinerary we had planned and made thoughtful recommendations on what we were missing or what could be swapped for even better options. He also included several off-the-beaten-path stops, which ended up being some of the most memorable moments of our entire trip. That’s the kind of experience you simply can’t get any other way.

Julian is cool, funny, knowledgeable, and extremely experienced, which allowed us to feel completely safe and at ease—whether we were out on outdoor excursions or spending long hours driving across the country.

As if the trip itself wasn’t incredible enough, we also ended up with gorgeous photos.

I can’t speak highly enough about our experience, and I can’t recommend Julian and Arctic Exped enough.				
David A
January 8, 2026 

					  Amazing trip to see Katla and South Coast  - What a treat! Julian picked us up promptly from our hotel. With the weather predicted to take a turn for the worse, he made sure to review our itinerary with... read more us to hit our priorities first while we still had good light. As memories of our experience were (are) important to us, we appreciated his attention to detail both in planning our route and in helping plan shots of the family. We also appreciated his help in picking a good restaurant during our day as our son can be a bit of a picky eater at times. An unexpected treat was, ironically, skipping the black sand beach (Reynisfjara) and the associated busloads of tourists. As we discussed on the ride, we had been before when the weather was nicer and didn't need to take a repeat trip if he had a better option for our time. Instead, he took us to another black sand beach that we were able to have all to ourselves!

We will definitely do another tour with Arctic Exped the next time we're back in Iceland.				
qnasdfksid3
January 4, 2026 

					  Julian an amazing tour guide!  - Julian was an incredible tour guide and an absolute pleasure to spend time with. We spent three days with him exploring the south of Iceland, and from the very beginning... read more he was warm, personable, and incredibly knowledgeable. He planned an awesome itinerary for us and thoughtfully customized the trip around specific things we wanted to see and do. Julian was easygoing, enthusiastic, and genuinely passionate about Iceland, which made long drives and busy days extra enjoyable! This was my second time in Iceland but my first time booking a private tour guide, and I would 100% recommend a private tour over a group tour. It takes the experience to another level. If we hadn’t booked a tour with Julian, I don’t think we would have had nearly as amazing of an experience in Iceland as we did.				
Linda S
January 4, 2026