Langjökull is an ice cap in the Highlands of West Iceland, the second largest in the country after Vatnajökull. It runs about 50 km north-east to south-west and 15 to 20 km across, and the ice reaches 580 m thick. It is the nearest large glacier to Reykjavík and can be seen from Haukadalur, on the Golden Circle. Visitors come for snowmobile runs, glacier hikes and the man-made tunnel cut into the ice. The glacier is shrinking fast.
Langjökull
The ice runs up to 580 m thick, and a tunnel has been dug down into it to a chapel.
- Entrance
- The ice tunnel, snowmobile runs and glacier hikes are sold as guided tours; the price depends on the operator.
- Accessibility
- Not accessible — glacier terrain, guided vehicles
- Difficulty
- Vehicles take you to the tunnel mouth. Inside you walk on ice with spikes fitted over your boots, through meltwater deep enough to swamp ordinary walking boots.
- Transport
- No scheduled public transport. Operators run 4WD buses out to the glacier from their own meeting points.
- Advance booking
- Required — glacier tours only
What makes it special
A tunnel has been cut down into Langjökull, and it ends in a chapel with the walls lit blue from behind. You reach it in stages: an all-terrain bus over black volcanic scree to a base of cargo containers at the foot of the ice, then a monster truck whose part-inflated wheels ride over the glacier. Spikes go on over your boots at the entrance. The ice around the tunnel is up to 580 m thick. On the surface, snowmobiles run across an ice cap about 50 km long and 15 to 20 km wide — the second largest in Iceland after Vatnajökull, and the closest big glacier to Reykjavík.
Good to know
- Dress for real cold. The surface is freezing and windy. Wear layers under the overall the operator gives you.
- Take the rubberised boots. Meltwater pools foot-deep on the tunnel floor, and ordinary walking boots are no match for it.
- Kit comes with the tour. Overall, gloves, buff and helmet, plus transport out onto the ice on a 4WD bus.
- Wind at the foot of the ice. At the container base it can be hard to stay upright, and the outdoor benches are no shelter.
- Highland tracks are summer-only. Kaldidalur (road 550) and Kjölur (F35) open in the summer months; hire firms allow Kaldidalur only in a four-wheel drive.
Getting there
There is no self-drive route onto the ice. Trips assemble at a meeting point north of the Golden Circle, then cross black volcanic scree by all-terrain bus to a base of cargo containers at the foot of the glacier. From there a monster truck on part-inflated wheels carries you over the ice to the tunnel mouth. On your own, two highland tracks run alongside the ice cap in the summer months: Kaldidalur (road 550) to the west and Kjölur (F35) to the east. Road F551 branches off Kaldidalur and runs right to the glacier edge.
Best time to visit
Better: the summer months, if you want to drive the highland tracks alongside the glacier yourself. Kaldidalur and Kjölur are open then, and F551 reaches the ice.
Avoid: planning your own drive outside that window — the tracks are shut, and hire firms bar Kaldidalur to anything without four-wheel drive.
Guided trips onto the ice run in winter as well; snowmobiling in December works, it is simply colder and daylight is short.
Sun & daylight
Nearby Places
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Langjökull on the map
Weather on the ice cap turns fast: fog can descend and put the whole glacier into a whiteout while you are on it. At the foot of the ice the wind is strong enough to knock a person off their feet. The surface is freezing even inside a supplied overall. Everything that happens on the glacier happens with guides and purpose-built vehicles — cross the ice with an operator, not on your own.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you go inside Langjökull?
Yes. A tunnel has been cut down into the ice cap and ends in a chapel, with the walls lit blue from behind. Spikes are fitted over your boots for the walk in, and there are natural ice caves on the glacier as well.Can you drive to the glacier yourself?
Two highland tracks run alongside it in the summer months: Kaldidalur (road 550) to the west and Kjölur (F35) to the east. Road F551 branches off Kaldidalur to the glacier edge. Hire firms allow Kaldidalur only in a four-wheel drive. Going onto the ice itself is done with an operator.What is there to do on the glacier?
Snowmobiling, glacier hiking, monster-truck rides across the ice, and the man-made tunnel and ice caves.How cold is it up there?
Freezing, and windy with it. Operators issue an overall, gloves, a buff and a helmet; wear layers underneath. Inside the ice tunnel it is a good deal warmer than on the surface.Is Langjökull shrinking?
Yes, and fast. The outlet glaciers Norðurjökull and Suðurjökull reached lake Hvítárvatn until about 1900 and have retreated rapidly since. Some researchers expect the ice cap to be gone in about 150 years if the climate keeps changing at its recent pace.