Frequently Asked Questions

The meeting point is on the trip description section of each individual trip page. If you are not sure, you can contact us at info@ice-guardians.com, you will need to provide your trip booking number in order or us to check.

Often there are many variables that affect the difficulty of a trip, such as a windy day would be more difficult than a calm one. Therefore you might find some trip difficulty levels cross more than one of the levels below.

We base our trip difficulty ratings on a comfort level rather than a minimum level. We’re all here to enjoy and experience nature and adventure rather than just surviving it. If there is an activity you would like to do, but you are not sure about your ability to match the requirements, then get in touch and we can arrange a customised option for your group.

Easy(1-2/5)

Able to hike with ease for 5km on uneven ground, in low rolling hill terrain.

Able to spend 5 hours outdoors with frequent breaks carrying a small backpack.

For canyoning, able to swim 25m.

Moderate (3-4/5)

Able to hike with ease 15+ km on uneven ground in hilly terrain.

Able to spend a long day (10+ hours) outdoors, able to move freely and confidently through technical terrain such as rocky fields.

Physically fit enough to have sustained energy bursts, and able to recover quickly for example, climbing up steep hills and vertical ice walls etc.

Can personally manage being at heights and with some exposure.

For canyoning, able to swim with ease 25m.

Difficult (5/5)

Will require increased physical fitness above moderate levels.

More challenging surfaces and routes will possibly be taken than on moderate trips.

Our pre-trip safety and gear briefings are ‘built into’ the trip, and so the time on your booking confirmation is the time you should arrive at the meeting location.

Our safety equipment will fit a wide range of people and body sizes, however it is simply not possible for us to cover all possible shapes and sizes. Below you will find information on the size’s available.

Glacier Trips
Crampons – US (5.5-14), EU (36-48), UK (3.5-13), MONDOPOINT (22.2-32)
Harnesses – waist circumference (max. 120cm/47in), leg circumference (max. 85cm/33in)
Helmets – head circumference (48 – 61cm)

Canyoning Trips
Wetsuits & Neoprene Boots – (please click here)
Harnesses – waist circumference (max. 120cm/47in), leg circumference (max. 85cm/33in)
Helmets – head circumference (48 – 61cm)

Both experiences are guided through the same canyon with 2 guides. The differences in the offerings are listed below.

Canyoning under Vatnajökull

• group trip open to 8 participants
• minimum 2 participants

Private Canyoning Adventure

• private trip with 2 guides (no other guests)
• bonus canyon features
• small BBQ on return

If the answer you were looking for is not here, or you require more than 8 spaces on a trip please get in touch via email or the web chat.

info@ice-guardians.com

Our adventure experiences do require using our bodies physically and mentally. We strongly recommend that you drive no more than 2.5 hours after the trip to your accomodation area, unless you have a second driver to rotate with.

Particularly after a long hike, ice climb or the fatigue of having a blast, canyoning in cold water can potentially cause you to be drowsy at the wheel when driving after the buzz of the experience is over. It’s important to stay hydrated and fed. 😀

This ultimately is a choice for yourself, however there are inherent risks and requirements involved with our adventure trips and we’d like to inform you as much as possible.

Contacting us will also give you the opportunity to provide any pertinent medical information, and ask us any questions.

So please do contact us using the chat function in the bottom right or email us at info@ice-guardians.com

Our adventures are all guided in English. You do not need to be fluent in English, our safety practices mean we can get around most language barriers. The nature surrounding us does most of the talking.

We supply wetsuits and all necessary safety gear.

Here’s what you need to bring,

• Underwear (two sets, one for the trip and one for after the trip to change into)
• Towel (to dry yourself after the trip)
• Synthetic sports shirt/swimsuit/rash vest for use under the provided wetsuit

If you are unsure if your clothing suitable, prior to your trip please send us some photos ideally with the brand and model name, and we can let you know if they are suitable at info@ice-guardians.com

We provide all necessary safety equipment for all trips.

Here’s what you need to bring,

• Ankle covering boots with good grip, stiff sole and preferably waterproof. Bring boots you have used prior to your trip, blisters will dampen the experience. For the ice climbing trip, climbing boots are available upon prior request.

If you are unsure if your clothing or footwear is suitable, prior to your trip please send us some photos ideally with the brand and model name, and we can let you know if they are suitable at info@ice-guardians.com

• Good fitting hiking socks, minimal seams, synthetic or merino.
• Breathable base layer top (merino or synthetic)
• Softshell hiking trousers
• Waterproof shell jacket and pants
• Insulation layer (light-medium weight synthetic puffy jacket), and if you are sensitive to the cold bring a synthetic sweater (such as fleece).
• A beanie/buff are useful on those chilly days
• Sunglasses are good at protecting your eyes against the bright white ice.
• Gloves (two pairs are usually ideal), they will not only protect against the cold/wind they will protect your hands from the sharp ice.

On our trips, you will experience adventure, fun and otherworldy landscapes in and around Vatnajökull National Park. We understand you will want to take some photos/footage and we wholly endorse that. So we’ll breakdown below what we can accomodate and any local regulations.

Camera/Mobile Phone/GoPro etc.

• We recommend bringing a handheld device to take some photos or footage there will be plenty of opportunities to capture your memories on all of our trips. However, we do aim to strike a balance, especially on group trips. If you want to see photogenic places and have hours photographing them, please contact us regarding a customised trip, where we can focus on your individual needs.
• We also highly recommend bringing a waterproof case for your camera/ phone as its frequently rains on the south coast of Iceland and they are certain to get wet when canynoning. If you forget, we sell waterproof cases for mobile phones.

Tripod

• We allow tripods on the glacier hiking and ice climbing trips, however not on the canyoning trips. Should you want to carry a tripod, we will often be on the move on the glacier, especially when hiking, so if you need to bring it, please understand you will not be able to use it as frequently or as long as you may like. For photography trips, please contact us at info@ice-guardians.com for customising an experience.

Drone

• We allow drones on our glacier hikes and climbs, but not on our canyoning trips. If you wish to use a drone on our glacier trips in the national park, you will require a drone permit, to apply click use this link →(Vatnajökull National Park- Drone Permit).
• In order to guarantee your permit in time for your trip, applications must be submitted at minimum 14 days’ notice to the park.

We at Ice Guardians operate to the highest standards of safety, and often go beyond what is considered industry best practice, and this comes from our highly experienced guides in many different conditions and environments. We operate under a Safety Management Plan which limits us to certain equipment usage and thorough inspections.

Simply put, if we can accept your equipment, then we will allow you to use it. That being said, if we are not 100% sure about it, or if we are not familiar with the equipment, you will have to use our equipment.

If you would like to ask us or show us the equipment you have, please send photos or website links to us at info@ice-guardians.com

We ask for you to bring at minimum a 2x 500ml or 1L bottle (preferably re-usable), which you can fill with water at our meeting location.

We also recommend that you bring some food, some recommendations include; snickers chocolate bars, muesli bars, fruit, pre-made sandwiches, carrots and hummus, , tortilla wraps with fillings, flapjacks etc. Foods with high calories and some sugar are ideal to keep your energy levels up through the trip. We would advise against energy drinks and the like, which have high sugar without fibre, resulting in sugar crashes.

As per our cancellation policy,

• Less than 48 hours notice, no refund.
• More than 48 hours notice, 90% refund (10% covers administration fees).

With more than 48 hours notice, we will try our best to work with you and reschedule your booking, this will be at no extra cost to you.

*If a refund has been requested and approved, please note that it can take up to 7 working days to appear in your bank account.

Just drop us a message in the bottom right or email us at info@ice-guardians.com

As you might be aware the weather in Iceland is highly variable and at times dangerous. We at Ice Guardians will always put guest safety first. In the event that bad weather forces us to cancel a trip, we will work with you to reschedule your trip. If rescheduling is not possible then we will issue a 100% full refund with zero administration fees.

Bad weather, in this instance means bad for the safety of you, the guest. It frequently rains, snows, sleets, hails and gusts in Iceland, and we go out more often than not in these conditions. Therefore it is imperative that you follow our recommendations on clothing as closely as you can.

As Icelandic actor, director, producer and screenwriter, Baltasar Kormákur said –“In Iceland, the weather is the biggest character you deal with every day. There’s nothing more relevant in your life than what kind of weather it is.”

Whilst we are a team of highly trained and internationally experienced guides, we do operate in environments that are not entirely risk free.

There is a chance an accident could occur that may even require medical attention.

We strongly recommend that all guests on our trips have their own valid travel and health insurance.

Ice Guardians Iceland also hold no personal liability for damages to personal belongings during a guided trip.

Icelandic roads can be hazardous if not taken seriously. You can find almost all weather going on somewhere in Iceland all year around due to it’s position in the sub-Arctic and North Atlantic. To learn more about this, please visit our page on Weather & Climate.

The best place to check the conditions of road to plan your journey to us, is to check Safetravel.is , this is a website in many languages with information gathered from the Icelandic Met Office and the Road Administration.

They also have a very useful feature, where by you can submit your travel plans if you wanted an added bit of security to your journey.

We at Ice Guardians take the situation of Covid-19 very seriously for our part maintaining the safety of our staff and guests, as well as the wider community.

When entering Iceland, we strongly advise you to follow all quarantine rules set out by the State Authorities in charge (covid.is). All questions regarding Covid-19 should be answered on Covid.is in multiple languages, if you require more information please use the chat function which we find very helpful.

Our procedures,

• We minimise vehicle sharing where possible as such, you should drive yourself to the meeting location for your trip, this is where you will be equipped with gear and where we depart from on foot/transfer for our adventure.
• We freely provide a facemask and sanitising hand solution for disinfection and transmission reduction when required by the authorities. Facemask rules will be enforced according to regulations set out by the State Authorities.
• All equipment used both by guides and guests are disinfected thoroughly between trips, when high transmission alerts are announced by the authorities.

Whilst we have these procedures in place, it is worth noting that in the ‘Adventure Guiding’ industry in order to follow best safety practices to reduce physical harm, we cannot always effectively socially distance, and so we only run our trips on the basis of the recommendations and Covid-19 regulations of the local and state authorities.