Zip-Lining Across a Glacier Crevasse in Iceland (Yes, Really)

Quick PSA before we dive in: Iceland is not, in fact, mostly ice. Only about 11% of the country is covered by glaciers, the rest is moss, lava fields, black sand, waterfalls and farmland greener than anything you've ever seen. Greenland is the one that's mostly ice. The names are a marketing stunt from about a thousand years ago and we've all been falling for it ever since.

Jake and I have now been to Iceland three times, and we're heading back this September 2026, this time with Aniston and Noah in tow for their second international trip. Every visit has looked completely different, and that's kind of the magic of the place. The single most important thing you can do before booking a flight is decide what you actually want to see, because Iceland is very much a choose-your-own-adventure country.

Want puffins? You have to go in summer. Northern lights? Late fall through early spring. The Highlands and the F-roads? Summer only, they're literally closed the rest of the year. Ice caves at their most blue and dramatic? Deep winter. There is no single trip that gets you all of it, and honestly, that's the best excuse to keep going back.

The trip that brought us back this time

In March 2026, Jake and I booked something I'd been eyeing for over a year: glacier zip-lining with Ice Pic Journeys. As of right now, this is the only place in the world you can do this. (There's apparently a team training in Alaska to launch something similar, but no firm timeline.) So if zip-lining over a glacier crevasse is on your bucket list, Iceland is the bucket.

Worth knowing up front: the zipline and the ice-pick climb are two separate experiences with Ice Pic Journeys, not one combined tour. We booked both, and we chose to do them as a private experience, which honestly is what made the whole day feel as special as it did. Just us, our guide, the glacier, and zero rushing.

Here's how the zipline works. Ice Pic Journeys anchors directly into the glacier ice on both sides of a crevasse using ice screws and a rigging system rated to hold the weight of a vehicle. You get harnessed in, clipped on, and you zip across the gap with a deep blue chasm dropping out of sight below your feet. The ice-pick climb is its own thing, rappelling down a glacier wall and then climbing back up with crampons and two ice axes. Both are unreal in completely different ways.

Getting to the excursion

Ice Pic Journeys offers a pickup option, or you can meet them at the designated meeting point. We always recommend renting a vehicle so you have the freedom to explore Iceland on your own timeline, and our go-to is Blue Car Rental for 5% off your rental. New fleet, no hidden fees. Having a car in Iceland completely changes the trip, you can chase waterfalls, black sand beaches, and hidden hot springs between your booked adventures.

Weather is the boss in Iceland

Our original day got called. The wind was so strong on the glacier that we genuinely could not stand upright at the meeting point, I'm not exaggerating, Jake had to physically lean into me to keep me from sliding. Our guides made the call to push to the next day, and looking back, I'm so grateful they did. Safety over content, every single time.

If you book any glacier activity in Iceland, build in a buffer day after your scheduled date. Iceland's weather changes by the hour, and tour companies will absolutely (and rightfully) cancel for safety. The day we finally went, it was bluebird skies and almost no wind. Same glacier, 24 hours apart, totally different experience.

What to actually expect on the day

Meeting points for glacier tours can change without much notice, glaciers are alive, they move and shift, and what was a stable access point last month might not be this week. Watch your email and check in with the team the day before. From the meeting spot you'll suit up, get a safety briefing, and hike out onto the ice with your guide. I'd call the hike moderate. It's not technical, but it's longer and more uneven than most people's daily walk, and you're in crampons. If you don't have major health limitations, you'll be fine, but check the official guidance the team sends over for the specifics.

One of the best little surprises: the Ice Pic Journeys team offered professional photos as part of the adventure. Having a guide who's also rigged to capture the experience meant we got shots we never could have taken ourselves, the kind you actually want to print. It made an already-special day that much more memorable.

Would we do it again? Already trying to.

Both Jake and I would book this in a heartbeat, ideally in a different location next time so we can compare. The guides were exceptional, the rigging was bombproof, and the whole experience felt thoughtfully run for people who want a real adventure without being reckless about it.

Planning your own Iceland trip?

We built an interactive Iceland guide on Rexby with every hidden spot, restaurant, waterfall, excursion, hostel and Airbnb we've personally vetted across three trips, you can filter it by what you actually want to do and tap straight through to directions. Check it out here: rexby.com/the.ventureseekers/iceland.

Book it (and save a little)

If you want to do this on your Iceland trip, head to icepicjourneys.is and use code BRITTANY10 for 10% off. They also run crystal ice cave tours and photo-package driving tours, all of which we'd happily come back for.

Follow along on Instagram @the.ventureseekers for the full Iceland recap, and check out our other adventures while you build out your bucket list. We'll see you out there.

-Brittany, The Venture Seekers