Glacer Tour Review: Franz Josef and Falljökull

Some people travel for beaches, museums, food and even shopping. Not me. Any country that wants to lure me should show me a good, hikable glacier. I've experienced glacier hikes in New Zealand and Iceland: an 8-hour excursion to Franz Josef Glacier and a shorter expedition on Falljökull (pronounced Fall-yuck-cuddle, which means Falling Glacier in Icelandic).

Comparisons are inevitable. So which one is better?

Scenery
Both Franz Josef and Falljökull offer spectacular vistas. With Franz Josef, you'll actually hike from tropical rain forest to the glacier's snout. The glacier is flanked by steep mountains draped in greenery. It also sweeps up at a fairly steep angle, giving a beautiful view of its bulk. Use a wide-angle lens for the snout, if you have one. Falljökull, overlooks a blasted infernal landscape scoured by volcanic activity and the ravages of glaciers. To the north, you'll see an icecap that covers nearly 10 percent of Iceland's landscape. Winner? Franz Josef by a nose. Or snout!

Solitude
Franz Josef is well-trod. You will see at least 100 people split among several groups out there. But it's a humongous glacier, so it's not like you'll be interfering with each other. Falljökull, though ... you just might be the only people on its bulk. You'll feel more like an explorer and less like a tourist. Winner: Falljökull

Derring Do
The Franz Josef guides are very technically oriented. They're always hovering about to make sure your crampons are laced just right, and that you're using your ice ax properly. They schooled us so well that the Icelandic glacier guides picked up on that fact that I'd been on a glacier before. The Franz Josef guides pick their routes carefully. That might be because their glacier is known to be a bit more dangerous.

In fact, I mentioned that I'd previously been on Franz Josef, and the Icelandic guides were aghast: " People die there! " one said (note: the only deaths have been from people not following their guide's instructions). Falljökull is considerably flatter, with only a few seemingly bottomless pits. The guides didn't say much about how to use the ice axes, and were less prone to be technical sticklers. Winners? Franz Josef

Guide Companies
Franz Josef Glacier Guides folks were all skilled, but some had more personality than others. Our group was led by John-O, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide in his early 20s. The company is also very active and friendly in social media, especially on Facebook.

Falljökull trips are based from Skaftafell National Park, and we took a trip with the Glacier Guides company. They went the extra mile, giving us a lift to our hotel several miles away - then fetching us the next morning for the tour. Gisli and Robert were full of knowledge about the country as a whole in addition to glaciers - from soccer to traditional foods. And Glacier Guides had official company dogs for the extra family flavor. Advantage - Falljökull ... but barely. Both companies are great, but there can be only one!

Sense of Accomplishment
The all-day Franz Josef trip isn't incredibly rigorous - at the time, I'd just run my first sub two-hour half-marathon. Though we covered a lot of ground, I didn't feel overly tired. Falljökull was even more laid-back. I like my tours to test me, and Franz was definitely more difficult. Winner: Franz Josef

That puts the contest at 3-2 in favor of Franz Josef. Rest assured, though, that any of you who are Iceland-bound will love taking a tour of Falljökull. Both of these trips are terrific, memorable fun.