The snowmobile tour is a thrilling, must-do experience in Iceland! 

These adventures are organized on various glaciers all year round.

Which snowmobile tour choose, and how does this everything work?

Check below! 

Requirements: 

– To drive the snowmobile, you must have a valid driving license. According to Icelandic law, a learner’s permit, tractor, or motorcycle license is not sufficient. If you don’t have the proper permission, you can join the tour and sit in the back, sharing a vehicle with your travel companion. 

– Single riders and groups with odd numbers must add the single rider fee while booking. 

– The minimum age of participants is 6 or 8, depending on the tour operator. 

– Participants combined weight on one snowmobile MUST be 180kg / 390lbs or less.

General rules: 

– The participants follow the guide in a line.

– There are monster truck/super jeep rides between the base and the snowmobile experience starting point.

– The warm overalls are provided and you put them on your jacket.

– 2 people can share the snowmobile – they can switch the driver during the tour if they want. 

– There is a stop in the middle of the tour to switch the driver and take pictures.

– If you travel in a group with more kids than adults, email us at info@iat.is, and we will check with the tour operator if arranging an extra guide to take the kid on the back is possible.

Glaciers locations:

We sell snowmobile tours on 3 glaciers: Langjökull, Mýrdalsjökull and Vatnajökull. You can drive to all these locations with a regular car. 

If you don’t have a rented car, we can arrange private transfers to these glaciers, or you can take a small group tour from Reykjavik and have a snowmobile ride on the Langjökull glacier (only on this glacier). 

Langjökull Glacier is Iceland’s second-largest ice cap and part of the famous Golden Circle sightseeing route. Tours start from the parking of Gullfoss Waterfall. It takes 2 hours to get there from Reykjavik. Hvítá River, which drops into a narrow gorge at Gullfoss, originates from Langjökull. 

Mýrdalsjökull Glacier is located on the south coast, and you need at least 2 hours and 30 minutes to drive to the meeting point from Reykjavik or 30 minutes from the town of Vik. This glacier covers the active Katla volcano – but no worries, the last eruption was in 1918, and the area is safe for travelers.

Vatnajökull Glacier is the largest glacier in Europe and covers more than 8% of the island. You must drive nonstop to the east for about 5 hours and 30 minutes from Reykjavik or 40 minutes from Höfn to get there. Tours on this glacier are operated from March/April to October. 

Self-drive tours: 

1) Langjökull Glacier – book this tour and check all the details HERE

Tour’s duration – 4 hours

Snowmobile ride – 1 hour

Price – from 29 000 ISK per person

Meeting point – Gullfoss Upper Parking Lot 

You can also book a combo ice cave & snowmobile tour HERE.

2) Mýrdalsjökull Glacier – book this tour and check all the details HERE

Tour’s duration – 2 hours 30 minutes

Snowmobile ride – 1 hour

Price – from 33 999 ISK per person

Meeting point – Ytri Sólheimar 1 

3) Vatnajökull Glacier – book this tour and check all the details HERE

Tour’s duration – 3 hours

Snowmobile ride – 1 hour

Price – from 28 000 ISK per person

Meeting point – Hotel Smyrlabjörg

Group tours from Reykjavik: 

1) The Golden Circle Super Jeep & Snowmobile Tour – book the tour and check all the details HERE.

Tour’s duration – 10 hours

Snowmobile ride – 1 hour

Price – from 48 000 ISK per person

Meeting point –  your hotel or designated tour bus stop in Reykjavik

Attractions: Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Geothermal Area, Gullfoss Waterfall,  Langjökull Glacier

2) Hot Spring & Cool Glacier Tour – book the tour and check all the details HERE. 

Tour’s duration – 10 hours

Snowmobile ride – 1 hour

Price – from 50 000 ISK per person

Meeting point –  your hotel or designated tour bus stop in Reykjavik

Attractions: Langjökull Glacier, relaxation at the Secret Lagoon

Please contact us at info@iat.is if you have any questions about these tours or are looking for a customized, private trip to explore the glaciers and have a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on snowmobiles!

The post Snowmobile Tours in Iceland appeared first on Iceland Adventure Tours.

Snorkeling in Silfra

Snorkeling in Silfra is one of the most popular activities on the Golden Circle route. It’s no wonder that this activity draws so many visitors, as it is a completely unique experience. Nowhere else in the world are you able to snorkel between two tectonic plates. Silfra is located in Þingvellir National Park, which is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly moving apart.

No less spectacular is Silfra’s crystal clear water which offers visibility of over 100 meters (328 ft.) on most days. The water in Silfra is melted glacier water which goes through a natural filtering system as it makes it’s way to the Silfra fissure. The water is filtered through lava and it takes between 30 and 100 years for it to travel from the glacier and to the fissure. Once it reaches Silfra the water is crystal clear. While in Silfra you should try it! It’s refreshingly cold and delicious!

Even though Snorkeling in Silfra is a popular activity, availability is limited. This is due to environmentally friendly policies and regulations aimed to protect the environment of Silfra. It’s also to ensure safety in Silfra and give guests the best experience possible!

Good to know before you book

Before we get into which type of suit to choose for your snorkeling tour, here are some good-to-know tips to help you decide if this activity is for you:

• For the snorkeling tour, you do need to know how to swim. You do not need to be an expert or even a strong swimmer, but you need to know how to swim.
• Regardless of what type of suit you book, you will experience some cold. We’ll get into this one a little bit later, but know that no suit will completely protect you from the cold water.
• The age limit in Silfra is 14 years of age. We do sometimes make exceptions if the child is close to 14 years of age, can swim and is physically fit. If you are traveling with a child under 14, be sure to email us before booking your tour!
• All guests must meet some minimum size requirements to be able to go on the tour. To be able to participate in the snorkeling tour you must be at least 150 cm (4’11”) tall and weigh at least 45 kg (99 lbs).
• All guests must read and sign the Silfra snorkeling medical statement.

Now that we’re caught up with the basic, let’s get into the different suit options!

Drysuit snorkeling in Silfra

The original snorkeling in Silfra tour features drysuits. As the name implies, drysuits are waterproof and designed to keep your body dry while you are in the water. As the water in Silfra has a temperature of about 2°C year-round, this is the most common way to snorkel in Silfra.

Drysuits come with a cap that covers your head but it will not fully cover your face. Most of the drysuits have booties attached which will also keep your feet dry. You will also get gloves, but these are not waterproof. When wearing a drysuit you are most likely to feel the cold on your face (lips especially) and hands. For most people, the cold sensation goes away quickly as you adjust to the water temperature.

The drysuits used for this tour are of top quality, but there is always a possibility that water will leak into your suit. To minimize this potential, your guide may use straps or other materials to tighten your suit around your ankles, wrists and/or neck. This can sometimes feel uncomfortable, but it will help keep you dry.

Because of the drysuit’s design, air is present inside the suit. This will keep you buoyant in the water so you spend the majority of your time gently floating on the surface of the water.

If you choose a drysuit, we recommend wearing thermal underwear under your suit. Go for wool or synthetic materials and avoid cotton. Your base layer will help keep you warm, and it will also feel more comfortable for you to have a layer of personal clothing. You will also get a so-called “teddy suit” which you’ll put on over your personal layer, before putting on the dry suit.

The drysuit is for you if you:

• Prefer to be as dry and warm in the water as possible under the circumstances
• Can swim but are not a strong swimmer
• Would like to gently float on the surface instead of playing around in the water
  

Wetsuit Snorkeling in Silfra

Wetsuits are a relative newcomer in Silfra. Although this option has been available for some time, it’s only recently become a popular option for travelers. Unlike drysuits, wetsuits are not waterproof and therefore you will get wet. The water inside your suit will slowly be warmed up by your natural body temperature, but you will not be as warm as you would be in a drysuit.

When you wear a wetsuit, less air is present inside the suit as compared to the drysuit. This means that you will not float on the surface as easily as when you wear a drysuit. Less air inside the suit means that you will have more mobility in the water and you can dive underneath the surface. 

If you choose a wetsuit we recommend that you wear a swimsuit underneath your suit. It’s also good to bring a towel.

The wetsuit is for you if you:

• Are prepared to get wet and possibly experience cold during the tour
• Are a strong swimmer
• Want to be able to move more freely under the water
• Have a secret desire to be a mermaid for a day

Booking your Silfra Snorkeling tour:

Now that you are all the wiser about which type of suit to choose for Silfra, all that’s left is to book your tour. 

No matter which type of suit you choose, you will need to provide us with some details about your size. In the booking process, you will need to provide us with your height, weight and shoe size. Being honest about your size is very important here, as having a properly fitted suit will greatly enhance your experience.

Click here to book a drysuit snorkeling tour OR click here to book a wetsuit snorkeling tour

Click here to book a snorkeling and Golden Circle combo tour

When booking the Golden Circle combo tour, you will be able to choose a suit type after adding the tour to your shopping cart.

Booking with different suit selections

So what happens when you want to snorkel in a wetsuit, but your travel partner wants to snorkel in a drysuit? Not to worry, there is an easy solution to this! Just follow these easy steps:

• Start by making sure there is enough availability on the date and time you have selected. You can do this by going into the drysuit option and selecting the date. Available time slots on that day will appear beneath the booking calendar. If there are limited spots available, an orange icon will appear next to the time to show how many spots are left. If you have a large group of people, you can also select the drop-down menu under “Participants” and see the number of spots left on the tour. Note that availability is shared between the drysuit and wetsuit options, so if there are 10 spots available for the drysuit option there are a total of 10 spots available regardless of suit type.
• Once you have checked that enough spots are available, go ahead and book the drysuit option for those who want to snorkel in a drysuit. Select the number of participants, remember to add transportation if needed and hit the “Book” button. You will be taken to an order summary page. Instead of checking out, click “continue shopping” or navigate to another page on the website. Your drysuit tour will stay in your shopping cart.
• Navigate to the wetsuit option, select the same date, time and how many persons for the wetsuit. Remember to add transportation if needed and hit the “Book” button again.
• You can now either continue to shop for tours or you can check out with both the drysuit tour and wetsuit tour in the same order.  Before checking out you will need to add information about your size so that we can select the right suit for you.
• Having both options in one cart helps us identify groups that are traveling together. It also makes the checkout process easier for you as you will only have to enter payment once.

Book your tour

Now that you know all about the different suit options for snorkeling in Silfra, the only thing left to do is book your tour! You can view tours in Silfra here:

Drysuit Snorkeling in Silfra Tour

Wetsuit Snorkeling in Silfra Tour

Golden Circle & Snorkeling in Silfra Tour (choose either option for the suit)

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