glacier hike

We made a list of the top winter tours in Iceland that we loved the most. A crystal blue ice cave? A glacier hike? Or a Northern Lights tour? What about snowmobiling? Pick your favorite one too!

This post is part of our Winter Iceland articles series:

• SOUTH ICELAND – best winter places
• EAST ICELAND – best winter places
• NORTH ICELAND – best winter places
• SNÆFELLSNESS – best winter places
• Winter Icelandic ITINERARY
• All you need to know about ICELAND IN WINTER
• How to SEE NORTHERN LIGHTS in Iceland

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Map of the best winter tours in Iceland

1. Ice caves

Map of the ice caves in Iceland:

The best Ice caves in Iceland are located around Jökulsárlón, and the pickup point is usually at Jökulsárlón or in Hali, the nearby village. If you have a combined tour with something else, for example, the south coast, the tour may start in Reykjavik too but usually does not.

The best ice caves in Iceland are accessible mainly from October to April, as we write in our Iceland in Winter primer. Katla Ice Cave is accessible all year round, though it is considered the second most beautiful.

1.1. Crystal Blue Ice Cave

In our opinion the most beautiful ice cave in Iceland. There’s no 1-day tour visiting Crystal Blue ice cave from Reykjavik, it’s simply too far from Reykjavik. The only option is to drive to Jökulsárlón yourself, hire a private driver, or take a 2-day tour.

1.1.1. from Jökulsárlón

• Option 1: Local Guide of Vatnajökull tour, 5% discount with the discount code: EPICICELAND
• Option 2: IcePic Journeys semi-private Photo tour, 10% discount with the discount code: EPICICELAND

1.1.2. from Jökulsárlón as a combo with Glacier hike

The tour no.1 we enjoyed the most in winter in Iceland was undoubtedly the visit to an ice cave combined with a glacier hike. We can highly recommend the ice cave and/or glacier hike tour by Local Guide of Vatnajökull, a 5* reviews company with amazing guides, and also IcePic Journeys for best photo tours.

5% DISCOUNT Code for LocalGuide.is: EPICICELAND

10% DISCOUNT Code for IcePicJourneys.is: EPICICELAND

Why Local Guide and Ice Pic Journeys? They both try to stay as much away as possible from other tourist groups, have great and knowledgeable local guides, and will take you to all the best spots available in a particular season!

Not sure if to visit just an ice cave or do a combo tour with a glacier hike? Our recommendation –  definitely go for the combo tour. Not only will it be a much more private experience away from the crowds, you will also see much more and soak up the atmosphere of winter Iceland to the fullest. If you are in at least slightly good shape, you should be totally able to complete this easy all-day hike, including many stops at out-of-this-world places.

1.1.3. from Reykjavik as a 2-day tour

The best local tour company for multi-day tours in Iceland is definitely NiceTravel. They have professional and funny local guides and mostly only 5* reviews. They also operate an amazing 2-day Ice Cave tour from Reykjavik that will take you to the Crystal Blue ice cave and to the most beautiful places along the south coast.

5% DISCOUNT Code for NiceTravel.is: EPICICELAND (valid only for our newsletter subscribers)

1.2. Katla Ice Cave

This is a popular ice cave to visit also from Reykjavik because it’s much closer. There are several amazing Katla ice cave tours. The main difference between them is the starting point and whether it’s “just an ice cave” or the tour is combined with some other activity.

1.2.1. from Vik

• The best Katla Ice cave tour from Vik, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND23

1.2.2. from Reykjavik

• The best and cheapest Katla Ice cave tour from Reykjavik, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND23

1.2.3. from Reykjavik as a combo with the South coast

A semi-private combo tour of Katla ice cave + South coast from Reykjavik is run by amazing Glaciers and Waterfalls.

10% DISCOUNT Code for GlaciersAndWaterfalls.is: EPICICELAND

1.3. Skaftafell Ice Cave

There’s also a nice smaller ice cave located in Skaftafell park. Here is the best Skaftafell ice cave tour combined with a glacier hike:

• Skaftafell ice cave + glacier hike tour by Icelandic Mountain Guides, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND24
• Skaftafell ice cave + glacier hike tour by Arctic Adventures, subscribe to our newsletter or contact us for more info and better deals.

1.4. Langjökull Ice Caves

There are two man-made ice caves hidden in the gigantic Langjökull glacier. No worries, the ice caves are no less stunning, even when dug by men! The first, southern Langjökull ice cave, can be visited only as a combo tour with snowmobiles, starting at Gullfoss. The second, the western Langjökull ice cave, can be visited as a day tour from Reykjavik or as a day tour from Reykjavik combined with snowmobiles.

1.4.1. from Gullfoss as a combo with Snowmobiles

The best tour to a Langjökull ice cave is a tour by Mountaineers.is in our opinion. Mountaineers are the best Icelandic snowmobiling company. In this amazing tour starting at Gullfoss, they combine both snowmobiling on a magnificent Langjökull glacier and a visit to a nearby Langjökull ice cave. Highly recommended!

5% DISCOUNT Code for Mountaineers.is: EPICICELAND

1.4.2. from Reykjavik as a combo with Snowmobiles

Ice Cave tour combined with snowmobiling will take you to the man-made Langjökull ice cave from Reykjavik.

1.4.3. from Reykjavik ice cave only

Into the Glacier tour will take you only to the man-made Langjökull ice cave from Reykjavik. You can use a 5% discount code for the tour: EPICICELAND23

2. Glacier hikes

The best glacier hikes are run by two companies:

• Local Guide of Vatnajökull – 5% discount code on all their tours: EPICICELAND
• Icelandic Mountain Guides – 5% discount code on all their tours: EPICICELAND24

Both these companies are top-notch tour providers and they run many different types of glacier hikes from the top 3 locations in Iceland for glacier hikes – Sólheimajökull, Skaftafell, and Vatnajökull. 5* reviews are obvious for both Local Guide of Vatnajökull and Icelandic Mountain Guides, and so are the funny and knowledgeable guides. We guarantee you will be happy with all their tours!

Map of the glacier hikes in Iceland:

2.1. Sólheimajökull glacier hike

Sólheimajökull Glacier is the closest huge glacier to Reykjavik. Below are the best glacier hiking tours in Iceland run at Sólheimajökull:

• Top 3-hour Sólheimajökull glacier hike tour, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND24
• Top ice climbing + Sólheimajökull glacier hike tour, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND24

2.2. Vatnajökull glacier hike

• Top Vatnajökull glacier hiking tour, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND
• Best Vatnajökull glacier hiking Photo tours, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND

2.3. Skaftafell glacier hike

• Top Traditional glacier hike tour in Skaftafell, 3.5 hours long, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND24
• Best Ice cave + glacier hike tour in Skaftafell, 3.5 hours long, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND24
• Top Ice cave + glacier hike tour in Skaftafell, 5 hours long, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND24

3. Super Jeep tours

Highlands in winter are closed for all cars except super jeeps with local drivers. Does that mean you should not go into the highlands? Not at all! Go, and choose a great winter super jeep tour!

10% DISCOUNT Code for MidgardAdventure.is: EPICICELAND10

Some places look more magnificent and some less in winter, so it’s good to know where to go. For example, Landmannalaugar in winter usually looks like “white hills everywhere”. I.e., Landmannalaugar is definitely more colorful in summer, which many visitors prefer. On the other hand, e.g. Thórsmörk is very versatile and picturesque with many amazing spots also in winter.

3.1. Thórsmörk

By far the best price-to-value super jeep tour to Þórsmörk in Iceland is run by legendary Midgard Adventure (10% discount code: EPICICELAND10). We guarantee you will be happy with them 🙂 Midgard is a crown jewel among Icelandic companies. The only downside of this tour is that the number of participants can reach as many as 14.

If you are looking for a private Thórsmörk tour, we can highly recommend a private Thórsmörk super jeep tour by Glaciers and Waterfalls, the no.1 family company running private super jeep tours from Reykjavik and the south. Great reviews, great guides, great tours to spots, not all tours go to. And for our readers a 10% discount code: EPICICELAND

3.2. Eyjafjallajökull

Want to head entirely off the beaten track? Well, what about a crazy drive with a super jeep on a glacier? All the way up to the famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano!

Eyjafjallajökull glacier volcano super jeep tour is a unique experience you will never forget. It’s operated by 5* rated Midgard Adventure, and our readers can enjoy a 10% discount code on their tours: EPICICELAND10

4. Helicopter tours

Can any viewpoint be better than a bird’s eye viewpoint? Hardly! If you have some extra money, definitely go for a helicopter tour! We can highly recommend a helicopter company being 20+ years in business already, called Nordurflug, or Helicopter.is.

We are very proud to offer our readers a 5% discount on the best Icelandic helicopter tours run by Nordurflug, with the discount code: EPICICELAND

5. Horse riding

If you love Icelandic horses at least half as much as we do, you will love also riding an Icelandic horse in winter! Horse riding is one of the cheapest tours you can experience in Iceland and often also one of the best.

Horse riding in Iceland is also quite weather-proof because you usually don’t need a sunny and clear day for that. Yes, such a day may be much nicer and more comfortable, but it’s not a necessity. That being said, rather avoid stronger rain or too windy days.

The horse-riding tour we enjoyed the most and operates also in winter is, without doubt, www.tvistur.is operating from Dalvik, near Akureyri. Tvistur is a small family company taking care of horses for their entire life. No discount codes this time, let’s leave all the money to a family which deserves it.

6. Northern Lights tours

Of course, it’s perfectly possible to see Northern Lights yourself and you don’t need to take any guided tour for that. However, it requires time, knowledge, and skill. If you don’t want to bother with studying how, when and where to see Aurora, you can rather book a guided Northern Lights tour. There are many different northern lights tours in Iceland and we picked the three we consider to be among the best ones – two from Reykjavik and one from Mývatn/Akureyri:

6.1. From Reykjavik

• Cheapest Aurora tour by minibus, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND23
• Cheaper Northern Lights super jeep tour, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND23
• Semi-private Aurora tour by super jeep, by Glaciers and Waterfalls, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND
• Private and Semi-Private Aurora Photo tours, by IcePic Journeys, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND
• An Epic 3-day Northern Lights Super Jeep Hunt, by Midgard Adventure, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND10

6.2. From Mývatn and Akureyri

• Cheapest Northern Lights tour by minibus, by Star Travel, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND
• Semi-private Northern Lights tour by super jeep, by Star Travel, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND
• Private Northern Lights tour by super jeep, by Star Travel, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND

7. Snowmobiling

If you are looking for excitement in winter, snowmobiling should satisfy your needs.

Snowmobile tours operate from their bases usually either at Mýrdalsjökull or at Gullfoss. If you want to take a snowmobile tour from Reykjavik, you have to take a combo tour with something else, e.g. Golden Circle, or you have to hire a private driver or private tour.

7.1. Snowmobiling from Mýrdalsjökull

Where to go for snowmobiling? We can highly recommend a great snowmobiling tour by Icelandic Mountain Guides, which is one of the best and most reputable Icelandic companies. 5* reviews, professional guides, and amazing tours are all the certainty with Icelandic Mountain Guides.

5% DISCOUNT Code for www.MountainGuides.is: EPICICELAND24

Snowmobile tour by Icelandic Mountain Guides is operated from Mýrdalsjökull and is totally worth a drive there. Mýrdalsjökull is one of the best possible places to go for snowmobiling in Iceland.

7.2. Snowmobiling from Gullfoss

The best snowmobiling company in Iceland with the longest tradition is for many Mountaineers of Iceland. Their base is at Gullfoss, and you can take one of the cheapest snowmobile tours in Iceland from there.

5% PROMO Code for www.Mountaineers.is: EPICICELAND

Mountaineers offer various snowmobiling tours from various bases (Gullfoss and Reykjavik), both as standalone tours or as combo tours. They even offer a “super fast snowmobiling tour” for those seeking even more adrenaline. If you are looking for top-notch snowmobiles, definitely take a look at Mountaineers!

7.3. Snowmobiling + Golden circle from Reykjavik

• Option 1: Glaciers and Waterfalls tour, 10% discount with the discount code: EPICICELAND
• Option 2: Mountaineers tour, 5% discount with the discount code: EPICICELAND

7.4. Snowmobiling + Ice Cave from Reykjavik

This is a fantastic Snowmobile and Ice Cave tour from Reykjavik that combines both Snowmobiling and Langjökull Ice Cave visit and departs from Reykjavik.

7.5. Snowmobiling only from Reykjavik

We usually don’t recommend going only for snowmobiling and taking a Reykjavik departure, because the price of this tour is the same as if you went for a combo tour of Snowmobiling and something else. In other words, you can have a longer and richer experience with a different tour for the same buck. But if you insist, here is the Snowmobiling from Reykjavik tour which has good reviews.

8. Whale Watching

Whale watching in winter? No problem! Some companies operate also in winter, and there’s always something to see when sailing the ocean. Warm overalls provided by tour companies will keep you warm.

8.1. from Reykjavik

Here are the two best-rated whale-watching tours from Reykjavik by Elding:

• Best Traditional Boat Reykjavik whale-watching, 10% discount code: see here.
• Best Speed Boat Reykjavik whale-watching, 10% discount code: see here.

8.2. from Húsavik

The best traditional whale-watching company operating 20+ years is called North Sailing. Be sure to check out their tours!

We can also offer our readers a 10% discount on all their tours with the discount code: EPICICELAND

8.3. from Akureyri

The second best whale-watching spot in Iceland after Húsavík is undoubtedly in Akureyri. And when it comes to the no.1 company operating whale-watching tours from Akureyri, it’s definitely Elding:

• Top reviewed Traditional Boat Akureyri whale tour by Elding, 10% promo code: see here.
• Top reviewed Speed Boat Akureyri whale tour by Elding, 10% promo code: see here.

9. Snorkeling between two continents

Although a bit colder in winter, still nice and totally worth it!

By far the best company offering Silfra tours is Dive.is – PADI 5 Star Dive Center Iceland. No competitor is anywhere near when it comes to 5* reviews! here are their top snorkeling tours:

• The most popular and also best-rated Silfra snorkeling tour, meet in Silfra, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND5
• Best Silfra snorkeling tour with pick-up from Reykjavik, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND5

And here are their top diving tours:

• Top Silfra Diving tour with meet in Silfra, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND5
• Best Silfra Diving tour with Reykjavik pick-up, 5% discount code: EPICICELAND5

10. Glacier and Ice Cave Monster Truck

Wanna try something different? Something where typical tour companies won’t take you? Well, what about the biggest Glacier Truck in the world? Moreover, here is a 15% discount for the tour with the promo code: EPICICELAND

Sleipnir tours depart from Gullfoss and in winter includes:

• Langjökull glacier drive by monster truck
• Langjökull glacier walk
• Ice Cave visit

11. Photo tours

Looking for professional Photo tours at amazing spots? Definitely check out IcePic Journeys, then! Our readers can enjoy a 10% discount on all their tours with the promo code: EPICICELAND.

Ice Pic Journeys it’s by far the best Icelandic photo tour company. They only have 5.0/5 reviews on Google, Tripadvisor, and Facebook as well. They specialize in Ice Cave and Glacier photo tours but also service amazing South Coast photo tours and Highlands photo sessions! See below the selection of our favorite ones:

• Northern Lights Photo tour from Reykjavik, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND
• Ice Cave + Glacier hike Photo tour from Jökulsárlón, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND
• Zip Line + Ice Cave Photo tour from Jökulsárlón, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND
• Crystal Blue Sapphire ice cave Summer Photo tour from Jökulsárlón, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND
• South Coast Photo tour from Reykjavik, 10% discount code: EPICICELAND

12. Multi-Day tours

Coming to Iceland alone? Not renting a car? Want to see the most beautiful places around Ring Road? Then go for a Multi-Day tour! Thanks to a longer tour you don’t have to care about transport or accommodations and you can enjoy all the amazing winter activities in Iceland. For winter ring road tours in Iceland, we highly recommend two local companies:

• NiceTravel, a smaller Icelandic family company with great local guides and tours, 5% discount code on all tours: EPICICELAND (valid only for our newsletter subscribers)
• Arctic Adventures, the oldest and biggest tour company in Iceland, with the widest tour selection. Subscribe to our newsletter or contact us for more info and discounts for Arctic Adventures.

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