Adventure tours of Iceland

An Iceland adventure tour focuses on outdoor experiences and activities. The Icelandic landscape is stuffed full of cool, otherworldly sights like lava fields, geysers, and glaciers.

This natural backdrop creates opportunities for once-in-a-lifetime activities like lava caving, glacier hiking, and kayaking alongside icebergs.

With an adventure trip from Iceland Tours, you’ll always get one or more activities like these included. And you have the option to customize your package to squeeze in even more.

These are just some of the adventurous travel experiences you can have in Iceland:

• Explore underground lava caves created by volcanic eruptions
• Step underneath a glacier into a natural ice cave
• Hike on the surface of a thousands-year old glacier
• Join a snowmobile expedition across an ice sheet
• Go scuba diving in between North America and Europe
• Kayak across a lagoon full of baby icebergs
• Zoom across icy waters on an amphibious boat

Lots of these adventure packages include activities like ice caving or glacier hiking as standard, with the option to add some of those listed above.

Iceland packs a punch in more ways than one, so when you’re not out adventuring, there’s plenty more to see and do. Come to Iceland and you can:

• See the Gullfoss waterfall on the famous Golden Circle route
• Check out hot springs at Geysir and Deildartunguhver
• Wander along eerie black sand beaches like Reynisfjara
• Watch icebergs pass you by in glacier lagoons
• Soak up the culture and nightlife of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík
• Drive the Ring Road around the whole country
• Venture to the Snæfellsnes peninsula and spot puffins
• Go whale watching from Húsavík, North Iceland
• Dip into the warming waters of the Blue Lagoon or Sky Lagoon
• Hop between more jaw-dropping waterfalls on Iceland’s south coast
• Explore Iceland's dramatic landscapes on a day hike

Adventure activities are available all year round in Iceland, but depending on which ones take your fancy, you might want to focus on a particular season.

For example, ice caves are at their best in the middle of Icelandic winter, from December to March. On the other hand, activities like kayaking and scuba diving might only be available in the summer in Iceland. Or if you visit Iceland in spring, you'll find it's a good time of year for hiking and wildlife-watching.

It’s also worth thinking about whether you’ll want to see the Northern Lights or midnight sun. The Northern Lights are at their best in the darkest months of October to March. The midnight sun is only around in the summertime though, in May, June, July, or August.

Read this blog post on the best time to visit Iceland for more help deciding your travel plans.

No, you don’t need to be able to drive! With Iceland Tours you can choose from a self-drive trip or a multi-day tour by bus with adventure activities included.

On a multi-day tour, you’ll be based in Reykjavík and join a different adventure every day, meaning you can skip the driving. Perfect if you haven’t got your license or you’re not confident about driving abroad.

If you are happy to take the wheel though, you can take a self-drive tour. This gives you the freedom to stay in different parts of the country and stop off wherever you like, whenever you like.

Because a multi-day trip is made up of different excursions every day, you won’t always be with the same group. That said, Iceland is small enough that you might just bump into someone from the day before!

If you’re looking for the kind of experience where you can hang with the same group and make new friends, we also offer guided group tours of Iceland. These are led by local experts who will take you and your travel buddies all over the country.

You can choose from 3 levels of accommodation with Iceland Tours:

• Budget – Family-run guesthouses or farmstays with shared bathrooms
• Comfort – Hotels of around a 3-star standard with private bathrooms
• Quality – Hotels of around a 4-star standard with private bathrooms

For the the full lowdown on places to stay, read our Iceland accommodation guide.

We partner with suppliers who use fully certified and experienced guides. They’re local experts, so you can trust them to deliver a safe and fun travel experience that will stay with you for life!

Yes, you’ll always be given all the right gear and safety tips you need to complete your activities safely and comfortably.

If you join an ice cave tour, for example, you’ll be provided with crampons, a helmet, and more. Your experienced guide will give you a safety briefing before you start your activity. If you have any questions or feel like you won’t be able to take part in the activity after the briefing, you should let your guide know.

Absolutely! One of the biggest advantages of choosing an adventure tour from Iceland Tours is that you have the option to start and end your trip whenever you like.

This also means you can extend your vacation if you want to, so you can fit even more in. When you book online, you’ll have the option to add extra days to the start or end of your trip. You’ll also be able to book extra activities for these days.

Of course you can add extra adventures! We want you to be able to get the absolute most out of your trip to Iceland, so you can pick optional extra activities at checkout. You’ll be shown exactly what’s on offer for each day of your trip.

And if you feel like you just don’t have enough time to fit it all in, you can also add extra days.

We recommend starting by checking out the packages above to find one that excites you. This will help you decide how long your trip should be.

Once you’ve got an idea of the dates you want to travel, you can search online for flights, but don’t book them just yet.

Next, book your vacation package online with us. We’ll confirm your booking and then you’re all set to buy your flights.

If you want to know more, check out these tips on how to book with us.

As your adventure gear is provided for you, you don’t need to bring your own crampons or walking poles. That said, staying comfy is vital, so when visiting Iceland you should pack:

• Sturdy walking boots, preferably waterproof
• Warm layers like fleeces or sweaters
• Thermal undershirts and long johns
• Waterproof winter coat
• Gloves and scarf
• Wooly hat
• Swimming costume

The sun is low in the sky and can be very bright, so we’d also recommend packing a pair of sunglasses, even in winter.