10 Winter Activities in Iceland That Are Worth the Daylight

1.3-Day South Coast Winter Tour with Ice Cave

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 171 reviews · 3 days · from $977Our pick

You’ll travel from Reykjavík with an English-speaking guide such as Hakon, David, Vlad, or Nicola, visiting the Golden Circle, South Coast waterfalls, Reynisfjara, Jökulsárlón, and a seasonal blue ice cave. Two countryside hotel nights, breakfast, hot tubs, Wi-Fi, and transport are included, while lunch and dinner are extra.

“Jonas of Nice Travel was a funny and great tour guide! We recommend Jonas of Nice Travel❣️”

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2.8 Day Winter Circle Tour, Ring Route of Iceland with Snæfellsnes Peninsula

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 110 reviews · from $679Top rated

You’ll travel Iceland’s Ring Road and Snæfellsnes Peninsula in a minibus limited to 17 people, with an English-speaking guide, WiFi, seven nights’ accommodation, glacier equipment, an ice-cave super jeep ride, and whale watching from Hauganes. Horse riding, Vök Baths, the lava cave, meals, and clothing rentals cost extra.

“My 8 day tour was broken up as 6 days + 2 days so I was with 2 different groups. But the Troll Ex. Did such an excellent job with the logistics ( i.e pick ups), accommodation and tour itinerary that even though this was a last minute trip. I felt well looked after and unstressRead more”

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3.Winter South Coast Day Tour by Minibus from Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 109 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $180

Spend about 10 hours touring Iceland’s South Coast from Reykjavik in a Mercedes Sprinter limited to 16 people. Guides such as Anton, Martin, and David combine local stories with careful winter driving. Expect waterfalls, black sand, a glacier, WiFi, USB charging, and flexible stops, but changing weather can alter the route.

“This tour is good, not great. You see a beach, some waterfalls, a glacier, which are all cool, but not necessarily special. We enjoyed the experience and would still recommend doing it, but our silver circle tour was better. Of course it is a matter of opinion. What you should know is the tour operator and guide are great as well as the vehicle they use to transport you.”

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4.South Coast, Glacier Hike and Northern Lights Winter Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 66 reviews · from $255

Spend a long Iceland day on the South Coast, with stops at Seljalandsfoss, Reynisfjara, Skógafoss, and Sólheimajökull. A certified glacier guide supplies crampons and instruction for the ice walk. Return to Reykjavík for dinner, then head out again with guide Frank to search for the Northern Lights.

“The glacier hike was surprisingly the highlight of the tour. The view was exceptional and the guides were very professional and knowledgeable. I highly recommend the tour. It’s a shame that i couldn’t catch the northern lights that day or the day would have been perfect.”

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5.Winter Whale Watching and Northern Lights Cruise from Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 24 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $198

Spend about five hours on two Elding cruises from Reykjavik: three hours watching for whales in the afternoon, followed by a two-hour northern lights hunt after dark. Your English-speaking guide explains local wildlife and the aurora. Warm overalls, blankets, a wildlife exhibition, and a sighting guarantee are included.

“Amazing experience to see the whales breaching and do fluke dives 🐋🌊 The crew are so knowledgeable and helpful 👌🏼 The northern lights got rescheduled which we so happy about as got to see them so amazingly 🤩”

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6.Goðafoss Waterfall Winter Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · 3 hours · from $117Best value

Travel by comfortable minibus from Akureyri to Goðafoss, Iceland’s Waterfall of the Gods. You get about 80 minutes at the falls, a local English-speaking guide, winter scenery, and flexible drop-off options. Guides such as Asa and Tabba add clear local context, while the small group is limited to 15 people.

“We were upgraded to the Lake Myvatn tour due to numbers. Asa was very communicative, knowledgable and engaging. Highly recommend. We thoroughly enjoyed the adventure and recommend Asa! Thank you for sharing your part of the world with us.”

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7.2 Day Iceland Winter Tour to South Coast

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 9 reviews · 2 days · from $660

Travel from Reykjavik in a small group of up to 17 with an English-speaking guide. You’ll visit Seljalandsfoss, Gljúfrabúi, Skógafoss, Reynisfjara, an ice cave, Jökulsárlón, and Diamond Beach, with one hotel night and breakfast included. Guides such as John, David, and Sebastián lead the trip, depending on departure.

“We really enjoyed the ice cave and would have liked more time at the falls.”

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8.Winter Ice Cave + Climbing Private Photoshoot – 20 Shot Package

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $765

Meet at Jökulsárlón for a private six-hour ice climbing trip in glacier caves, crevasses, or deep ice holes. A certified guide teaches beginners and adjusts the route to your ability, while a professional photographer captures the climb. Guides may include Julien, Claudia, Mike, or Ryan. Edited photos arrive about 14 days later.

“What an amazing day with my adult son. Climbing was super fun and the caves were spectacular. All of it was made special because of our private guide Julien. He was awesome. Knew the perfect photo spots and made the day just great. Thanks Julien!”

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9.Lake Mývatn & Northern Lights – Winter Special

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 2 days · from $350

Spend two days exploring North Iceland with an English-speaking guide, including Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, Grjótagjá, Hverarönd, Dimmuborgir and the Nature Baths. An evening Northern Lights hunt follows, with airport transfers for EasyJet passengers. Guide Sigi, also called Ziggie, may lead both trips.

“Excellent in all aspects. Pick up easy and straightforward. Northern lights evening and Myvatn trips lead by Sigi who kept us informed and entertained. Great lights show and the lake trip was excellent with lots of interesting stops never feeling rushed and plenty of time to explore. The baths were closed for refurbishment so drive 45 mins for an alternative we opted to not do this as been in the forest lagoon the evening prior, but sigi dropped us in a local town to explore whilst others visited the baths.”

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10.Arctic Fox Travel Dettifoss lake Mývatn winter private super jeep tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 3 reviews

You’ll travel from Akureyri in a private Super Jeep with a local driver-guide, stopping at Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, and powerful Dettifoss before a soak at the Mývatn Nature Baths. The 8 to 9-hour outing includes pickup and drop-off, but food, drinks, and bath admission cost extra. Winter weather can change the plan.

“0 stars. We flew into Akureyri just for this tour (desperately wanted to see Detifoss). Got a confirmation from Viator. Got a ticket from Viator. Got reminders and prompts from Viator. Got nothing from the vendor, which made us worried in advanRead more”

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