Outdoor Activities in Iceland

Iceland doesn't have big cities, and most people come for what's outside them. With lots of time you can drive the whole Ring Road, or pick one corner of the country and dig in. If you're short on time, plenty of it is within an hour of Reykjavík, and most operators will pick you up in town and hand you all the gear.

Prices below are from the operators' own sites and are as of 2026. They change often, so check before you book.

Horseback riding

After one ride on an Icelandic horse you'll understand the fuss. They're small, stocky, strong and curious, and on top of the usual walk, trot, canter and gallop they have a fifth gait, the tölt, which is fast and so smooth you barely bounce. Beginners are welcome at most farms.

• Íshestar rides out of Hafnarfjörður, just south of Reykjavík, over old lava fields. Its 1.5-2 hour Lava Tour is 16,900 ISK and a 2.5-3 hour Viking Tour is 30,900 ISK.
• Laxnes is a family farm in Mosfellsdalur, northeast of the city. Its 1.5-2 hour ride is 19,400 ISK, and it sells combos with a Golden Circle day, puffins or whale watching.

Snorkeling and diving at Silfra

Nobody thinks of Iceland for snorkeling, and the water is very, very cold. But Silfra, a crack between the tectonic plates in Þingvellir National Park, has some of the clearest water anywhere. It's glacier meltwater that has filtered through porous lava rock on its way there. You float on the surface in a dry suit and look down into the rift.

• The water stays at 2-4°C all year and visibility is over 100 metres.
• DIVE.IS snorkel tours start at 19,990 ISK and dives at 35,999 ISK. The national park adds a 1,500 ISK fee per person.
• To dive, you need an Open Water certification plus a dry suit certification or at least 10 logged dry suit dives in the last two years, and you must be 17 or older. No dry suit experience? Snorkel instead, or do one of DIVE.IS's dry suit courses first.

Your hands and face get cold fast. That's the part people remember.

Lava caves

Iceland is full of lava tubes, tunnels left behind when the outside of a lava flow cooled and the molten rock inside drained out. Go with a guide. Arctic Adventures says so too, and hands out helmets for a reason.

• Raufarhólshellir, The Lava Tunnel, is 30 minutes from Reykjavík and 1,360 metres long. It's the easy option: walkways and lights. The one-hour standard tour is 8,900 ISK, or 14,900 ISK with transport from the city.
• Leiðarendi, also about 30 minutes from Reykjavík, is another lava tube. Arctic Adventures runs trips there. Expect some stooping and crawling in the semi-dark.
• Þríhnúkagígur is different: a dormant volcano whose magma chamber you're lowered into with Inside the Volcano. It involves a hike each way.

More on the geology is on our volcanoes page.

Dog sledding

The company I wrote about in 2010, Eskimos, now sells custom trips and no longer lists dog sledding. Dog Sledding Iceland runs tours near Mosfellsbær, 30-35 minutes from Reykjavík, all year. When there's no snow the dogs pull a wheeled cart. Tours last 60-90 minutes and start at 34,900 ISK. They're closed on weekends and you have to book ahead. The best bit is still meeting the dogs afterwards.

Whale watching and puffins

From Reykjavík, Elding leaves from the Old Harbour and runs its classic whale watching tour all year. The trips take 2.5-3.5 hours in Faxaflói bay, and humpbacks, minkes, dolphins and porpoises are the usual sightings. The classic tour is 14,500 ISK for adults and half that for children 7-15, plus 3,750 ISK if you want hotel pickup. Its puffin tours run from 20 April to 20 August.

For better odds, go north. Húsavík calls itself Iceland's whale watching capital, and North Sailing sails from there on traditional schooners and an electric boat, with blue whales, fin whales and orcas all recorded in Skjálfandi bay. Its original three-hour tour runs daily from 1 March to 30 November and starts at 12,990 ISK. It also runs trips from Árskógssandur, 30 minutes from Akureyri, from 11,990 ISK. See Húsavík, the Húsavík Whale Museum and getting from Reykjavík to Húsavík.

Iceland also still has commercial whaling. Minke whaling for the home market stopped in 2020, and a single company, Hvalur hf., resumed fin whaling in June 2026 after two years without a hunt, catching 80 by 9 September. The government's legislative plan puts a bill overhauling the whaling law before parliament in February 2027, with a permanent ban under consideration.

Glaciers and hiking

Glacier walks with crampons and ice axes run on the south coast, at Sólheimajökull and in Skaftafell, and ice caves open in winter. Never walk onto a glacier without a guide. In July 2026 the Met Office warned that conditions at the edge of Sólheimajökull had changed and the hazard had increased, and SafeTravel has a page on it.

For walking without ice, the Fagradalsfjall lava fields are an easy day from Reykjavík, Hengill has geothermal hiking trails close to the city, and the Fimmvörðuháls pass (about 20 km, a summer hike) crosses the 2010 eruption craters. For multi-day trips see the Highlands and Hornstrandir. Before any hike, leave a travel plan and check conditions at safetravel.is.

Planning around the weather

Most of this runs year-round, but summer gives you long light and open highland roads, and winter gives you northern lights. Bad weather cancels tours, so leave a spare day if one activity matters most. Check the weather page and when to go, pack from our packing list, and browse day tours from Reykjavík and tours in Iceland. After a cold day outside, head for a hot spring or pool.

FAQ

Do I need to be a strong swimmer to snorkel Silfra?

The dry suit keeps you floating, but operators are required to screen snorkelers for swimming ability and medical fitness, so expect a health form.

Can I do these without a car?

Yes, for anything near Reykjavík. Most operators offer pickup from the city for an extra charge. Húsavík and the south coast glaciers are easier with a rental car or a bus.

Which activities work in winter?

Silfra, The Lava Tunnel, dog sledding and Elding's classic whale watching all run year-round, and ice caves are a winter thing. See things to do in Iceland in winter.

Photo by r.geilen