Tours in Iceland

Though Iceland is a safe and easy country to travel independently in, many tourists prefer to go with a guided tour for several reasons. A guide can not only provide more information about a place than you might be able to discover on your own, he or she will also arrange all the logistics for you. Some places – like the rugged interior – can only be reached with a special vehicle, which is pricey to rent on your own. A guide can get you there safely and with little hassle. And if you’re traveling solo in Iceland, a tour not only provides instant companionship, the cost may be lower than renting a car on your own.

The most common tour in Iceland is the day trip, and you’ll find dozens to choose from. Go horseback riding, snorkel in some of the clearest water in the word, strap on some crampons for a glacier walk, learn to drive a super Jeep, or explore the beautiful natural wonders of the country. Most day tours depart from Reykjavik, though you’ll also find some leaving from major cities in northern Iceland, like Akureyri and Husavik. In high season, you’ll want to book these tours in advance, as they do fill up. But if you’re traveling in off-season, you can generally book a few days in advance without any problems.

>> more on day tours from Reykjavik
>> more on tours from North Iceland

Multi-day tours of Iceland

If you’d rather join an organized tour for several days or the whole trip, there are plenty of options, and many of them loop around the Ring Road. Most start in Reykjavik and include your hotels and transport. These operators have strong reviews (ratings checked in September 2026):

• Nordic Visitor runs small-group guided tours, like the 10-day Natural Wonders of Iceland trip around the Ring Road and the Snæfellsnes peninsula, as well as self-drive packages where they book your rental car and hotels for you. It’s rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
• Intrepid Travel has an 8-day Iceland Discovery trip for up to 12 people that covers the Golden Circle, the south coast waterfalls, the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, the East Fjords, Lake Mývatn and Snæfellsnes. Travelers on Intrepid’s own site rate it 4.9 out of 5 from more than 350 reviews.
• Arctic Adventures, a Reykjavik company, runs a 6-day Ring Road tour by minibus for up to 18 people, staying in country hotels and guesthouses. It’s rated 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot, where most of the complaints are about cancelled or changed bookings rather than the tours themselves.
• Guide to Iceland is a booking site for local tour companies, with guided and self-drive packages of every length. It has 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with some reviewers saying pickup details weren’t always clear.
• Icelandic Mountain Guides is the one to look at if you want to hike. Its 5-day Laugavegur trek covers 59 km (37 miles) from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, sleeping in mountain huts, and runs from June to September.

You can also see Iceland by ship. HX Expeditions sails an 8-day loop around Iceland that starts and ends in Reykjavik, and also has longer voyages that link Iceland with the Faroe Islands and Scotland.

Photo by B00nj