Iceland Glacier snowmobile tours put you on Langjökull, the second-largest ice cap in the country, for about an hour at the handlebars. You ride two to a machine as standard, and you need a driving licence to drive.
Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss from the BSÍ terminal, plus an hour riding Langjökull, two to a machine. Protective clothing is supplied, hotel pickup is not, and you need a driving licence to drive.
From $337 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Meet behind the Geysir visitor centre, ride a super truck about 50 minutes to base camp, then snowmobile for about an hour in two rides with a photo stop. No Reykjavík transfer; drivers need a licence.
From $217 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Pickup at Reykjavík bus stops, about 1 hour 40 minutes to the base, a super jeep to the edge of the ice cap and an hour on a snowmobile. Overalls, helmet and gloves supplied; 14 guests at most.
From $265 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Rides start at $217 from Geysir, and every one refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead. Check your date and the solo-rider option before you pay.
Check availabilityA ride, not a walk. You are driven up to a base at the edge of Langjökull, dressed in overalls, helmet and gloves, briefed, and then you follow a guide across the ice cap on a snowmobile for about an hour. Two people share a machine; one drives and one rides behind.
There are three ways up. The ride from Geysir meets behind the visitor centre and takes a super truck about 50 minutes to base camp. A second day collects you in Reykjavík and drives about 1 hour 40 minutes to Húsafell, the base for the ice cap, before a jeep takes you to the edge. The third is a whole Golden Circle day with the ride in the middle.
You sit. If a three-hour hike on crampons is beyond you or your party, this still puts you on a glacier. One traveller counted 22 riders, not one of whom had driven a snowmobile before.
The Golden Circle day takes riders from 5, the Húsafell day from 6 and the Geysir ride from 8, always behind an adult driver. No hike or cave goes that young.
Langjökull is inland from the Golden Circle, so you can ride it on a day trip from the capital without the long drive east that Vatnajökull needs.
Both put you on the ice. They are different days.
| A snowmobile tour | A glacier hike | |
|---|---|---|
| On the ice | About an hour riding | Most of 3 to 7.5 hours walking |
| Fares | $217 to $337 | $96 to $256 |
| Youngest | 5, 6 or 8, as a passenger | 8 |
| Licence | Needed to drive | Not needed |
| Glacier | Langjökull | Sólheimajökull or Vatnajökull |
| Fitness | Low | Moderate |
A hike gives you crevasses and time to look; a snowmobile gives you speed and the size of the ice cap. If you can walk, the glacier hike tours cost less and show you more of the ice itself.
You get the ride, the guide, the transfer to the ice and the protective kit: overalls, helmet and gloves. The Golden Circle day adds a coach and three stops; the Húsafell day adds a Reykjavík pickup.
You do not get your own machine at the standard fare. Riding solo costs more and each operator sells it differently; our prices guide sets it out. You do not get food, and the Geysir ride has no Reykjavík transfer. Bring waterproof shoes, as one traveller advises; another called it freezing up there.
| What to expect | |
|---|---|
| Fares | $217 to $337 per person, two per machine |
| Time riding | About an hour |
| Whole trip | 4 to 10 hours depending on the start |
| Youngest | 5, 6 or 8 by tour, as a passenger |
| Bring | A driving licence, warm layers, waterproof shoes |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours ahead |
The snowmobile days are summer products. Every dated account of them falls between May and September, so for a winter date, ask the operator before you plan round it. The calendar by activity has the rest.
Weather is the other risk. The Golden Circle ride may be cancelled after departure for weather, with a full refund, and one Húsafell group rode in white-out conditions. The glacier weather page shows what to expect by month.
Pickup at a Reykjavík bus stop, the drive to the base, a jeep to the edge of the ice and an hour at the handlebars. See the dates before you pay.
Check availabilityNext: See how Langjökull compares in which glacier fits your trip, or price a solo machine in what a glacier tour costs. Every fare sits side by side on Iceland Glacier Tours.