Exploring Iceland in the Winter: ice caving tours & roadtrip to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula
From November to April, Iceland is covered in a magical blanket of snow that completely transforms the already beautiful, rugged country.
And if you’re willing to brave the cold of an Icelandic winter, you have the opportunity to hike on glaciers, explore beautiful ice caves, and see the Northern Lights dance across the sky.
The only caveat?
Unless you’re used to driving in the snow, it’s not recommended to do so, lest you (A) can’t handle road conditions and skid or (B) get stranded out there
I’m already scared of driving in any weather condition (I’ve been told sunshine doesn’t count).
So needless to say, I didn’t get behind the wheel.
How did we get around?
Iceland is difficult to get around without your own vehicle (especially in the winter as the bus system is not as convenient as the summer months), but that’s where I’m hoping this guide will help if you’re planning a similar trip with the same limitations.
Thankfully, there are SO many great tour excursions to choose from! And they conveniently do pick-up/drop off to hotels across Reykjavik.
Even if you’re going on your own grand road-trip adventure, you may want to consider booking an excursion (as some activities such as visiting an ice cave, hiking a glacier, or visiting a volcanic cave require a tour guide, for safety reasons)
Table of Contents
To help you plan your trip, I’ve documented the 3 tour excursions we booked and day-trip we convinced some nice humans (friends we met at our hostel who could rent/drive a car) to take us on:
- Tour #1: Golden Circle Express Tour
- Tour #2: Two-day Jokulsarlon, South Coast, and Ice Caving Tour
- Tour #3: Volcanic Veins Cave Tubing Tour
- Day-trip: West-fjords and the Snaefells peninsula
Enjoy!
Tour #1: Golden Circle Express Tour
(with Reykjavik Excursions)
The Golden Circle is the most traveled loop in Iceland. And for good reason. There are beautiful landmarks all around the entire circle, and it’s close to Reykjavik too.
If you have access to a car, this is totally doable on your own.
Our 6 hour tour excursion included:
- Thingvellir National Park (home to the mid-atlantic ridge; the Eurasian and North-American tectonic plates pull the country apart by a couple of centimetres per year.
- Strokkur in the Geyser park
- Gulfoss (the most magnificent 3-step waterfall)
If you’re going to book a Golden Circle Tour, I’d recommend booking a combo Golden Circle/Secret Lagoon instead. We weren’t able to book this option because we were a little late to the booking-party (plan ahead, folks!).
Reykjavik Excursions comes highly rated, but be wary that it’s the large tour-bus type of tour with 40 other folks. Eh. But since we only really used them for transportation anyway, we didn’t mind the large group size too much. And the guides were quite informative, so that was a plus.
Opportunity to get a little basic on Tour #1:
Tour #2: Two-day Jokulsarlon, South Coast, and Ice Caving Tour
(with Extreme Iceland; our guide Holly was amazing)
This was an amazing tour mostly because we wanted to see a lot of the South Eastern coast of Iceland.
Depending on weather conditions, this is totally drivable on your own. However, if you’re interested in exploring an ice cave, you’ll have to book that part through a tour group (otherwise you’re a safety hazard to yourself)
Most notable nature stops included:
- Hringsa
- Skogafoss (cool because you can hike to the top of the waterfall)
- Seljafjallajokull (ever wanted to hike behind a waterfall? you can here)
- Black Sand Beach
- Laufskalavaroa in Skaftarhreppur (lava fields where Justin Bieber shot his music video for I’ll Show You)
- Vatnajokul glacier
- Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
- Diamond Beach
- Fjallsarlon Icebergs
Overall a fantastic tour albeit pretty pricey (as it includes transportation across a vast portion of Iceland and accommodations for the night spent on the Eastern coast). Our tour group included ~15 people.
The South shore of Iceland is definitely a must see of Iceland. The landscape is so different every few miles. You’ll simply be in awe.
See for yourself.
Opportunity to get a little basic on Tour #2:
ANOTHER opportunity to get a little basic on Tour #2:
Tour #3: Volcanic Veins Cave Tubing Tour
(with Extreme Iceland)
This was a half-day tour of Leidarendi, where we got to explore/crawl through a lava tube cave. This was in a group of ~15 people and our tour guide was not that great (poor voice projection, not as engaging Holly from our Ice Caving tour), but we enjoyed the experience nonetheless.
Day-trip: West-fjords and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula
On our last day in Iceland, we went on the adventure of a lifetime. This road-trip from Reykjavik to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula was breathtaking.
And at the end of the night, we saw the Northern Lights! The key to spotting the Northern Lights is cloudless skies, getting away from the city lights, and a whole lot of patience.
Notable nature-stops with beautiful views included:
- Arnarstapi (small fishing village with a beautiful coastal walk, with views of Mt. Stapafell)
- Snaefellsjokul national park (the first national park in Iceland)
- Kirkjufell (the most photographed mountain and waterfall duo in Iceland)
Opportunity to get a little basic on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula:
Horses can be basic too:
Thank you for reading about my adventures in Iceland! If you enjoyed this, feel free to clap or share this post with friends.
If you’re traveling to Iceland soon, please find my tips for food here:
Till next time, xo
