Iceland · GUIDED
Good guided tours fill up weeks ahead; the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Cruise Skjálfandi Bay from Húsavík on a traditional oak boat with live guide spotting, warm overalls, and hot chocolate.
“So much fun. Saw many humpback whales. Guide was knowledgeable. Hot chocolate on the way back was blissful.”
Reykjavik whale watching from Old Harbour on Andrea: heated decks, overalls, and a free return if you miss the whales.
“What a magical experience…saw humpback whales on our first trip. Absolutely surreal experience. The whole crew were amazing, one being a marine biologist, who made sure we were in the perfect position for spotting them. Wouldn’t hesitate to book again, if we ever return to Iceland x”
Jökulsárlón to Vatnajökull: super jeep ride, guided trek, and up to 1.5 hours exploring blue ice in a real glacier cave.
“We had a great time with our guide Johann, learned a lot about glaciers and overall it was a great way to spend a morning in Iceland! Really recommend!”
A guided Golden Circle bus day from Reykjavik with Strokkur, Gullfoss, and Þingvellir, Wi-Fi onboard, pickup options, and an app audio guide.
“Gunnar (with lots of stories to tell!) was an entertaining guide for our 6 hour Golden Circle trip. There were lots of other tourists, but he got us directed to the best spot for photos of the waterfall and kindly took our photo, too.”
Reykjavik guided food walk from Harpa: 5 stops, 6 to 8 Icelandic tastings in 3 hours, with local stories.
“Dave our guide was very knowledgeable and it was great to see different restaurants. A very enjoyable afternoon and definitely recommended”
Bus to Iceland’s Dynjandi Falls from Isafjordur. 90 minutes there, guided stories, big scenery, and a no-fuss half-day outing.
“Besides the great destination, the stories by the guide were interesting.”
Guided bus tour from Reykjavik to chase the aurora, with WiFi and science lessons, plus weather-based stops and flexible rebooking.
“Awesome lights 3 consecutive nights. Also very COLD!!! Highly recommend this experience. Company very helpful at return to hotels at 1am.”
7-hour guided hike from Reykjavik to Fagradalsfjall areas, including Seltún hot springs and Litli Hrutur eruption viewing when conditions allow.
“Wonderful! The Seltún geothermal springs were a nice start to the trip. After that, we went to the eruption site and took a 1.5-hour hike through the lava. It’s an exciting experience to walk on relatively fresh lava (still warm in some areas) with its beautiful forms and mineralizations. There was even the possibility to warm sandwiches on the lava! ;-) The most impressive part was Grindavík, with all the damage from earthquakes and the eruption in February 2024, and the defense constructions around the city. We were the first group allowed into the town, lucky to explore it by minibus and even walk around a little. One of the…”
Walk on Vatnajökull’s outlet glacier from Jökulsárlón with crampons, helmet gear, and a 2-hour guided hike over Breiðamerkurjökull.
“Thanks to Guillermo, the hike was safe and very enjoyable! He had lots of information about the glacier and the surroundings areas which was very nice :)”
Guided Reykjavik minibus to Snæfellsnes: Kirkjufell, Búðakirkja, lava coasts, seals at Ytri Tunga, plus Snæfellsjökull views.
“Tom was such a great guide! The small group made this such an enjoyable experience. We appreciated Tom's insight into everything we saw and also his dry sense of humour -- perfect fit for us! He also has an incredible singing voice, which was a delightful treat on our way home when he sang a beautiful traditional Icelandic ballad for us. We've actually had several tour guides here sing to us, but Tom is the only one we'd request an encore!! The only notes are that this tour doesn't really allow for proper meal breaks, so he sure to stock up on some hearty snacks. Also, if you have a…”
Warm overalls, heated cabins, and a pro guide from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour, sailing Faxafloi Bay for humpbacks and dolphins.
“Excellent tour with great explanation and guide. It all depends on luck as you can’t predict when would the wild shows up but we were lucky🤩”
Chase the Northern Lights from Reykjavik with a small guided group, hot drinks, warm blankets, and a guide who captures your aurora photos.
“Best tour for northern lights in Reykjavik. We were lucky to have Christian as our guide. He has extensive knowledge about the aurora borealis, very patient and accommodating about the picture taking. It's best to go with a smaller group like ours (maybe 30 or 40?). And definitely look for a tour that includes photos taken by someone who is experienced with taking aurora photos. He also has a good camera, not just a cellphone. Our driver was also great, she served hot chocolate on our trip”
A guided Northern Lights chase from Reykjavik with dark-sky stops, expert guidance, photo help, and free rebook if the aurora missed.
“Didn't get to see the lights unfortunately but a great trip. Tour guide was great kept us all amused.”
Whale-watching from Reykjavik with thermal overalls, heated seating, onboard Wi-Fi, and a try-again ticket if wildlife is scarce.
“We saw whales and dolphins and the tour guide was so nice and personable. Would go again; 10/10. Loved it!!!”
Reykjavik puffin cruise to Akurey Island by express boat, with an expert guide, binoculars, and close seabird watching in about an hour.
“We had the opportunity to see some puffins on this trip. It was a good time, the only issue was we could not understand the gentleman who was talking about the puffins.”
Every kind of day out on the island, and the best of each.
