Golden Circle and Langjökull snowmobile tours

Short version: ten hours starting from the BSÍ bus terminal. The standard loop first, then a glacier truck up onto Langjökull for a one-hour guided snowmobile ride, then a fifteen-minute break at Gullfoss on the way home and about an hour and a half back to Reykjavík, with 36 drop-off points in the city. Overalls, a helmet and gloves are handed to you at the base. Two people share a snowmobile unless you pay for the single-rider option, and whoever steers needs a valid driver’s licence — passengers do not. If the weather shuts the glacier after you have left town, the ride is refunded and the rest of the day carries on.

Day length10 hrs

On the glacier1 hr

Riders per sled2

Meets atBSÍ terminal

Drop-off points36

Minimum age5

The shape of the day

Forty-five minutes out of Reykjavík to Þingvellir, then across to Geysir for an hour, then Gullfoss, then a further 40 minutes to the glacier base, where a truck takes you up onto Langjökull — the second-largest glacier in Iceland. The ride itself is an hour, guided, in a line. Then back down, a 15-minute stop at Gullfoss, and an hour and a half to town. Michael from the US said they had adequate time at each location, which for a ten-hour day with a glacier bolted into the middle of it is the review I would want.

Jeff called snowmobiling on a glacier the bucket list item you never knew you needed. Sarah from the UK liked the combination of sightseeing, information from the driver-guide and the ride. Deborah from Australia said her guide Gudjon Jes answered every question they threw at him. The one caveat comes from Helene in the US, and it is worth quoting: her only criticism was that walking on the ice was treacherous. You are on a glacier in issued boots and overalls, and the few metres between the truck and the sleds are the part nobody warns you about.

Usually included

Coach travel and a live guide for the full 10 hours
Glacier truck up to the snowmobile base
One-hour guided snowmobile ride on Langjökull
Overalls, helmet, gloves and safety gear
Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss on the loop
Refund of the ride if weather cancels it after departure

Not included

Lunch and drinks
Single-rider snowmobile, which costs extra
Hotel pickup — the tour meets at BSÍ
Anything for under-5s or wheelchair users, who cannot join

What to wear under the overalls

The operator’s overalls, helmet and gloves go over whatever you turn up in, so the layers underneath are your problem. Wool or synthetic next to the skin, a warm mid-layer, and shoes you do not mind getting wet, because the snow at the base is not tidy. Thin liner gloves under the issued ones make a real difference on an hour-long ride. Nothing about the rest of the loop changes: Þingvellir gravel, the Gullfoss lower path and the Kerið scoria all want proper shoes, and the wind does what it likes. The full list is on what to wear on the Golden Circle.

What works

An hour on Iceland’s second-largest glacier, guided
All the safety gear is included, so you pack nothing special
The loop itself is intact — Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss
Weather cancellation of the ride is refunded, not argued about
Runs through winter, when the glacier is at its most convincing

Worth knowing

Priced well above the coach doing the same three sights without the sled
Two per snowmobile unless you pay extra to ride alone
The driver needs a valid licence; passengers do not
No under-5s, no wheelchair users, one child per adult
Meets at BSÍ rather than your hotel door

Is it worth the extra

Only if the glacier is the reason you are going. The sightseeing portion is the same loop the cheapest coach drives, so you are paying roughly the difference for the truck, the gear and the hour on the ice. That is a fair price for it, and it is the sort of hour people describe for years afterwards. If a glacier is not on your list, take the cheaper loop and put the money into a lagoon instead — the whole ladder is set out on the prices page. In deep winter, when the roads make a rental car a poor idea anyway, the case gets stronger; see the loop in winter.

Glacier add-on1-hr snowmobile ride included

Insider tip

Sort out who is driving before you reach the base. Two share a sled, the driver needs a valid licence and the swap-over eats into your hour if you argue about it on the ice. If both of you want to steer, agree on thirty minutes each at the start.

Check dates on the snowmobile combo

4.7 from 1,485 reviews. Departures depend on glacier conditions rather than the calendar, so book with the 24-hour free cancellation and watch the forecast rather than trying to outguess it a month ahead.

Check dates on the snowmobile tour

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure on most tours — book now, decide later.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a driving licence to snowmobile on Langjökull?

To drive, yes — a valid driver’s licence, carried with you. Passengers need nothing. Sleds carry two people and a single-rider option costs extra. Full day details in the snowmobile tour review.

What happens if the weather cancels the snowmobile ride?

If the ride is called off after the tour has departed, that portion is refunded and the rest of the day runs as normal. If you cancel yourself more than 24 hours ahead, the whole booking is refunded. Winter conditions on the loop are covered in the Golden Circle in winter.

Is the snowmobile tour worth the extra over a normal Golden Circle tour?

It costs a good deal more than the plain coach for the same three headline sights, so the answer comes down to one thing: do you want an hour on a glacier. If not, spend the difference on a lagoon combo instead — see the Blue Lagoon combo or the cheaper Secret Lagoon day.

What should I wear on the glacier?

Overalls, helmet and gloves are issued at the base and go over your own clothes. Underneath: a wool or synthetic base layer, a warm mid-layer, thin liner gloves and shoes you do not mind getting wet. One reviewer found walking on the ice treacherous, so grip matters. More in what to wear.