Winter Activities in Iceland 

Ice Caving

You literally „must“ try this in the winter, as the water that runs through these crystal caves only freezes during the winter months. You can‘t see these stunning natural phenomena at any other time of year.

We highly discourage trying to go at it alone, but you can find multiple tour operators that would love to take you in. Tour operators in Iceland are comparatively good, and they become a large part of the show in our experience. Let them take you into the long, frozen chambers, under a ceiling of translucent blue waves, and tell you the story of how they formed and what lies in store for these majestic tunnels of ice. When you see the tour photos, it looks photoshopped, but we can assure you, it‘s not. Finding an ice cave operator to take you in is easy.

Glaciers riddle the landmass and cover more than 8% of the country, with Vatnajökull proving the most massive in the whole of Europe. Icelandic glaciers are also accessible; oftentimes you can drive right up to the base, or even slightly on top of the glacier itself.

Glacier Hiking

You don’t have to clamber up vertical ice walls or crawl into ice caves to enjoy the Icelandic glaciers. It’s exhilarating to mount on those snow chains (crampons), grab an ice ax in each hand, and hike onto a moving sheet of ice, hundreds of meters thick in some places, and just be there. And the good part is you don’t need to wait for the winter in Iceland, since this is an all-season activity.

We recommend dancing on the glacier.

Horseback riding

The Icelandic horse. A legend in its own right. With a step, no other horse breed can imitate, the 5th gait, known as Tölt. The gate is incredibly smooth, despite the fast pace.

The winter coat that covers the Icelandic horse makes it look somewhat smaller, without dampening the power and vitality of these beautiful animals in the slightest. You will have an easy time of finding an operator to help you mount up and ride into the wild.

Northern Lights

Amazingly, Iceland is one of the best places on the planet to view these spectacular phenomena. There are Aurora seasons, and they are more complex than just winter or summer. Click here for a more detailed Northern Lights summary.

The Aurora Borealis is a scientific occurrence, with highly charged electrons from solar winds hitting the upper atmosphere. Still, it’s easy to imagine the superstitions that arose from the visual spectacle. It looks more like something magical like it’s from a Fantasy Novel. 

The best time and place to see the Northern Lights?

Away from all habitation, or more accurately, any source of light and in early or late winter. And anywhere you have clear skies.

What is the best mode of transport to search for the Northern Lights?

The Easy Clever 4×4 and the Easy Viking 4×4  were born for a Northern Lights hunt. But as a rule, you’ll want to be as mobile as possible, as chasing clear skies is #1 on your list. A camper is a handy tool in this endeavor.

Snorkeling

Yeah, it‘s cold. But it also offers a unique experience. There aren‘t many places in the world where you will find clearer waters than in Silfra in Lake Þingvallavatn.

The water is actually clear and clean enough for drinking, as it‘s been filtered for years during its glacial journey through the lava rocks.

Museums

A museum visit can be an excellent way to get out of the cold for some or a place to soak up interesting information that‘s rich in history for others. Either way, Iceland has some impressive Museums. They tend to be quite different from what springs to mind when we hear the word Museum.

There are loads of Museums in Reykjavík, and information on each one is easy to come by. We decided to focus on the Museums outside of Reykjavík on our map.

Holiday Seasons

Christmas and New Year’s Eve are the perfect winter holidays in Iceland. Both are full of local traditions and customs. We love how flashy those customs actually are, with the entire city lit up during Christmas and the awe-inspiring magnitude of fireworks we blast into the sky during New-Years.

Then there are the 13 evil Santa-Clauses (Jule-Lads) and their hideous, ogre mother that descend from the mountains to eat humans every Merry Christmas, the delicious Laufabrauð (Leaf-Bread), and blazing bonfires.