Silfra Snorkelling Tour from Reykjavík

This Silfra snorkelling tour takes you into the Silfra fissure in Þingvellir National Park, floating between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in glacier water so clear you can see for tens of metres. No diving certification is needed.

• No diving certification needed, suitable for confident swimmers
• Full dry suit and thermal undersuit included, keeping you warm and dry
• Float between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates
• Complimentary GoPro photos of your snorkel
• Hot chocolate and a chocolate bar afterwards
• Runs all year

Your day, stop by stop

2Drive to ÞingvellirAbout an hour's drive to Þingvellir National Park.

Silfra is in Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the site of Iceland's original parliament. The drive takes about an hour from Reykjavík.

Time here · about 1 hour drive

Read our Þingvellir National Park guide →

3Gearing up and briefingFitted with a dry suit, thermal undersuit, mask and fins.

Your guide checks everyone is comfortable in the suit and gives a safety briefing before the short walk of about 5 minutes to the water. You wear a dry suit, thermal undersuit, mask and fins.

Walking · about 5 minutes to the entry point

4Snorkelling the fissureFloating through Silfra's main sections with your guide.

You drift slowly through the fissure, looking down into water so clear that the bottom is visible many metres below, with your guide pointing out features along the way. The water is around 2 to 4°C all year, and complimentary GoPro photos are included.

Water temperature · around 2–4°C year roundPhotos · complimentary GoPro photos included

5Warming up and returnHot chocolate and a chocolate bar before the drive back to Reykjavík.

Hot chocolate and a chocolate bar before the drive back to Reykjavík. Bring a change of clothes for afterwards.

About the Silfra snorkelling tour

Silfra is a water-filled fissure in Þingvellir National Park where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly drifting apart. The water is glacial meltwater from Langjökull, filtered through porous lava rock for years before reaching the fissure, which is why visibility is often 100 metres or more.

Unlike the diving version of this tour, snorkelling needs no certification. You wear a dry suit with a thermal undersuit underneath, so very little of you actually touches the cold water, which stays around 2–4°C all year. After a briefing on shore, you walk a short distance to the entry point and float through the main sections of the fissure with your guide.

The tour starts with pick-up in downtown Reykjavík and about an hour's drive to Þingvellir. Because the pool of hotels covered for pick-up is limited to the city centre, check that your accommodation is included when booking; pick-up is not available from Keflavík airport or outside Reykjavík.

There is an upper age limit as well as a minimum age on this tour, and guests aged 60–69 need a signed doctor's note. Bring your own thermal underwear to wear beneath the suit, since this makes the biggest difference to how comfortable the cold water feels.

• GoPro camera rental

Questions people ask