Silfra Snorkeling & Caving in Thingvellir
An adventure between the continents
Two stops to experience the power of Icelandic nature!
A great group activity
The Thingvellir National Park is located less than one hour away from Reykjavik and it showcases some of the most popular features of Icelandic nature and geology. Let us take you and your group on a fantastic snorkeling adventure in Silfra and on a lava caving expedition in the park.
Did you know that everyone can snorkel, you do not need certifications, only to know how to swim. All snorkelers get a warm undersuit and a drysuit so everyone is dry and warm during the snorkel trip. Age limit is 12 years old so bring your teens to Silfra with you.
Silfra is one of the most popular attractions in Iceland. Formed hundreds of years ago by the powerful earthquakes that shook the island, this fissure opened right between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and quickly filled with the fresh water coming from the nearby Langjökull glacier. Before reaching Silfra, the water is filtered through the underwtaer lava rocks for hundreds of years, a process that makes it the clearest and purest water you can find anywhere on this planet.
The incredible visibility, the fascinating underwater rock formations and the colorful algae are what make Silfra such a popular stop for everyone who visits Iceland.
We will meet you at the Silfra meeting point in the morning, where your snorkeling guides will tell you everything about the area, give you a detailed briefing of the tour and help you gear up in the dry suit. You will then make your way to the Silfra entry platform and spend about 30 minutes in the water, during which you will explore the four main parts of Silfra: the Big Crack, the Hall, the Cathedral and the Lagoon. At the end of the tour, you will make your way back to the meeting point, where your guides will help you take off the dry suit and offer you hot chocolate and cookies to warm up.
At this point, we will pick you up for the caving tour. The cave is only about 20 minutes away from Silfra, but it is not possible to drive there in a regular car.
The cave system you will visit is called Gjábakkahellir and, according to Icelandic folk tales, these caves are the entry point to the Ninth World also known as Niflheimar. At some points inside the cave we will have to climb and crawl a little, but this cave tour can be undertaken by everyone who feels comfortable in confined spaces and is fit to take a short hike. Please make sure to bring good shoes.
The cave boasts the remains of volcanic activity dating back to 9.000 years ago. What we have left today are the fascinating red rock formations, the stalactites and the ice sculptures (only visible in winter).
The caving tour takes about 1.5 hours and, at the end, we will drive your group back to the Silfra parking lot.
This combo tour is a great opportunity to explore the national park from a different perspective and to immerse yourself in some of the most fascinating landscapes Iceland has to offer.
We think this tour is the perfect adventure for any group. We always take a maximum of 6 snorkelers into the water at a time, but for larger groups we can coordinate the groups of 6 so that everyone is done at approximately the same time. With the most experience in showing Silfra to our guests out of any tour operator in Iceland, we know how to make sure things go smoothly! Contact us at [email protected] for details and bookings.
Tour Details
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This tour can be tailor made to fit the needs of your group
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approx. 5 hours
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Available on request from April 1st to September 30th, we will find the best time for your group.
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Max 6 snorkelers per snorkel guide, but we can accommodate multiple groups of 6
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Max. 8 cavers per caving guide
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Free photos with all group tours
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Price is based on 18+ people
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Contact us at [email protected] for details and bookings
Please bring:
- Long underwear
- Thick socks
- Suitable clothes for the weather of the day
- Contact lenses if you wear glasses
- Good shoes (e.g. hiking boots)
- Warm clothes for caving
Not included
-Transporation between Reykjavík and Silfra (we can make you an offer for food and/or transportation if needed)
Included:
- Highly trained snorkeling guide and caving guide
- Guided snorkeling tour
- Guided caving tour
- All necessary snorkeling and caving equipment
- Hot chocolate and cookies between snorkeling in Silfra and lava caving
- Entrance fee into Silfra
- Transport from Silfra to Gjábakkahellir and back
For their safety, all participants must:
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have read, signed, and followed directions on the online Snorkeling Silfra Medical Statement (link provided in confirmation email) PDF
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have our Snorkeling Medical form signed off by a doctor if they are age 60 or older (page 2) PDF
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sign our liability release form at the start of the snorkeling tour PDF
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be at minimum 150cm / maximum 200cm
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be at minimum 45kg / maximum 120kg
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fit within our dry suit size chart PDF
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be at least 12 years of age on the year and at least 45 kg / 99 lbs
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be comfortable in the water and be able to swim
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be physically fit
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be ready to wear a sometimes tight & constricting dry suit
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be able to communicate in English
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not be pregnant
YOUR BOOKABLE EXTRAS
Experience the tour
You will visit this area
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Are photos always taken on the Silfra Snorkeling Tours?
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In general, the answer is yes. However, it can happen on rare occasions that your Silfra snorkeling guide is not able to take photos because they might be busy assisting other snorkelers in the water. Another issue could be that the camera has a problem. In this unlikely case you will receive a full refund for the photos you purchased.
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Are the dry suits very tight / uncomfortable?
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We use top-quality equipment for our Snorkeling and Scuba Diving tours.
The dry suits only do a certain amount of dives/time before they get sold and replaced by new ones.
This ensures that our guests will always dive/snorkel in top-notch dry suits frequently tested, serviced or replaced.
However, it is of high importance to provide us with your correct size (height and weight), so we can make sure to bring the best fit for you. If we receive an incorrect size, the guest will receive an incorrect dry suit fit. We assure you that your size information as well as all other personal information stays confidential with us.
We also want to point out that if you are sensitive to having something tight around your neck and/or wrists you might feel uncomfortable in a dry suit. It goes with the territory to have a well-sealing neoprene neck seal and rubber wrist seals in order to stay dry.
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Are there toilets and changing facilities available at Silfra?
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There are two small toilets at Silfra. However we kindly ask you to not use them for changing, as it can cause long queues. We do have a changing room vehicle, and often several other cars at Silfra for participants to change clothes in. Due to this layout, we highly recommend that participants arrive at Silfra already wearing their thermal base layer.
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Can I free dive/duck dive while snorkeling in a dry suit?
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You are more than welcome to give it a try! Our dry suits, however, are very buoyant and will keep you afloat. Unfortunately, we don't provide weight belts for safety reasons. While some people can manage to free dive in these suits, it's not recommended for most. But if you want to attempt it, please keep in mind that moving around too much and at extreme angles increases the risk of water entering your dry suit through the neck seal.
For those of you who are passionate about freediving, we also offer exciting freedive tours in Silfra, through our trusted partners who specialize in this activity. These tours are conducted in a wetsuit, which allows for freediving.
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Do I need a towel? Do you provide them?
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Unfortunately, we do not offer towels on our tour. You will only get wet on your head and hands, so a towel is not really needed. You are however more than welcome to bring your own, and if you have long hair you might want to bring a towel to dry it after the tour.
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Do I need to pay for parking at Silfra?
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The Þingvellir National Park charges a parking fee, which allows you to park in any of the five car parks in the park for the duration of the day. Please note that the parking lot for divers and snorkelers at Silfra is called P5 and is about a 5-minute walk to the Silfra meeting point.
You can pay for parking on CheckIt before or during the day of the visit, and enter the license plate of your car into the system. Cameras check all license plates entering and leaving the parking lots. If you can’t pay online, you can pay at the Visitor center. Pay machines will also be installed at the parking lots in the near future. The pay machines accept all major credit/debit cards.
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Do I need to see a doctor before I join your tour?
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We have a special Medical Statement that all our participants need to read and sign prior our tour. If you say YES to any of the questions in section 1 we unfortunately can't take you on our tour. If you say YES to any of the questions in section 2 you need a Physicians approval. Our form for the Physicians approval is on the second page of the form Snorkeling Silfra Medical Form
Diving Silfra Medical Form Or you can use our Online Check-In site HERE once you have booked. There you can fill out the electronic
Medical Statement and then all you need to do is sign it at Silfra
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Do you have prescription masks?
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Sorry, but we currently don't have prescription masks available. It would be challenging to cater to the different prescriptions that our customers might have. If you wear glasses, we suggest using contact lenses instead, as they fit more comfortably under the mask. However, if you already have a prescription mask, you are more than welcome to use it during the tour.
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How long is the cave?
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We use 2 different caves on this tour, depending on the time of year and weather/road conditions. Gjábakkahellir cave in Thingvellir is 360 meters long and Leiðarendi cave in Reykjanes is 880 meters long.
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I am taking prescription medicine, ie. birth control, can I join your tour?
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Yes, you can. Birth control prescriptions are the one exception on our medical form questions, that does not need a doctor's signature
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