Private Snorkeling Silfra Tour
Skip the line and go on your own time
A private snorkeling day
Avoid the crowds and snorkel when you want
Snorkel in the clearest water in the world and float between two continents in Iceland with no other people around!
Our scheduled Snorkeling Tour was named the best tour in Iceland and 10th in the world on the 2024 Best of the Best Traveler's choice awards by Tripadvisor.
Our private tours include a private guide, the snorkeling tour and all necessary equipment for snorkeling. During our private tours we usually go outside the busiest time at Silfra on a start time that fits your schedule, whether it is early in the morning or late in the evening (depending on daylight hours).
Silfra is a fissure between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. Silfra constantly fills with glacial water that has been trickling through underground lava rock for 30 years. This remarkable crack between two tectonic plates is therefore filled with the clearest water on our planet, allowing for up to 100 meters visibility.
On the snorkeling tour we will dress you in a dry suit and guide you through the four parts of the Silfra fissure. Floating through Silfra's crystal clear water is an otherworldly experience; the near-freezing water, astonishing colors, and sensations of flying provide a very unique environment for liquid meditation that you will never forget.
During your snorkel you will explore the four main parts of Silfra. You will float through Big Crack, Silfra’s narrowest section and where the continental plates are so close you can almost touch them. The fissure then widens into Silfra Hall. Here the full spectrum of Silfra’s colours and clarity become all the more apparent. At this point if you look at just the right angle you can see all the way to lake Thingvallavatn, over 150m away. Near to the opening to Thingvellir lake we will enter the Silfra Cathedral; as the depth reaches 23m you feel like you are flying over the boulders and glacial silt. Your snorkel is finished in the endless visibility of Silfra Lagoon.
If you have your own transportation to Silfra, you can meet us directly at the Silfra meeting point in the National Park.
If you choose the pick up option, your private guide will pick you up and drop you off at your location in Reykjavík. During the one-hour drive, your guide will provide you with background information about the unique geology and cultural history of Iceland.
If you want to avoid the crowds and have Silfra all to yourself, this is the experience for you.
Silfra fissure is located at Thingvellir National Park which is on the Golden circle, a very popular sightseeing route in Iceland. Other sightseeing locations on the Golden circle are Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir hot spring and Kerið crater.
Tour Details
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Private guide
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Available on request. Start times that fit your schedule.
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All year round, daily. Don't see a tour time that works for you, contact us at [email protected] and we will find the best time for you
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Approx. 2.5 hours at the site, 5 hours if with transportation from Reykjavík
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For up to 6 people
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Pick up can be arranged for an extra fee
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Not looking for a private experience? Check out our Snorkeling Silfra day tour
Included:
- Guided snorkeling trip
- A start time that fits your needs, avoiding the crowds
- All necessary snorkeling equipment
- Photos from the tour
- Hot chocolate and cookies after the snorkeling trip
- Entrance fee into Silfra
Please bring:
- Long underwear
- Thick socks
- Suitable clothes for the weather of the day
- Contact lenses if you wear glasses
Head over to our Merch page and grab a souvenir to remember your adventure by!
This tour is depending availability. If we are able to go on the requested date and time, we will confirm the booking and send you a payment link for the total amount. You choose the day you want to go on this page, then choose the location and start time on the next page.
POPULAR TIMES AT SILFRA
For your safety, all participants must:
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have read, signed, and followed directions on our online Snorkeling Silfra Medical Statement PDF
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have our Snorkeling Medical form signed off by a doctor if they are age 60 or older 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 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
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eat well before the tour
Timeline of your tour
- (If you have booked a private tour with pick up you will first meet your driver at the selected pick-up location in Reykjavik)
- Arrival at the meeting point at Silfra 15 minutes before the tour start time, check-in with guides
- Briefing and gear-up with your guide (∼1 hour total)
- Once you are fully dressed, your guide will take a number from the park ranger and that will be your group’s number to enter the water
- Make your way to the entry platform, short wait (wait time may vary)
- 30-45 minutes spent in the water
- Exit through platform, walk back to the meeting point (∼250 meters)
- Take off equipment, enjoy hot chocolate and cookies to warm up
- At this point, you will have time to chat with your guide, ask any questions you might have and take a look at the pics taken during the tour
- (if you have booked a tour with pick up, your driver will drop you off at your location in Reykjavik)
Your bookable extras
Experience the tour
Guides on this tour
You will snorkel here
Frequently asked questions about our Private Snorkeling Day Tour
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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 any Souvenirs available?
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Yes, we offer a variety of Souvenirs of Silfra, such as t-shirts, jumpers, hoodies, hats and postcards. Please take a look at our Souvenir page for more detailed information. If you want to collect your souvenirs at Silfra on the day of your tour, we recommend pre-paying for them, as the guides only bring a handful of items in random sizes.
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Can I bring my GoPro,waterproof camera or phone on tour?
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Of course! You are free to take your own photos or video on tour with us, but we ask that your equipment is attached to your body in one way or another, for example with a wristband. We do however not advise that you take your phone in a waterproof case, due to the fact that it is generally not possible to operate it whilst wearing the gloves. Make sure that you read the instructions that come with your photography equipment of how deep and/or cold you are allowed to take it underwater, we strongly encourage you to follow them thoroughly. We do not take any responsibility for lost or damaged photography gear that may happen on tour with us.
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Can I use my own snorkel equipment?
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You are most welcome to bring your own snorkeling equipment, but please be aware of the following. If you are thinking of bringing your own fins, please make sure that they are open-heeled fins, as they will need to fit over a drysuit boot. Most people will wear a drysuit with similar-sized shoes to their normal shoe size, but sometimes that is not the case, and therefore your fins may not fit. If you have your own neoprene hood and gloves, you are welcome to bring them, but please remember that this is 3°C water - we highly suggest a minimum of 7mm hood and 7mm three-finger mittens as these are the warmest options, and what we will supply. You may find that 5mm five-fingered gloves are quite cold, and we do not advise wearing anything less than 5mm thickness.
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Can my children snorkel?
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Children that are 12 years old on the year can snorkel with Dive.is.
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Do I need to be able to swim in order to take part in Snorkeling?
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Even though the dry suits are very buoyant and keep you afloat, it is a requirement that all participants must be able to swim and feel comfortable in water to join the tour. This is for your own safety and comfort. You do however not need to be a very strong swimmer, as long as you can maintain yourself at the surface and propel yourself through the crack.
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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 you offer photo packages from the dive and snorkel tours?
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Of course! Our guides do their best to make your day at Silfra as memorable as possible. They carry top-quality underwater cameras and take high-resolution photos of both participants and the surroundings. The photos are sold as a package, where you receive access to all the photos taken by your guide and our "Best of Silfra" collection folder, all of which will be made available to you via Dropbox. The price for the photo package is ISK 3000,-
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Do you pick me up at my hotel or do I need to come to a pick up point?
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We will either pick you up at your hotel in central/downtown Reykjavik, or, if you are staying on either Hverfisgata or Laugavegur we will pick you up at a designated pick up location If you are however staying outside of Reykjavik, you will unfortunately need to arrange your own transport into Reykjavik, preferably to the BSI bus station, where we will then pick you up. You can then of course also meet us in the National Park Thingvellir if you have your own transport.
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Do you see any life in Silfra?
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Although there is plenty of life in Silfra, most of it is either plant life or micro-invertebrates, which are not visible to the human eye. Silfra is home to a unique amphipod called Crymostygius Thingvallensis found only in Thingvellir Lake and the surrounding fissures, such as Silfra.
In regard to fish life, there are three different species of fish that live in the lake: Brown Trout, Arctic Char and Sticklebacks, however, only the Arctic Char visit the fissure; they are frequent visitors during mating season in August and September. Throughout the rest of the year, the only fish who live in the Silfra fissure are the Dwarf Char, a subspecies of the Arctic Char. These range in size from a few centimeters to approximately 10cm maximum and live down in the darker recesses near the rocks and as such are not often spotted by divers or snorkelers.
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How far is it to Silfra from Reykjavik?
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It is about 60 km from Reykjavik to Silfra and it takes a little less than one hour to drive the distance by car, given the weather conditions are good. If you choose to drive to Silfra yourself and don‘t know the way, we recommend you to study the map before you hit the road. Silfra is located in Þingvellir National Park, which is a bit different from other national parks. At a point, when you turn into road 36, you will feel like you are driving into the middle of nowhere. Please do not turn around, just keep going straight until you see our company cars which are parked at the Silfra Meeting Point, you then drive a little further to parking lot P5 to park. If at anytime you feel lost please do not hesitate to call our office for help.
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How long are we in the water?
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During our snorkel tour, you'll have the fantastic opportunity to explore the underwater world for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. The duration of the snorkeling session may vary depending on the group's pace and the amount of time they wish to spend exploring the beautiful lagoon at the end. So, get ready to dive in and enjoy every moment of this amazing adventure!
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Is there anything to see around Silfra?
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Silfra is located in Thingvellir National Park, one of the main sites of the Golden Circle. It is a stunningly beautiful area, as well as being one of Iceland's most important historical sites. There are many walking trails and interesting landmarks around the park and close to Silfra, and many of the areas have information signs telling you about the historical & geological aspects of the area around Silfra and Thingvellir. More details can be found on our dedicated blog post.
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