Jet ski tour in the Bay of Reykjavík

GYG

Jet ski tour in the Bay of Reykjavík

★ 5.0(1 reviews)

• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 2 hours

from $185

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

Two hours on the water, inside the bay

This tour puts you on a jet ski in the bay that Reykjavik faces, with the city skyline on one side and the islands and headlands of Faxaflói on the other. It runs for two hours, which is enough time to get comfortable with the machine and still cover a decent stretch of water without feeling rushed. The trip starts in Reykjavik itself, so you are not adding travel time to the day. It is sold as a small group, and an English-speaking guide leads the way. If you have never ridden a jet ski before, that is not a problem; the guide is there to show you how it works before you open the throttle. If you have done it before, the two hours give you room to actually enjoy the speed rather than just learning the basics. The tour is priced from 185 USD, which puts it among the cheaper ways to get an engine and a hull under you in this part of Iceland. You meet the operator in the city and go from there. There is no hotel pickup, so you make your own way to the starting point, but given that the departure is in Reykjavik, that is a short trip for most visitors.

Photographs from the operator Reykjavik Jetskis. They show the listing, not your day.

What the price covers

The 185 USD entry price covers the jet ski, the safety gear, and the guide who stays with the group for the full two hours. The guide speaks English, and the small-group format means you are not waiting around for a large crowd to get sorted. The operator offers free cancellation, so you can book with some flexibility, though no deadline for that cancellation is given. There are no admission fees or parking charges at any point on this tour, because the whole thing happens on the water and at the operator's base. You do not need to budget for anything extra at a gate or a ticket office. What you should think about is clothing. The tour does not list any rental gear beyond the safety equipment, so you want to bring something waterproof and warm to wear under the provided gear. The bay can be cold even on a mild day, and the wind from riding adds to that. The price is in US dollars as published, and at the current exchange rate of about 121 ISK to the dollar, you are looking at roughly 22,400 ISK for the base tour.

One review, not a track record

The tour carries a perfect 5.0 score, but that score comes from a single review. One person's experience is not a pattern, and it would be misleading to treat this as a proven, highly rated operation in the way that a score from hundreds of riders would be. In the category of ATV and buggy tours in Reykjavik, which has 27 listings, this tour ranks 20th by the number of reviews. That puts it near the bottom of the group for evidence, not for quality. What the single review does tell you is that at least one person had a good time and felt it was worth five stars. Beyond that, you are booking on the strength of the operator's description and the appeal of the activity itself, not on a crowd of past customers. The comparable tours in this category, such as the Mountain Peak ATV Adventure with 292 reviews or the Quad Bike Twin Peaks Tour with 211, have far more feedback to weigh. If you are the kind of traveller who wants to read a dozen recent experiences before committing, this listing will not give you that.

When to ride

The bay does not freeze over, but it is cold for most of the year. From November through March, daytime highs hover around 3°C, and the water temperature is far below that. Riding a jet ski in those months means cold spray, cold wind, and fingers that go numb inside gloves. It is doable, but it is a winter activity in the truest sense. From June through August, highs reach 13 to 15°C, which is still brisk on the water but a completely different experience. The long daylight hours of an Icelandic summer also mean you can ride in full light well into the evening, which suits a two-hour tour that might start later in the day. May and September sit in between, with highs around 10 to 11°C, and those months offer a reasonable compromise between cold and crowds. The low temperatures in winter drop to around -2°C, so if you book for December or January, you are committing to a genuinely cold ride. The time of day matters less than the season; a midday start in winter gives you the best light and the warmest part of the day, while in summer you have the flexibility to go whenever suits you.

Meeting up and getting going

You make your own way to the operator's base in Reykjavik, since hotel pickup is not part of the deal. The base is staffed, and that is where you check in, get fitted for the safety gear, and meet your guide. The guide runs through the controls and the basic handling before anyone gets on the water, so you are not figuring it out as you go. The tour stays inside the bay, which means you are sheltered from the open ocean, but the weather still plays a role. If the wind picks up or the sea gets rough, the guide may adjust the route or the pace. That is not a failure of the tour; it is the difference between a good day and a miserable one. There are no gates or ticket booths at any point on the itinerary, so the only thing you need to manage is your own arrival time. The two-hour duration includes the time on the water, so you want to be at the base a little early to get sorted without eating into your ride.

Who should book this

This tour suits anyone who wants to feel the speed of a jet ski without committing to a full day or a long drive out of the city. It is a short, focused activity that leaves the rest of your day free. It also suits first-timers, because the guide is there to teach the basics and the bay is a forgiving place to learn. If you are travelling with someone who wants to ride but is nervous about it, the small-group format means they are not being thrown in with a large crowd. The lack of hotel pickup is a minor inconvenience, but the departure is in Reykjavik, so it is not a dealbreaker. If you want a longer ride, more power, or a route that goes beyond the bay, this is not the one. The South Coast, Plane Wreck, and Beach ATV Tour from Reykjavik runs for 10 hours and costs from 293 USD, and it covers far more ground. That is the alternative if you want a full day out and are happy to trade the jet ski for wheels. For a quick hit of speed and a different view of the city, this two-hour ride fits the bill.

GYG

Jet ski tour in the Bay of Reykjavík

Dates, remaining places and the current version of what is included are at the operator. This page reflects the state of the catalogue, not the state of this morning.

from $185

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