Kerlingarfjöll highlands & hot springs: Reykjavík day trip

GYG

Kerlingarfjöll highlands & hot springs: Reykjavík day trip

★ 4.9(11 reviews)

• Eight of the outdoor sights around Reykjavik charge for parking rather than for entry. That fee is per car, so it falls away entirely when somebody else is driving.
• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 12 hours

from $293

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

Twelve hours from Reykjavik into the highlands

This day trip takes you from Reykjavik deep into the Kerlingarfjöll mountain range, a geothermal area in Iceland’s central highlands. The tour runs for 12 hours, with the operator Highland Base Kerlingarfjöll handling the guiding in English. You will travel from the capital to a landscape of hot springs, steaming vents and rhyolite hills, and then make the return journey the same day. The itinerary also includes a stop in Vík í Mýrdal on the south coast, which breaks up the drive and adds a coastal contrast to the inland geothermal scenery. The trip is built around a full day away from the city, so it suits travellers who want to see a more remote side of Iceland without committing to an overnight stay in the highlands. The departure point is Reykjavik itself, and the price starts at 293 USD.

Photographs from the operator Highland Base Kerlingarfjöll. They show the listing, not your day.

What the price covers and what you pay for separately

The entry price of 293 USD includes admission to the geothermal sites along the route. That means you do not need to budget for gate tickets at the hot springs or other stops, as the operator has already covered those costs within the tour price. The tour is guided, with an English-speaking guide accompanying the group throughout the day. Food is not included in the price, so you will need to plan for meals during the 12 hours. There is no official figure for what you might spend on food, and the operator does not sell meals as an add-on to this tour. No other fees apply to the places on the itinerary, so the main additional cost you face is your own food for the day. The operator offers free cancellation, though no deadline is attached to that offer.

What an 11-review score means here

The tour holds a rating of 4.9 out of 5, but that score comes from just 11 reviews. That is a very small sample, so the rating tells you less than it would if hundreds of people had voted. In the category of spa and hot spring tours, which contains 50 listings, this tour ranks 21st overall when ordered by the strength of the evidence behind it, not by the score alone. By the number of reviews, it sits 23rd of 50, which puts it in the middle of the field for how much feedback it has gathered. By price, it ranks 30th of 50, with the group’s prices ranging from 34 to 2,120 USD. The high score is encouraging, but with only 11 people behind it, you should treat it as a positive sign rather than a proven track record. The tour is not wheelchair accessible, so that is a practical consideration if it applies to you.

Season and time of day for this long drive

The 12-hour length means daylight matters a great deal. Reykjavik’s temperatures peak in July at 15 degrees Celsius, with June and August close behind at 13 and 14 degrees. From May through September, daytime highs stay above 10 degrees, which makes the highlands more comfortable to visit. In the winter months of December, January and February, highs hover around 3 degrees, and the short daylight hours would leave little time for a 12-hour round trip that reaches the highlands and returns. The tour is best suited to the warmer half of the year, roughly from late spring to early autumn, when the long days give you enough light to justify the distance. Even in summer, the highlands sit at elevation, so the temperatures you experience there will be cooler than the Reykjavik figures suggest. The trip runs during the day, and you will be travelling for most of that time, so the hours of usable daylight directly shape how much you see.

What happens when you arrive

The tour begins in Reykjavik, where you join the group and the English-speaking guide. From there, the route heads toward Kerlingarfjöll, with a stop in Vík í Mýrdal along the way. The highlands are a remote area, and the geothermal features there are the main draw. The weather in the highlands can change quickly, and the guide will adjust the plan if conditions make the roads unsafe. The drive itself is long, so the stop in Vík í Mýrdal gives you a chance to stretch your legs and see the south coast before continuing inland. The operator runs the tour with a guide throughout, so you have someone on hand to explain what you are seeing and to manage the logistics of the day. There are no separate staffed visitor centres or formal entry points at the geothermal sites themselves, so the guide is your primary point of contact for the whole excursion.

Who this tour suits and who should look elsewhere

This trip is for travellers who want to see the highlands’ geothermal landscape in a single day from Reykjavik and are comfortable with a long time on the road. The 12-hour duration and the distance involved mean it is not a relaxed half-day outing. If you prefer a shorter experience closer to the city, the Sky Lagoon Entrance Pass with its 7-step spa ritual runs for one day and starts at 116 USD, with a far larger base of over 7,000 reviews. That option gives you a geothermal experience without the long drive. Similarly, the Golden Circle, Kerid and Secret Lagoon tour lasts 10 hours and starts at 132 USD, offering a shorter day with a mix of sights. If you want a very quick visit, the Sky Lagoon Admission with Transfer takes just 2.5 hours from 152 USD, or the Iceland Secret Lagoon Admission Ticket starts at 34 USD. Those alternatives suit travellers who are short on time or prefer a more urban or compact geothermal visit. This Kerlingarfjöll tour is the one for people who want the highlands themselves, with the travel time accepted as part of the experience.

GYG

Kerlingarfjöll highlands & hot springs: Reykjavík day trip

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 $293

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