Reykjavik: Glacier Hike, Waterfall and Black Sand Beach

GYG

Reykjavik: Glacier Hike, Waterfall and Black Sand Beach

★ 4.8(1,655 reviews)

• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 11 hours

from $188

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

An 11-hour run down the south coast

This tour leaves Reykjavik and heads southeast along the south coast for a full 11-hour day. You will cross the volcanic plains under the Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull ice caps, stop at the Reynisfjara black sand beach, and walk on a glacier with a guide who leads the group in English. The itinerary also takes in a waterfall along the way, and the town of Vik í Myrdal, the southernmost village on Iceland's mainland, sits somewhere in the middle of the route. At 188 USD per person, it is priced for travellers who want the breadth of the south coast in a single day without paying for the longer, more specialised excursions. The day is long, so it suits someone who would rather see more and sleep on the bus between stops than piece together several shorter trips.

Photographs from the operator Glaciers and Waterfalls ehf. They show the listing, not your day.

What the 188 USD covers

The entry price of 188 USD buys you the guided day itself: transport from Reykjavik, an English-speaking guide, and the glacier walk. Food is not part of the price, so you should carry lunch and snacks for the long day. The glacier hike is the one part of the trip that requires the guide's equipment, and that is included in what you pay. At Reynisfjara, the beach itself and the toilets are free to use. Parking there costs 1,000 ISK per car in the lower lot closest to the sand, but that charge applies only if you drive yourself, and this is a guided tour, so it does not arise for you. The operator offers free cancellation if your plans change, though no deadline for it is given. The trip is not wheelchair accessible, so if that is a requirement for you, this is not the tour to book.

A strong score backed by a solid base

The 4.8 out of 5 rating comes from 1,655 reviews, which is a substantial number of people to have taken this exact tour. That volume matters more than the score itself. A 4.8 from a few dozen ratings would tell you little, but nearly 1,700 travellers is enough to smooth out individual bad days and give you a reliable picture. In the south coast tour category, this puts it third out of 81 tours when ranked by the strength of that evidence, and fourth by the sheer number of reviews. The comparable tours with more reviews, such as the 10-hour south coast tour with 12,274 ratings, have been running longer and carry a similar score, so this one is not an outlier. The price also ranks well: at 188 USD it sits 14th cheapest out of the 81 tours in its group, which means you are paying less than most people do for this kind of day.

What 11 hours mean in each season

The tour runs all year, and the season changes what those 11 hours feel like. From June to August, the high temperatures in Reykjavik reach 13 to 15 degrees Celsius, and daylight stretches long enough that the full day never touches darkness. You will have light for the entire drive and the glacier walk. In May and September, the highs sit at 10 to 11 degrees, which is workable but calls for layers. The real test comes from October through March, when the high stays between 3 and 8 degrees and daylight is short. An 11-hour tour in December means you will be driving in the dark for a good part of the day, and the waterfall and beach stops will be in low light or twilight. The glacier itself holds its conditions year-round, so the cold is a given whenever you go. For the best balance of daylight and temperature, the shoulder months of May and September give you the most usable hours without the summer crowds.

What happens at the stops

The day starts in Reykjavik, where you meet the tour and board the transport. The first major stop is the waterfall, where the path from the car park to the viewpoint is short but the spray from the falls keeps the ground wet in every season. Reynisfjara beach comes next. The car park there is staffed and charges for parking, but again, that is for private cars. The beach itself is open and free, with the basalt columns and the roaring Atlantic swells right there from where the bus drops you. The guide will keep the group at a safe distance from the water, because the waves at Reynisfjara are powerful and unpredictable. The glacier walk is the final stop, and the guide handles the route onto the ice. There are no ticketed gates or visitor centres at any of these places; the tour is the access. Vik í Myrdal is a brief pass-through rather than a long stop, so do not expect a meal break there beyond what the schedule allows.

Who should take this tour

This tour suits a first-time visitor to Iceland who wants the south coast's three headline sights in one efficient day: the waterfall, the black sand beach, and a glacier. The 11-hour length and the walking on ice mean you should be comfortable on your feet for stretches at a time. It is a better fit than the 10-hour south coast tour that skips the glacier walk, if seeing ice up close is a priority for you. It is also a cheaper and shorter option than the 14.5-hour tour that pushes on to the Diamond Beach and Jokulsarlon lagoon, which costs 230 USD and adds three and a half hours of driving. If you want to go inside a glacier rather than walk on top of one, the 12-hour Katla Ice Cave tour at 287 USD is the one that does that, but it costs a hundred dollars more. For most travellers, this 11-hour tour is the middle ground that covers the essentials without the extra distance or the extra cost.

GYG

Reykjavik: Glacier Hike, Waterfall and Black Sand Beach

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 $188

Ansehen