A guide to summer activities in Iceland

Iceland in summer is something else entirely. The midnight sun stretches across endless skies, the highlands open up, and the country reveals a side of itself that simply doesn't exist in any other season. For travellers planning a trip across several days, the question is rarely whether there is enough to do. It is how to combine the right experiences into an itinerary that flows, at a pace that suits you.

The sections below cover the summer activities we build into private itineraries most often:

•        Glacier experiences

•        Helicopter tours

•        The Highlands by super jeep or buggy

•        Lava caves and Inside the Volcano

•        Geothermal lagoons and hot springs

•        Horse riding tours

•        Other summer activities

Glacier experiences

Glacier hiking is one of the signature summer activities, and no previous experience is needed. With crampons, a harness, and an experienced guide, you walk out onto a living glacier, crossing crevasses, ridges, and meltwater channels that change through the season. The usual routes are on outlet glaciers such as Sólheimajökull in the south, or the tongues of Vatnajökull near Skaftafell in the southeast, with the distance and difficulty matched to your group.

Summer also opens up ice exploration on foot. Most of the blue ice caves that form in winter melt out as temperatures rise, but you can still walk through ice tunnels and the man-made ice cave carved into Langjökull, which stays open through the warmer months. A guide can confirm which formations are accessible during your dates, so the plan reflects real conditions.

For more pace on the ice, a snowmobiling tour on Langjökull, the country's second largest glacier, runs through the warmer months and takes you across a wide expanse of ice at speed with the highlands spread out below, usually for an hour or two with full gear provided. Run privately, it pairs neatly with a calmer part of the day.

The glaciers also meet the water at Jökulsárlón, the glacier lagoon in the southeast. A kayaking tour lets you paddle quietly between the icebergs that have calved from Vatnajökull, while a boat tour, by amphibious craft or zodiac, covers more of the lagoon and gets you close to the larger blocks of ice and the seals that gather there.

Helicopter tours

Seeing Iceland from the air is one of the experiences that defines a premium trip, and a private helicopter opens up a wide range of options. A scenic flight from Reykjavík can take in the geothermal fields of the Reykjanes peninsula, the glaciers and craters of the interior, and the volcanic systems that shape the south, all in a single morning. When an eruption is under way, a flight lets you see the lava and the new ground it creates from a safe distance, with the route set by your pilot according to conditions on the day.

Beyond a sightseeing loop, a helicopter can land on a glacier or a remote summit so you have time on the ground in a place with no road to it, often marked with a glass of something before you lift off again. It can drop you at the start of a highland hike, reach a remote lodge that would otherwise take most of a day by road, or turn a long transfer into a short and scenic one. Arranged as a private charter, the route and the timing follow your plans rather than a fixed circuit.

The Highlands by super jeep or buggy

The Highlands are the empty heart of Iceland, a region of black sand, rhyolite mountains, and unbridged rivers that opens only in summer. Reaching it means rough mountain roads and river crossings an ordinary vehicle cannot manage, so here the activity is as much about the journey as the destination.

A super jeep tour is the established way in. These heavily modified four-wheel drives carry you in comfort across the rivers and tracks to areas such as Landmannalaugar, with its coloured rhyolite slopes and natural hot springs, and Þórsmörk, the sheltered valley between three glaciers, with time to stop and walk short trails along the way. For a more hands-on day, a buggy tour puts you in the driving seat, working across shallow crossings and gravel tracks yourself under a guide's lead.

Lava caves and Inside the Volcano

Iceland's volcanic past has left a network of lava caves to explore underground. Guided tours head into lava tubes such as Vatnshellir on the Snæfellsnes peninsula and Raufarhólshellir near Reykjavík, walking through tunnels left by flowing lava, past colour in the rock and ice formations that linger into summer. No climbing experience is needed, and the routes are matched to your group.

The rarer experience is Inside the Volcano, which lowers you by lift into the magma chamber of Þríhnúkagígur, a dormant volcano that last erupted thousands of years ago. It runs only in the summer months, and it is one of the few places in the world you can stand inside a volcano's chamber. Numbers each day are limited, so it is worth booking well ahead as part of a planned itinerary.

Geothermal lagoons and hot springs

Geothermal bathing is part of how Iceland lives, and a lagoon visit is the natural way to close an active day. The best known options are the Blue Lagoon on the Reykjanes peninsula, which pairs its mineral-rich water with a spa, dining, and quieter premium areas, and Sky Lagoon just outside Reykjavík, with its ocean view and seven-step bathing ritual.

Further afield, Mývatn Nature Baths in the north offer a similar experience to the Blue Lagoon with far fewer visitors, and the Forest Lagoon near Akureyri sits among trees with views over the fjord. With a private transfer, any of these slots in at the end of a day with no driving to manage afterwards. New for summer 2026, Reykjaböð opens at the entrance to the Reykjadalur valley near Hveragerði, around 35 minutes from Reykjavík, with a quieter, nature-led approach to geothermal bathing that pairs well with a Golden Circle or south coast day.

Horse riding tours

A horse riding tour is a gentler, land-based way into the landscape. The Icelandic breed is small, sturdy, and known for a smooth fifth gait called the tölt that makes for a comfortable ride, and tours suit confident riders and first-timers alike. Summer routes cross lava fields, river valleys, and open highland tracks, often starting from working farms where there is time to meet the horses before setting out, with the pace and the horses matched to your experience.

Other summer activities

A few more activities round out a summer itinerary. Snorkelling at Silfra, in Þingvellir national park, takes you into the crystal-clear glacial water filling the fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, where a drysuit keeps you warm and no diving certification is needed to take part. Whale watching is at its best in summer, and a private RIB charter from Húsavík in the north or Faxaflói bay near Reykjavík gets you out quickly and close to humpbacks, minke whales, and white-beaked dolphins, with larger species a possibility, though nature offers no guarantees.

Quad biking adds a more hands-on way to cover varied ground, following ATV trails across lava fields, black sand, and coastal tracks with a guide setting the route.

Planning a private summer tour in Iceland

We arrange multi-day private tours across Iceland, and the activities in this guide are the kind we build into those itineraries, run privately and woven into the days so a single trip can hold a helicopter landing, a morning on a glacier, and a quiet evening in a geothermal lagoon.

These activities are widely available in one form or another. What changes the experience is how they are planned and run. A private multi-day tour means your own guide and vehicle throughout, a schedule set around your interests and pace, and the flexibility to adjust when weather or conditions shift. Across a longer itinerary, the right sequence matters as much as the activities themselves, so the high-energy days and the quieter ones land in the right order.

If you are planning a summer trip and want it arranged with that level of care, our team can help you shape an itinerary around the experiences that matter most to you. Explore our private summer tours, or speak to our local planners to start planning your trip.