Booking choice: The Golden Circle snowmobile day, from $361 per person. Check dates Tour details
Langjökull keeps its snow all year, and Arctic Adventures and Mountaineers of Iceland both run snowmobile tours in every month. The glacier itself is the same. The days around it are not: about four hours of daylight in December, 21 in June.
Weather is the other half. Storms on the ice cap cancel rides, sometimes on the morning, sometimes after you have left Reykjavík. Here is what each season brings and what happens to your money when the wind wins.
The quick answer
Snowmobile tours on Langjökull run all year. February to April is the sweet spot: deep snow, longer days and natural ice caves open. December and January have about four to seven hours of daylight and the most cancellations. Summer has easy weather and endless light, but softer, wetter snow. If the operator cancels for weather you get a new date or a refund; you can cancel free yourself up to 24 hours before.
Can you go snowmobiling on Langjökull all year?
Yes. The glacier keeps its snow all year and the tours run in every month. Natural ice caves are the only part that is winter only, from November to April.
Arctic Adventures and Mountaineers of Iceland both list their snowmobile tours as running all year. Guests ride in June, July and August; one wrote in June 2026: "Such an incredible experience to be able to snow Mobile on top of a glacier! (In the summer!)". The ice cave tour is the exception: November to April only.
Runs in every month: the Golden Circle and an hour on Langjökull, with pickup in Reykjavík.
Check dates for the Golden Circle snowmobile dayWhat is the best month to go snowmobiling on Langjökull?
February to April for most people: the deepest snow, days that grow longer every week and natural ice caves. Summer is the easy-weather choice; December and January are for the dark-sky crowd with flexible plans.
Month by month, roughly:
| Months | Daylight in Reykjavík | Snow on the ice | Weather risk | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov to Jan | About 4 to 8 hours | Building, cold and dry | Highest: storms, whiteouts | Ice caves from November, northern lights |
| Feb to Apr | About 7 to 17 hours | Deepest of the year | High in February, easing by April | Ice caves to April, sunsets on afternoon slots |
| May to Aug | About 14 to 21 hours | Soft, wet by afternoon, slush near the edge | Lowest, though fog and rain happen | Midnight sun, green highlands |
| Sep to Oct | About 14 down to 8 hours | Old snow, new snowfall begins | Rising | First northern lights |
Daylight figures are for Reykjavík from sunrisesunset.io: 4 hours 7 minutes on 21 December 2026, 21 hours 8 minutes on 21 June, 8 hours 17 minutes on 30 October.
How much daylight is there for snowmobiling in winter?
About four hours around the December solstice, with sunrise after 11:00. Pickup tours leave in the dark and come back in the dark; the ride itself is timed for the light.
Winter tours are built around the short day. The Golden Circle day starts at 9:00 and the snowmobile hour falls in the middle of the afternoon. On the Gullfoss tour the 14:00 slot in November to February often meets the sunset on the ice: "We went at 2PM and saw an amazing sunset, with pink clouds!", wrote a guest in October.
The upside of the dark: a low sun all day, pink light on the snow, and on the way home, maybe the northern lights. The downside: if you self-drive, you drive back from Gullfoss in the dark.
What is snowmobiling on Langjökull like in summer?
Warmer, brighter and easier, but the snow is soft and wet, and near the glacier edge it turns to slush and ice. It feels slower than a winter ride.
In July and August the lower part of the ice cap melts, and the ride keeps to the snowfields higher up. Not every summer guest was happy. One on the Gullfoss tour in July 2026 wrote: "Instead we had tour on water and ice. Don't do it summer.." Others had sun, snowball fights and views for miles. It still snows up there: "it snowed on us in August at the top of the glacier".
Summer suits families and first-timers who hate the cold. If snow quality matters to you, come between February and April.
Doing the Golden Circle by car in summer? Meet at Geysir and ride Langjökull for an hour.
Explore the ride from Geysir Tour detailsHow often are snowmobile tours cancelled for weather?
Often enough to plan for it, mostly from November to March. There is no published rate, and guides would rather change the route than cancel, so many tours go ahead in poor visibility.
Mountaineers of Iceland says its guides adjust the route to the conditions and reserves the right to change plans. Arctic Adventures may adjust the route or timing, or call off the ride. In practice both happen. Guests describe riding in whiteouts with a guide at the front and back, and being stuck for hours in deep snow on the truck up. Others had the ride called off at base camp.
The listing for the Golden Circle day says plainly: "Due to sudden and unexpected weather changes the snowmobile ride might be cancelled after tour's departure from Reykjavík". A cancellation on a warning day is good news. In January 2020, 39 people on a snowmobile tour had to be rescued from Langjökull in a storm after setting out despite warnings.
What happens if your snowmobile tour is cancelled because of weather?
If the operator cancels, you are offered a new date or a full refund. If only the snowmobile part of a combined day is called off after departure, you may get a partial refund instead.
- Cancelled before the day: new date or full refund. Sleipnir puts it as "alternative tours, dates, or full refunds can be offered".
- Called off after you left Reykjavík: on combined days the rest of the tour usually goes on. On the Secret Lagoon day, Mountaineers of Iceland replied to one guest that it offered a 50% refund under its policy when the snowmobiling was cancelled. On a super jeep day in a whiteout, one guest wrote that the snowmobiling "had to be cancelled" but the driver still made it a good day.
- Your own change of plan: every tour on this site cancels free up to 24 hours before.
- Rebooking: contact the operator or Viator straight away; winter dates fill.
A guest who was moved to another date in December 2024 gave the best advice: "you need to be flexible during winter because the weather is so unpredictable".
Book early in your trip and keep a spare day: free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check dates for the snowmobile trip from ReykjavíkHow do you check the weather before a snowmobile tour?
Watch the warnings on vedur.is, the roads on umferdin.is and alerts on safetravel.is, and check your email the evening before and the morning of. The operator decides; you just need to be reachable.
- vedur.is: the Icelandic Met Office's yellow, orange and red warnings. Yellow means caution; orange means dangerous weather and no unnecessary travel.
- umferdin.is: live road conditions and closures, essential if you drive to Gullfoss, Geysir or Húsafell.
- safetravel.is: national travel alerts.
- Your inbox: operators send changes by email or text, sometimes early in the morning.
Book the snowmobile for the first half of your trip. If the weather cancels it, you still have days to move it. The winter 2026-27 post has this season's notes.
Can you go snowmobiling under the northern lights?
Not on the tours on this site; they ride in daylight. Arctic Adventures runs a separate evening snowmobile and northern lights trip from August to April.
The northern lights need darkness, and the standard rides finish before dusk. Arctic Adventures sells a glacier snowmobiling and northern lights hunt of about 16 hours from Reykjavík. On a winter pickup day you sometimes see the lights on the drive back, and one guide on the Secret Lagoon day took his group to see them on the way home.
Don't book a separate northern lights tour on the same evening as a winter snowmobile day. Trucks get stuck in deep snow, and a late return can cost you both.
A natural ice cave and an hour on the snowmobile, November to April, with pickup in Reykjavík.
Check dates for the snowmobile and ice cave dayFrequently asked questions
Is snowmobiling on Langjökull possible in October?
Yes. Tours run all year. In October the snow is older and harder, the days are 8 to 10 hours long, and the first storms of winter arrive.
Is summer a bad time to snowmobile on a glacier?
Not bad, just different: soft and wet snow, slush near the edge, easy weather and long days. For the deepest snow, go from February to April.
Do I get my money back if the tour is cancelled for weather?
If the operator cancels, you are offered a new date or a full refund. If only the snowmobile part of a longer day is called off, some operators refund part of the price.
What is the coldest month for snowmobiling on Langjökull?
January and February. Guests report minus 12 to minus 15°C with wind chill on the ice; the tour's overall keeps most of that out.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Golden Circle & Glacier Snowmobiling from Reykjavik
- 1-hour guided snowmobile ride, two people per sled
- Coach from Reykjavík (hotel pickup or BSÍ terminal)
- Helmet, buff, gloves, overalls and overshoes
Glacier Snowmobiling from Reykjavik
Reykjavík pickup without the Golden Circle stops, groups of 16
Snowmobiling & a Natural Ice Cave from Reykjavik
A real blue ice cave, not the tunnel, plus the ride
