Reykjavík or Gullfoss?

Should you book a snowmobile tour from Reykjavík or meet at Gullfoss?

Meet at Gullfoss if you have a car and are happy driving in winter; book from Reykjavík if you don't. The ride on the ice is the same hour either way.

Every way to reach Langjökull on this site, side by side:

How far is Gullfoss from Reykjavík, and how long is the drive?

About 115 km, or 95 minutes without stops. Plan two hours each way, and be at the upper car park 15 minutes before departure.

The Gullfoss tour meets at the upper Gullfoss car park, outside the café and shop; parking is free. Mountaineers of Iceland lists 12:00 and 14:00 departures on its own site. From there a monster truck takes 40 to 60 minutes to base camp, where you suit up. One family summed up the day: "Drove to Gulfoss waterfall meeting point. Seemless, fun transfer on the monster bus to the glacier."

No private car goes beyond Gullfoss in winter. The track to base camp runs up towards the Kjölur highland road, and only the operators' trucks and super jeeps use it. Allow the full four hours at Gullfoss, plus the drive both ways.

Is it safe to drive to Gullfoss in winter?

On most days, yes: the roads to Gullfoss are paved and cleared through the winter. On storm days they ice up or close, so check the road and the forecast the evening before and the morning of.

• Roads: umferdin.is, the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration map, colours every road by its surface and shows closures and webcams.
• Weather: vedur.is issues yellow, orange and red warnings. On an orange day, don't drive to the highlands.
• Alerts: safetravel.is posts travel alerts for the whole country.
• Daylight: in December the sun rises after 11:00 in Reykjavík, so a 14:00 departure at Gullfoss means a dark drive home.
• The car: a two-wheel-drive car on winter tyres does the paved roads. A 4x4 helps on snow, but it doesn't stop you sliding on ice.

If driving on ice is new to you, take the pickup. The winter driving post has this season's notes.

What about meeting at Geysir or Húsafell instead?

Geysir works like Gullfoss: about 1.5 hours from Reykjavík, $262, with Snowmobile.is. Húsafell is the start for the Into the Glacier combo, about 130 km and two hours away on the west side.

The Geysir tour meets at the car park behind the Geysir Centre and drives you up by super jeep. It suits self-drivers doing the Golden Circle anyway: watch Strokkur erupt, then go to the glacier. Groups are smaller, 32 at most.

Húsafell is a different trip. It sits on the west side of Langjökull, north-east of Reykjavík through Borgarfjörður, and it is the only start for the snowmobile and ice tunnel combo. Gullfoss and Geysir tours never reach the tunnel. Ice tunnel or ice cave explains the difference.

What does a snowmobile day from Reykjavík look like?

Long. Pickup around 9:00, about 30 minutes at each Golden Circle stop, a truck ride up to the ice of 45 minutes or more each way, and back in town after dark in winter.

The Golden Circle day: you see Þingvellir and Geysir, then switch to a glacier truck at Gullfoss. One guest found the sights "quite rushed as we were needed to be on time to change vehicles for the glacier snowmobiling", with a 50-minute stop at Geysir for lunch, then two 45-minute truck rides either side of base camp. Another was told the trip up to the snowmobiles and back can take five hours in deep snow.

The super jeep trip from Reykjavík skips the Golden Circle and goes straight to the glacier in a group of 16 at most, 8 hours door to door. The super jeep Golden Circle covers all three sights in a smaller vehicle. Bring lunch on both: guests on the super jeep day report no food stop until about 15:00.

The Golden Circle by super jeep in a small group, with an hour on a snowmobile in the middle of the day.

★ 4.8 · 8 to 10 hours · from $401

Explore the super-jeep snowmobile day → Tour details

How does the Reykjavík pickup work?

From marked bus stops near your hotel, not the hotel door, starting 30 minutes before the tour leaves. Be at the stop on time and wait.

Reykjavík bans tour buses from the centre's small streets, so pickups run from numbered stops; find yours on busstop.is. Reykjavik Excursions asks you to "be at your designated pickup point at least 30 minutes prior to departure" and adds that "it can take up to 30 minutes to finish picking everyone up". You can also start at the BSÍ bus terminal.

Busy stops are where tours go wrong. One guest waited at stop 6 among several buses, missed a pickup that stopped for two minutes and lost the day. Stand where drivers can see you, and keep the operator's phone number in your phone.

Can you do the Golden Circle and the snowmobile in one day on your own?

Yes, and it is the best reason to self-drive. Leave Reykjavík early, see Þingvellir and Geysir in the morning, then meet the 12:00 or 14:00 departure at Gullfoss.

Þingvellir is about 45 minutes from town, Geysir an hour further, Gullfoss ten minutes beyond. Parking at Þingvellir costs ISK 1,000 a day; the Gullfoss car park is free. In winter a 14:00 slot often catches the sunset on the ice: "We had a 2pm slot so caught the sun setting", wrote a family in January.

Don't book a northern lights tour for the same evening. Truck rides get stuck in deep snow, and one guest's Golden Circle day got back hours late after a slow climb to base camp.

Which should you choose?

Car and confidence: Gullfoss or Geysir. No car: the Golden Circle day. Short on time: the super jeep straight from Reykjavík. Want the ice tunnel: Húsafell.

• Couples with a rental car, March to October: Gullfoss. Cheapest, and you keep the Golden Circle on your own schedule.
• First-timers in Iceland, no car: the Golden Circle day. One booking covers the classic sights and the glacier.
• Small groups, no coach: the super jeep Golden Circle.
• Already seen the Golden Circle: the super jeep from Reykjavík, straight to the ice.
• December and January: take a pickup. The drive home is in the dark.
• Ice tunnel too: the Húsafell combo.

Frequently asked questions