In a nutshell
- Silfra is filled with glacial meltwater and allows for underwater visibility of over 100 meters.[1]
- The glacial meltwater stays at 2°C to 4°C all year round and the fissure never freezes.[1]
- Thingvellir National Park is 47 km northeast of Reykjavík on Route 36, and Silfra sits inside the park.[2]
- Snorkellers must be at least 12 years old, at least 150 cm tall and comfortable in water; life jackets and swimming aids are not permitted.[3]
- The tour booked from this site runs 3 - 5.5 hours from US$137, is limited to 6 participants and is rated 4.71 from 2,142 reviews.[4]
| Silfra snorkel | Golden Circle and Silfra | Combo with farm lunch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | from US$137[4] | from US$298[5] | from US$397[6] |
| Duration | 3 - 5.5 hours[4] | 10 hours[5] | 9 hours[6] |
| Group size | Limited to 6 participants[4] | Not stated on the listing | Limited to 12 participants[6] |
| Pickup | Pickup available, check options[4] | Pickup included, check details[5] | Pickup included, check details[6] |
| Rating | 4.71 from 2,142 reviews[4] | 4.82 from 304 reviews[5] | 5.00 from 3 reviews[6] |
At Þingvellir, the plates break apart and the land between subsides. Away from the plate boundaries, activity is fairly constant, about two centimetres a year, but in the rift zones, tensional stress accumulates over a long period and is then released in a burst when fracture boundaries are reached.
Is the Golden Circle and Silfra combo worth it?
Before setting off
Why pair the Golden Circle with Silfra
Thingvellir National Park sits on the Golden Circle route, and Silfra is a fissure inside the park itself, so the sightseeing loop and the snorkel can share one day out of Reykjavík. The water you float in is glacial meltwater filtered through porous underground lava for 30-100 years before it reaches the spring that feeds the fissure.[1] The park was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2004 and receives approximately 1.5 million visitors each year.[8][9] Silfra lies in the lake plain at the northern part of the park, so the two halves of the day happen in the same stretch of lava, water and cliff.
A Silfra and Golden Circle combo tour starts from US$282 for a 10 hour day with pickup included, and a second version starts from US$298, also 10 hours with pickup included.[5][7] The snorkel tour booked from this site is the shorter choice: 3 - 5.5 hours from US$137, limited to 6 participants.[4] You can anchor the day with the snorkel and drive the rest of the Golden Circle yourself, or hand the whole day to a coach and let someone else watch the road. Both work. The combos trade flexibility for convenience, and the standalone snorkel keeps your afternoon open.
How a Golden Circle and Silfra day runs
A Golden Circle Silfra tour such as From Reykjavík: Golden Circle Tour and Silfra Snorkeling picks up at a pickup location, drives by bus or coach to Silfra, then continues to Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and Geysir before heading back.[5] It runs 10 hours with pickup included and is rated 4.82 from 304 reviews.[5] That order puts the water early in the day and the falls and hot springs later, which suits a cold morning start and gives you the afternoon light for photographs.
A longer lunch version, Golden Circle, Silfra Snorkeling, and Farm Lunch, runs 9 hours in a small group limited to 12 participants, starts from US$397 and lists stops at Silfra, Öxarárfoss, Geysir, Gullfoss Waterfall and Fridheimar.[6] If you want the water without the loop, the tour booked from this site runs 3 - 5.5 hours, with pickup available and options to check when you book.[4] Whichever you choose, the snorkel slot is the fixed point in the day, and the driving or the coach stops bend around it.
Dry suits, cold water and a crack between two continents.
The Golden Circle stops around the fissure
The classic Golden Circle names cluster close to the rift. Þingvellir itself is a wide plain of lava and lake, and walking through the Almannagjá gorge puts you down on the floor of the crack between continents, with a sheer wall on one side and the open plain on the other. Gullfoss is the big two-step waterfall on the Hvítá, and the Geysir area is steaming ground full of hot springs and geysers. Combos also add Öxarárfoss, Kerid crater or a tomato farm lunch stop, depending on the listing.[6]
Silfra sits in the lake plain at the northern end of Þingvallavatn, which covers an area of 84 square kilometres and has a greatest depth of 114 metres.[10] Thingvellir National Park is 47 km northeast of Reykjavík on Route 36, which makes a self-drive version of the day realistic if you have a car.[2] Stay on the marked paths and boardwalks: the ground between the plates is rough, wet and cracked, and it is easy to twist an ankle while you are busy looking at the view.
What snorkelling in Silfra is actually like
Silfra is a fissure filled with glacial meltwater, and the water allows for underwater visibility of over 100 meters.[1] The fissure reaches depths of up to 200 feet (60 meters) in its deepest sections, though most snorkeling takes place near the surface.[11] You float with the current through a channel of rock, walls close on both sides at the narrowest points and open water ahead, and the whole swim has the odd feeling of flying over a landscape rather than swimming in a pool.
The colour is rock, light and algae rather than coral. The marine life in Silfra consists mostly of bright green troll hair and different types of algae.[1] Sunlight bounces off the pale rock and turns the shallow entry electric blue, then deeper blue-green as the fissure narrows. You finish in a wide, calm lagoon, where you can stand up, look back up the crack you just swam through and take stock of the cold.
from US$137
The tour booked from this site runs 3 - 5.5 hours, is rated 4.71 from 2,142 reviews and is limited to 6 participants.[4]
Cold water, dry suits and staying warm
The glacial meltwater in Silfra stays very cold and remains 2°C to 4°C all year round, never freezing because fresh water constantly fills the fissure.[1] That holds in midsummer and midwinter alike. The month you book changes the air temperature and the daylight far more than it changes the water, so pack for the weather above the surface as carefully as you plan for what is underneath it.
Silfra snorkelling is done in a dry suit, worn over warm base layers, with a hood, gloves and boots, so the cold water reaches your face and hands rather than your whole body. Wool or fleece next to your skin beats cotton, and a spare pair of socks in your bag is rarely wasted. The first minute in the water is a shock and the rest is easy. Keep your breathing slow, hold the guide line or a buddy's arm if you need to, and look down as much as forward.
Who can snorkel and who should dive
To snorkel at Silfra, participants must be at least 12 years old, at least 150 cm tall, and able to swim and be comfortable in water; life jackets and swimming aids are not permitted.[3] That last point catches people out, so read it carefully before you book, especially if anyone in your group is a nervous swimmer or has only ever snorkelled in warm, shallow water.
Diving is a different trip with a different bar to clear. To scuba dive at Silfra rather than snorkel, a diver is required to have either a drysuit diver certification or drysuit dive experience.[12] Diving tours run in smaller groups, for example limited to 3 participants, and start from US$275.[13] If you have never worn a dry suit, snorkelling is the simpler way to see the same fissure, and you still get the visibility and the colours.
Booking, pickup and what to check
The tour booked from this site is Reykjavík: Silfra Fissure Snorkeling between Two Continents, from US$137, with a live tour guide in English and a small group limited to 6 participants.[4] It is rated 4.71 from 2,142 reviews, with Guide 4.8, Transportation 4.5 and Value for money 4.4.[4] Pickup is available, and you check availability for pickup options when you choose a date.[4]
Reserve now and pay later is offered on that listing, and free cancellation applies up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[4] The duration is 3 - 5.5 hours and starting times change by date, so check availability for the day you want before you build the rest of your itinerary around it.[4] If you are pairing the snorkel with the Golden Circle, lock in the water first, then choose a coach tour or a self-drive route that fits the confirmed slot.
From-prices for Silfra days out
From-prices: US$137[4], US$215[14], US$282[7], US$298[5], US$397[6].
What a Silfra day costs, from
US dollar from-prices: US$137[4], US$215[14], US$282[7], US$397[6].
When to book your Silfra and Golden Circle day
How your day comes together
Choose snorkel or combo
Snorkel only from US$137, or a combo day from US$282 with pickup included.[4][7]
Sort your pickup
Pickup is available on the tour booked from this site; check availability for pickup options when you book.[4]
Drive or ride to Thingvellir
Thingvellir National Park is 47 km northeast of Reykjavík on Route 36.[2]
Suit up at Silfra
You join a small group limited to 6 participants with a live tour guide in English.[4]
Float between the plates
Visibility runs to over 100 meters and the water holds 2°C to 4°C all year round.[1]
Reserve the Silfra snorkel and build the Golden Circle around it
from US$138Reserve now & pay later
