Silver Circle Private Tour: Glacier, Waterfalls & Hvammsvik Hot Springs
by VAREN Iceland · Lagoons & spas · private · West Iceland
Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at VAREN Iceland's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.
More photos of Silver Circle Private Tour: Glacier, Waterfalls & Hvammsvik Hot Springs
18 photos from VAREN Iceland. Tap any one for the full-size original.
Duration
11 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Season
All year
Starts in
Reykjavík
Meeting
Hotel pickup available
Languages
EN
Departs
08:00, 09:00
Minimum age
12
Cancellation
Free until 24h before
About this experience
Iceland's best-known route runs east. This tour goes west - through a stretch of the country that rewards curiosity with some of its most extraordinary natural and historical experiences. The Silver Circle is West Iceland's answer to the beaten track, and this private full-day tour follows it in full.
The route heads west from Reykjavík into the Borgarfjörður region, arriving first at Reykholt - one of Iceland's most historically significant sites. This quiet village was home to Snorri Sturluson, the 13th-century chieftain and scholar whose writings on Norse mythology and Viking history remain essential reading eight centuries later. His ancient geothermal bathing pool still stands in the village, and the Snorrastofa cultural centre tells his story in full.
From Reykholt, the tour continues to the adjoining wonders of Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. Hraunfossar sees water seep in long, delicate ribbons from beneath an ancient lava field, flowing into the river below along a 900-metre stretch of extraordinary natural beauty. Barnafoss, immediately alongside, is a churning torrent of white water driving through a narrow canyon - as dramatic and forceful as Hraunfossar is delicate.
The day's centrepiece is the Into the Glacier experience at Langjökull - a purpose-built tunnel system carved deep inside Iceland's second-largest glacier. Guided by specialist staff, the experience leads through chambers and passages inside the ice, offering a perspective on one of Iceland's great natural features that almost no one else gets to see.
On the return, Fossatun offers a quieter moment beside a natural waterfall in the West Iceland countryside. The day ends at Hvammsvik Hot Springs on the shores of Hvalfjörður fjord - eight natural pools set at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, named one of the Best Things to Do in the World by Time Out in 2023. In any season, it is a remarkable place to close a day.
Please note: the entrance fees for the Into the Glacier experience and Hvammsvik Hot Springs are not included in the initial price but can be added at the checkout page.
Description from the operator, VAREN Iceland. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Pickup from Reykjavik
- Drive through West Iceland
- Reykholt village
- Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls
- Into the Glacier experience
- Fossatun waterfalls
- Hvammsvik Hot Springs
- Drive back to Reykjavik
- Drop off in Reykjavik
Included
- Private transportation in a comfortable sedan (1-3 passengers) or minivan (4-8 passengers), exclusively for your group
- Dedicated, professional English-speaking guide for the full day
- Door-to-door hotel pickup and drop-off in central Reykjavík
- Flexible itinerary adapted to your group's pace and interests
- WiFi and USB charging ports available on board
- Bottled water provided on board on demand
- All parking fees and local taxes
Not included
- Personal travel insurance
- Gratuities for your guide (optional, always appreciated)
- Food and drinks
- Into the Glacier entrance fee (see Important Information)
- Hvammsvik Hot Springs entrance fee (see Important Information)
Good to know
- Warm, waterproof, and windproof outer layer - Icelandic weather can change within minutes regardless of season.
- Thermal base layer and mid-layer fleece for colder months (October-April).
- Sturdy, waterproof hiking shoes or boots - paths can be wet, muddy, or icy.
- Warm hat, gloves, and a scarf - especially important outside summer months.
- Sunglasses - useful year-round, essential in summer and on bright winter days.
- An extra warm mid-layer or thick fleece - temperatures inside the glacier remain near freezing year-round, regardless of outside conditions.
- Sturdy, waterproof footwear with good grip - tunnel surfaces can be uneven.
- Gloves and a warm hat - essential even in summer.
- Swimsuit or swimming trunks - mandatory for entry.
- Flip flops or sandals for the changing area and pool surrounds.
- The entrance fee for the Into the Glacier experience is not included in the tour price.
- Advance booking is strongly recommended, especially during peak season (please contact our team immediately).
- Transport to the glacier entrance is provided by the Into the Glacier operator from the Húsafell area.
- Warm clothing and sturdy, waterproof footwear are essential inside the glacier, where temperatures remain near freezing year-round.
- The entrance fee for Hvammsvik Hot Springs is not included in the tour price.
- Choose between Natural, Classic or Comfort tickets.
- Advance booking is strongly recommended, especially during peak season (please contact our team immediately).
- Minimum age for entry is 12 years. Guests under 12 are not permitted entry.
- You will receive a booking confirmation immediately after purchase.
- Exact pickup time will be confirmed by the operator at least 24 hours before departure.
- Hotel pickup is included.
- Groups of 1-3 travel in a private sedan; groups of 4-8 travel in a private minivan.
- This tour involves easy walking on uneven natural terrain. It is not recommended for guests with serious mobility limitations.
- The tour is not wheelchair accessible.
- Children of all ages are welcome on this tour.
- Please note the minimum age for Hvammsvik Hot Springs is 12 years. Children under 12 are not permitted entry to the hot springs.
- Parents or guardians are responsible for the safety of children throughout the tour.
- Cafés and snack options are available at stops along the route. Hvammsvik Hot Springs has an on-site bistro.
Cancellation for this tour
Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.
If the weather cancels this tour
Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is a forecast the operator judges unsafe. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.
- 1VAREN Iceland decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
- 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
- 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.
What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.
Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →
Sold out on your date?
Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.
Who this is not for
- Not for families with children under 12 — the operator will not take them, even with a parent.
- Not a good fit if you want a relaxed day: 11 hours is a long time on the road, most of it spent getting there and back.
Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.
Why we list it
VAREN Iceland is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →
Read before you book
- Hot springs beyond the Blue Lagoon — Secret Lagoon, Fontana, Mývatn and KraumaFour geothermal pools that aren't the Blue Lagoon, which tour gets you to each, and which one we'd actually pick for a Golden Circle or North Iceland day.
Reviews from our travellers
Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.
No reviews yet from our travellers on this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.
Lagoons & spas — questions people ask
Is the Blue Lagoon worth it or is it too touristy?
It is busy and it is worth it, once. The water is milky blue from silica, the setting in the Reykjanes lava is unlike anywhere else, and it sits twenty minutes from Keflavík Airport, so it fits an arrival or departure day. Book a time slot in advance; it sells out. If crowds bother you, go early morning or after 20:00. The Secret Lagoon or Fontana on the Golden Circle are calmer and cheaper alternatives.
Can I do the Blue Lagoon on the way to or from the airport?
Yes, and it is the best way to use it. Transfers like IceTransfer's Keflavík to Blue Lagoon to Reykjavík (/experience/1036423/) or the reverse (/experience/1036419/) stop at the lagoon for a few hours with your luggage stored. Allow at least three hours at the lagoon and check that your slot lines up with your flight. Note that the Reykjanes eruptions have closed the lagoon at short notice; check its status before travelling.
What is the difference between the Secret Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon?
The Secret Lagoon at Flúðir is a simple, warm geothermal pool with a bubbling hot spring beside it and basic changing rooms. It is on the Golden Circle, so it slots into a sightseeing day (/experience/17050/, /experience/624446/). The Blue Lagoon is a spa: silica masks, swim-up bar, saunas and a price to match. If you want a soak after a day of waterfalls, Secret Lagoon. If you want the spa day, Blue Lagoon.
Do I have to shower naked before a pool in Iceland?
Yes, at every public pool and most lagoons. Swimwear off, wash thoroughly with soap, swimwear on, then into the water. It is a hygiene rule because Icelandic pools use very little chlorine, and it is taken seriously. Changing rooms are single-sex with open showers; some larger lagoons have a few private cubicles. Nobody looks. It feels odd for thirty seconds and then it does not.
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Pairs well with
Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.
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