Reykjavík Trails – Private Self-Drive Guided Tour

by Volcano Trails · Super jeeps · Drive yourself there · Reykjavík

4.5· 11 Google reviews of the operator

Suits older travellers

Reykjavík Trails – Private Self-Drive Guided Tour — Volcano Trails

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7 photos from Volcano Trails. Tap any one for the full-size original.

Duration
2 hours
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
All year
Starts in
Reykjavík
Pickup
Hotel pickup available at extra cost, or meet at the start point
Starts at
Volcano Trails HQ
Volcano Trails, Desjamýri, Mosfellsbær, Iceland, Mosfellsbær
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
10:00, 14:00
Cancellation
Cancelling costs 20% of the price within 999 days of departure, rising to 50% within 30 days, then 75% within 7 days.

Meeting point, in Volcano Trails's words: Meeting point is at Desjamýri 8, 270 Mosfellsbær, Iceland

About this experience

Private Volcano Trails Self-Drive Tour

Take the wheel of an iconic Land Rover Defender and tackle fun, challenging 4x4 trails with views of the beautiful nature surrounding Reykjavík.

How it works

Your 4x4 guide will meet you at the Volcano Trails office. After the introduction and safety briefing, you and your companions will be assigned your own private Land Rover Defender to drive, so every group has a car to itself.

Once everyone is settled in, the guide leads the convoy to the trails, only about a 5-minute drive from our starting location. Each car is equipped with a handheld radio, so the guide can share information along the way and you can talk to the guide and the rest of the group. Feel free to use it for a bit of extra fun.

On the trails, you'll drive with your friends or family and put your skills to the test in challenging off-road conditions. Halfway through, we'll stop to swap drivers if needed, take photos and enjoy the views.

Our guides choose the trails each day based on current conditions, ensuring the best possible driving experience on every tour.

Good to know

This tour runs in all weather. You'll be seated inside the car, sheltered from the elements and from any splashes when we cross rivers, so there's no need for heavy overalls or helmets. We do recommend warm clothing, a hat, gloves and sturdy shoes, especially outside the summer months.

Getting there

You're welcome to arrive at the starting point by your own car or private taxi, or you can add our pick-up and drop-off service from hotels and other locations in Reykjavík when you book.

Description from the operator, Volcano Trails. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

Guide
Introduction & safety briefing
2-hour self-drive tour in a Land Rover Defender with 4x4 off-road driving, river crossing and sightseeing stops
Fuel, handheld VHF radio for communication, CDW insurance

Good to know

Clothing according to weather - warm clothes and waterproofs for cold and rainy days.
Recommended to bring a warm jacket, hat and gloves.
We recommend flat sole shoes suitable for light outdoor activities
Driver License and credit card
Minimum age for driver 21 years

Drivers with valid drivers licenses are allowed to take turns driving the cars and we will stop in various locations on our way to change seats for drivers.
Drivers have to hold a valid driver's license according to Icelandic law
Driver needs to be of minimum 21 years of age
Included in all rentals is the standard Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) with a self risk of 500,000 ISK. Optional Super CDW can be purchased upon arrival at our HQ for limiting the self-risk to 125,000 ISK.

Cancellation for this tour

Cancelling costs 20% of the price within 999 days of departure, rising to 50% within 30 days, then 75% within 7 days. 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 closed roads — the Road Administration shuts the mountain roads before the operator has to decide anything. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

1Volcano Trails 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 the cutoff shown above, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Why we list it

Volcano Trails is one of 204 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 →

What travellers say about Volcano Trails

Read all 11 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.5/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

Michael A
★★★★★ · a year ago
We've booked a Highland bus with Volcano Trails from Hvolsvöllur gas station to Þórsmörk Langidalur in July 2024 for 2 people on their website, a red reykjavik excursions bus arrived, the driver will check your name on his list. Everything went smoothly, the weather was perfect too. We spent a total of 4 hour in the area of Thorsmork, hiking up to the vantage point of Thorsmork and down, then we had enough time to wait for the bus.
Dirk Van Nieuwenhove
★★★★★ · 9 years ago
As a first time visitor of the magnificent country that Iceland is, I couldn’t have come across a better travel agency to arrange the week long holiday that we undertook just recently. From the planning stages of this trip I felt part of an experience rather than just a customer. The frequent updates, personalized approach and rapid responses made booking and planning this trip of a lifetime like a walk in the park. Fantastic team, great accommodation arrangements. I would definitely recommend Isafold Travel to anyone thinking of visiting Iceland! I for one can hardly wait to book my next holiday!
Emma Clift
★★★★★ · 2 years ago
We visited Iceland a year ago and did the Reykjavik 4x4 Tour. It was fantastic! We were the only people on the excursion so it was just us in a Defender following the guide car. Our guide Bjarni was amazing, so knowledgable and lovely to chat to you at the end of the tour. Would highly recommend!
Anne L.
★★★★★ · 9 years ago
We just returned from a trip to Iceland. We were on a tight schedule as we only had 4 days. Many of the tour companies we contacted had fixed schedules that did not work with our's. I came across Isafold Travel through a blog. Our Travel Consultant was Edda S. Edda was consistently responsive, patient with our requests/questions, and put together an amazing package for us. The tour included the Northern Lights, a private driver for 2 days to transport us to activities such as the ice caves, snowmobiling on a glacier, and, of course, the sights along the Golden Circle. Our guide also took us to some off-the-beaten-path sights. On the morning before our flight, Edda also booked a horse riding tour. We were very happy with Isafold Travel and will definitely use their services again when we return to Iceland.

Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026

Read before you book

Private self-drive guided tour in IcelandA guide leads, you drive your own Land Rover Defender. What the Volcano Trails tours cost per vehicle, what is included, and who should skip it.
Blue Lagoon transfer: private car, shuttle or taxi?A private Blue Lagoon transfer costs €107 to €232 per car. Under three people the bus is cheaper; with luggage or a late flight the car wins.
Keflavík Airport transfer: shared shuttle or private?Every Iceland trip starts at Keflavík. Shared shuttle or private transfer? The right answer depends on group size and landing time more than budget.

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Super jeeps — questions people ask

What is a super jeep?

A four-wheel-drive truck or van rebuilt for Iceland: raised suspension, huge low-pressure tyres and a snorkel, so it can cross rivers, drive on snow and climb glacier tracks that stop a rental car. Groups are small, usually eight to sixteen people. Super jeeps are how you reach Landmannalaugar in the highlands, ice caves under Mýrdalsjökull and dark northern-lights spots off the main roads. They are pricier than a coach, and rougher.

Is a super jeep northern lights tour better than a bus?

Slightly, for two reasons. A super jeep can leave the tarmac and find darker, more sheltered spots, and with ten people rather than fifty you spend less time waiting at stops. Arctic Adventures' Northern Lights Explorer (/experience/209/) and Northern Lights by 4x4 (/experience/1088067/) are the standard options. The sky is the same either way; a jeep does not make clouds part. If budget matters, a small-group minibus gets you most of the benefit.

When can you take a super jeep to Landmannalaugar?

Late June to September, once the highland roads open. The Landmannalaugar Safari (/experience/341/) is a twelve-hour day from Reykjavík with river crossings, a short hike and a soak in the natural hot river. The rest of the year the road is closed to everything except specially licensed winter expeditions. The dates the F-roads open vary each year with the snow, so if you are booking for June, expect a possible reschedule.

Is a super jeep tour comfortable?

Comfortable enough on the tarmac, bumpy on the rough stuff. That is the point. Expect to be thrown about on lava tracks and river beds, and to sit in a bench seat for several hours. People prone to motion sickness should sit in front and take a tablet. The trade-off is access: you see places coaches cannot go, with a driver-guide who talks to you rather than over a microphone.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Reykjavík, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in Reykjavík →

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from

Price on request

Your date

The next departure we can see — change it if this tour is for another day.

Pick a date to check departures.

Departs10:0014:00

Reykjavík: light 08:37–17:48, 9 h 11 min of daylight.

· Cancelling costs 20% of the price within 999 days of departure, rising to 50% within 30 days, then 75% within 7 days.
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Volcano Trails cancels for weather or safety: a full refund, or another date
✓ Card — Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device offers it — through Stripe; the charge is made in Icelandic krónur
✓ Price promise: Volcano Trails's own price, or we refund the difference
✓ One checkout, even with tours from several operators
✓ Vetted operator — the six checks every operator passes