Iceland in December: what tours run
Nearly every winter tour runs in December. Húsavík's big whale boats and the Jökulsárlón boats stop, Akureyri husky sledding starts, and days are four to five hours.
The short version
- About 1,310 of our tours show a departure on 1 December and about 1,300 on 15 December, the same as mid-November.
- 24 and 31 December are the thin days: about 1,000 tours show a departure, roughly three in four of a normal December day.
- Reykjavík whale boats run every day of December. In Húsavík only one small family boat shows December dates.
- None of the Jökulsárlón boat tours we sell show a December date. The ice caves under Vatnajökull run every day.
- Reykjavík has about five hours of daylight on 1 December and a little over four at the solstice on 21 December.
December looks a lot like November on the timetable. The ice caves, the snowmobiles, the northern lights buses and the Reykjavík whale boats all keep going. What you lose is a handful of things in the north and on the lagoons, and what you really lose is light. By the solstice Reykjavík gets about four hours of it. Plan short days, one big thing per day, and leave the evenings for the lights.
What the calendars show
We hold the booking calendars for every tour we sell, so we counted. On 1 December about 1,310 of our tours show a departure. On 15 December it’s about 1,300, the same as mid-November. Mid-October is busier, at about 1,400.
The mix barely moves from November. Northern lights tours stay at about 153. Snowmobile tours go from 36 to 37 and super jeep tours stay at 85. Whale tours drop from 68 to 58, and glacier tours from 132 to 122. Ice cave tours go from 81 to 77.
The two thin days are Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. On 24 December about 1,000 tours show a departure, and on the 31st about 1,030. That’s roughly three in four of a normal December day. Our Christmas and New Year guide covers those days and the New Year’s Eve boats.
What keeps running: ice caves and snowmobiles
The natural ice caves under Vatnajökull are at their most reliable from now until February. Blue Iceland’s Blue Ice Cave Adventure from €160 shows a departure every day in December. It’s five hours’ drive from Reykjavík, so it only works if you sleep in the southeast. A warm, wet spell can still close a cave at short notice.
On Langjökull, Mountaineers of Iceland’s Ice Cave and Snowmobile Tour from Gullfoss from €233 shows dates on most days of the month. It’s four hours from the Gullfoss car park, so it slots into a Golden Circle day if you’re driving. Minimum age six. With five hours of light, start the Golden Circle early and put this in the middle of the day.
What starts: husky sledding in Akureyri
goHusky’s dog sledding in Akureyri shows its first date on 21 December. Snow Dogs’ Siberian Husky Dog Sledding from €292, at a farm near Laugar between Akureyri and Mývatn, already runs on most December days. Two hours, minimum age four. December in the north usually has snow on the ground, which it often doesn’t in early November. If you’re coming north for Christmas, this is the winter thing to book.
What stops: Húsavík’s big boats and the glacier lagoons
North Sailing’s and Gentle Giants’ classic Húsavík whale trips show no December dates. One small family operator, Friends of Moby Dick, keeps going: Húsavík Responsible Whale Watching from €87 shows a departure every day in December, three hours, flotation suits included. Boats from Dalvík and Hauganes on Eyjafjörður keep running too. In Reykjavík, Elding’s Classic Whale Watching from €106 runs every day of the month. Sightings in winter are less reliable than in summer and the sea is rougher. Nobody can promise whales.
None of the Jökulsárlón boat tours we sell show a December date. You can still stand on the shore and walk Diamond Beach, but there’s no boat. The Fjallsárlón zodiac and the Skaftafell glacier walks that ran into November stop too. The Highland day trips have been closed since autumn.
Northern lights
December has the longest nights of the year, so you can hunt the lights on any clear evening. The Northern Lights Bus Tour from Reykjavík from €73 leaves at 20:30, 21:30 or 22:30 and gives you a free retry if you see nothing. Long nights are not the same as good nights. Cloud decides most of it, and nobody can promise either cloud or aurora. Book it for your first evening so the retry has room.
Daylight and weather
Reykjavík has about five hours of daylight on 1 December and a little over four at the solstice on 21 December. Akureyri has under three. Sunrise in Reykjavík is close to half past eleven around the solstice. A South Coast day trip to Vík works, but you’ll drive both ways in the dark. Jökulsárlón from Reykjavík in a day is not sensible this month.
Storms are common, and roads in the north and east close for snow. Operators cancel when it’s unsafe, and you get a refund or a new date. Leave a spare day.
Our honest take
December is a good month if you want ice caves, snowmobiles, the lights and a quiet Reykjavík with the Christmas lights up. It’s a poor month for long scenic drives, because there isn’t enough day for them. Do the Golden Circle with the Langjökull ice cave in the middle, spend two nights in the southeast for the Vatnajökull caves, and keep the whale boat for a calm morning in Reykjavík.
Avoid booking anything you care about on 24 or 31 December. Fewer tours run, and those that do finish early. Spend Christmas Eve somewhere warm with a good dinner booked well ahead.
