Iceland in July: what tours run
Everything runs in July, including the Highlands and puffin boats. What you lose is the dark: no northern lights, and ice caves are the man-made kind.
The short version
- July is the one month when the Highlands, puffin boats and midnight-sun whale tours all run together.
- Our calendars show about 85 Highland-related tours with dates in mid-July, against about 46 in late October.
- Roughly 33 puffin tours show dates in mid-July; that falls to about 12 by the end of August.
- Northern lights tours that are actually for hunting the lights stop in summer; the few that show dates in July are multi-day packages.
- July is the busiest month, so book the Highlands and glacier days first.
July is the month everything runs. The Highland roads are open, the puffins are on their cliffs, the boats leave from every harbour and daylight lasts almost all night. The only things you can’t do are chase the northern lights and see natural ice caves. Everything else is on, and it is also the most crowded and expensive month, so book early.
What the calendars show
We hold the booking calendars for every tour we sell, so we counted what shows dates. These are the operators’ published schedules, and they can change, but they tell you the shape of the month.
In mid-July about 85 Highland-related tours show departures. In late October it is about 46. Puffin tours number about 33 in mid-July. Whale tours stay steady at about 87 all summer. Ice cave listings still show about 42, but read the next section before you book one.
The Highlands are open
This is the reason to come in July. Gravel Travel’s Landmannalaugar Super Jeep from Reykjavik from €339 is an eleven-hour super jeep day, and Kalman Tours sells a small-group version at €289. If you want walking, Gravel Travel’s Kerlingarfjöll Small Group Hiking Tour from €339 is twelve hours with a hike through the geothermal valley.
Be realistic about the day. These are 11 to 12 hours, with long drives on unsurfaced roads and river crossings. You will be tired. Pick one Highland day, not two. If a full day is too much, Midgard’s Þórsmörk Super Jeep from €285 is seven hours and runs from Hvolsvöllur, so you need your own way there.
Puffins, whales and the midnight sun
Puffins come ashore in May and are gone by late August. In July they are on the cliffs and the islands off Reykjavík. Elding’s Premium Puffin Watching from €94 is one hour from the Old Harbour. Our calendar shows its last date as 15 August, so the window is not unlimited. Nobody can promise how many puffins you will see, but July is the safest month to look.
For midnight sun, go north. Elding’s Akureyri Classic Whales in the Midnight Sun from €106 is a three-hour evening sailing in Eyjafjörður. Note that its last date in our calendar is 31 July, and the sun never really sets that far north in the weeks around the solstice. In Reykjavík it sets for a few hours but never gets dark.
Glaciers and ice caves
A glacier hike is a good July plan, because the weather is gentlest. Arctic Adventures’ Fjallsarlon Zodiac Boat Tour & Glacier Hike from €170 is five and a half hours in the southeast, and combines the ice with a zodiac ride among the icebergs. It’s a long way from Reykjavík, so stay a night near Skaftafell or Höfn.
Ice caves are the trap. The natural caves under Vatnajökull melt in summer and are closed. The ones that show dates now are mostly the tunnel on Langjökull, which is carved and open all year, or glacier trips that don’t enter a natural cave. That can still be a good day. Just don’t book it expecting the blue caves from the photos.
What you won’t get
Northern lights need darkness, which July doesn’t offer. The few “northern lights” listings with July dates are multi-day packages that include a night tour only if the season allows. If the lights are why you’re coming, wait until late August at the earliest.
Practical points
Book accommodation first. July fills up on the South Coast and in the north, and prices rise. Pickups are often earlier than you’d like, because operators try to beat the buses. Pack layers: Reykjavík sits around 12 to 14 degrees on a normal day, and the Highlands are colder.
Our honest take
July is a good time to come if your trip is about the Highlands, birds and long days, and a poor one if you want the lights or natural ice caves. We’d book one Highland day and one boat trip first, then fill the rest around them. If you are flexible, early September has fewer people, and the lights return. If July is your only option, you won’t regret it. Just book the Highlands day before anything else.
