Private self-drive guided tour in Iceland

A private self-drive guided tour means a guide drives ahead in one vehicle and you follow in your own, with a radio so he or she can talk you through it. With Volcano Trails the car is a Land Rover Defender set up for rough tracks. You drive, your group is the only one in the car, and the price is per vehicle, not per person. It suits four or five people who want to drive something unusual. For a couple it is expensive.

How it works

You meet at the Volcano Trails office in Reykjavík or are collected from your accommodation. There is a short briefing, you are assigned a car, and the guide leads a convoy out. Everyone in the car can take a turn at the wheel, and the guide stops partway so you can swap. You sit inside the car the whole time, so there is no overall or helmet, and river crossings are driven rather than waded.

The listing says drivers must hold a valid licence and bring a credit card. It gives a minimum driver age of 21 in one place and 25 in another, so ask before you book if you are younger than 25. The standard collision cover has a self-risk of 500,000 ISK, and a Super CDW option brings that down to 125,000 ISK. That is a lot to put on a car you did not choose, so read it.

Three lengths, three prices

The short one is Reykjavík Trails (€693 per group of up to five, two hours). The tracks start about five minutes from the office and the guide chooses them each day by conditions. It is the cheapest way to find out whether you enjoy driving a heavy 4x4 off the road. Split between four people it is about €173 each.

The Golden Circle self-drive (€1,715 per vehicle of up to five, eight hours) visits Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss and then goes off the tarmac towards Langjökull. The guide supplies the story at each stop. You still stand in the same car parks as the coaches. What changes is the drive between them.

The South Coast self-drive (€2,007 per vehicle of up to five, ten hours) follows the coast past Hengill and the farmland, stops at Skógafoss, and offers Reynisfjara, Sólheimajökull and Mýrdalur as options. Ten hours is a long day when you are also the driver. Say so honestly: some of the group will want to sit in the back by the afternoon.

Park entrance fees, fuel, parking and tips are included. Food and drink are not.

What it costs against the alternatives

A shared minibus on the same route is far cheaper per head, and our Golden Circle comparison covers it. A rental car is cheaper again, but on tarmac only. The only thing this tour sells you that those do not is the off-road driving, with someone who knows the tracks and is on the radio. If that is not what you want, do not pay for it.

For something between the two, a two and a half hour buggy ride from Southcoast Adventure (€211 per person) is an off-road drive for people who want to be outside rather than in a cab. See buggy or ATV for how those differ.

Weather and winter

The tours run in all weather, and you are warm inside the car. That is the real advantage over an ATV on a wet day. But a Defender on snow and ice with an unfamiliar driver is the guide’s call, and the route can change on the morning. Do not book the long days for a tight schedule in winter.

Our honest take

Book the two-hour Reykjavík Trails if you are four or five people who like cars. It is the best value of the three and it fits around a flight.

Skip the Golden Circle and South Coast versions unless the driving is the point. At €1,715 and €2,007 you are paying mostly for the vehicle and the exclusivity, and the sights are the same ones a €90 coach reaches. A couple should take the buggy or a small-group jeep tour instead, and keep the money for something else.