Langjökull

From the top of Langjökull, on a clear day, there's nothing. White in every direction, a faint line where the ice meets the sky, and the snowmobile engine ticking as it cools. Then you remember you're sitting on several hundred metres of ice. It changes how you think about the ground.

Langjökull (Langjokull, "Long Glacier") is Iceland's second-largest ice cap, covering about 950 square kilometres in the highlands of West Iceland. It's roughly 55 km long and on average more than 500 metres thick. Its meltwater feeds a lot of what you see on a trip around south-west Iceland, from the Hvítá river at Gullfoss to the crystal-clear water in Silfra. And it's the easiest big glacier to get onto from Reykjavík.

Tours that visit Langjökull

Superjeep Golden Circle and Langjokull Snowmobile Tour on Glacier

10 hours · From Reykjavík

From 56.500 ISK

Into The Glacier - From Húsafell

4 hours · From Húsafell

From 27.900 ISK

Into the Glacier - From Reykjavík

10 hours · From Reykjavík

From 38.990 ISK

Glacier Snowmobiling from Geysir Area

4 hours · From Iceland

4.9(259)

From 33.990 ISK

Into The Glacier - With Snowmobiling From Húsafell

4 hours and 30 minutes · From Húsafell

4.9(128)

From 36.900 ISK

Glacier Snowmobiling from Reykjavík

8 hours · From Iceland

4.9(259)

From 42.990 ISK

Into the Glacier: the Langjökull ice tunnel

The ice tunnel, opened in 2015, is a man-made tunnel dug about 500 metres into the ice cap, around 1,260 metres above sea level. Inside, it stays around 0°C all year, with corridors of blue-white ice, a small ice chapel and lights set into the walls. Natural ice caves on Vatnajökull are a winter thing. This tunnel is open year-round.

You get there in a huge converted truck, a former missile launcher, that crawls up the ice. In winter tours usually depart from Húsafell. In summer they start from Klaki base camp, higher up at the edge of the glacier. You can also book transfers from Reykjavík, and there are combos that add a snowmobile ride.

Snowmobiling on Langjökull

The other big draw is snowmobiling. Many trips start from the Gullfoss and Geysir area, where you're picked up and taken by super jeep up the Kjölur road to base camp on the glacier. Riding time is usually about an hour, and you get a snowmobile suit, boots, gloves and helmet. Drivers need a valid driving licence. Anyone without one can ride as a passenger.

Pro tip: take sunglasses, even in winter. Up on the ice, the light bounces off everything, and on a bright day you'll be squinting within minutes. Wear a thin hat under the helmet and ski gloves if you have them. The ones they hand out do the job, but your own will be warmer.

How to get to Langjökull from Reykjavík

Húsafell is about two hours' drive from Reykjavík. The Gullfoss area, where snowmobile tours from the Golden Circle side meet, is also about two hours away. Neither route can take you onto the ice. Glaciers have hidden crevasses, whiteouts can come on fast, and highland roads to the edge are F-roads, usually open only in summer. Only go on the glacier with a guided tour.

Weather decides everything up here. Tours get delayed or cancelled when the wind picks up, so it's worth booking early in your trip to leave room for a second try.

Best time to visit Langjökull

Both the tunnel and snowmobiling run all year. In summer the drive is easier, days are long and the surface is slushier in places. Winter brings snow, shorter days and more weather cancellations. Tours that include Langjökull are below, including Into the Glacier from Húsafell or Reykjavík, snowmobiling from the Geysir area and Golden Circle combos.