Arctic Adventures

Iceland's large adventure operator

Arctic Adventures is an Icelandic tour company headquartered in Reykjavík that runs its own day tours and multi-day trips across Iceland. Its roots, the About page explains, go back to 1983, when an Icelandic couple started a rafting company called Bátafólkið on the Hvítá river; that company merged with Arctic Rafting in 2005 to form Arctic Adventures. Since then it has grown by founding and buying brands, among them Glacier Guides in Skaftafell, Trek Iceland, Into the Glacier on Langjökull, Your Day Tours, Special Tours in Reykjavík and The Lava Tunnel, and it now owns hotels and manages sites such as Kerið Crater and Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon. The company fact sheet lists "400+ adventure pros", "300+ nature-based adventures" and "over 1 million" travelers a year. Tours start mainly from Reykjavík, with glacier bases at Skaftafell and Sólheimajökull, snowmobiling from Geysir and Húsafell, and whale watching from Dalvík in the north. Prices can be shown in USD, ISK, EUR, CAD or GBP.

Hiking, trekking and glacier walks

For hikers, the core offer is the Highlands and the glaciers. A press release says Iceland's main trekking season runs "from June through September", with routes such as Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls. The 4-Day Guided Laugavegur Trail Trekking Tour, camping in tents, runs July to August and is listed at 2,075 USD with a "Book Now - Pay Later" option, and a 4-Day Women-Only Laugavegur Trek led by a female guide launched for summer 2026. The 3-Day Landmannalaugar, Green Ridge and Háifoss Hiking Tour runs June to September at 1,328 USD, and a Landmannalaugar Hiking Day Tour is listed at 184 USD after a discount.

Glacier hiking is the other pillar. Glacier Wonders, an easy 4-hour hike in Skaftafell, is 108 USD, and Glacier Explorer, a moderate 5.5-hour hike, is 167 USD. The Crevasse Labyrinth in Vatnajökull National Park is marked "Exclusive" at 142 USD, and the new Glacier Beyond route, announced for June 15, 2026, crosses 2 outlet glaciers with "3.5 to 4 hours on the ice" in groups "of up to 12". Sólheimajökull hikes and a Blue Ice ice climbing trip run from the south coast.

The hiking side has a long history in the group. The About page says the Glacier Guides project launched at Skaftafell in 2009, recognizable by its turf-roofed base camp and an American school bus that shuttles hikers to the ice, and that a trekking brand called Wild Iceland began in 2012, became Trek Iceland and joined Arctic Adventures in 2014, with Laugavegur as its main focus. The locations page adds context for route planning: Vatnajökull covers "over 8100 km2" with around 30 outlet glaciers, and the Highlands take up about 40% of the country. Rafting, where the company began, continues through Viking Rafting, which the page says runs level 4 trips in North Iceland.

Day tours and multi-day tours

Beyond hiking, the activity menu covers ice caves, Northern Lights, Silfra snorkeling and diving, snowmobiling, whale watching, super jeeps, lava caving, kayaking, horseback riding, rafting and more. Examples from the homepage include the "Into the Glacier" ice tunnel tour (176 USD after a discount), the Katla Ice Cave Tour by Super Jeep (200 USD) and the Classic Golden Circle Full Day Tour (8 hours, 125 USD). The homepage says the Northern Lights tours have "daily departures" and a "free retry".

Multi-day tours run "from 2 to 10 days". The South Coast page lists the 4-Day South Coast and Glacier Adventure, all year, rated easy, from 1,494 USD reduced to 1,270 USD, with free cancellation noted; the 3-Day Golden Circle and South Coast Tour at 918 USD; a 6-Day Around Iceland Ring Road Tour at 2,092 USD; and longer trips such as the 8-Day Iceland Ring Road Tour at 2,466 USD and a 9-Day Around Iceland, Highlands and Volcano Adventure from June to September at 3,818 USD. Day trips on that page include the South Coast, Jokulsarlon and Diamond Beach tour (14-16 hours, 233 USD) and the South Shore Adventure (about 10 hours, 150 USD). Outside the south, the locations page lists whale watching from Dalvík (3 hours, 100 USD), kayaking under Mt. Kirkjufell in Snæfellsnes (May to September, 2 hours, 124 USD) and an Askja Caldera day from Mývatn. Self-drive tours, private tours, luxury journeys, hotel transfers and campervans (through its Happy Campers brand) are also sold.

Groups, guides and support

The site says its tours run with "just 6-19 people per tour", and that "all of our guides need to go through extensive training and first aid courses". The South Coast page describes the guides as "certified pros with deep knowledge of Iceland". For support, customer care is open Monday to Sunday, 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM GMT, on +354 562 7000, and a Private Travel Desk (+354 588 1307) plans custom trips; a press release says it arranged "over 400 custom journeys" in 2024. The footer links a tour pick-up page, a cancellation policy and a best price guarantee.

On sustainability, the About page says Arctic Adventures holds the 2025 Gold-Level Vakinn Environmental Certificate and offsets its operations through carbon partnerships with Kolviður and SoGreen. It says it was named a 2026 Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice winner, and a 2025 Viator Experience Award went to its South Coast small-group tour, which the press page notes is operated by Your Day Tours, part of the group.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The tour cards show starting prices and frequent discounts (a GETAWAY15 code on 3-8 day tours, "15% OFF" badges), so the actual price depends on dates and promotions. The About page says cancellation fees "are only intended to cover our direct cost", but the tour cards do not give the cancellation window; "Free Cancelation" appears on some cards without terms. Meal inclusions and pickup times are not shown on the cards, and the difficulty labels (easy, moderate) are not explained on the cards.

For hikers, Arctic Adventures covers most of what Iceland offers on foot, from a first easy glacier walk to guided Laugavegur treks, inside a company large enough to combine hiking with ice caves, snorkeling or a Ring Road tour. Travelers who prefer a single small local outfitter will find this a big operation with many brands under one roof.