Best Tour Companies in Iceland 2026: 51 Operators Ranked by 320,000 Reviews

We combined nearly 320,000 verified reviews of 51 Iceland tour companies from Guide to Iceland, TripAdvisor, and GetYourGuide with Guide to Iceland's cancellation records since 2024 to find the best tour companies in Iceland.

Guide to Iceland is the country's biggest travel marketplace, and most of the companies in this study sell their tours with us. We did not take commissions into account when ranking them. The rankings are based only on reviews and review volume, reliability, pricing, each company's range of tours, and traveler sentiment.

The answer to who the best tour operator in Iceland is depends on the tour. Wake Up Reykjavík, DIVE.IS, and Norðurflug top the overall ranking, and Nicetravel and Your Day Tours lead the sightseeing operators. On multi-day tours, David the Guide has the best-rated trips, and for ice caves, Crystal Cave Tours offers the lowest prices and the widest choice. The best glacier, whale watching, and horse riding companies are often small specialists such as Melrakki Adventures, Húsavík Adventures, and Sólhestar.

Choosing one of the best tour companies in Iceland is a smart way to see more of the country with less stress. With so much to explore, guided experiences help you travel farther and learn more without the hassle of planning every detail. You can take guided tours to well-known landmarks, book day trips from Reykjavik, or choose small-group tours that focus on specific regions. For those seeking excitement, adventure tours offer activities like glacier walks, snowmobiling, or snorkeling in clear glacial water.

This study builds on our activity-by-activity research, including our rankings of the best glacier hiking tour operators in Iceland and the best whale watching companies in Iceland, and on our tour satisfaction study, which compared ratings across every day tour we sell. Those studies compare one product line at a time. This one compares whole companies, so you can see which names are worth trusting before you even pick an activity.

Key Findings

• Iceland's tour companies are good almost across the board, matching our tour satisfaction study, which found the average day tour rates 4.68. Here, 46 of the 51 companies rate 4.5 stars or higher on their combined reviews, and the gap between first and last place is about half a star.

• Specialists win their categories. The top-rated company for glacier hikes, snorkeling, flights, horse riding, and whale watching is in each case a company built around that one activity.

• Northern lights tours are the lowest-rated tour type, at 4.2 to 4.6, while Golden Circle and South Coast tours from the best small-group companies rate 4.8 to 5.0.

• Wake Up Reykjavík (4.97), DIVE.IS (4.96), and Norðurflug Helicopter Tours (4.89) are the highest-rated tour companies in Iceland after adjusting for review volume.

• Nicetravel (4.87) and Your Day Tours (4.86) are the best-rated sightseeing companies, and both call off around 1% of departures or fewer.

• On Guide to Iceland's verified reviews of multi-day tours, David the Guide rates highest (4.83), ahead of Nicetravel (4.79), BusTravel Iceland (4.78), Troll Expeditions and Arctic Adventures (both 4.74).

• Crystal Cave Tours is the best value ice cave company in Iceland, with the cheapest ice cave tours, the widest selection of any operator, and an extended 6-hour ice cave tour rated 5.0. It also runs the cheapest glacier hike in the country.

• The tour type decides how often you get canceled, not the company. Walking tours, snorkeling, and most horse rides are called off less than 1% of the time, while most whale watching, kayak, snowmobile, and helicopter tours are called off 5% to 20% of the time, almost all for weather.

• On Reddit and in travel forums, people consistently favor small-group tours and operators who run their trips themselves over big coaches, and the guide decides whether a trip is remembered as great.

Which Tour Company in Iceland Is the Best?

On combined, volume-adjusted ratings, the best tour company in Iceland is Wake Up Reykjavík, at 4.97 out of 5 across more than 33,000 reviews. DIVE.IS (4.96) and Norðurflug Helicopter Tours (4.89) follow. Among the companies that run classic sightseeing tours, Nicetravel (4.87) and Your Day Tours (4.86) lead.

That said, a single ladder is a blunt tool. A food walk and a glacier hike are different products, and no one is choosing between them. The more useful question is which company is best for the tour you actually want, so the rest of this study answers that one category at a time.

The table lists all 51 companies. The rating is the combined score across Guide to Iceland, TripAdvisor, and GetYourGuide, adjusted for review volume. The called-off rate is the share of departures the operator or the weather canceled since 2024, with travelers' own cancellations removed.

A dash in the called-off column means the company had too few departures booked through Guide to Iceland since 2024 to measure.

What Are the Best Golden Circle Tour Companies?

The Golden Circle is the classic day trip from Reykjavik, and every big operator runs one. Comparing only their Golden Circle tours, on Guide to Iceland's verified reviews, the small-group companies lead and the big coaches trail. Golden Circle tours are almost never called off, at under 2% for every operator.

Ratings in this section compare each company's Golden Circle tours only.

Nicetravel: Best Golden Circle Tour

Nicetravel rates 4.82 on its Golden Circle tours and calls off just 0.7% of them. Its Golden Circle and Kerid Crater tour adds a volcanic crater to the classic route, and its Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon tour rates 4.9. Our study of the best time to visit the Blue Lagoon shows which hours are quietest.

Troll Expeditions: Golden Circle by Minibus

Troll Expeditions rates 4.80 on its Golden Circle minibus expedition and calls off just 0.3% of departures, the fewest of any Golden Circle operator. Its reputation off the review sites is more mixed, as the multi-day section explains.

Your Day Tours: Best Golden Circle Tour With a Hot Spring

Your Day Tours rates 4.70 on the Golden Circle. Its Golden Circle and Secret Lagoon tour ends the day with a soak in a natural hot spring.

BusTravel Iceland: Best-Rated Golden Circle Coach Tour

BusTravel Iceland rates 4.67 on its Golden Circle tours, well ahead of the other big coach operator. Its Golden Circle with Secret Lagoon tour calls off only 0.5% of departures.

David the Guide: Small-Group Golden Circle With Fridheimar

David the Guide rates 4.60 on the Golden Circle. Its small-group Golden Circle tour adds Kerid crater and a stop at the Fridheimar greenhouse tomato farm.

Reykjavik Excursions: Best Afternoon Golden Circle Tour

Reykjavik Excursions rates lowest here, at 4.37, as the big coaches usually do on the Golden Circle. Its Golden Circle afternoon tour suits travelers who land in the morning or want the morning free.

What Are the Best South Coast Tour Companies?

On South Coast day tours from Reykjavik, which take in Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, and Reynisfjara black sand beach, ratings run even higher, and the tours that add a glacier hike rate highest of all.

Ratings in this section compare each company's South Coast tours only. *Company-wide figure. To see the coast without the crowds, our best and worst months to visit Iceland study and our cheapest time to visit Iceland study show when the weather and prices line up.

Glaciers and Waterfalls: Best South Coast Tour With a Glacier Hike

Glaciers and Waterfalls rates a perfect 5.0 on its South Coast adventure with a glacier hike, which fits waterfalls, a black sand beach, and time on the ice into one day.

Troll Expeditions: Best South Coast Glacier Expedition

Troll Expeditions rates 4.9 on its South Coast glacier expedition, which also adds a glacier hike to the classic South Coast stops.

Your Day Tours: Most Reliable South Coast Tour

Your Day Tours calls off just 0.4% of its South Coast departures, the fewest of any operator here, and its South Coast full-day tour rates 4.8.

Nicetravel: Best 12-Hour South Coast Tour

Nicetravel rates 4.8 on the South Coast. Its 12-hour small-group South Coast tour gives you a full day on the coast without a big coach.

BusTravel Iceland: Best-Rated Jokulsarlon Day Trip

BusTravel Iceland rates 4.8 on its South Coast and Jokulsarlon tour, which goes all the way to the glacier lagoon in one long day.

Reykjavik Excursions: South Coast and Glacier Lagoon

Reykjavik Excursions rates 4.28 on its South Coast and glacier lagoon tour and calls off 5.2% of departures, the weakest record here.

What Are the Best Ice Cave Tour Companies in Iceland?

Browse every ice cave tour in Iceland in one place, or read our guide to ice caves in Iceland first. Ice caves are where price and choice vary most. Natural blue ice caves in Vatnajokull open roughly from October to April, the Katla ice cave near Vik runs all year, and tours range from a short visit from the lagoon to a full day with a glacier hike. In the 2025 to 2026 season, Crystal Cave Tours sold the widest selection of ice cave tours of any operator on Guide to Iceland, at the lowest prices.

Our two picks come first: Crystal Cave Tours for the lowest prices and widest choice, and Katlatrack for the highest rating and best reliability of any ice cave company. The rest are sorted from cheapest to most expensive. Prices are the typical price paid per person on Guide to Iceland in the 2025 to 2026 season, and ratings are each company's combined rating.

Crystal Cave Tours: Best Ice Cave Company for Price and Selection

Crystal Cave Tours is the original ice cave operator at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and the best value ice cave company in Iceland. It ran seven ice cave tours this season, more than any other operator, from about 19,990 ISK (165 USD) for the Skaftafell ice cave and glacier hike and 21,490 ISK (178 USD) for the Crystal Blue Ice Cave tour.

For the most time on the ice, book the 6-hour blue ice cave and super jeep experience, which rates a perfect 5.0. Its company-wide 4.66 is held down by the high-volume Crystal Blue tour, while its longer tours rate 4.8 to 5.0.

Katlatrack: Best-Rated and Most Reliable Ice Cave Company

Katlatrack has run tours from Vik since 2009. It rates 4.79, the highest of any ice cave company, calls off just 0.7% of departures, and its Katla ice cave is the only natural ice cave you can visit in summer. Book the Katla ice-caving tour or combine an ice cave tour with glacier hiking.

Arctic Adventures: Ice Cave and Glacier Hike From Skaftafell

Arctic Adventures rates 4.62 and calls off 2.6% of departures. Its glacier hike and ice cave from Skaftafell starts at about 20,090 ISK.

Blue Iceland: Ice Cave With a Glacier Hike From the Lagoon

Blue Iceland rates 4.72 and pairs a glacier hike with an ice cave from the lagoon. Its blue ice caving adventure starts at about 22,000 ISK.

Glacier Trips: Most Reliable Jokulsarlon Ice Cave Operator

Glacier Trips is a small Jokulsarlon operator rated 4.78 that calls off just 1.5% of departures. Its ice cave in Vatnajokull starts at about 23,900 ISK.

Ice Pic Journeys: Best for Ice Cave Photography

Ice Pic Journeys rates 4.78 and includes professional photos on its ice cave tours, such as Ice Cave Captured. Reviewers praise small groups and attentive guides, and the few complaints are about weather rebookings.

What Are the Best Day Tour Companies in Iceland?

For a classic day trip from Reykjavik, such as the Golden Circle or the South Coast, the small-group companies rate highest. Your Day Tours (4.86), Glaciers and Waterfalls (4.81), and Magic Iceland Travel (4.80) all sit in the overall top 11. BusTravel Iceland (4.79) is the best-rated of the larger coach operators, while Reykjavik Excursions, the country's longest-running bus company, rates 4.50 across more than 35,000 reviews.

Ratings in this section are each company's combined rating across all its tours.

The forum discussions we read point the same way. Travelers asking for day tour recommendations are steered toward minibuses over big coaches, and many say they will pay more for a smaller group and more time with the guide.

Your Day Tours: Best Small-Group Day Tours

Your Day Tours started as a family business and is now part of the Arctic Adventures group. It rates 4.86 across nearly 10,000 reviews and calls off just 0.6% of departures, and reviewers single out small groups and guides who know Icelandic folklore. Try the Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour past Kirkjufell Mountain, or in summer, the Westman Islands puffin and volcano tour.

Glaciers and Waterfalls: Best South Coast Day Tour With a Glacier Hike

Glaciers and Waterfalls rates 4.81 on more than 3,300 reviews, the second-best score of any day tour company. Reviewers praise the guides by name, the safety focus, and unusually attentive customer service.

Magic Iceland Travel: Best for Chinese-Speaking Travelers

Magic Iceland Travel rates 4.80 and runs much of its schedule with Chinese-speaking guides, including a Golden Circle tour with a Chinese guide and a Snaefellsnes tour in Chinese. Reviewers describe patient, multilingual guides and good value.

BusTravel Iceland: Best-Rated Large Coach Operator

BusTravel Iceland carries one of the largest review bases in the country, nearly 50,000 reviews, and still rates 4.79. Reviewers praise funny, well-informed guides, and the most common complaint is the cancellation policy rather than the tours. It also runs a top-rated northern lights tour from Reykjavik.

Reykjavik Excursions: Most Established Coach Operator

Reykjavik Excursions is the core of the Icelandia group, which also includes Icelandic Mountain Guides, DIVE.IS, Gray Line, and Flybus. It rates 4.50 across more than 35,000 reviews, and complaints are the usual ones for big coaches: long drives and short stops. Its glacier hikes are a different story, ranking first in our study of Iceland's glacier hiking operators at 4.77. It also sells the Blue Lagoon comfort package with a transfer and a five-day Landmannalaugar hiking trip.

What Are the Best Multi-Day Tour Companies in Iceland?

Company-wide ratings mix day trips, northern lights hunts, and multi-day tours, so for guided multi-day tours we also compared each company's multi-day tours on their own, using Guide to Iceland's verified reviews. On that measure, David the Guide rates highest at 4.83, ahead of Nicetravel (4.79), BusTravel Iceland (4.78), and Troll Expeditions and Arctic Adventures (both 4.74).

Multi-day ratings compare each company's multi-day tours only, from Guide to Iceland's verified reviews.

Multi-day tours are also among the most dependable in Iceland. The companies running them call off between 1.1% and 4.7% of departures, because the Ring Road stays open in weather that would ground a helicopter or keep a boat in the harbor.

David the Guide: Best Multi-Day Tour Company

David the Guide's multi-day tours are the best-rated in the country on Guide to Iceland, at 4.83, and every one of them rates between 4.8 and 4.9. Reviewers praise small groups, well-tailored trips, and guides they remember by name. Its company-wide score (4.64) is lower only because a high-volume northern lights tour pulls the average down.

The 3-day Jokulsarlon and ice caving tour rates 4.8, and the 2-day glacier hiking tour and the 3-day summer tour with a glacier hike both rate 4.9.

Nicetravel: Best 2-Day Tours and Best Sightseeing Company Overall

Nicetravel has the best company-wide score of any sightseeing operator, 4.87 across more than 16,000 reviews, and calls off only 1.1% of departures. In a detailed Reddit comparison of nine Reykjavik tour companies, its guide was rated among the best. The founding families sold the company in 2026 after running it for many years. We haven't seen any drop in quality since, and we hope the new owners keep the same high standards.

Try the 2-day South Coast and Jokulsarlon tour, the 2-day Snaefellsnes National Park tour, or the 7-day guided Ring Road tour.

BusTravel Iceland: Best Ring Road Tour by Coach

BusTravel Iceland's multi-day tours rate 4.78. Its 6-day winter Ring Road tour takes in Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon and Lake Myvatn.

Troll Expeditions: Biggest Range of Multi-Day Routes

Troll Expeditions runs multi-day routes from 2-day South Coast trips to 8-day Ring Road circuits. Its company-wide score is high (4.79 across more than 28,000 reviews), but its multi-day tours rate lower, at 4.74, and its reputation off the review sites is more mixed than its scores suggest.

There have been complaints about Troll Expeditions on Facebook and Reddit recently. The most-discussed Troll thread on r/VisitingIceland calls for travelers to avoid the company over how it treats its staff, and in a detailed Reddit comparison of nine tour companies, its day tour was one of the two the reviewer liked least. Its glacier hikes rank well, coming second in our glacier hiking operator rankings.

Arctic Adventures: Widest Range of Activities

Arctic Adventures is one of the largest tour operators in Iceland, with 11.8 billion ISK in revenue in 2025. It owns several brands in this study, including Your Day Tours, Special Tours, Snowmobile.is, Glacier Guides, Into the Glacier, and The Lava Tunnel. In June 2026, it signed an agreement to merge with the Blue Lagoon, which still needs approval from Iceland's Competition Authority and shareholders.

Arctic Adventures rates 4.62 across nearly 20,000 reviews. Reviewers like its guides and variety, and complaints center on logistics, such as missed pickups. Popular trips include the ice tunnel in Langjokull Glacier and a two-day northern lights tour on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

What Are the Best Glacier Hiking Companies in Iceland?

Glacier companies make up one of the biggest groups in this study, and the specialists lead. At company level, Icelandic Mountain Guides (4.86) and Melrakki Adventures (4.83) rate highest, followed by Glacier Journey at 4.79.

Ratings here are each company's combined rating. For glacier-hike-only ratings and prices, see our glacier hiking operator study.

If you're booking a glacier hike specifically, our dedicated study of the best glacier hiking tour operators in Iceland goes deeper. It compares glacier hikes only, glacier by glacier, along with hike prices and the 4- to 5-hour tours. That study found every glacier hiking operator rates above 4.5 stars, that the guide is the single thing travelers mention most, and that longer hikes rate higher than standard ones almost everywhere.

Icelandic Mountain Guides: Best for Serious Hikers

Icelandic Mountain Guides is the mountaineering name in Iceland and part of Icelandia, alongside Reykjavik Excursions, Gray Line, and DIVE.IS. It rates 4.86 across more than 5,800 reviews, and in our glacier hiking operator study, not one of its reviews complained that the hike was too short.

Melrakki Adventures: Best for Small Groups on the Ice

Melrakki Adventures rates 4.83, and a third of its glacier hike reviews mention the small group size, the highest share in our glacier study. Book its extra-small-group glacier hike if you want the ice to feel quiet.

Glacier Journey: Best for Snowmobiling on Vatnajokull

Glacier Journey is a family-run company in Vatnajokull National Park rated 4.79. Book its snowmobiling tour on Vatnajokull or the family-friendly ice cave tour. Its called-off rate (10.9%) is high because snowmobiling on the ice cap depends on visibility.

Local Guide of Vatnajokull: Best for Beginners

Local Guide of Vatnajokull rates 4.73 and runs the easiest hikes for first-timers, such as its easy glacier hike on Vatnajokull.

Crystal Cave Tours: Cheapest Glacier Hike in Iceland

Crystal Cave Tours runs the cheapest glacier hike in Iceland: its Skaftafell glacier hike starts at 12,900 ISK (107 USD) and rates 4.8. Its 5-hour Skaftafell hike (4.8) and ice climbing tour (4.9) are among the best-rated demanding glacier hikes in the country.

What Are the Best Glacier Lagoon Boat and Kayaking Tour Companies?

Three companies run boats among the icebergs, and they rate within 0.04 stars of each other. A kayaking tour gets you closer still, but kayaks are more weather-sensitive than boats.

Ratings in this section are each company's combined rating across all its tours.

Fjallsárlón Iceberg Boat Tours: Best for a Quieter Lagoon

Fjallsárlón Iceberg Boat Tours (4.76) runs its iceberg boat tour on the quieter Fjallsarlon lagoon, and reviewers like having the glacier front nearly to themselves.

IceGuide: Best Glacier Lagoon Kayaking

IceGuide (4.76) runs the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon kayaking tour and a glacier kayak adventure, both rated 4.7, in small groups that reach parts of the lagoon the boats can't. It calls off 13.8% of departures, so book early in your trip. Closer to Reykjavik, Reykjavik Excursions' Solheimajokull kayaking tour also rates 4.7, and our guide to kayaking in Iceland covers what to expect.

Ice Lagoon: Best Zodiac Tour on Jokulsarlon

Ice Lagoon (4.74) runs fast zodiacs that get close to the glacier front on its Jokulsarlon zodiac boat tour.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Tours: Best Amphibian Boat Tour

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon Tours (4.72) is the leading boat operator on Jokulsarlon itself. Its amphibian boat tour is the affordable option, and its zodiac boat tour gets you closer. Both leave from the Jokulsarlon Cafe and run from May to November.

What Are the Best Whale Watching Companies in Iceland?

Our whale watching operator study, built on more than 22,000 reviews of whale watching tours, found that every small-boat company outrates every big-boat company. The same pattern shows up at company level: Húsavík Adventures (4.79) and Whale Watching Hauganes (4.75) lead, and the big Reykjavik operators rate lowest.

Ratings and called-off rates in this section cover each company's tours as a whole, not just whale watching.

Whale watching is also the most weather-dependent tour category in Iceland. About one tour in ten is called off, most for wind and sea state, so build a spare day into your plans. Our guide to whale watching in Iceland explains which harbors and seasons give you the best odds.

Húsavík Adventures: Best Small-Boat Whale Watching

On its whale watching tours alone, Húsavík Adventures rates 4.90 in our ranking of Iceland's whale watching companies, the highest of any whale company in Iceland. Its small RIB boats from Husavik get closer to the whales, and reviewers report sightings including blue whales. Book the whale and puffin watching tour by RIB.

Whale Watching Hauganes: Most Reliable Whale Watching

Whale Watching Hauganes (4.75) offers quick humpback sightings in Eyjafjordur and has one of the lowest called-off rates of any boat company (2.4%). Book whale watching from Hauganes.

Láki Tours: Best Big-Boat Whale Watching

Láki Tours (4.72 overall, 4.68 on whale tours) is the best-rated big-boat company and the place to go for orcas off Snaefellsnes. In our whale watching study, 22.1% of its whale watching bookings were called off, mostly because of weather, so allow a spare day in your plans. If you're adding puffins to the trip, our study of where to find puffins in Iceland shows which harbors give you both.

Gentle Giants: Classic Husavik Whale Watching

Gentle Giants (4.63) is praised in forum discussions for its crews and humpback sightings. Its traditional whale watching tour sails from Husavik into Skjalfandi Bay.

North Sailing: Whale Watching on a Traditional Oak Boat

North Sailing (4.60) is treated as interchangeable with Gentle Giants in the forums we read. Its original whale watching tour sails from Husavik on a traditional oak boat.

Reykjavik Sailors: Best-Value Whale Watching From Reykjavik

Reykjavik Sailors (4.56) runs the best value whale watching trip from Reykjavik's Old Harbor.

Elding Adventure at Sea: Best From Reykjavik Harbor

Elding Adventure at Sea was the first company to offer whale watching from Reykjavik. It rates 4.55 and is the default Reykjavik recommendation in the forums we read, where posters credit its ethics, its daily sightings diary, and its free warm suits. Try the whale and puffin watching tour, whale watching from Akureyri, or the northern lights cruise.

Special Tours: Whale and Puffin Tours From the Old Harbor

Special Tours (4.44), part of Arctic Adventures, sails from Reykjavik Old Harbor with a Reykjavik whale watching tour and a family-friendly puffin tour. Its reviewers' most common complaint is short-notice cancellations.

What Are the Best Northern Lights Tour Companies?

Northern lights tours are the lowest-rated tour type in Iceland. No company's aurora tours rate above 4.7 on Guide to Iceland, because the lights are never guaranteed and a cloudy night shows up in the reviews whatever the guide does. Between 4% and 9% of departures at the big operators are called off for cloud, and most companies let you rebook for free if you don't see the lights.

Ratings in this section compare each company's northern lights tours only. If you'd rather go on your own, our guides to how to find the northern lights in Iceland and the best places to see the northern lights in Reykjavik explain how to read the forecast.

BusTravel Iceland: Best Northern Lights Tour From Reykjavik

BusTravel Iceland rates highest from Reykjavik, with its northern lights tour and the premium small-group version both at 4.6.

Saga Travel: Best Northern Lights Tours in North Iceland

Saga Travel runs aurora tours from Akureyri and Lake Myvatn, where skies are often clearer, and it's the least likely of the big aurora operators to cancel (4.3%). Its Myvatn northern lights tour rates 4.6. Star Travel also runs aurora tours in the north. Our study of Iceland's clearest skies for the northern lights shows which regions give you the best odds, and our best month to see the northern lights study shows when to go.

David the Guide: Best Small-Group Aurora Hunt

David the Guide runs one of the most popular aurora tours in the country, the Northern Lights Minibus Tour from Reykjavik, which rates 4.5. In a Reddit comparison of nine tour companies, its guide stood out for using his own aurora forecast to chase clear skies.

Gravel Travel: Northern Lights by Super Jeep

Gravel Travel's northern lights hunt by super jeep goes farther from the city lights than a bus can, but 19.0% of departures are called off, the most of any aurora operator here. Read more about super jeep tours.

Reykjavik Excursions: Northern Lights Mystery

Reykjavik Excursions' Northern Lights Mystery tour rates 4.2, the lowest here, and 9.1% of departures are called off for cloud.

What Are the Best Helicopter and Sightseeing Flight Companies?

Helicopter tours and sightseeing flights rate high, but they are the tours most likely to be canceled, nearly always for low cloud and wind. Book a flight early in your trip to leave room to rebook.

Ratings in this section are each company's combined rating across all its tours.

Norðurflug Helicopter Tours: Best Helicopter Tours

Norðurflug Helicopter Tours is the country's largest helicopter tour provider and the third-highest-rated tour company in Iceland, at 4.89. Reviewers call the pilots skilled and the geothermal landing the highlight of their trip. Book the 40-minute summit tour above Reykjavik or the geothermal tour over the hot springs of Hengill. It calls off 13.2% of flights.

Atlantsflug: Best Flights Over Glaciers and Volcanoes

Based in South Iceland, Atlantsflug (4.76) flies planes and helicopters over glaciers, volcanoes, and the highlands, including the Skaftafell airplane tour and the volcano helicopter tour. It calls off 20.1% of departures, the highest rate of any company in this study.

What Are the Best Snorkeling and Diving Companies?

Snorkeling in the Silfra fissure, where you float between two continents, is one of the best-rated activities in Iceland, and because Silfra is sheltered, it's almost never called off.

Ratings in this section are each company's combined rating across all its tours.

DIVE.IS: Best Snorkeling and Diving Company

DIVE.IS, part of the Icelandia group, is the second-highest-rated tour company in Iceland, at 4.96 on nearly 15,000 reviews. The 5-star PADI Dive Center runs the classic Silfra snorkeling tour in water with visibility of over 100 meters. Reviewers praise the safety briefings, and the main complaint is the price for roughly 30 minutes in the water.

Adventure Vikings: Best Drysuit Snorkeling in Silfra

Adventure Vikings (4.83) calls off just 0.7% of departures. Choose its drysuit snorkeling tour or wetsuit snorkeling tour, and add the Leidarendi Cave tour.

What Are the Best Horse Riding Companies in Iceland?

Horse riding is one of the most dependable tours in Iceland. Three of the four top riding companies call off fewer than 1% of rides, and most offer short beginner rides close to Reykjavik.

Ratings in this section are each company's combined rating across all its tours.

Sólhestar: Best Horse Riding for Beginners

Sólhestar (4.77) is the best-rated riding company and calls off just 0.1% of rides. It matches each rider to the right horse, so it's a good fit for beginners. Ride through the Raudholar Red Hills on its horse riding tour, or book the 2-hour Reykjadalur Valley ride.

Vík Horse Adventure: Best Black Sand Beach Ride

Vik Horse Adventure (4.76) runs the black sand beach riding tour near Vik, which reviewers rate as one of the most scenic rides in the country.

Eldhestar: Best Riding and Hot Springs Combination

Eldhestar (4.70) rides from its farm 29 miles (47 kilometers) southeast of Reykjavik. Combine riding with the Golden Circle or with a riding and hot springs tour. The minimum age for most rides is seven.

Íshestar: Longest-Running Riding Company

Íshestar (4.68) has run riding tours since 1982 and calls off just 0.2% of rides. Try its beginner lava field tour just outside Reykjavik or a private riding tour.

What Are the Best Snowmobile, Husky, and Super Jeep Companies?

Snowmobile, husky, and super jeep tours depend on snow and visibility, so between about 4% and 12% of departures are called off. You must be at least 18 with a valid driver's license to drive a snowmobile, but children six and older can ride as passengers.

Ratings in this section are each company's combined rating across all its tours.

Snow Dogs: Best Husky Sledding

Snow Dogs (4.79) is the best-rated company in this category, with husky sledding tours near Lake Myvatn. Reviewers rave about the family owners and how well the dogs are cared for.

Southcoast Adventure: Best Super Jeep Tours

Southcoast Adventure (4.74) is the best-rated super jeep company, with tours to Landmannalaugar and Thorsmork.

Snowmobile.is: Best Snowmobiling From Reykjavik

Snowmobile.is (4.73), part of Arctic Adventures, runs a glacier snowmobiling tour that leaves from Reykjavik.

Glacier Jeeps: Snowmobiling on Vatnajokull

Glacier Jeeps (4.69) runs snowmobiling on Vatnajokull, Europe's largest glacier, where low visibility calls off 10.7% of tours.

Mountaineers of Iceland: Oldest Snowmobiling Company

Mountaineers of Iceland (4.64) is the oldest snowmobiling company in the country, with tours on Langjokull, including a snowmobiling trip from Gullfoss.

Gravel Travel: Highland Super Jeep Tours From Reykjavik

Gravel Travel (4.61) runs tours in the Icelandic Highlands, like its Landmannalaugar super jeep tour from Reykjavik.

What Are the Best Volcano, Cave, and Specialty Tour Companies?

Some of the best-rated companies in Iceland don't fit a single category. This group covers food and walking tours, volcano and lava cave descents, North Iceland specialists, and photography workshops.

Ratings in this section are each company's combined rating across all its tours.

Wake Up Reykjavík: Best-Rated Tour Company in Iceland

Wake Up Reykjavík is the top-rated company in the whole study, at 4.97. Its signature tour is the Reykjavik food walk, and reviewers name its guides again and again.

Inside the Volcano: Best Volcano Tour

Inside the Volcano (4.80) takes you down into the empty magma chamber of Thrihnukagigur, a dormant volcano near Reykjavik, on its Inside the Volcano tour. Reviewers widely call it a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the price and the open-lift descent are the common caveats.

Star Travel: Best Lake Myvatn Tours

In North Iceland, Star Travel (4.77) leads, with a Lake Myvatn and Nature Baths tour and northern lights tours from Akureyri.

Your Friend in Reykjavik: Best Walking Tours

Your Friend in Reykjavik (4.77) runs some of the city's best-rated walking tours, including an Icelandic folklore walk and a Viking history walk.

Iceland Photo Tours: Best Photography Workshops

Iceland Photo Tours (4.77), founded by landscape photographer Iurie Belegurschi, runs workshops such as the eight-day South Coast photography workshop and the four-day northern lights and ice cave photo tour, with accommodation and transfers from Reykjavik.

Saga Travel: Best Day Tours From Akureyri

Saga Travel / Iceland Horizon (4.72) is a locally owned operator in North Iceland, with a Myvatn tour from Akureyri and a small-group North Iceland aurora tour.

Summit Adventure Guides: Best Lava Cave Tour

Summit Adventure Guides (4.70) runs the Vatnshellir lava cave tour on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

How Often Do Iceland Tours Get Canceled?

Your tour type matters far more than your tour company. Walking tours, snorkeling, and most horse rides are called off less than 1% of the time, and the big day tour and multi-day companies between 1% and 4%. Glacier hikes and ice caves mostly sit between 1% and 5%. Most boats, kayaks, snowmobiles, and aircraft are called off 5% to 20% of the time, because wind, sea state, and low cloud stop them in weather that wouldn't stop a minibus. The beach ride at Vik (7.1%) is the exception among horses, because it runs on an exposed coast.

Gross cancellation figures can mislead. Most cancellations in Iceland are travelers changing their own plans, which says nothing about the operator. Crystal Cave Tours, for example, shows a high total cancellation rate on its ice caves, but only 4.4% of its departures are actually called off by the company or the weather. If your tour is borderline, check the Icelandic Met Office forecast and SafeTravel alerts, and remember that a called-off tour is a safety decision, not a failure.

What Do Travelers Say About Iceland's Tour Companies?

Across the review text, more than 800 Reddit threads, and the travel forum threads we read, the same few things decide whether a tour is great or merely fine.

• The guide is mentioned more than anything else, in every category. Reviewers name individual guides at the top companies far more often than they mention the scenery.

• Group size comes next. Forum posters repeatedly advise paying more for a minibus or a small group, and the top-rated company in nearly every category runs small groups.

• Travelers prefer operators who run their own tours. Posters warn about resellers and subcontracted rides, and recommend specialists such as Icelandic Mountain Guides for glaciers.

• Reputation goes beyond star ratings. On r/VisitingIceland, some of the most-upvoted posts about tour companies are about how operators treat their staff and handle refunds, which rarely shows up in a review score.

• The most common complaints are about logistics, not the tour itself: pickup times, rushed stops at the busiest sights, and how cancellations and refunds are handled.

How We Ranked Iceland's Tour Companies

• The sample: Nearly 320,000 reviews of 51 Iceland tour companies, combining verified Guide to Iceland reviews with each company's main TripAdvisor and GetYourGuide listings, collected on October 5, 2026. We report one combined rating per company.

• Who is included: Companies that run their own tours and have a meaningful review history. Attractions sold as entry tickets (lagoons, museums, and shows), airport transfers, and Guide to Iceland's own packages are excluded.

• How we adjusted the ratings: A small review sample is a noisy estimate. A company with 300 reviews can land on 4.99 partly by luck, while a company with 30,000 reviews has had every bad-weather day and off group averaged in, so its score sits close to its true level. To compare them fairly, we used a Bayesian average, the same method statisticians use to rank products and films with very different numbers of ratings. Each company's adjusted rating is (n × r + m × C) ÷ (n + m), where r is its combined rating, n its number of reviews, C the average rating across all 51 companies (4.75), and m a weight equal to the median number of reviews per company (about 2,000).

• What the adjustment does in practice: It treats every company as if it started with about 2,000 average reviews, then lets its real reviews pull it up or down. Companies with tens of thousands of reviews barely move. BusTravel Iceland stays at 4.79 on more than 49,000 reviews. Companies with a few hundred reviews are pulled most of the way back to the average until they have earned more evidence. Snow Dogs, for example, rates 4.99 on about 430 reviews and adjusts to 4.79. That doesn't mean Snow Dogs is worse than its raw score. It means we can't yet be as sure of it.

• How cancellations are counted: We count only departures called off by the operator or the weather since January 2024, taken from Guide to Iceland's booking records and sorted by reason. Travelers' own cancellations and test bookings are excluded.

• Category and product data: Multi-day ratings compare each company's multi-day tours only, from Guide to Iceland's verified reviews, and ice cave prices are the typical per-person prices paid on Guide to Iceland in the 2025 to 2026 season. The glacier and whale watching findings draw on our glacier hiking operator study and our whale watching operator study, which compare those product lines only. Product ratings quoted for individual tours come from Guide to Iceland's verified reviews.

• Traveler sentiment: We read the original posts of 823 r/VisitingIceland threads from 2015 to 2026 that matched searches for tour companies and activities, more than 20 threads on the TripAdvisor Iceland forum and the Rick Steves travel forum, and the review text on each platform, and paraphrased the recurring themes.

• What the numbers cannot show: A company-wide rating averages every product a company sells, so a company can rate modestly overall and still run the best tour in one category. Platforms count and display ratings differently, and most travelers never write a review at all.

Rating differences between companies are small. Guide to Iceland's tour satisfaction study puts the average rating across Iceland's day tours at 4.68, and the gap from first to last place in this study is about half a star. This is a ranking of very good against slightly better, and any company on this list can give you a great day.

How Do You Choose an Iceland Tour Company?

Choosing a tour operator to handle your travel planning can make or break your Icelandic holiday, so it's worth checking four things before you book.

First, check reviews across more than one platform, and compare the rating against a benchmark. The average day tour in Iceland rates 4.68, so a company consistently below that is underperforming even if its ratings look strong at first glance. Second, check the group size and the vehicle. Private tours typically use private cars, super jeeps, and minibuses, while larger tours use buses of 30 passengers or more, standard for Golden Circle tours and South Coast tours.

Third, check the guide. Icelandic tour operators should use qualified local guides who know the region like the back of their hand. Confirm that a company's guides speak your language before you book. Many guides speak English, and you can also find guides who speak French, German, Spanish, Chinese, and other languages. Finally, check the price against what's included. Tour prices in Iceland vary with duration, activity, and group size, and our satisfaction study found that paying more within an activity buys no measurable increase in satisfaction.

Conclusion: Which Iceland Tour Company Should You Book?

Pick the tour first, then the company. For a food or walking tour, book Wake Up Reykjavík's Reykjavik food walk or Your Friend in Reykjavik's folklore walking tour. For snorkeling, DIVE.IS's Silfra snorkeling tour or Adventure Vikings' drysuit snorkeling tour. For a helicopter, Norðurflug's geothermal helicopter tour. For the Golden Circle, Nicetravel's Golden Circle and Kerid Crater tour. For the South Coast, Glaciers and Waterfalls' South Coast adventure with a glacier hike, Troll Expeditions' South Coast glacier expedition, or Your Day Tours' South Coast full-day tour. For the northern lights, BusTravel Iceland's northern lights tour from Reykjavik, or Saga Travel's Myvatn northern lights tour in the north. For multi-day tours, David the Guide has the best-rated trips, such as the 3-day Jokulsarlon and ice caving tour, with Nicetravel's 2-day South Coast and Jokulsarlon tour close behind.

On the ice, Icelandic Mountain Guides and Melrakki Adventures rate highest for glacier hikes, and Melrakki's extra-small-group glacier hike is the one to book for a quiet day on the ice. For ice caves, Crystal Cave Tours is the best value, with the lowest prices, the widest choice, and the 6-hour blue ice cave and super jeep experience rated 5.0, while its Crystal Blue Ice Cave tour is the cheapest way in. Katlatrack's Katla ice cave tour is the most reliable and the only option in summer. For whales, choose a small boat with Húsavík Adventures or Whale Watching Hauganes, and for riding, Sólhestar's Red Hills riding tour.

Whichever company you choose, dress for wind and rain, keep a spare day for weather, and book glacier, boat, and flight tours early in your trip so you have room to rebook.

More Iceland Tour Company Studies

For the full glacier-by-glacier comparison with prices, read our ranking of the best glacier hiking tour operators in Iceland. For whales, see our whale watching operator rankings. To compare the biggest brands head to head, see our Iceland tour operators comparison, for the best regions and months for the aurora, our clearest skies study, and for the highest-rated individual tours, our study of the best tours in Iceland by satisfaction rate.

About this study: rankings combine verified Guide to Iceland reviews with public TripAdvisor and GetYourGuide ratings, Guide to Iceland booking and cancellation records since 2024, and traveler discussion on Reddit and the TripAdvisor and Rick Steves travel forums. Ratings are adjusted for review volume so that companies are not rewarded or penalized purely for scale. Guide to Iceland is the largest travel marketplace in Iceland, and the companies above list their tours with us. We work with our partners to ensure the highest safety standards on every tour.