Tours

Ferðafélag Íslands, or the Iceland Touring Association, owns and operates numerous mountain huts where hikers and other travelers can get a sleeping bag accommodation (prebooking necessary). The ITA also offers a variety of tours year-round: day tours (hiking, cross-country skiing, or bus tours), weekend tours (Friday evening through Sunday), and longer tours.

Arcanum offers snowmobiling tours, and Dog Sledding Iceland offers dog-sled tours; both companies can take you to see a glacier. Icelandic Mountain Guides is the go-to tour company for a wide range of quality adventures and activities, covering everything from super-jeep tours, day trips to popular natural wonders, and glacial excursions to memorable multiday or monthlong expeditions. Arctic Rafting specializes in rafting tours, but also offers quad biking, climbing, trekking, biking, and a number of other activities.

Several bus companies, including Reykjavík Excursions and Gray Line, also run bus tours that include museums and art galleries, shopping centers, and the like, in around three hours. Reykjavík Excursions also operates a hop-on/hop-off bus service in the city during the summer.

Arcanum. One of Iceland's main tour operators, Arcanum specializes in glacier walks, ATV tours, snowmobiling, and jeep tours. Activities take place on or around Sólheimajökull, one of the magnificent glacial tongues of the Mýrdalsjökull Icecap. Sólheimaskála, Ytri Sólheimum 1, Vík, South, IS-871 . 487–1500; www.arcanum.is.

Arctic Rafting . Arctic Rafting specializes in river rafting tours, but also offers quad biking, climbing, trekking, biking, and a number of other exciting activities. Reykjavík, 571–2200 ; www.arcticrafting.com.

DIVE.IS. The folks at DIVE.IS specialize in snorkeling and diving tours of the stunning Silfra fissure at Þingvellir National Park, as well as a number of other locations in Iceland. www.dive.is.

Dog Sledding Iceland. One-hour mush tours, with real Greenlandic dogs, on top of Langjökull glacier are available from this family-run business between May and August, with some slightly cheaper, dry-land tours offered from either Skálafell or their Hólmasel base in Selfoss, at other times of the year. Glacier tours, with transfer from Reykjavík, cost 42,900 ISK. They include a bit of sightseeing and can take up to nine hours. If you have your own 4x4 transport you can drive to the glacier basecamp yourself (around two hours from Reykjavík) and take the tour for 17,900 ISK instead. Those with regular cars can park at Húsafell and get a short ride to the base camp and back for an additional 5,000 ISK. Hólmasel, Selfoss, South, IS-801. 774–2047; www.dogsledding.is.

Ferðafélag Íslands. The Icelandic Touring Association is the best place to sign up for hiking tours in Iceland, especially for the famous Laugavegurinn hiking trail. Mörkin 6, Reykjavík, Capital Region, IS-108. 568–2533; www.fi.is.

Icelandic Mountain Guides . Icelandic Mountain Guides is the go-to tour company for a wide range of quality adventures and activities, covering everything from glacier walks and super-jeep day tours of popular natural wonders to memorable, monthlong expeditions. Reykjavík, 587–9999; www.mountainguides.is.

TukTuk Tours. Inspired by the auto rickshaws of South Asia, these TukTuk battery-operated three-wheelers, with trademark yellow-and-black rain covers, can be spotted all over town, taking visitors on a variety of eco-friendly sightseeing tours. It's best to book in advance via the website, but there's always the possibility that you could hop on one at the TukTuk stand in front of Harpa Concert Hall. It's certainly a cheap and cheerful way to discover the city, and stock up on a few pearls of local wisdom. Note, seats are low, but nicely heated. Reykjavík, 101. 788–5500; www.tuktuktours.is.

Útivist Travel Association. Útivist provides expert guide service, and it's famous for their summer solstice hike across the Fimmvörðuháls mountain trail, which passes between the ice caps of both Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. Laugavegur 178, Reykjavík, Capital Region, IS-105. 562–1000; www.utivist.is.

Bus Tour Contacts

Gray Line Iceland. Hafnarstræti 20, Reykjavík, Capital Region, IS-101. 540–1313; 540–1310; www.grayline.is.

Reykjavík Excursions. BSÍ Bus Terminal, Vatnsmýrarvegi 10, Reykjavík, Capital Region, 101. 580–5040; www.re.is.