Wondering what is the best Silfra snorkeling tour?

Iceland is full of thrilling outdoor adventures. One of the most unique experiences is swimming between tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park. We’ve swum and snorkeled all over the world, but the chance to swim between tectonic plates is a true bucket-list experience! In our experience, Troll Expeditions offers the best Silfra snorkeling tour.

Where is the Silfra snorkeling tour?

The Silfra snorkeling tour is located within the Silfra fissure, in Thingvellir National Park.

Thingvellir is located about a one-hour drive from Reykjavik, and it is along the famous “Golden Circle” driving route.

Thingvellier itself is a beautiful park. While it has important cultural significance, today it is famous for being known as the place where you can pass between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. You can read more about the tectonic plates in Iceland here.

When can you snorkel at Silfra?

Silfra snorkeling tours run year round!

There are usually multiple booking slots per day, with morning and afternoon options. If you have a preferred time of day, it’s best to book this tour as soon as you can. Because the cancellation policy is flexible, if your plans change, you can always reschedule.

How much does it cost?

As of 2025, it costs a little over $150 per person for this tour. In addition to the snorkeling itself, this price includes all your equipment, underwater photos, and a drink (hot chocolate) and snack after you get out of the water.

For us, this was a “splurge” excursion. We typically don’t pay this much for activities, but given the uniqueness of this tour (honestly, how often do you get the chance to swim between tectonic plates?!), we went for it. No regrets!

How long is the swim?

The swim itself lasts about 45 minutes. Believe us, this is plenty long. You’re swimming in nearly freezing water!

The entire excursion takes about 3 hours. Once you get your equipment on, your guide will go through a bit of a training session with you, just to make sure you’re comfortable and know what to expect.

There is also a bit of waiting time to get into the water, since there are multiple tour groups going in, and they are careful not to have too many groups in the water at any time, for safety reasons.

Once the snorkeling ends, it takes a bit of time to take off the equipment. And of course, leave some time to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate!

Difficulty

If you are a comfortable swimmer, this is an easy activity to participate in, in terms of difficulty level. You will swim at a very casual pace.

That said, you do need to sign a medical waiver to participate in this activity. If you are pregnant, or have a serious heart or lung condition, you cannot participate in the activity, for your own safety. Some other health conditions may require a note from your doctor, as does being older than 60 years old. It’s best to review this information ahead of time to be sure you can safely participate.

Also, with all of the equipment you put on to protect yourself in the near-freezing water, it can feel a bit restrictive, especially at first. Once you get acclimated, it isn’t so bad. That said, if you’re claustrophobic, this may not be the excursion for you.

Rest assured, your tour guide is highly trained (all guides are certified PADI dive guides) and their #1 priority is your safety. If at any point of the tour you feel uncomfortable, they’ll take care of you.

What to Bring

For this excursion, you’ll want to wear warm clothing (a thermal layer is ideal), including warm socks. You’ll put on a dry suit (and warm suit) over your clothing, but having a warm layer underneath is nice. In addition, we recommend:

• Change of clothes: Just in case water comes through! Don’t worry, if it does, it would likely just be a little bit on your sleeves or around your neckline. But you’ll likely remain completely dry.
• Warm accessories: We did this tour in July and were still quite cold afterwards! Pack a jacket, hat, and gloves in your bag to warm up quicker when you finish.
• GoPro: If you have an underwater camera, you’ll want to pack that. We brought our GoPro Hero 11 and it was nice to be able to capture our experience on video. If you don’t have one, no worries. Your tour guide will have a camera and they’ll take pictures of you that you’ll have access to after the tour!

Silfra Snorkeling Tour with Troll Expeditions

As we planned our trip to Iceland, one of the first things we learned about was Silfra fissure and the ability to snorkel between tectonic plates. From the moment we saw it, we knew we had to do it!

🤿 Troll Expeditions through GetYourGuide

After exploring our options, we decided to book with Troll Expeditions. We’ve used GetYourGuide on a number of other trips and have always been happy with our experience. Plus, this tour allowed flexibility in case our plans changed. It was also highly rated (4.9/5.0) with thousands of reviews.

In addition to our detailed review of the experience, you can also check out this quick video summary from our GoPro footage of the Silfra snorkeling tour:

About Silfra fissure

In addition to being able to swim between tectonic plates, one of the reasons we were so interested in this tour was just how clear the water looked. After doing this excursion, we can confirm the water is amazingly clear. It’s probably the clearest water we’ve ever swum in – and possibly will ever swim in!

The Silfra fissure, located within Thingvellir National Park, is a rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, created by the gradual drift of the continents. The two tectonic plates are estimated to drift about 2 centimeters apart every year. Thingvellir itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on cultural significance , and could even qualify on geological significance in the future.

Swimming in Glacial Water

The reason the water is so clear is because it’s glacial water that has been filtered through porous lava rock for decades. As a result, the water at Silfra is vibrantly blue. Silfra is widely known as one of the best snorkeling and diving experiences in the world. Visibility is greater than 100 meters!

With all that beauty and wonder comes a price, and that price is very chilly water. The water temperature at Silfra remains just above freezing year-round, between 2–4°C (35–39°F). This means proper equipment (drysuits) and an experienced guide is a must for swimming (you cannot do this on your own).

Because the water is so cold, there are no fish in Silfra. This makes the experience even more unique. There aren’t many (if any?) other places in the world where you can swim in crystal-clear waters, surrounded only by algae.

Arrival: Getting suited up

We arrived at Thingvellir about an hour before our scheduled excursion start time. We drove through the park, parked our rental car, and used the facilities before heading over to the meeting point.

Note: we highly recommend using the restroom before you suit up in your drysuit! Once you’re suited up, you’ll need to wait until the excursion ends.

At the meeting point, we met our tour guide and were given our equipment to begin putting on. We were also able to stow our bags in a locked space.

Suiting up was an excursion of its own. It was probably the most detailed preparation we’ve ever needed for a swim!

First came the warm suit (to stay warm, in addition to your own clothing). Then, we squeezed into a dry suit, which would keep water from leaking in during the snorkeling tour.

Once we had the dry suit on, our guide used a zip-tie type piece of rubber to tighten the suit around our necks. Note, while this helps keep water from coming in, you should still be able to breathe without restriction. If you can’t, or if your lips are turning blue, ask your guide to loosen the strap a bit. In our opinion, your comfort and ability to breathe are more important than the potential for a tiny amount of water entering the suit around your neck!

Once the main dry suit was on, we added gloves and pulled a mask over our head and neck. Water, be gone!

Preparation

Once we were suited up, our guide took us to a picnic table where we could sit down while learning about the adventure ahead. Our guide told us about the tectonic plates and how Silfra was formed. He was also careful to tell us about what to expect during the swim, which helped ease any nervousness we were feeling.

Soon, we made our way to the entry point for the swim. There was a bit of a line to wait our turn to enter the water. Since this excursion is so popular, the guides work together to stagger group entries, especially in the busy seasons. Otherwise, it’d be a total free for all and we’d all likely enjoy the swim much less!

Snorkeling in Silfra fissure

After about a half hour of waiting, it was finally our turn to enter Silfra fissure’s frigid waters. Our guide instructed us to just get right in – our faces would feel the cold water, but we would adjust quickly. He also told us that if at any point we felt like we needed a break, to roll on our back, allowing our faces to get air.

While the water was indeed cold, the most surprising part of entering Silfra fissure was the strange sensation of being in water while staying dry (this was our first dry suit experience). We also felt a bit restricted in our movement, especially around the neck, as there was a tie here to keep water from entering. However, since this was all to keep us dry, it was a small price to pay!

Once we acclimated to these unusual feelings, we started our swim through Silfra fissure. Our instructor noted that the current near the beginning would push us along, making for a leisurely swim.

We were amazed by how clear the water was. What’s interesting is that, from the surface, it looks like just an ordinary pond.

But beneath, the water is crystal-clear, revealing vibrant shades of blue and neon green algae (affectionately known as ‘troll hair’).

Eventually, we reached the most famous section of the swim, a narrow passage where you can touch rock formations on either side of you.

Your guide will likely tell you that it’s in this spot that you’re touching both the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Spoiler: you aren’t actually touching these tectonic plates. This is because Silfra fissure is in a valley of sorts between the two tectonic plates, called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. You are still technically swimming between the tectonic plates – just on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

We say, close enough! It truly feels like you’re swimming between tectonic plates!

For the final stretch, the Silfra fissure’s waters opened into a wider space, giving us the chance to explore a bit before heading to the exit point at our own pace. Stepping out of the water, we were hit by the realization of just how cold our faces were – numb lips and all!

Warming up

After a short walk back to base camp, we peeled off our many layers and confirmed that, despite the icy water, we had stayed completely dry.

The dry suits did their job!

We did, however, have some serious mask marks. Those lasted for hours afterward!

We layered up with warm clothing, grabbed our bags, and enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate and a candy bar with our guide before saying our goodbyes.

Wrapping Up: The Best Silfra Snorkeling Tour

Snorkeling in Silfra fissure was truly an unforgettable adventure that exceeded our expectations in every way. From the moment we entered the crystal-clear water to the surreal feeling of floating between tectonic plates, the experience was both humbling and exhilarating. While the water was undeniably cold, the dry suits kept us warm enough to fully enjoy the beauty of Silfra fissure’s underwater world.

If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind adventure in Iceland, this is absolutely worth the splurge. We loved our experience with Troll Expeditions and truly believe they offer the best Silfra snorkeling tour, which you can book here. It’s not every day you get the chance to swim between tectonic plates in some of the clearest water on Earth!