Troll Expeditions
Snorkeling Between Two Continents In Iceland
with Troll Expeditions
Between back to back sold out group trips in Iceland and my own travels around the country, I was fortunate to spend a month in Iceland this winter. And after all the beautiful viewpoints, glacier hiking and excursions, one of my favorite activities was snorkeling between the tectonic plates.
We went with the company Troll Expeditions and really liked their tour overall. The guides were fantastic. And we loved the fact that our tour came with free Gopro photos.
Snorkeling in Silfra is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
You’ll find yourself swimming between tectonic plates, floating in pure, filtered glacier water.
Tick this ultimate tour with breathtaking underwater views in the world´s clearest waters off your bucket list. You’ll receive GoPro underwater photos after your tour for free. – Troll Expeditions
Book the tour here.
Iceland’s Silfra Fissure is located in Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir) where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates have been moving apart at the rate of 2 centimeters per year. You can actually touch the rocks between the two continents. It’s truly a remarkable excursion.
Important to Note: Transportation Not Included
If you book the standard tour, the transportation to the national park is not included. Many people road trip Iceland and drive their own rental car to the snorkel site. However, if you’re like us and don’t have a rental car because you’re doing a guided tour around Iceland, you can book a pick up with Troll Expeditions for an additional cost.
If you do plan to drive, the route from Reykjavík to Silfra is 50 minutes in good road conditions. But plan to arrive at the meeting point 20 minutes before the departure time stated on your ticket. And always allow for extra time driving in Iceland!
You can look up “Troll Expedition Silfra” on Google Maps to find the exact location.
Included:
✓ English speaking guide
✓ Small group
✓ Certified Snorkeling guide
✓ Free GoPro underwater photos
✓ All necessary Snorkeling equipment with a Dry suit
✓ Warm under suit
✓ Hot drinks after snorkeling
What to Bring
- Thermal underwear (thermal shirt and pants) and an extra pair of warm socks for snorkeling
- Change of clothes (just in case)
- Contact lenses if you wear glasses
- Warm clothes (first layer)
- Remove all your jewels (earrings, necklaces, watches, wrist bands, rings, etc…) before the tour
Yes, it’s cold.
If you snorkel here during the winter, it will obviously be cold. But the water here never fully freezes over, allowing you to snorkel in the Silfra fissure year round.
The suits do a remarkable job keeping you dry and warm. Your face will be directly in the cold water so your lips may turn a bit blue or go numb. But it’s a mild sensation. The initial shock of it really wakes you up though!
Pro tip: If you don’t have great circulation in your hands and feet, they may be what gets cold first. We brought hand warmers and placed them in our socks which kept our feet toasty warm. Other guests on our tour did mention having cold toes by the end. But overall, the cold temperatures didn’t detract from the experience at all.
We got really lucky with the weather during our trip with Troll Expeditions. The sun was shining and there was a dusting of light fluffy snowflakes falling throughout the day. It was magical.
Overall, I highly recommend Troll Expeditions. They have a wide variety of other tours in Iceland as well!
2023 Iceland Group Trip Recap:
More on Iceland: ICELAND ON A BUDGET- 18 TIPS
