Snorkeling and Diving in Silfra: Between Two Continents at Þingvellir

Silfra is a water-filled fissure in Þingvellir National Park, in the rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates drift apart. The water comes from the Langjökull glacier and is filtered for decades through porous lava rock before it reaches Silfra. The result is some of the clearest water in the world.

You do not need to be a diver to experience it. Snorkeling in a drysuit is open to most people who are comfortable in water, and it fits easily into a Golden Circle day from Reykjavík.

Silfra at a glance

• Where: Þingvellir National Park, about 50 km and 45 minutes from Reykjavík.
• Water temperature: about 2 to 4°C all year.
• Visibility: often more than 100 metres.
• Snorkeling: in a drysuit, with a guide; usually about 30 to 45 minutes in the water and around 3 hours at the site in total.
• Diving: requires a diving certification plus drysuit experience or certification.
• Season: all year. Summer is more comfortable; winter offers snow-covered lava and few people.
• Requirements: minimum age (often 12 for snorkeling), being able to swim, and a health declaration; operators also have height and weight limits for drysuits.

What snorkeling in Silfra is like

After a safety briefing, your guide helps you into a drysuit over warm undergarments, with a hood and gloves. You enter the water from a platform and float gently with a slight current through several sections of the fissure: the narrow Silfra Big Crack, the deep and wide Silfra Hall, the blue Silfra Cathedral and finally the shallow Silfra Lagoon.

Because the drysuit keeps you dry and buoyant, you hardly need to swim. Your face and hands feel the cold first; most people say the clarity of the water makes them forget it within minutes.

Who can snorkel or dive in Silfra?

• Swimming: you must be able to swim and be comfortable in water.
• Age: snorkeling usually from 12 years, diving from 17 or 18, depending on the operator.
• Health: you fill in a medical declaration. Some heart and lung conditions, recent surgery and pregnancy can exclude you; ask the operator if in doubt.
• Size: drysuits come in a limited range of sizes, so operators set height and weight limits.
• Diving: an open water certification plus a drysuit certification or recent logged drysuit dives, as required by the national park's rules.

Best time to visit

• Summer: more comfortable air temperatures and long days; book ahead, as tours fill up.
• Winter: cold air but the same water temperature all year. Snow on the lava walls makes it magical, and there are fewer people.
• Time of day: early morning slots are quieter, and they leave the rest of the day free for the Golden Circle.

What to wear and bring

• Warm thermal underwear and wool socks to wear under the undersuit.
• A hat and warm jacket for after the snorkel.
• A towel and a change of clothes.
• Snacks and a hot drink for afterwards; many operators serve hot chocolate.
• No jewellery or contact lenses if you can avoid them; ask your operator about prescription masks.

Combining Silfra with the Golden Circle

Þingvellir is the first stop of the Golden Circle, so Silfra fits perfectly into a day with Geysir and Gullfoss. The easiest plan is an early snorkel slot at Þingvellir, then lunch and the rest of the circle in the afternoon.

Our private Golden Circle tour picks you up at your hotel in Reykjavík. Tell us your Silfra booking time and your driver plans the day around it, waiting while you snorkel and continuing to Geysir and Gullfoss afterwards. Read more about the park in our Þingvellir National Park guide.

7–8 hours · private

Golden Circle

Þingvellir · Geysir · Gullfoss

Car

1–4 people

90,000 kr

Van

5–7 people

120,000 kr

Book this tour

National park rules and fees

Snorkeling and diving in Silfra are only allowed with authorised operators and under the national park's safety rules. Parking at Þingvellir is paid, and a fee for entering Silfra is usually included in the tour price; check with your operator.

Private tours with Drive Reykjavik

We have been driving travellers around Iceland for ten years, and we go everywhere in the country, not only to Reykjavík. The Golden Circle tour costs 90,000 kr per car for 1 to 4 people and 120,000 kr per van for 5 to 7, with hotel pick-up and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

FAQ

Where is Silfra?

How cold is the water in Silfra?

Do I need to be a diver to visit Silfra?

What is the minimum age for Silfra snorkeling?

Can you really touch two continents in Silfra?

Is Silfra open in winter?

How long does a Silfra snorkeling tour take?

Can I combine Silfra with the Golden Circle?

Can your driver wait for us during the snorkel?