Touching North America And Eurasia at the SAME time – Snorkeling in Silfra, Iceland (Guide and Review)

Updated December 15, 2025

Originally Published February 22, 2025

After we finished up our NCL Prima 11 Night Northern Europe cruise, we enjoyed one last adventure exploring the Blue Lagoon before the rest of the family flew home. I used the complimentary two day deviation from NCL Air on this end as well and stayed on to explore more of Reykjavík and Iceland. Here’s one of the adventures I had.

This activity started popping up in my social media feed a few years ago so this was near the top of things I wanted to do whilst in Reykjavík. Snorkeling in Silfra, Iceland, is one of the most unique experiences in the world and one of the top wanderlist things to do in Iceland. Located in Þingvellir National Park, Silfra is a glacial fissure filled with some of the clearest freshwater on Earth, allowing visitors to float between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable Iceland adventure that goes far beyond waterfalls and geysers, Silfra snorkeling belongs at the top of your Icelandic itinerary. Floating between continents in crystal-clear glacial water is something few places on Earth can offer.

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Þingvellir(Thingvellir) National Park

Þingvellir (Thingvellir) translated to English means “Assembly Plains.” and as such, holds great historical significance. Althingi, the oldestparliament in the world, was established here in 930 AD and is why many consider this to be the birthplace of the nation.

The Mid-Atlantic Rift or Ridge

Þingvellir lies in a rift valley or where the Earth’s crust is being pulled apart. Here we were able to see the separation of the Eurasian and North American plates as it is one of the few places on Earth where this movement can be seen on land. Soooo I have also heard that it’s the only place in the world where you can see this but I don’t know if that is really true.

As the tectonic plates slowly drift apart, they create a widening gap in the landscape with the crack expanding by about 0.78 inches (2 cm) every year. Note that if you are taking the tour that includes transportation from Reykjavík, you will pass through the park but will not stop and visit (these photos are from my Golden Circle tour, here’s my review/guide on that)

Silfra Fissure is a rift formed within this incredible feature and when you place yourself at Silfra, you are literally snorkeling between two continents!

Best Time Of Year for Silfra Snorkeling

FAQs for From Reykjavik: Silfra Snorkeling with Underwater Photos

• Is Silfra Snorkeling Safe? Yes, Silfra snorkeling is considered very safe when done with a licensed tour operator.
• Who Can Snorkel in Silfra? You do not need snorkeling or diving experience but comfort in cold water as well as the ability to swim is important.
  • Minimum age varies from tour operators and some may require doctor’s note for those over a certain age – check with activity provider
  • Height & weight within dry suit limits – check with tour provider
• Is Silfra snorkeling cold? Yes but the dry suits keep you insulated and most people are surprised by how comfortable it feels once they are in the water.
• Is Silfra suitable for cruise passengers? Yes. Many tours offer pickup from Reykjavík (including the cruise port) making it doable for long port days or overnight stays.

From Reykjavik: Silfra Snorkeling with Underwater Photos

If you are driving you want to book this tour that meets on location instead

Tour Details

• Overview: Swim between two tectonic plates on this small-group snorkeling tour from Reykjaivk to the Silfra fissure in Þingvellir National Park. Don your provided gear and swim into the rift that separates the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates for an otherworldly underwater experience. world. While you explore, your guide takes photos to remember the experience by.
• Details: Duration of ~5 hours
• Important Notes From Tour Operator:
  • You can rent a Go Pro camera for 6900 ISK
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
    • Note: Each guide will assist one group of up to six participants at a time. Up to three different groups can be present during this activity.
  • All participants must be able to communicate in English
  • All participants must know how to swim and be comfortable in water
  • Do not wear glasses, instead bring contact lenses or your own prescription mask (if you have one)
  • Recommended to wear long thermal underwear and thick wool socks a a base layer under the dry suit.
    • Recommended to bring a change of clothes (the dry suit has a very small chance of leaking)
    • Please dress according to weather – no heels or jeans
  • Please note that that dry suits can sometimes feel quite tight and constricting, especially around the neck and wrists
    • Are not recommended for people with claustrophobia (Wetsuit can be a better option if you are)
  • Make sure to eat breakfast before this activity
  • The activity might be cancelled due to weather conditions if that is the case, you will get a refund or can choose an alternative date.
• Not recommended for:
  • Travelers with back problems / pregnant travelers / No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

What’s Included

My Experience on the From Reykjavik: Silfra Snorkeling with Underwater Photos

Pickup / Ride

• This tour includes pickup/drop off from select locations in Reykjavík
• Pickup details: Begins at pick-up is at either 9 or 13:30 (1:30 p.m.), depending on if you chose the morning or afternoon tour
  • Pickup starts 30 minutes before departure! If a customer is not at the pickup point at the latest 5 minutes after pickup starts, there is a chance that the booking will be canceled.
  • Pickup can take up to 20 minutes. Please type the phone number into the booking details that are reachable in Iceland, if they need to get in contact with you at the last minute.

Pick up was really smooth for me since I was staying at the Hilton Nordica Reykjavík and I was given a 30 minute window for when the bus would come. The company was great to work with and very responsive. I booked this activity for the morning that I was flying out of Iceland, so I needed to see if they would guarantee when the activity would conclude and the time I would be back to my hotel and they were very receptive to this.

Drive

Silfra is located in Þingvellir National Park which was about a 45 minute minute drive from Reykjavík. During this time, Gretar, our driver/my guide, gave us a short history of Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park and Silfra.

Safety Information / Get Into Gear

Once we got to the parking lot, we were given a brief overview of dry suits and what to expect. Then we got dressed with an assist from our guides at the end.

Just for reference for what people wore under their dry suits: I run hot when I am doing anything active so I only wore my thin, synthetic base layers bottoms and tops. Others in the group wore thicker base layers with a couple of people opting for a couple of layers.

Quick Note on Dry Suits

From the tour description: please note that that dry suits can sometimes feel quite tight and constricting, especially around the neck and wrists and are not recommended for people with claustrophobia (Wetsuit can be a better option if you are)

Note: if you have never been in a dry suit, note that it is VERY different than a wet suit. Dry suits are used in cold diving situations and have more buoyancy and also are constricting in different ways than wet suits. Personally I HATE anything tight around my neck (ie I can’t wear turtlenecks) so dry suits are hell for me..luckily I have used them before so this wasn’t a surprise for me. But it is not an exaggeration when you are told that dry suits are TIGHT around the neck, at the wrists and ankles and this is necessary as this is how they maintain a waterproof seal. I was able to ask to be zipped up last to minimize the time I was suffering.

After you are outfitted, you make your way from the parking lot to the entrance.

It’s a VERY Popular Activity so….

I thought that I would start with this part because even I was surprised by how many people were here doing this. While this didn’t take away from the experience at all for me, I also know that things like this do impact others’ enjoyment. It’s about knowing what you’re getting yourself into and managing expectations.

If you look closely at this photo, you will see that there’s a queue to get into the water. I was here in July on a fairly sunny day so I was getting really hot waiting and the cold water was welcomed but I have friends that have been waiting in cooler/cold weather and they said that the experience was less enjoyable because they were already chilled when hitting the water.

I’ll go through the experience and then let you know if any of us regretted or would do this activity again below.

Silfra Big Crack (Entry Point)

There were about 6-7 groups ahead of us so we waited for awhile before we were able to get in. Things that I thought were great was that most companies will keep the groups small (6 or less) and that there was some agreement (formal or otherwise) to allow adequate spacing between groups so once you’re in the water, it typically doesn’t feel crowded.

The adventure begins at this narrow passage between tectonic plates between dramatic rock formations. A very picturesque introduction to floating in dry suits as I immediately feel the surreal sensation of drifting between continents.

Silfra Hall

We then float through the widest section of the fissure and find ourselves in deep blue water with expansive underwater views. This area showcases Silfra’s famous clarity and depth.

The allure of this activity is that you will be in some of the clearest and cleanest water of your life.

Visibility is so great because the glacier runoff is naturally filtered through lava in a process that takes decades combined with year-round water temps of 35 to 39°F (2-4 °C). And lastly the water flows in from an underground spring that never freezes and with enough force that a gentle current is created.

That current means that the water you are getting into is so pure (the suggesting is made to drink the water and it really is soooo good even for Iceland!) and that snorkeling is super easy as you are able to just relax and allow the current to float you down the fissure!

Note that this is still a water sport even if it’s very relaxed so it is imperative that you are comfortable in the water and know how to swim.

Silfra Cathedral

The deepest and most awe-inspiring section with depths reaching over 75 feet or 23 meters. Here you will find cathedral-like rock walls and these ethereal blue tones. This is the highlight for most snorkelers and a favorite spot for underwater photography.

Adventure Vikings is the only tour group that also gives you the choice to for wet suit snorkeling with the opportunity to go even further down and really experience the fissure without being dry suit certified/dive but note that you should be in really good physical shape and have more

Silfra Lagoon (Exit Area)

We then come to the calm final section with shallow waters and the relaxing end to the tour in the fissure. We are given time to enjoy the waters and to fully absorb the experience before exiting the water. Note that the walk back to the parking lot is longer from the exit area than it was to the entrance point.

Once we were back at the parking lot, we were helped out of our dry suits and given hot chocolate.

Verdict: Was the Silfra Snorkeling tour worth it? And would I do this again?

Absolutely was worth it! Where else in the world can you TOUCH two tectonic plates at the same time? Plus I found the experience to be very meditative and I was blown away by the clarity of the water. This isn’t snorkeling in which you are looking at fish but the geological wonder of Silfra was just as mesmerizing to me as underwater coral reefs have been.

My friends that have done this have said the same thing. There is that moment that you forget the cold and only focus on where you are and how unique of an experience this really is!

But I do know that for others this experience was a bit of letdown with how crowded it was and how it didn’t live up fully to the hype…

I would absolutely do this again…but I would love to do the wet suit snorkeling or dry suit diving to go even further down and really experience the fissure! Note that you do have to be dry suit certified to dive and I really struggle with dry suits. But in the same way that my friends forgot the cold, I forgot my discomfort when I started to really appreciate how incredible it was to be snorkeling Silfra!

Tips for Silfra Snorkeling

• Book your tour early especially during summer as tours fill up quickly.
• You cannot snorkel Silfra independently as guided tours are mandatory
• Dress in warm base layers (wool or synthetic fabrics – no cottons) and in layers if you tend to get cold.
• Eating a light meal beforehand is recommended
• The dry suit keeps you very warm BUT it doesn’t cover all of your body and your head and your hands are where you will feel the coldness of the water. I don’t mind the cold so it wasn’t too bad for me but if you do, definitely opt for a tour that takes pictures for you.

Why I Chose to Book This Tour Via Viator

I have been wanting to do this since I first heard and saw pictures that it was possible to dive and snorkel through the fissure, so this was actually the number one thing I wanted to do in Iceland! But I was also unsure if my leg would be up for this adventure and this is one of the other reasons why I love using Viator (and GetYourGuide), many of the activities including this one have free 100% cancellation up to 24 hours before!

What I Really Spent

• Tour: $189 Silfra Snorkeling: I used my Viator rewards and only spent $1 on the activity that would have otherwise been $189!
• TOTAL SPENT: $1

I booked via Viator as I was able to use my Viator Rewards as seen below and still was able to get miles (using the AA shopping portal at 12 Miles/$1) – haha it’s only 12 miles but every mile (and loyalty points IYKYK!) counts

If You Want to Book This Tour Via GetYourGuide Instead? Silfra Snorkeling with Underwater Photos

Interestingly this is the exact same tour (just with a slightly different name) from the same tour company (Adventure Vikings) on GetYourGuide but this is meet on site – book Silfra: Half-Day Snorkeling Day Trip with Underwater Photos. Unfortunately there is not an option for pick-up that I could find.

I have also done a few tours with Arctic Adventures and feel comfortable recommending them if you would like pick-up. Interestingly there are four! options with the Reykjavík: Silfra Fissure Snorkeling between Two Continents including two that have discounted time slots!

Why You Should Choose to Book Via GetYourGuide

One of the reasons why I love GetYourGuide is that they have this awesome part of their site dedicated to Trip Inspiration with City Guides

Other Activities To Consider In/Around Reykjavík

Consider doing a Two-fer Tour Combining Two Uniquely Icelandic Icons: Silfra + Icelandic Horses!

Icelandic horses and their history is so fascinating. They came to the island with Norwegian settlers 1100 years ago and it has been revealed that they descended from an ancient breed of horse that is now extinct outside of Iceland. It is one of the purest horse breeds in the world as they have been and continue to be preserved in isolation. No horses are allowed to be imported in, with the law so rigid that once a horse leaves Iceland, it will never be allowed to return.

There’s an excursion that combines the two for a truly uniquely Icelandic outdoor day – there were a few in my snorkeling group that were doing this activity! But it now looks like Arctic Adventures is the only tour provider I could find that is doing this combo.

Check Out the Other Tours I Have Done + Corresponding Reviews/Guides Below