Snowmobiling in the Icelandic Highlands

Riding a snowmobile across Langjökull is the quickest and most exhilarating way onto a great Icelandic ice cap: an hour's blast across a limitless white plateau with glaciers and mountains on the horizon and the throttle in your hand.

What makes this glacier special is what lies beneath it — Into the Glacier, a man-made ice tunnel drilled hundreds of metres into Langjökull, letting you walk inside the ice cap itself, through corridors of glowing blue where the layers of a thousand winters are pressed into the walls.

Pairing the speed and freedom of a sled across the surface with the strange, still beauty of the tunnel below makes for a full day on and in the glacier that needs no special skill, only a sense of adventure and a warm coat.

A guided ride across the glacier on a snowmobile — a motorised snow sled you drive yourself after a short briefing, in convoy behind a guide.

It is easy to learn and needs no experience, though it is a real machine on real terrain, so you follow the guide's line to avoid crevasse zones and soft snow. Expect cold, wind and glare on the open ice cap; operators supply overalls, helmets, gloves and boots.

The tunnel visit is a gentle walk inside the ice on prepared paths. The whole outing is more thrill-and-scenery than physical challenge, suitable for most people including families with older children (small children ride as passengers). Weather can cancel trips, as the ice cap is exposed and conditions change fast.

Snowmobile tours on Langjökull run much of the year thanks to the permanent snow, typically from a base near Gullfoss or Húsafell reached by super-jeep.

Book a guided trip — independent snowmobiling on a crevassed glacier is not an option — and consider combining it with the Into the Glacier ice-tunnel tour for the full day. No licence or experience is needed to drive; you'll get a briefing, and two can share a sled.

Dress warmly underneath the supplied overalls, and bring goggles or sunglasses and a buff for the wind and glare. It is on the pricier side, as glacier logistics are costly. Pick a settled-weather day where you can, and accept that the ice cap's exposure means trips are weather-dependent.