Are you the summer type or a winter type? Why decide on one when in Iceland, you can be both!

Sometimes it can be hard to decide if you want to go for a hot destination and lay bare by the beach or brace yourself for a super cold winter chill. Believe it or not, Iceland is a place where you can do just both. No, it isn’t the first place that (hot) springs to mind but it’s hot with otherworldly landscapes that will blow your mind.

Check out how you can the best of both worlds when it comes to feeling the heat and enjoying the Frozen winter wonderland that is Iceland with these adventurous day tours departing from the capital, Reykjavik.

Ride across a lava field

Volcanoes, volcanoes, volcanoes – Iceland has plenty of them, roughly a 130 of them in fact! But before you even make your way to stand on top of Iceland’s second biggest glacier, Langjökull, you will have to sign up for one lavishing adventure!

Hitch a ride in a 4×4 monster jeep and go one bumpy ride across a rocky terrain like no other – duh, a lava field! Your ass may be sore from the drive across the lava field but the destination is well worth it. Once on top of the glacier, you can really appreciate the views of such contrasting landscapes neighbouring each other. A surreal moment that offers unreal views.

Tour: Essential Iceland

Be on all fours in a lava cave

Ok, so Iceland is pretty much a nature lover’s wet dream because there is nature porn EVERYWHERE. But what lays underneath its stunning topography? Time to go underground and by get your knees dirty in one of many hidden lava caves east of Reykjavik.

Explore the Bláfjöll mountain range nearby the Hengill Volcano area to see the stunning effects of volcano eruptions below the surface. Take a full-blown adventurous tour of an extinct lava tube that had formed as a result of flowing lava moving underneath the solidified surface of a volcanic lava flow.

Word of warning – this tour is not one for the faint hardened or for those that struggle with confined spaces. This tour requires you to get on all fours to make way around the cave for brief periods. But please, don’t cave into fear of tight turns as this is one epic geological trip underground!

Tour: Walking through ice and fire

Check out what it is like to walk on shrinking ice

Trek a glacier

Forget trekking mountains when there is a glacier ready to take you to the ice side. A walk along Iceland’s largest glacier, Sólheimajökull is one epic feat. Enter a Frozen world by placing your boots and ice axe firmly on the ice and whilst exploring water cauldrons, crevasses, ridges, and waterways – things that seem so surreal!

I must make mention – the time is now to visit this Icelandic icon. Sadly, this glacier is retreating to the effects of climate change. This also means that if you were to visit the mountain two days in a row, the landscape would be different as it is forever being altered. This is one raw encounter will remain timeless as its survival is, unfortunately, a race against it.

Sólheimajökull stretches from the Mýrdalsjökull glacier to the sandy plains of the Icelandic south coast. It is surrounded by remarkable rugged rock formations that will have you not only feeling breathless with the trek itself (it not too hardcore but still, a lot of work!), but with the views in sight.

Tour: Take a walk on the Ice side

Dip in Hot Springs

You can only handle the cold air for so long – as refreshing as it can be. Time to bring your body back to life by putting your swimmers on and head for the hillside. Wait, what – hillside? Maybe it doesn’t make sense now, but in Iceland you’ll see!

Head to the scenic valley of Reykjadalur in the Hveragerdi district to have the ultimate Iceland hot springs experience with a view – never mind the beautiful Blue Lagoon. Once you start to trek down this enchanting looking valley while battling with the intense wind factor, you will notice the steam in the air rising from the river – temperature is certainly rising!

Brave the cold air quickly to strip down to your swimmers then make a run for the hot springs. This is seriously one wash off with a view of mountains and rugged terrains in the midst. With it being less than one hour outside of Reykjavik, this is one natural hot tub adventure that will certainly warm your mood to Iceland even more!

Tour: Walking through ice and fire

Iceland, of course, is not the cheapest place to unleash your adventurous side but these tours are seriously one of a kind to take part in.

Check out what it is like to walk on shrinking ice

Disclaimer: I participated on these tours with Icelandic Mountain Guides and Iceland Rovers. I cannot recommend them both highly enough. The tours were amazing and I got to do things I didn’ think were possible like climb through a lava cave – crazy!

The tours conveniently from the capital, Reykjavik and pick you up from your accommodation so you can get your laze on before you have an active day ahead.