5 Southern Iceland Activities and Adventures for All Ages!

There are so many reasons to love Iceland and a big one for me, especially when traveling with kids, is safety. Iceland has been rated the #1 most peaceful country in the world by the Global Peace Index for 14 years in a row! It’s a great place for tourists, even solo female travelers. The people are kind and there’s so much to see and do.

This majestic country deserves a lot more time than the 8 days we had to explore, but we squeezed in a lot during our visit. We focused our travels on the southern half of the country and are looking forward to making a return visit to explore the northern regions.

Now, let’s jump into the fun activities we did that are perfect for all ages!

Lava Show

This is the ONLY live lava show in the world! Watching the lava flow into the showroom, seeing it bubble and feeling the heat left our family in complete awe. We were mesmerized for the full hour. There are 3 parts to the show: introduction, a video explaining the history of Iceland (including past eruptions), and then the LAVA! It's absolutely incredible and our guide explained every phase that the lava goes through from when it’s first poured out, to when it hardened and cooled. For the amount of lava that flows into the room, you will be amazed with the heat that is emitted.

You can even book premium experience tickets (adults only) which will take your lava show to the next level. This ticket includes balcony seating, upstairs lounge access, a drink of your choice, a backstage / behind the scenes tour and a special piece of lava from a previous show (the lava from your show would be too hot).

We definitely recommend checking out the Lava Show if you're in Iceland! This is a fantastic activity for any age and great for families. They have locations in Vik and Reykjavik.

*You can watch a video I made of our experience, here on Instagram. The video I took is of their location in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

Fast facts: Ages 0+ and lasts approximately 1 hour. English speaking guide and video. Children aged 0-1 years are free!

Glacier Lagoon Boat Tour

Exploring Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by this Amphibian Boat was an incredible experience! We went from land to Lagoon and back again. All while witnessing these majestic 1,000-year-old icebergs and learning about their history.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, answered every question and we all learned a lot! Including how the black color in the icebergs is ash from past volcanic activity and how there were a bunch of movies filmed here! James Bond filmed an infamous car scene there after the production team FROZE the Lagoon!

This boat tour was perfect for our family as all ages are welcome. It's a short ride to the water and the Lagoon is nice and smooth. If you're in the area, you don't want to miss this incredible experience. You might even see some seals lying on the icebergs. My recommendation is to book in advance. Tours sell out early and I can see why!

*You can watch a video I made of our experience, here on Instagram.

Fast facts: Ages 0+ and lasts approximately 35 minutes. English speaking guide. Children aged 0-5 years old are free!

Blue Lagoon

This has got to be the most infamous activity in all of Iceland! The Blue Lagoon is iconic and an experience not to miss. This is why an estimated 75% of Iceland’s visitors go to the Blue Lagoon. Being only 20 minutes away from the Keflavik International Airport, this is a convenient stop and way to relax and recharge from your flight while you wait for your hotel room to be ready.

Exploring the Blue Lagoon and all the different areas makes for a fun and interesting time as well. There is a beautiful waterfall, a cave-like dome that you can walk through, a mask bar and an in-water bar. Our ticket included a drink, so I ordered a blue raspberry slushy, and it was delicious!

Fast facts: Ages 2+. Children aged 2-13 years old are free! Children 8 years and younger are required to use the arm floaties provided.

The Lava Tunnel 

This is one of the longest and best-known lava tubes in Iceland! It’s called Raufarhólshellir and it’s a short 30-minute drive from Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. You can choose from a variety of different tours, and we chose the standard tour. They also offer evening tours, adventure tours and tours with transportation.

This cave formed as a lava tube during the Leitahraun eruption, which occurred about 5200 years ago! How exciting to know you are walking through something that old! Near the entrance of the tunnel the ceiling has caved in creating three beautiful columns of light inside the tunnel. At the end of Raufarhólshellir, the tunnel branches into three smaller tunnels where lava falls and formations are clearly visible. The tunnel has impressive lighting where you can see the changing colors of the rocks and the powerful volcanic activity that formed the tunnel. The colors are vibrant and it’s fascinating to see the different textures within the cave.

It’s helpful to wear sturdy shoes, a waterproof jacket and warm layers, as it's cold inside the cave. The tour guide will provide helmets w/ lights for your use. 

Fast facts: Ages 3+ and lasts approximately 55-60 minutes with an English-speaking guide. Children aged 3-11 years old are free!

Renting A Car 

There is nothing more freeing than renting a car during your travels. You aren’t locked into a schedule and can enjoy the sights on your own time and pace. Iceland is an easy country to drive around, especially if you are from the United States. The steering wheel is on the same side, and you drive on the right.

Before we left for our trip, I researched car rental companies and found Lotus Car Rental. We were looking for a 4x4 SUV in case we came across any F-roads that we needed to drive on. F-roads are unpaved roads, and you need a higher clearance car, with good traction to drive on them. However, you will find that most all of the roads leading to hot-spot locations, such as the sights along Ring Road and the Golden Circle, are all paved and smooth as silk.

There are many reasons why we chose Lotus Car Rental, but the first was that they are a family-run company that is open 24/7 in case you need them. With all the driving we did it was nice to know they were there to help, giving us peace of mind during our travels. Also, they have great insurance that is included with the price, had the best deal for our length of stay, and car choice. Oh, and I definitely can’t forget to mention the FREE shuttle service! This was fantastic! We got picked up at the airport and driven to the car rental agency, which is 5 minutes away and picked up our car within minutes. Then, when we dropped our car off, they shuttled us back to the airport. It was seamless process and a great perk!

Helpful tip: We brought the kids car seats along with us, but you don’t have to. If you prefer to travel light, you can rent them. They have different size options to choose from to suit your needs.

Iceland was a bucket-list destination for our family, and I hope by reading my article, our adventures inspired a trip for you as well. We know we can’t wait to go back and explore even more! I feel another article coming…:: wink::