Studlagil Canyon tours from the Seyðisfjörður cruise port
Your ship ties up at the head of a fjord, and the canyon lies far inland over a mountain pass. Every tour on this site is built around that drive and around your ship's timetable. This guide follows the day from the gangway to the canyon and back, with each operator's meeting point and a plan for tender days.
A port at the end of a fjord
Seyðisfjörður is a small town at the head of a fjord walled by mountains, and for most cruise passengers it is the way in to Stuðlagil, the basalt canyon that many English pages write as Studlagil. Ships either dock at the ferry terminal, called Ferjubakki, or anchor in the fjord and bring passengers ashore by tender. The same terminal serves the Smyril Line ferry from Denmark, which calls via the Faroe Islands. However you land, the canyon is a long drive away, and every tour on this site is planned to get you there and back before the ship sails.
The road over the pass to Jökuldalur
The day starts with a climb. The road out of town rises over the Fjarðarheiði mountain pass and comes down to Egilsstaðir, about 17 miles (27 km) away, which takes about half an hour. From there the tours follow Route 1 into the Jökuldalur valley and turn onto road 923 for the canyon. BusTravel Iceland says about 3 hours of its 5 are spent driving, so expect roughly an hour and a half each way.
The drive has its own stops. Rjúkandi, a waterfall falling in tiers beside Route 1, is on most of the canyon tours. Gufufoss, about 90 feet (27 m) high just outside Seyðisfjörður, comes on the drive back on three of the coach tours. The waterfalls on the way to Studlagil covers each one.
Where each operator meets you
Meeting points differ more than the tour titles suggest, so read yours before the day.
- BusTravel Iceland. At the cruise terminal, with signs showing the tour name;
- Tanni Travel. At its cruise ship pickup, 15 minutes before departure. Both canyon hikes also collect in Egilsstaðir, which helps if you are staying in town rather than on a ship;
- Saga Travel. Guides in red jackets with the Saga Travel logo, for a start at about 9 am;
- Magic Iceland Travel. Pickup and drop-off at the cruise port. One reviewer found the coach waiting right by the tender boats;
- Marina Travel. The driver waits inside the terminal near the main exit when the ship docks there, for a start at about 8:30 am.
A car of your own from the terminal
Marina Travel's driver-guide meets your party inside the terminal when the ship docks there, and the roughly 5-hour day gives you about 2 hours at the canyon, from ~$1,176 for the whole group. Viator says it is booked about 44 days ahead on average.
When the ship anchors and tenders you in
Most mix-ups happen on tender days. Two reviewers, one on Saga's tour and one on Magic's, describe confusion about the meeting point after coming ashore by tender, with nobody where they expected to find their guide. Another Magic reviewer had the opposite experience, with the coach parked right by the tender boats. If your cruise schedule shows a tender call, message the operator through the booking site a day or two before and ask where they will stand. Save the answer and the meeting details on your phone, so you are not relying on roaming at the pier.
Tenders run in turns, and the queue for them can be long on a big ship. Take an early one if you can, and tell the operator through the booking site if you are held up.
Built around the ship's clock
Every tour on this site is timed to the ship's stay, and Tanni Travel's listings say you are back before boarding. Length still matters, because the day has to fit your hours ashore with room to spare. BusTravel Iceland, from ~$224, and Marina's private car both run about 5 hours. BusTravel is our pick for a first cruise call, and its catch is about an hour at the canyon after all that road. Saga needs 5–6 hours and Magic 6, while Tanni's two hikes take 7, which can be too long for a short call. Set each against the times in your cruise schedule before you choose.
Your cruise line may sell its own canyon excursion as well. We have not compared those, so weigh their price and length against these listings yourself. Local operators run the tours on this site and time them to the ship. All six main tours cancel free up to 24 hours ahead, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Choosing a tour for the call
Saga Travel, from ~$231, is the coach that names its side of the canyon (the west-side platforms), and its catch is a lot of bus time with no planned lunch break. Magic Iceland Travel, from ~$212, adds a reindeer park, at the price of a coach of up to 57 and an hour at the canyon. For the canyon floor, Tanni Travel's small-group hike, from ~$328, or its hike with Vök Baths, from ~$407, takes you there in groups of 15 at most, provided your ship stays long enough. East side or west side compares the two banks, and what a Studlagil Canyon tour costs lines up every price.
Spare time in Seyðisfjörður
If your tour brings you back with time before all-aboard, the town is small enough to see on foot. The Rainbow Road, a painted street, leads to the blue church, and BusTravel adds it before drop-off if time allows. Bring a layer for the walk, since the wind off the fjord can be cool even in summer.
If you have seen Stuðlagil before, or your ship calls in puffin season, BusTravel Iceland's puffin and Gufufoss tour, from ~$224, fills the same 5-hour slot with a trip to Borgarfjörður eystri. Its catch is that it does not go to the canyon at all, and the puffins are only there roughly from mid April to mid August. Puffins, reindeer and other East Iceland day trips compares it with the other options, and what to wear and bring helps you pack a small bag for the coach.