Peak season hit and the blog went quiet. That’s the honest reason for the silence here lately. June fills the calendar and the sun barely sets now, so the hours that might go to writing go to guests instead. Rather than a proper article, here’s what June looked like from the road. Photos from our private tours this month, sorted by where we drove.
Reykjanes Peninsula
The peninsula most people only see from the plane window on the way in. We spend proper time on it, and there’s far more out there than the airport drive suggests — our ultimate Reykjanes guide covers the whole region.
Kleifarvatn
The deepest lake on Reykjanes, dropped into a rift between the lava fields. Black sand on the shore and almost no one around. On a still June morning the water goes mirror-flat. It sits on our Reykjanes & Fagradalsfjall day.
Seltún
Krýsuvík’s geothermal field, all boiling mud and hissing steam vents. The ground is stained yellow and rust-red from the sulphur. You smell it before you see it. This one is the heart of the Colors of Reykjanes tour.
Westman Islands
A short ferry off the south coast, out to Heimaey. June is puffin season here, and the cliffs are loud with them. We run it as a full-day Westman Islands trip.
Eldfell
The cone that erupted in 1973 and nearly took the town with it. You can hike it now. The scoria underfoot is deep red and the ground still holds heat in places. From the top you look straight down onto the rebuilt town and its harbour.
Elephant Rock
A wall of basalt on the far side of Heimaey that, from the right angle, turns into an elephant lowering its trunk into the Atlantic. Best seen from the water.
Waterfalls
June runs them at full volume. Snowmelt from the interior is still feeding the rivers, so everything is heavy and loud this time of year — more of them in our 25 best waterfalls guide.
Gullfoss
The big one on the Golden Circle. The Hvítá drops in two stages into a canyon you can’t see the bottom of from the viewpoint. On a sunny afternoon the spray throws a rainbow across the whole gorge. It’s the finale of our Golden Circle Essentials tour.
Háifoss
Up a rough gravel track above Þjórsárdalur, one of the tallest in the country at 122 metres. It drops in a single thin line into a green canyon, with its smaller neighbour Granni right beside it. The road up keeps the crowds off. We reach it on the Viking Heritage and Waterfalls day.
Seljalandsfoss
The one you walk behind. A path loops around the back of the curtain, and in June, with the river this full, you come out the other side properly soaked. Worth it. It opens our South Coast Complete Adventure.
Highlands
The interior only opens in June. The F-roads thaw and the access gates come off, and only then can we get up onto the plateau. There’s still snow sitting in the shadows up there — and a private tour is the easiest way to reach it.
Landmannalaugar
Rhyolite mountains in colours that don’t look real: rust orange and pale pink, with green where the moss takes hold. A natural hot spring sits at the bottom of the valley, the kind you climb into after a long walk. Early June it’s only just becoming reachable. Full day, here: Landmannalaugar Highland Paradise.
Kerlingarfjöll
Another rhyolite range, but this one steams. The Hveradalir valley is cut through with hot springs and fumaroles, snow patches sitting right next to the steam in June. It’s a long day on a real highland road: Kerlingarfjöll Highland Hiking.
That was June. More photos next month, if the season ever lets me sit down long enough to post them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Iceland like to photograph in June?
June gives almost round-the-clock light, so there is no real golden hour deadline and the soft evening light can last for hours. The waterfalls run at full volume from snowmelt, the puffins are nesting, and the highlands are just opening, which makes it one of the most varied months to shoot.
Are the Icelandic highlands open in June?
The interior only starts opening in June. The F-roads thaw and the access gates come off through the month, so areas like Landmannalaugar and Kerlingarfjöll become reachable in early June, often with snow still sitting in the shadows. A 4x4 and a guide who knows the roads are needed.
Can I see puffins on a private tour in June?
Yes. June is peak puffin season in the Westman Islands, where the cliffs of Heimaey hold the world’s largest puffin colony. They nest there through the summer, so a full-day Westman Islands trip in June is one of the best ways to see them up close.
Can I book a private tour to these exact places?
Yes. Every location in this gallery sits on one of our private day tours, and several can be strung together across a few days on a multiday tour. Send a quote request and we build the route around the places you most want to photograph.
See It for Yourself
Each spot above links to the tour it belongs to. To string several of them together across a few days, look at our multiday private tours, or send a quote request and we’ll build the route around what you actually want to see. The full list of single-day options is on the day tours page.
