40 minNew Volcanic Area
★ 4.8 · 569 reviews
- Reykjanes lava fields
- Fagradalsfjall craters
- No landing
- Free cancellation
$528
Check availability→ Getting there
Where Reykjavik helicopter tours depart from
Every tour on this site leaves from Reykjavik Domestic Airport, inside the city — not Keflavik. None of them includes a transfer. Here is how to get there, how long to allow, and the mistake that costs people forty-five minutes.
Where do Reykjavik helicopter tours leave from?
Reykjavik Domestic Airport — airport code BIRK — which sits inside the city, roughly a fifteen-minute walk from Hallgrimskirkja or a short taxi ride from anywhere in the centre. It is not Keflavik International (KEF), which is 45 minutes away on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Operators work out of separate buildings on the apron rather than the passenger terminal, and your voucher names the right one.
Departure details at a glance
- Airport
- Reykjavik Domestic (BIRK)Inside the city — not Keflavik International (KEF)
- From the city centre
- 15 minutes on footOr a short taxi; there is no transfer included
- From Keflavik airport
- About 45 minutesAirport bus or taxi; do not book a flight for landing day
- Where exactly
- A separate building on the apronNot the passenger terminal — the voucher names it
- How early to arrive
- 20 minutes before the slotCheck-in, briefing and weigh-in all happen before slot time
- Parking
- Available at the airportAsk the operator which side to park on
- Transfer included?
- No, on any of the six toursBudget a taxi each way if you are not walking
- Landmannalaugar departures
- Same airport, longer tripThe distance is in the flight, not the meeting point
The Keflavik mistake
Iceland has two airports that matter to visitors and they are easy to confuse. Keflavik International is where you land from abroad, and it is on the Reykjanes Peninsula about 45 minutes from the city. Reykjavik Domestic is a small airfield in the middle of Reykjavik itself, and it is where every helicopter tour on this site departs from.
People get this wrong in both directions: taking an expensive taxi out to Keflavik for a flight leaving from the city, or allowing fifteen minutes to reach the domestic airport from a Keflavik hotel. Either mistake costs the slot, and inside 24 hours the seat is charged.
The related mistake is booking a flight for the day you land. The airport bus takes about 45 minutes, and that is before immigration, baggage and a hotel check-in. Give it a day.
How the arrival works
Arrive twenty minutes before your slot. That time is used, not padding: check-in, the safety briefing, and the weigh-in. Everyone is weighed, because seats in a four to six seat helicopter are assigned by weight to balance the aircraft — which is also why you cannot choose your seat.
Large bags stay behind. Take a camera or a phone with a strap, and if the tour lands, wear a windproof layer and proper shoes. Then you walk out to the aircraft with the pilot, and the whole thing is much less formal than an airline.
Book direct
All six leave from the same airport
Reykjavik Domestic Airport, inside the city. No tour includes a transfer.
40 min
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2 hFire and Ice, 2 Landings
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5–6 hATV & Helicopter
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Check availability→ 
3 hLandmannalaugar, 3 Landings
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Check availability→ Common questions
Where Reykjavik helicopter tours depart from, answered
Which airport do Reykjavik helicopter tours leave from?
Reykjavik Domestic Airport (BIRK), inside the city. Not Keflavik International (KEF), which is about 45 minutes away on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
How do I get to Reykjavik Domestic Airport?
It is roughly a fifteen-minute walk from Hallgrimskirkja, or a short taxi from anywhere in the centre. None of the six tours includes a transfer, so budget a fare each way if you are not walking.
Is hotel pickup included on any Reykjavik helicopter tour?
No. All six tours meet at the airport. Some other Icelandic activities do include pickup, which is where the confusion usually starts.
How early should I arrive?
Twenty minutes before your slot. Check-in, the safety briefing and the weigh-in all happen before slot time rather than during it.
Where exactly at the airport do I go?
To one of the operators’ own buildings on the apron rather than the passenger terminal. Your booking voucher names the right one, and they are small and well signed.
Can I book a flight for the day I land in Iceland?
It is a bad idea. The bus from Keflavik takes about 45 minutes before immigration, baggage and check-in, and a missed slot inside 24 hours is charged.
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