Iceland Volcano TourGolden Circle With Kerid Crater: BusTravel's Full-Day Bus
The Golden Circle with Kerid crater is the cheapest way on this site to stand over a volcanic crater: $91, seven hours, and a rating of 4.8 from 27,387 reviews, which is the largest review count of any listing here. BusTravel Iceland runs it as a full-size coach with pickup from Reykjavik stops, and the crater is the fourth stop after Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. One detail decides whether you get it at all: Kerid is dropped from departures at 12:00 or later, and those afternoon buses run seven hours without it.
About This Tour
The day is the standard Golden Circle with one volcanic addition. Thingvellir, where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart, Geysir and the Strokkur vent, Gullfoss, and then Kerid, a crater lake in the Grimsnes area of south Iceland.,Kerid is the only stop on the route that is privately held and charges at the gate. It is not included in the ticket price, and the crater is also the stop the operator drops first when the schedule is tight.
7 hours
$91 per adult on the listing
4.8 from 27,387 GetYourGuide reviews
Available from Reykjavik bus stops
Paid at the gate, not in the ticket
Kerid is only on departures before 12:00
Check Dates and Availability
Dates come straight from the booking platform's own calendar, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start.
Quick answer Price, time and what it includes
The tour costs $91 for 7 hours and takes in Thingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss and the Kerid crater, with pickup from Reykjavik stops. Kerid entry is a 700 ISK ($5.75) service fee paid at the gate. Book a morning departure: the operator drops Kerid from buses leaving at 12:00 or later.
Key takeaways
- The crater is the reason to take this over a plain Golden Circle. Read what is down there on the Kerid page.
- Want a small group instead of a coach? The Nicetravel day is $119 with hotel pickup and a five-year minimum age.
- Want the lagoon at the end? The Blue Lagoon version is $268 and includes a Comfort ticket.
What the Seven Hours Cover
Three classic stops and one volcanic one, in a full-size coach.
The Three Golden Circle Stops
Thingvellir is the rift valley where the North American and Eurasian plates are pulling apart, and where Iceland's parliament met from the tenth century. Geysir is the geothermal field whose most reliable vent, Strokkur, is the one that actually performs. Gullfoss is the two-step waterfall at the end of the same road.
These are not volcano stops, and the honest reason to take this tour is that you were doing the Golden Circle anyway. What the listing adds for the money is the fourth stop, which is.
Kerid, the Volcanic One
Kerid is a crater about 6,500 years old, roughly 55 m deep, 170 m wide and 270 m across, with a shallow lake at the bottom that sits at the water table rather than being fed by rain. Its own site is careful to say the crater was not made by an explosion: a cone volcano erupted, emptied its magma chamber and collapsed into the space.
The walk is a rim path and a set of steps down to the water. It takes as long as you want it to, and on a coach schedule that means the driver's window rather than yours.
The Coach and the Group
This is a full-size bus, not a minibus. That is why it is $91 while the small-group versions of the same route run $119 and up, and it is the main thing to weigh if crowds at Geysir are what you are trying to avoid.
Pickup is available from designated Reykjavik stops rather than from every hotel door, and children must be accompanied by an adult.
The Detail That Decides Your Booking
One line in the small print changes what you actually see.
Morning Departures Only
The operator states it plainly: Kerid is not included in tours departing at 12:00 or later, and those departures run seven hours without it. If the crater is why you picked this listing, the afternoon bus is the wrong booking at the same price.
Check the departure time on the calendar before you pay, not after. Free cancellation runs to 24 hours before the start, so a mistake is fixable, but only if you notice it.
Entry Is Not Included
Kerid is privately held and charges a 700 ISK service fee at the gate, which is about $5.75. No Golden Circle listing on this site includes it, and the gate takes card.
If you are driving the route yourself, the gate ticket is sold online as well, and the site has free parking, toilets and a food truck. That is the whole cost of visiting Kerid without a tour.
What the Crater's Own Site Says
Kerid publishes its own terms and they are short. The service fee is 700 ISK. The opening hours are given as whenever the sun is shining, which is the Icelandic way of saying there is no gate schedule to work around in summer and no lighting in December.
The measurements come from the same place: about 55 m deep, 170 m wide, 270 m across, roughly 6,500 years old, and part of the Western Volcanic Zone that also includes the Reykjanes peninsula and Langjokull. The red rock is what makes the photographs, and the lake at the bottom is the water table rather than rainfall.
Source: Kerid Crater
Who Should Book It
Price and coverage, against comfort and group size.
It Suits
Anyone who wants the Golden Circle done in a day for the lowest price, with a volcanic crater added. Seven hours and $91 is the most ground covered per dollar on this site, and the review record behind it is the deepest of any listing here.
It also suits travellers without a car who want to see Kerid at all, since there is no bus service to the crater.
It Does Not Suit
Anyone allergic to coach travel. The stops are the busiest in Iceland and a full-size bus arrives with everyone else. The small-group version at $119 or the Blue Lagoon combination at $268 are the alternatives, and both use minibuses.
It also does not suit anyone booking this as a volcano tour proper. Kerid is a 6,500-year-old crater with a lake in it, not an eruption site. For young lava, the Reykjanes tours are the page you want.
How the Day Runs
The operator publishes stops rather than a clock, so these are the stages in order.
-
Pickup in Reykjavik
Pickup from designated stops, up to 30 minutes before departure. Be at the stop early.
-
Thingvellir National Park
The rift valley between two tectonic plates and the site of the old parliament.
-
Geysir geothermal area
Strokkur erupts on its own schedule; the original Geysir rarely does.
-
Gullfoss
The two-step waterfall on the Hvita river.
-
Kerid crater
Morning departures only. Rim path, steps to the lake, 700 ISK at the gate.
-
Back in Reykjavik
Seven hours after pickup.
This Bus Against the Other Kerid Routes
Four listings on this site put you at the Kerid crater, and the gap between the cheapest and the dearest is $262. The table sets out what that money buys, with every figure read from the listing itself.
Price, Group and What Comes With It
The cheap end is this coach. The expensive end is a minibus that ends in the Blue Lagoon with a Comfort ticket, towel, silica mask and a drink already paid for. In between sit a small-group day with hotel pickup and a long coach day that adds the Secret Lagoon. None of them includes the 700 ISK gate fee at the crater.
The decision is rarely about Kerid. It is about whether you want a bath at the end of the day, a smaller vehicle, or the lowest price for the same four stops.
| Listing | Vehicle | Time | Extras included | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Circle with Kerid | Full-size coach | 7 hours | Guide only | $91 |
| Golden Circle and Kerid small group | Minibus, hotel pickup | 8 hours | Optional bakery stop | $119 |
| Golden Circle, Secret Lagoon and Kerid | Coach | 10 hours | Admission fees included | $111 |
| Golden Circle, crater and Blue Lagoon | Minibus | 11 hours | Blue Lagoon Comfort ticket | $268 |
Where the Extra Money Goes
Between this bus at $91 and the small-group day at $119 the difference is the vehicle and the hotel pickup, not the itinerary. Between $91 and the $268 Blue Lagoon day, most of the gap is the lagoon ticket itself, which is why that listing has the deepest review record of the small-group options.
The $111 Secret Lagoon day is the odd one out: it costs less than the small-group tour and includes admission fees, but it runs ten hours and uses a full-size coach. If a hot spring at the end matters more than the size of the group, it is the value pick. If it does not, the seven-hour bus does the same four stops for the least money and gets you back to Reykjavik with an evening intact.
Golden Circle and Kerid Questions
Is Kerid included in every departure?
No. The operator drops Kerid from departures at 12:00 or later, and those buses run seven hours without it. Book a morning departure of this tour if the crater matters.
How much is Kerid entry?
A 700 ISK service fee, about $5.75, paid at the gate. It is not in the tour price. More on the Kerid page.
Is this a real volcano tour?
Kerid is a volcanic crater about 6,500 years old, but there is no lava and no eruption site on this route. For those, see Reykjanes or Fagradalsfjall.
Coach or small group?
This is a full-size coach at $91. Nicetravel's minibus is $119 with hotel pickup and a minimum age of 5.
Is there hotel pickup?
Pickup is from designated Reykjavik stops rather than every hotel. Allow time to walk to yours.
What if the weather is bad?
The route runs in most conditions, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours ahead. The indoor fallbacks are the Lava Show and the lava tunnel.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure