The adsorption process of Ce(IV) ions from aqueous solution by the silica aerogels was studied. The silica aerogels with hydrophobicity were prepared by the sol-gel process, supercritical drying, and heat treatment. The SEM image and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm show that the heat-treated silica aerogel was a co-continuous porous structure with high BET surface area and narrow pore size distribution. The adsorption of Ce(IV) ions onto the silica aerogels was found to be fitted well by pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm model. The activation energy for Ce(IV) adsorption onto silica aerogels could be calculated to be about 17.88 kJ/mol, which implied that the attractive forces of adsorption were weak electrostatic forces accompanying most ion-exchange reactions. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic.