Glacier kayaking tours

Glacier and Volcano Expeditions proudly offer three kayaking tours that are all based around Iceland’s most spectacular glacier lake, Fjallsárlón, which is located at the foot of Öræfajökull, Iceland’s tallest volcano.

Glacier Kayaking Iceland

The Glacier Kayaking Iceland tour is designed for those who wish to experience the freedom of floating amongst icebergs with a truly outstanding glacier backdrop that is unparalleled to anywhere else in Iceland.

Glacier Hike and Kayaking Combination

For those who wish to explore deeper and further, the Glacier Hike and Kayaking Combination offers a unique opportunity to combine the experience of a glacier kayaking with a glacier hiking adventure onto Icelands most dramatic glacier.

Kayak, Glacier Hike and Ice Climbing

If you're seeking an unforgettable experience, our Kayak, Glacier Hike, and Ice Climbing tour is the ultimate adventure package. This thrilling excursion combines the tranquility of kayaking with the adrenaline rush of ice climbing, offering a unique and exhilarating way to discover the dramatic beauty of Iceland's majestic glacial environment.

Tips and Tour Information on
Glacier Kayaking in Iceland

The glacier lakes of Vatnajökull National Park are incredible and the best way to experience the world-famous icebergs that float on these lakes is by gliding amongst them in a kayak.

Glacier and Volcano Expeditions offer incredible glacier lake tours and we have produced this Best Glacier Kayaking Guide to Iceland to help answer any questions that you may have.

The guide aims to answer the frequently asked questions and provide all of the information that you need to know before your glacier kayaking tour in Vatnajökull National Park.

  Page Contents

• Glacier kayaking tours

• Glacier kayaking tour availability

• Our meeting location

• General details of glacier lagoon kayaking in Iceland

• Drysuit and lifejacket information for glacier kayaking

• Boat information

• How challenging are the glacier kayaking tours?

• What clothing is best to wear on a glacier lagoon kayak tour in Iceland?

• What type of weather is suitable for glacier kayaking in Iceland?

• What is a Packraft?

• Terms and conditions

Glacier lagoon kayaking

Join us on a proper adventure!

Glacier and Volcano Expeditions lead unique tours on the glaciers, lakes and rivers of Skaftafell, Vatnajökull National Park. We take pride in guiding incredible landscapes to the highest possible standard and we would love for you to join us. By joining us on a Glacier Kayaking Iceland or a Glacier Hike and Kayaking Combination you will enjoy the following features:

• Environmentally friendly - all of our products are completely environmentally friendly. No environmental harm is created during the tours. As the kayaking tours are human powered, no pollution is created and none of the environment is altered.

• Adventurous - you will experience landscapes that are constantly changing. The icebergs, glaciers and rivers change all the time therefore you will be exploring terrain that people have not seen before.

• Rewarding - you are required to carry your kayaking equipment to the lake and the reward for this is the opportunity to paddle back down the glacier river to the car afterwards!

• Challenging - the glacier kayaking adventures are suitable for people that are fit and in good physical condition.

• Packrafting is fun - hiking with your boat, paddling across the lake and then down the river afterwards is made possible with our portable packraft boats which are a new and upcoming sport in the world.

• Glacier hike and kayaking combination - add glacier hiking to the plan and you will have a truly unique experience! The boats will take us across the lake to a glacier that can only be accessed by crossing the water. For more information please visit this link.

• Unsuitable weather alternatives available - if it is too windy to go kayaking, we offer a glacier hike as an alternative or a full refund if that option is unsuitable.

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Glacier kayaking tour availability schedule

Glacier and Volcano Expeditions offer two tours on a scheduled basis thoughout the summer months starting in April and finishing in September. There are usually three Glacier kayaking Iceland tours and one Glacier Hike and Kayaking Combination tour departure per day on a limited basis. Please visit the calendars below to check the availability.

All of the other tour options that we offer are only available as private tours.

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Glacier and Volcano Expeditions meeting location

Please arrive early for your tour at Our meeting location which is at Fjallsárlón view point parking lot.

The link to the meeting location is: https://goo.gl/maps/LVCa2GUPfAv1FLpm9

To get there you will need to drive down a gravel road that has no sign off the side of the ring road Route 1. It will be easiest to navigate there with google maps. Look for the white Ford Transit van with the chimney. Please note that this road is rocky and has potholes. Small cars are usually fine to drive on this road if driven carefully.

There are no opportunities to use the bathroom at any point during this tour as it is a wilderness experience. Please use the bathroom before the tour begins. (You will be able to pee in the wilderness during the tour as long as you do not leave paper on the ground.)

Map of our meeting location

 General details of glacier lagoon
kayaking in Iceland

• How close do we get to the icebergs? In some places you can paddle right up to the icebergs! You will be able to touch the smaller icebergs and the larger ones will need to avoided due to safety reasons.

• Is it dangerous to go too close to the icebergs? Glacier and Volcano Expeditions have the experience and knowledge to make judgement calls that allow us to safely navigate the glacier lakes and we know where it is safe and not safe to be.

• Does everyone get their own boat to themselves? Yes! Everyone gets their own boat to use. Our boats are portable and inflatable single-person packrafts.

• Are two person kayaks also available? Yes, we also have double boats available for those who like to paddle together.

• Do I need kayaking experience to paddle on a glacier lake in Iceland? No! Complete beginners are more than welcome to join the Glacier and Volcano Expeditions kayaking tours and everyone will be given a lesson, tips and instructions on how to use the equipment.

• Is it easy to paddle on the lake? All of the Glacier and Volcano Expeditions tours are adventure-style experiences that do involve physical effort. The effort that is required is challenging for some but for most people it is just like a regular day out hiking in the mountains. If you exercise regularly and are of reasonable health and fitness, you should be fine to participate in one of our glacier kayaking tours. For more information, please visit our ability levels webpage here.

• How cold is the tour going to be? Paddling on the lake can be cold so you must make sure you are dressed warm. If you wear plenty of layers beneath your drysuit you will be comfortable.

• Can children join the tour? Glacier and Volcano Expeditions are limited to the drysuit sizes that are available and also prefer to guide family tours with an elevated level of safety and detail. Please contact us for more information regarding family kayaking tours.

• Should I bring food or drink on the kayaking tour? We recommend that our guests only bring food and drink for the tours that last longer than 4 hours, so it is not necessary to bring food or drink on the 1 1/2 hour Glacier Kayaking Iceland tour

If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact Glacier and Volcano Expeditions

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 Drysuit and life jacket information
for glacier kayaking

Glacier and Volcano Expeditions require all participants to wear a drysuit whilst kayaking on the glacier lake and we have a limited size range available. We can accommodate for people with a height range between 140cm (4’6 ft) and 198cm tall (6’6 ft). Also, the total weight limit on the boats is 100Kg.

The XL and XXL drysuits are only designed for tall people so please reconsider making a reservation if you or anyone in your group has a big waist diameter.

Drysuit sizes available: S, M, L, XL and XXL - please check the size chart in the gallery to ensure that you fit into a drysuit. You can fit a drysuit that is a little too big, but you cannot fit a drysuit that is a little too small for your body!

We also have children’s drysuit sizes available, however we kindly ask families to please contact us prior to making a reservation in order to ensure that the children will fit into the drysuit.

You will be required to wear a drysuit and a life jacket that we will provide. The drysuit will keep you warm, dry and comfortable throughout the kayaking part of the tour. The lifejacket will keep you afloat if you do somehow fall into the glacier lagoon.

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Stable boats for a comfortable glacier lagoon kayaking experience

The safest and most comfortable position when kayaking is sitting in your boat. Glacier and Volcano Expeditions have chosen to use packrafts for their glacier kayaking tours due to the incredible stability due to the specific design of these boats. In turn this stability will ensure that there is an extremely low chance that a tour participant will tip out of their boat and fall into the lake which makes our tours very comfortable and beginner friendly.

Our inflatable boats are very easy to manoeuvre through the small icebergs that are often scattered across the glacier lake and they are also comfortable to sit in. Despite the fact that it is very unlikely that you will tip out of your boat, we still ensure that everyones drysuit and life jacket is correctly fastened for a safe adventure.

How challenging are the glacier kayaking tours?

This is not the easiest of questions to answer because everyone has their own comfort and fitness levels. What is physically challenging to an average person will differ to an Olympic athlete for example.

The kayaking is easy for fit people and very challenging for overweight people. This is a physical tour designed for those who hike/ exercise regularly.

If you play sports or you are generally an active person you will be more than capable of participating comfortably and you will find these tours enjoyable.

Conversely, if you do not exercise and you are out of shape it is likely that you will not enjoy the tour. People with a large body size cannot participate in this activity as they are not able to fit into the drysuit or inside the boat.

At the beginning of the tour you will be issued with your drysuit, packraft, paddle and PFD and then you will be shown how to use this equipment. Paddling across a glacier lake with icebergs is a wonderful experience and it is not difficult when there is no wind. However when the weather conditions are windy it can be very physically challenging.

To discuss the nature of the tour in further detail please do not hesitate to contact us.

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 What clothing is best to wear on
the glacier kayaking tour?

It is important to wear the correct clothing and footwear whenever you venture into the wilderness in Iceland as the weather here can be harsh and unforgiving.

Glacier and Volcano Expeditions highly recommends that you have the following for either the Glacier Kayaking Iceland tour or the Glacier Hike and Kayaking Combination tour:

• Warm base layers made of synthetic or wool fibres (not cotton)

• Warm mid layers made of synthetic or wool fibres, lightweight down jacket, soft-shell, wool jumper, etc

• Warm woolly hat

• Sunglasses

Sturdy hiking boots are necessary, as is a waterproof raincoat and warm clothing layers. We advise people to avoid cotton clothing as cotton soaks up moisture and provides very little warmth once it becomes wet. Synthetic hiking trousers, wool socks, polyester or wool thermal base layers and a down jacket are recommended.

The drysuit will keep you dry when you are paddling, but it is still cold when you are on the glacier lake. You will be thankful for bringing the extra layers and wearing them all beneath your drysuit.

Taking sunglasses is always a good idea even when it is raining at the beginning of the tour as it likely that it will become sunny at some point and the glare on the water and ice can make it hard to keep your eyes open.

For more information on what is best to wear on the Glacier and Volcano Expeditions glacier hikes, please visit this web page here.

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 What type of weather is suitable
for glacier kayaking in Iceland?

Throughout the summer months (May to September) Glacier and Volcano Expeditions operate the kayaking tours on calm days or days with only a slight breeze. The boats perform best when the wind speed is low and therefore when there are strong winds on the glacier lake we will unfortunately be forced to reschedule or cancel the tours.

During rainy conditions we usually still operate the tours as this does not affect the performance of the boats. If the weather is cold and rainy we highly recommend that you wear waterproof outer layers and dress warmly for your kayaking experience.

For more information on weather and cancellations please visit our Terms and Conditions Page.

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Positives of Glacier Kayaking

Glacier and Volcano Expeditions are strongly in favour of using only human-powered adventures to minimise the use of motorised transport for tourism excursions in and around Vatnajökull National Park so the entire kayak (packraft) concept fits in well with our adventure style, environmentally-friendly company.

We believe that there are virtually no negative impacts involved with Glacier and Volcano Expeditions glacier kayaking operations. Some of the positives are:

• Experience the icebergs up close

• Enjoy the freedom of having your own boat to paddle

• Leave no trace - Our boats are carried to the lake, assembled at the lake edge and carried away afterwards.

• Enjoy the peace and quiet, noise pollution from engines is not created with kayaking

• Environmentally friendly tours. There is no risk of chemical or oil pollution as no engines are involved.

• Carbon friendly tours, no greenhouse gases are created.

• Leave the environment unharmed and as it is. We do not adapt the landscape of leave any gear in the wilderness between tours.

• Safety on the water. The boat that you will use is far safer than any other type of kayak as the person sits in between two pontoons which provide unparalleled stability and buoyancy.

• Kayaking is fun! You will have the opportunity to experience incredible landscapes and locations in Iceland whilst doing something unique and exciting!