Top 8 Kayaking in Iceland

1.Kayaking on the Sólheimajökull Glacier Lagoon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 421 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $170Our pick

Paddle a stable sit-on-top kayak across Sólheimajökull Glacier Lagoon, passing blue icebergs with the glacier ahead. Your guide handles safety instruction, paddling basics, and glacier stories. Guides such as Sebastian, Fernanda, Daniella, and Thomas are praised for their patience and clear explanations. Bring warm layers and extra socks.

“Daniella was an amazing guide. She knew so much about the glacier and the environment. All of the logistics ran very smoothly. There was a good balance of activity and time to experience. Definitely an Iceland must!”

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2.Sólheimajökull: Guided Kayaking Tour on the Glacier Lagoon

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 179 reviews · 3 hours · from $170

Spend three hours kayaking on Sólheimajökull Glacier Lagoon, paddling close to floating icebergs in a sit-on-top kayak. Your English-speaking guide provides a dry suit, safety briefing, paddling instruction, and local stories. Guides such as Sebastian, Fernanda, and Francesca have earned praise for safety, humor, photos, and glacier knowledge.

“We kayaked around some floating icebergs. The guide talked about the lagoon and glaciers. Before we went out we got fitted into dry suits with booties and gloves. They even gave me a sock hat to wear. You will wear your coat and warm clothes under dry suit. We walked for ten minutes across black rocks to get to lagoon. My feet did get wet. Take extra pair of socks. Had a great time. Go for it.”

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3.Grundarfjörður: Mt. Kirkjufell Daytime Kayaking Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 170 reviews · 2 hours · from $120

Paddle a stable sit-atop kayak along Grundarfjörður’s coast with an English-speaking guide such as Reda, Greg, or Sony. You’ll spend about 70 minutes on the water, visit Seal Skerry, look for seals and birds, and view Game of Thrones mountain Mt. Kirkjufell from the bay. Dry suits, safety gear, instruction, and a hot drink are included.

“Kayaking was the highlight of my entire trip to Iceland. The location from the cruise terminal is a quick walk. The 2 tour guides were very helpful and friendly. As I have never been kayaking before, our guides were helpful and very patient. This is a strenuous activity and as I’m plus size, I had more difficulty than others but was still able to manage. The guides provided the wet suits, gloves and boots. I went with a group from the cruise and booked last minute. The tour was able to accommodate us all. I want to give props to the 2 tour guides as they helped us navigate and…”

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4.Classic Kayaking Adventure by Mt. Kirkjufell

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 74 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $120

Paddle from Grundarfjörður toward Mt. Kirkjufell on a two-hour, English-language tour with guides such as Kate, Sonny, and Carl. Expect a small group of no more than 11 people, supplied kayaking gear, a mid-tour snack, and hot chocolate with cookies afterward. Calm water may bring seals, puffins, and striking views of Kirkjufell and its waterfall.

“Kate was a kind and informative guide. I appreciated that it was less of a tour and more of an experience. She gave us a lot of great local information and was happy to discuss questions we had. We were lucky to have good weather so it was very relaxing. No other parties booked the tour at our time, so we had a nice small group experience on the 4pm tour.”

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5.Grundarfjörður: Midnight Sun Kayaking Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 29 reviews · 3 hours · from $155

Set out from Saebol in Grundarfjordur for a 2-hour guided kayak trip beneath Kirkjufell. Guides such as Sonny, Sony, Greg, and Reda provide safety instruction, dry suits, local stories, and plenty of paddling time. Look for seals near Seal Skerry, watch seabirds, and finish with a hot drink.

“Fantastische tour geweest. Mede dankzij Sonny onze gids. Wat een leuke enthousiaste guide. Veel kennis en leuke weetjes. Helaas geen middernachtzon gezien, maar de tour was echt super gaaf”

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6.Guided kayak tour in Siglufjörður / Siglufjordur.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · from $97

Meet Sigló Sea in Siglufjörður for a 2.5-hour guided kayak outing. Your guide supplies the kayak, paddle, drysuit, boots, gloves, and buoyancy aid, then teaches paddling skills before leading you past a shipwreck, avalanche site, lighthouse, colorful houses, and mountain peaks.

“This was an amazing experience. Our guides were so interesting and informative and had all the gear necessary to outfit us and keep us safe. Our family had a terrific time!”

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7.Guided Sit on Top Kayak Tour near Akureyri

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $79Best value

Meet at Bakkaflöt at 6 pm for a two-hour guided sit-on-top kayak trip on the gentle Svartá River. Your guide handles the safety briefing and checks on the group as you paddle through North Iceland’s mountain scenery. Equipment, transport, a small pool, and hot tubs are included. Guide Norris has earned special praise for his calm instruction.

“27th July 2023. Great oportunity to experience icleandic nature. It is much more than admiring the river, you become the part of it. Do not worry, it is not deep. And you do not need much experience in kayaking because the wonderful guide Norris explains everything and check all the time how everyone is doing.”

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8.Stykkishólmur: 2-Hour Sea Kayak Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 18 reviews · from $96

From central Stykkishólmur, paddle Breiðafjörður Bay in a group of up to eight. Your guide supplies a sea kayak, dry suit, and instruction before visiting Landey, shipwrecks including Thorgeir, and island passages where seabirds and the rare white-tailed eagle may appear. The two-hour route suits beginners age 14 and older.

“Really enjoyed our trip. Great guide and lots of interesting birds and shoreline. Though the weather was going to be a problem but it was fine especially since we were given nice dry suits to wear. Clear and patient explanations made it as enjoyable for those in my family with less experience as it was for those with lots of experience. Highly recommend”

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