Duration
4 Days
Availability
September
Difficulty
Moderate/Difficult
Minimum Age
20 years
Sea Kayaking in North Iceland | 4-Day Course with Full Board
Overview
Experience the beautiful nature of North Iceland in a new and unforgettable way with this 4-Day Kayaking Course. Learn the basics of kayaking or sharpen your technique with a professional instructor while sailing on the North Atlantic Ocean. Have a unique Iceland adventure this September, surrounded by stunning natural scenery and wildlife, which includes seabirds, seals, and even whales.
On this course, you’ll spend four days learning the basics of kayaking or, if you are an experienced kayaker, you’ll sharpen your skills on the ocean just outside the village of Hofsós. You’ll start by practising in a pool before taking your kayak to sea, where you’ll row between fjords and skerries.
Throughout the course, you’ll be accompanied by a professional kayaking instructor, Veiga Grétarsdóttir. She’s a professional athlete who, in 2019, became the first person to kayak counterclockwise around Iceland against the Gulf Stream.
You’ll spend your nights at a lovely country lodge in the Fljót Region, a stunning area in North Iceland known for its calm weather and breathtaking scenery. You’ll have a room equipped with a private bathroom with a shower. All meals — prepared by the lodge’s private chef — are included with the course, from dinner on your arrival day to lunch on your departure day.
Get to know Icelandic nature and learn a new skill on this fantastic 4-Day Kayaking Course. Book now because only a few seats are available on this amazing course.
Included
- 4-Day Kayaking Course with Professional Kayaker Veiga Grétarsdóttir
- Use of Dry-Suit, Kayak, and Other Equipment Needed
- 3-Nights Accommodation in a Quality Country Hotel with Private Bathroom
- All Meals During the Course from Dinner on Day 1 to Lunch on Day 4
- Entry to the On-Site Swimming Pool
- Small-Group Experience, Max. 8 People
Not included
- Personal Travel Insurance
- Alcoholic Beverages
Good to know
- This tour is weather dependent. The itinerary can be changed to fit weather conditions or the tour could be moved to other dates.
- This tour is suited for both beginners and experienced kayakers alike.
- The Kayaking Instructor is Veiga Grímsdóttir, a professional athlete who, in 2019, became the first person to kayak counterclockwise around Iceland.
- 100 % refund if the trip is cancelled due to disease control decisions or sickness connected to COVID-19
- 80 % refund if the trip is cancelled with more than 7-day notice
- 50 % refund if the trip is cancelled with more than 72-hour notice
- No refund if the trip is cancelled with less than 72-hour notice
What to bring
- Warm Clothes under the Dry Suit
- Wind and Waterproof Clothes
- Long Underwear (Preferably Woollen)
- Woollen sweater/Primaloft jacket
- Gloves
- Water bottle
- Sunscreen
Itinerary
Arrive at the Sóti Lodge, a lovely country hotel in the Fljót Region, in the afternoon. After you’ve settled into your room, go into the common area to meet your instructor and the other participants.
Your instructor, Veiga Grétarsdóttir, is a world-class athlete with years of experience as a kayaker. She was the first woman to circle Iceland in a kayak and the first person to do so counterclockwise and against the current.
After introductions, the first kayaking lesson begins in the onsite swimming pool. You’ll learn how to paddle, manoeuvre yourself in the water, and balance yourself in a kayak. You’ll also deliberately capsize the kayak. After doing that a few times, you’ll realise that capsizing is not as big of a deal as you, perhaps, first thought.
You’ll then unwind after the lesson in the hot tub before heading inside the lodge for dinner, which the onsite chef prepares. You’ll then have some free time to explore the region on foot, chat with your fellow travellers in the lounge area or head into your room.
Today, after breakfast, it is time to take your kayak out onto the ocean. First, you´ll travel to the Hofsós Harbour to test out the waters.
Hofsós is a quiet village with around 200 inhabitants. The small harbour will have a few boats bobbing up and down in the water, but it´ll mainly be free for you and your fellow travellers to explore in your kayak.
Once you´ve found your balance in the water, you´ll follow your instructor out of the harbour for a short trip around the Hofsós coastline. En route, you´ll see beautiful cliffs, countless seabirds, and, if you are lucky, a whale or two.
You´ll get to practice your paddling skills, going backwards and forwards in your kayak, or fast and slow. After a while, your instructor will find a cove or a beach suitable for a quick stop so you can have your packed lunch prepared by the lodge´s chef before you head back to the harbour.
Back at the lodge, you´ll have some time to unwind in the hot tub or with a drink in the lounge before dinner.
Today, your instructor will find a good place to explore the waters outside the Fljót Region. Then, depending on weather and sea conditions, you might head back to the Hofsós Harbour or perhaps a small beach or a strip of shoreline just off-road.
You’ll explore the cliffs, islands, and peninsulas of North Iceland while gliding through the sea on your kayak, always keeping an eye out for interesting wildlife such as birds, seals or whales.
If you are up for it, your instructor might find a more challenging area to practise your kayaking skills and test the things you’ve learned so far. But don’t worry; your instructor will keep an eye out on you the entire time, making sure you don’t get into too much trouble.
Midway, you’ll stop at a cove or a beach for lunch, and after some hours kayaking around, you’ll return to shore with plenty of time to soak in the hot tub before dinner.
Today is the last day of the course, so make sure you take advantage of the lodge´s lovely breakfast buffet before you head out for today´s adventure.
Again, you´ll go out on the ocean on your kayak. The location will be at the discretion of your instructor. You´ll have the opportunity to hone your skill and experience the majestic nature of North Iceland one more time.
You are sure to be more confident on your fourth day kayaking, and perhaps you´ll be surprised at how much you have learned during this short time.
You´ll have one outdoor lunch before heading back to shore after this true Icelandic adventure. Then, there is nothing left but to bid farewell to your instructor, Veiga, and the rest of your group.
