HALF DAY

INTRO TO GLACIER PACKRAFTING

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Price : 22.900 ISK

Trip Length: 3-4 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Max Group Size: 6

Time Kayaking: ~ 1 h

Time Hiking: ~ 1 - 1,5 h

Paddle across a secluded glacier lagoon and step onto Europe’s largest glacier in this mini adventure! 

This tour gives you a taste of packrafting at a secluded and remote glacier lagoon, with solitude guaranteed. 

We visit the same location as our full-day glacier hike and kayak tour; this trip is perfect for those that want something a little shorter.  

A person wearing a red life jacket and black jacket looking at a glacier across a body of water.

Packrafts are lightweight inflatable kayaks that have opened many possibilities in paddling remote bodies of water. Weighing around 4kg, we can strap them to our backpack and hike out to our chosen lake. This tour gives a taster of this new and fast-growing activity whilst paddling at a beautiful glacier lake. During the tour, we will even land the boats next to the ice and have the chance to step on to Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull.  

The meeting point for this tour is Smyrlabjörg Hotel. We begin the trip with a short briefing on the weather conditions and what to expect, before departing in our 4x4 vehicle towards the glacier. The journey will take approximately 20 minutes, driving mainly on a gravel road. Upon arriving at the destination, we will get our gear ready and start the 30-minute hike towards the glacier. We hike along a green mossy trail, past the cascading Bolstaðafoss waterfall and to the lakes edge.  

At the lake, we will inflate the boats and put on our drysuits. After some paddling instruction and safety briefing, we will paddle across the lake taking time to admire the mountains and ice surrounding us. We will then land the boats on a skerry which is still emerging from under the melting glacier, and hike 10 – 15 minutes to get a great view across the lake, up close to the impressive and intimidating glacier. Safety permitting, we will briefly walk onto the ice so that we can say we have stepped foot on the largest glacier in Europe! 

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

  • Professional glacier and kayak guide

  • Transportation in a 4x4 vehicle to the trailhead

  • Kayaking equipment: boat, drysuit, PFD, paddle, water shoes

  • Warm clothes to wear underneath the drysuit, including warm socks! Make sure to bring a jacket to wear whilst on the glacier

  • Hiking boots

  • Hat and gloves

  • Bottle of water/snacks

  • Sunglasses (optimists only!)

  • Phone or camera


WHAT SHOULD I BRING?

  • Two men kayaking on a lake in a cold, mountainous environment with ice and snow on the rocks in the background. They are wearing life jackets and warm clothing, one with a red beanie and the other with a black beanie.
  • A man wearing sunglasses, a red life jacket, and dark clothing paddles a blue kayak on a calm body of water with ice and snow-covered mountains in the background.
  • Two male hikers with backpacks standing near a small waterfall in a rocky canyon, facing each other and talking.
  • A person kayaking on icy water with large glacier ice formations in the background.
  • Person wearing a red life jacket standing near icy glacial landscape with ice and rocks
  • A man dressed in outdoor gear, including a bright orange beanie, black jacket, and red life vest, standing near a glacier and icy water.

How difficult is the trip? 

This trip consists of approximately 1.5 hours hiking and 1 hour kayaking. When hiking to/from the lake (2 km each way), you will be expected to carry your kayaking equipment (7kg total). In places, the trail is rocky and uneven with short uphill sections. The kayaking and hiking are performed at a relaxed pace, so people in good shape will find the trip easy. This trip is designed for people in good shape who have some experience hiking outdoors. It is not suitable for very unfit/overweight people.  

About the boats

We use MRS Nomad packrafts as our watercraft. These are the lightweight (~4kg), inflatable kayaks which make this trip possible: the older generation of heavy inflatable kayaks make hiking long distances impractical, and therefore it is only relatively recently that journeys like this become accessible. They are designed for maximum performance on flatwater, perfect for our use on the numerous glacier lakes of south-eastern Iceland

WHERE WILL YOU MEET US?

 

The meeting point for this tour is at Hotel Smyrlabjörg.

Click here for directions

Hotel Smyrlabjörg is located on route 1 approximately midway between Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Höfn.

We will meet in the lower car park of the hotel: after turning off route 1, the parking area will be on your right just before you reach the hotel.

FAQ

  • If weather conditions make the proposed route unsafe, then we may have to cancel the trip- in which case a full refund will be provided. For this trip, rain is not usually a problem because we will be wearing drysuits. Wind, however, makes it difficult to control the boats and strong winds are usually the reason that we may cancel a trip. We will always do our best to offer an alternative option wherever possible. 

  • Short answer: Yes! However whilst kayaking there is always a risk of electronics getting wet due to splashes from the paddle.  

    With this in mind: if you have a waterproof phone, then only bringing this is the simplest option for most people. There is a pocket on the PFD to store it, which allows easy access whilst paddling. If your phone is not waterproof, or you would like to bring a camera, we would advise bringing a dedicated drybag or waterproof phone case. 

  • Ideally we want clothes suitable for hiking, which will also fit comfortably under the drysuit when we are paddling. This usually means two layers top and bottom (including thermal underwear), with an extra wind/waterproof jacket for hiking. Large/bulky clothing such as ski jackets should not be worn underneath as it will restrict movement. If in doubt, it is best to bring extra clothes to the meeting point and your guide will go over what is/isn’t required. 

  • Yes. We paddle on flatwater; the boats are very stable and therefore this trip is suitable for first time kayakers. Paddling instruction will be given by your guide. 

  • Yes. Our boats have a maximum capacity of 110kg and we have drysuits up to size XXL. Due to the water temperature, drysuits are essential for safety and if you cannot fit comfortably inside the drysuit then you will not be able to participate in the tour. Get in touch with us via email or phone if you need any clarification regarding this

  • This trip is 3 - 4 hours long, so it is advisable to bring a small bottle of water. Whilst some people will be fine without food, if you would like to bring a snack then please do!

  • The difficulty of this tour is rated moderate. While the duration of this trip is not long, it involves hiking over rocky, uneven terrain while carrying a backpack. The whole trip is human-powered and is designed for people in good shape who have some experience hiking outdoors. It is not suitable for very unfit/overweight people.