Iceland

The arctic white-water paradise

When I first heard about kayaking in Iceland I was a bit skeptical because first thing that came to my mind was cold and unpredictable weather. I was always attracted to the epic landscapes I saw on photos so when I got an opportunity to work there as a safety kayaker and photo boater I wasn't hesitating a single minute. I knew I have to go and check out this amazing country and the white-water it can offer.

The weather wasn't that bad as I expected, especially in June and July (around 15 C° on a sunny day) but in spring you can easily find yourself kayaking in a snowstorm. Dry suit is mandatory here in any conditions because most rivers are coming from glaciers and the temperature of the water doesn't go over 4-5 C°. Iceland is a quite young island and situated on the Atlantic ocean between the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plate. It has formed from a series of volcanic eruptions and it is on one of so-called hot spots on earth with intense volcanic activity and frequent earthquakes happening. There are many glaciers in the country and the biggest icecap of Europe is located there as well. That's why it is known as the country of fire and ice. It is an amazing experience to go around and discover the different landscapes, mountains, volcanoes, lava sculptures, hot springs and black sanded beaches. It almost feels like being on another planet. All in all Iceland is the paradise for geologist as much as for kayakers. The wild-life of Iceland is mostly rich with birdlife and marine mammals like dolphins, seals, whales. Wild mammals in Iceland include the arctic foxes, mice, rats, rabbits and reindeer. Polar bears also visit the island sometimes, traveling on icebergs from Greenland. Because of the name most people think Iceland is icy and Greenland is green, however Greenland is covered with ice and snow, whereas Iceland has rolling fields of green. Iceland doesn't have many trees so far the humanity showed up on the island, so don't expect you are going to enjoy the night near warm fire when you are camping in the wilderness.

Most of the rivers are running in canyons because the fast running icy water cut her way easily into the volcanic stone. The country is mostly famous about the waterfalls but it can offer various kind of rivers to the adventures kayakers who visit it: remote multi-days, big volume rivers, steep creeks, and many park and hucks. You can find many rivers all around the country but the water level can be an issue because there are lots of rivers which don't run more than 10 days a year. The best time for kayaking is June because it is supposed to be the warmest month and the glaciers give the most water that time. If you drive around this time of the year you can see waterfalls and streams rushing down from the mountains every 500m. Iceland has a great potential for first accents and undiscovered rivers for more adventures paddlers. If u have a good jeep you are able to drive to the highlands but to the remote places you still have to hike a day or more to put in.

One of the most epic runs on the country is the Kelduá (class V). It looks like a river made by some higher power perfectly for kayakers. This mission require a long hike, a lot of scouting and safety work, but it can offer a full day of solid paddling with an amazing variety of stacked waterfalls: high, low, clean, technical, double drops and everything else in a magnificent scenery. Boxed in canyon on some places but also possible to portage some things what you don't like. If u want to see how Aniol Serrasolses and other pro riders styling it you can have a look on the “For the Love” movie made by the Mountain Mind Collective team. I spent most of my time working with the Viking Rafting crew on the beautiful class IV section of the Austari Jokulsa (East Glacial River) which offers one of the most challenging commercial rafting in Europe. Their base is on the North-East part of the country where most rivers are located so it was a perfect location for shorter missions. The center of this area is Akurejri. The river Glerá which has an amazing class 4 section separates town on two parts. Near the town you can found another beautiful river called Gardsá. The difficulty depends on the water level, with big flow it can be a solid class 5. There is a 6 meter drop in the first rapid with a tricky entrance and the second part is a continuous pushy canyon which is really fun with high water level. Akureyri is located in a peninsula which is called Troll Peninsula and it is the center of ski touring and helicopter ski and snowboard companies.

My favorite river was the Skjálfandafljot river which has waterfalls from 6-15 meters and more class 3-4 sections as well. One of Icelands most famous waterfall called Godafoss is located there. The waterfall is divided on two channels, one is 12 meters and the other one is a 7 meters high. It's a perfect place to make laps and practice plugging and boofing. 500 m downstream is smaller but sketchier drop because of a huge hole in the middle. The place is usually full with tourist so there is a big chance you end up in the family photo album with your kayak :)

You can easily find cheap flights from Europe and the USA also. I bought one way Wizz Air ticket for 100 euro with kayak and a big luggage from Budapest. The best way to go around the country is with a car. You can either rent one or take your own car with a ferry from Denmark, but it takes 3 days and it is also pretty expensive. There is a ring road around the coast but otherwise inside the island there is no many option to drive through. You can camp in many places for free and if you ask for permission also some land owners can let you sleep on their land. It is also important to ask for permission when you are crossing private lands on the way to the put in. Locals are mostly really friendly and in general they speak English good.

Thanks for the experience to the Viking Rafting Team and all the local kayaker fellows for the good company. All together I had an awesome time in Iceland as a tourist and also as a kayaker and I hope to go back one day and discover even more in this arctic paradise.

Levente Pető