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
