Compare Coastal Kayaking Adventure by Borea Adventures vs Iceland In-Depth featuring the Northern Lights by Tours of Distinction
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Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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Duration | 3 days | 8 days |
Price From | $ 2,278 | $ 3,699 |
Price Per Day | $ 759 | $ 462 |
Highlights |
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Trip Style | Group tour | Small group tour |
Lodging Level | Standard | Luxury |
Physical Level |
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Travel Themes |
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Countries Visited | ||
Cities and Attractions |
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Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Ground transport included |
Activities |
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Meals Included | N/A |
6 Breakfasts | 3 Lunches | 5 Dinners |
Description |
A true 3 days wilderness kayaking trip in the beautiful nature of Ísafjarðardjúp Bay. The bay is famous for its rich wildlife where you can experience the best Icelandic nature has to offer. Great chance to see whales, white tailed eagles, and guaranteed to spot thousands of sea birds like puffins, eider ducks, kittiwakes, razorbills, guillemots, oyestercatchers and many waders that live close to the sea shore. We visit the islands in the bay, enjoy wild sunsets and campfires on the beach, great meals, paddling under sheer mountainsides where waterfalls cascades down the cliffs, only accessible by kayaks |
Iceland is one of the world’s ultimate islands of contrasts… fire and ice; long nights with colorful northern lights and daylight for 20 hours; glaciers and steaming hot geysers, waterfalls galore, pretty puffins, and magical elves. It is a fierce landscape of volcanoes, plains of mossy, craggy cliffs, and black sand beaches. It is an island still being formed by water, ice, and fire and closer than you believe. |
Day 1
Meet up at our café Bræðraborg around 08:00 in the morning for preparations and briefing. You leave the harbour in Ísafjörður on our passenger ferry Bjarnarnes at 9:00 AM. The destination is our farmhouse in Kvíar that stands on the shore between the fjords of Veiðleysufjörður and Lónafjörður. There you will meet your giude and join the group that is doing the whole six days trip. Boats and other gear that we provide, will probably already be there or you will take it with you on the passenger boat.
We pack our boats and start paddling. Our first task is to paddle across the bay to the South side near Höfði to get a good look at Leirufjörður Fjord with Drangjökull Glacier in the distance. Leirufjörður (e. Silt Fjord). The name of the fjord explains itself when we see the clay and silt coming from the glacier river of Drangajökull Glacier. We then head along the shoreline towards Grunnavík Bay. En-route is a nice rock arch that we can pass under on high tide. There is also a good chance to spot porpoises close to the coast, especially if the sea is calm. In Grunnavík there are a few summerhouses and a nice church that we can take a look at. Camp on the beach.
Distance: 20 km.
Day 2
Today we head out of the Jökulfirðir fjord system and into the big bay of Ísafjarðardjúp. We pass many beautiful waterfalls on the way that people rarely experience since they are so unaccessible by foot. We continue along the coast of Snæfjallaströnd and camp either in the beautiful cove in Ytraskarð (20 km) or by the breathtaking Möngufoss waterfall (24 km), all depending on conditions. Campfire on the beach to watch the beautiful sunset.
Day 3
Our first stop on the last full day of kayaking is the island of Æðey. The island is inhabited by one family during the summer months and is a nice place to stop, relax and enjoy life on the island while ashore. The waters around the island is covered with puffins and other sea birds. Literally! After visiting the island, we do a long crossing (9 km) to the island of Vigur. The birdlife on the island is quite amazing and the farmers have raised special rock walls for the eider ducks to nest. Puffins are found all over the island. The beautiful and colorful houses are very picturesque and the small coffee house is a great place to stop by and relax. After about two hours on the island, we get going again for the last leg of the trip. Depending on weather, we'll paddle about 6 km to Hvitanes or to the village of Súðavík if conditions are good, where a car will pick us up. Drive back to Ísafjörður. We'll arrive in Ísafjörður in time for the afternoon flight for those flying back to Reykjavík. We urge you to stay at least one night in Ísafjörður and get to know this old and beautiful town. There are many interesting sites and nice walks in the mountains around the fjord that are definitely worth it.
Distance: 20-22 km.
This description gives only a brief overview and might be changed by the guide, depending on weather and other conditions.
Day 1 - Depart for Reykjavik, Iceland
Transfer to the airport and check-in for your overnight flight to Reykjavik.
Day 2 - Reykjavik
Arrive in Reyjakvik and head toward the famous Blue Lagoon. The lagoon is a geothermal wonder of nature, with pleasantly warm mineral rich geothermal seawater in the middle of a lava field. The high natural levels of silica, minerals and algae give the Lagoon its rich blue colour – hence the name Blue Lagoon. Later, a city tour will show us the highlights of the capital.
Welcome dinner and overnight at your Reykjavík hotel.
Day 3 - Iceland Countryside
After breakfast, we drive north out of Reykjavik and through the tunnel under Hvalfjordur, one of the country’s longest fjords. We make a visit at the Settlement Center museum in Borgarnes. We continue through the pretty lake-dotted valleys of the Borgarfjördur district where the ice-age glacier covered the area about 10,000 years ago. We will then make a brief stop at Deidartunguhver, Europe’s largest hot spring, where around 200 liters of 97C hot water flows from the earth every second. Enjoy our short stop at the beautiful waterfalls of Hraunfossar and Barnafossar in the river Hvítá before returning to Borgarnes.
Lunch and dinner and overnight in Borgarnes.
Day 4 - Iceland Countryside
The first highlight of the day is Thingvellir, the great lava arena in a rift valley, where the divide between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates is clearly visible. Founded by the Norse settlers in 930 AD in Thingvellir, you will see the world’s oldest still-existing national parliament. Get ready to visit Gullfoss, which is often described as Iceland´s most beautiful waterfall, and the famous Geyser area, Strokkur, the world´s most active, is likely to spout several times. We make our final stop at Friðheimar, known for using geothermal heating for cultivation of tomatoes and cucumbers – come and enjoy their famous tomato soup.
Light lunch in Frioheimar. Dinner and overnight in Selfoss.
Day 5 - Iceland Countryside
Today we will drive along the south coast and visit the magnificent waterfall of Seljalandsfoss. It is a narrow and high waterfall which plunges over the mountains of West Eyjafjöll. From there we head to Vík, a village east of Mt. Reynisfjall in Myrdal. In Vík and the neighboring coastline, there is a wealth of contrasts and landscapes renowned for their natural beauty. Mt. Reynisfjall and its cliffs have few rivals in Iceland for richness of vegetation and bird life and the black sand beach Reynisfjara is a large breeding colony for the Arctic tern. According to local folklore, three rock stacks rise up to 66m from the sea: Skessudrangar, Landdrangar and Langhamrar and are said to be trolls turned to stone at sunrise. Then we continue towards Kirkjubæjarklaustur, which in the old days was known as „Kirkjubær“ (Church Farm) and was an important farming village.
Day 6 - Iceland Countryside
From Klaustur, we travel along the south coast to Skaftafell. Skaftafell National Park was designated as one of Iceland´s three National Parks in 1967. Towering mountains, imposing glaciers, gulches with clear brooks and beautiful waterfalls, birch woods, a wealth of wild flowers and lush vegetation give credence to its status. The most majestic of its several waterfalls is Svartifoss (“Black Falls”) that cascade over a wall of symmetrical columnar basalt that resembles an organ. En-route to our stop for the evening, we visit glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón and the museum Þórbergssetur in Höfn. The museum is dedicated to one of Iceland‘s most significant twentieth century author, Þórbergur Þórðarson.
Day 7 - Iceland Countryside - Reykjavik
Today, we start by making a stop at the breathtaking waterfall Skógarfoss, which is 60m high and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country. After, we experience the Folk Museum at Skógar before continuing to the power plant Hellisheiðarvirkjun for a Geothermal Exhibition about geothermal energy in Iceland.
Overnight at your Reykjavik hotel.
Day 8 - Depart Reykjavik
Say goodbye to Iceland this morning as we head to the airport for our flight. Upon arrival in the USA, transfer home.