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East Glacial River Rafting: Iceland's Top Day Trip
5.0
371 Ratings
Varmahlíð
Experience the thrill of Grade 4 white water rafting on the East Glacial River in Iceland. Explore breathtaking scenery and conquer exciting rapids on this remote and unforgettable day trip.
Experience the thrill of Grade 4 white water rafting on the East Glacial River in Iceland. Explore breathtaking scenery and conquer exciting rapids on this remote and unforgettable day trip.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Hafgrímsstaðir - In one word… AWESOME!
The East Glacial River Gorge (Jökulsá-Austari) is the setting for our most action-packed and exciting rafting day tour. With spectacular deep canyon scenery and relentless heart-pumping whitewater, the East has been consistently rated one of Europe’s best rafting rivers and has topped popular guide books’…
- Hafgrímsstaðir - In one word… AWESOME!
The East Glacial River Gorge (Jökulsá-Austari) is the setting for our most action-packed and exciting rafting day tour. With spectacular deep canyon scenery and relentless heart-pumping whitewater, the East has been consistently rated one of Europe’s best rafting rivers and has topped popular guide books’ lists of “must-do’s” in Iceland. One of the most remote single-day rafting trips on the planet, this whitewater adventure delivers an unforgettable journey into the untamed beauty of Iceland’s river wilderness. Combine that with a dose of adrenaline strong enough to satisfy the most powerful of cravings. For those traveling to Iceland with a thirst for adventure, this is a day tour not to be missed!
What's Included
- Transport between rafting base and river included
- Optional Akureyri transfer available at booking
- Riverside refreshments with waffles and hot chocolate
- Complete rafting gear: drysuit, PFD, helmet, booties, gloves
- Professional raft guides and safety kayakers
- Transport between rafting base and river included
- Optional Akureyri transfer available at booking
- Riverside refreshments with waffles and hot chocolate
- Complete rafting gear: drysuit, PFD, helmet, booties, gloves
- Professional raft guides and safety kayakers
What's Not Included
- Additional food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
- Private transportation
- Additional food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
- Private transportation
Additional Information
The East Glacial River in Iceland is known for its thrilling rapids, astonishing landscapes, and its status as one of the most isolated single-day river locations worldwide. Experience firsthand the reason behind its consistent recognition as one of the top rafting day trips in Europe, and why it frequently makes an appearance on ‘must-do’ lists in…
The East Glacial River in Iceland is known for its thrilling rapids, astonishing landscapes, and its status as one of the most isolated single-day river locations worldwide. Experience firsthand the reason behind its consistent recognition as one of the top rafting day trips in Europe, and why it frequently makes an appearance on ‘must-do’ lists in various popular guide books for Iceland.
- Minimum age is 18 years
- Recommended items to bring: thermal underwear/base layers, warm fleece top/wool sweater, fleece pants/extra long johns, thick wool socks/hiking socks, change of clothes for after the river, any necessary medications (asthma inhalers, etc.) and waterproof camera (optional)
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
Location
Viking Rafting
Hafgrímsstaðir
We are located 15km south of Varmahlíð on Road #752. We are on your LEFT just after crossing a little bridge over a river.
NOTE for cruise ship adventurers: Please contact us if our departure time doesn't suit your schedule. We will do our best to make it happen :)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(371 Ratings)
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Gilbertflynnc
Sep 26, 2024
Spectacular trip with my partner and both of our Dads. The Viking rafting team ran a fun, safe and smooth operation - Had an absolutely spectacular trip with my partner and both of our Dads. The whole Viking rafting team ran a fun, safe and smooth operation. If you’re looking for a good adventure with good people, Viking rafting is the place to go.
Our raft guides Anup and Amy were awesome, the safety kayakers Hunter and Máni were always close by keeping an eye on us, and Pablo the kayak photographer got some incredible pictures. Also Sara and Monica shuttled us around and helped with all our needs. Another massive bonus was the delicious food provided by Andy once we got back to base (definitely opt in for the food, you won’t regret it!).
I couldn’t recommend this trip more, such an incredible experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eringr4853nu
Sep 23, 2024
Honestly, the best! - We had the best time! Being river fanatics and past guides/current kayakers ourselves we were unsure how we were going to feel in the customer seat but it was great! We felt VERY safe and all of the staff was extremely friendly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveljunkie_mo
Sep 23, 2024
Best white water rafting and organization you can find. - I cannot express how amazing this trip was. The whole organization was professional, courteous, and experts in customer service. The guides, support kayakers, bus driver and chef exceeded my expectations. The river did not disappoint. Exceptional rapids and scenery. Anup was an excellent guide and lead. I thought his emphasis on safety and rescue technics were to hype up the trip but they all came in handy multiple times. This river is no joke so be prepared to paddle and follow instructions. The lunch served afterwards was the best we had on our two week trip. Give the chef a Michelin star. If you love adventure, I highly recommend you add this trip to your agenda. Visitors miss so much this country has to offer by visiting only Reykjavik and the South Coast. Viking Rafting is the real deal. Don't miss out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
107nannas
Sep 4, 2024
So much fun! - Just one word needed to describe the tour: Amazing!
If you like some action with kick ass guides then this is it!
Went rafting for the first time and couldn’t have went with a better team, highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ellengr5240xc
Sep 3, 2024
Good fun in GORGEous canyon - In short: a great day in a GORGEous canyon. The scenery is amazing, the crew super friendly and a lot of fun. We thoroughly enjoyed having Tarzan as our rafting guide, letting us have plenty of fun and adventure on the river!! Big thanks to Hunter as well for a very cool ride on a kayak in a way I've never travelled with a kayak before. I'm impressed we stayed upright for as long as we did! Loved it! Shout out to the photographer as well for the great memories and doggo pics. Baloo looks absolutely epic riding along in the front of a kayak! Great day all around!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Simpaaa
Aug 30, 2024
The best!! The best Rafting ever!!! - Amazing!!! I live in Icelandia 1 year and a half, I am a Guide and I have done many activities, and for me it was the best activity! The super animated, fun guides!!
I thought the water was going to be cold, but I put on 3 coats and it was all perfect. I jumped from the stone into the water, lay in the streams of the river.. we drank hot chocolate, grain barrels, the place spectacular!! Unforgettable!!
Thanks to the guides HUNTER, TARZAN, RASHAN for good vibes and make this adventure unforgettable!!
And thanks to Yoann for driving this path, which was also impressive!!
And another Thank you to Amy for receiving us so well!!
Galera you are too!!
I want to repeat!!
Valeu?!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamie_c
Aug 30, 2024
Phenomenal - Mark was absolutely incredible with stories that were vivid and full of detail. Oh yes, he was great with safety instruction as well. The river was beyond beautiful. The DRY SUITS are a must and made the trip quite enjoyable. The food was next level fabulous. Waffle dessert of death on calories mid canyon followed by a classic, delectable lamb lunch at the end. Could not have asked for a better day adventure.
Review provided by Viator
Exploration583480
Aug 29, 2024
Incredible River Rafting Adventure - Incredible rafting experience. This was my third trip to Iceland and this was hands down the most fun activity I've ever done in Iceland. Would strongly recommend. The guides were amazing and true experts of the river and always made us feel safe. They also took amazing DSLR photos of us throughout which turned out great.
If you're looking for an action packed thrilling experience, definitely try this out!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jonas
Aug 29, 2024
Fantastic Experience and Highlight of our Trip - This was a fantastic experience for us! Mark was such a pleasure to raft with, extremely qualified and with a great sense of humor that put even our most anxious members at ease. Also definitely would recommend getting the lunch there afterwards. The river itself is beautiful and quite thrilling and halfway down you get a fresh warm waffle breakfast made by a local farmer's wife. Delicious! There are experienced rescue/photography kayakers that come down with you and these fellows were awesome as well. The dry suits provided worked well and kept us warm (in conjunction with many base layers; Bring those and socks!)
We count ourselves lucky for having experienced this with Mark, Hunter, and Tarzan and definitely recommend you do too. We will certainly be back.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kurt
Aug 28, 2024
Awesome rafting on the beast of the east - Great experience with the viking team on the east whitewater canyon river. Great welcome, very clear safety instructions dry suits are making the difference with others , big fun and nice jokes from our professional steersman Marc , kayak guidance from Monica and Hunter....man they can steer a kayak........and not to forget the support behind the screens, i believe it was Sara and the photographer Rushan...... thanks for this beautifull day , awesome Viking team greetings from belgium.....
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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