Family Rafting Day Trip from Hafgrímsstaðir: Grade 2 White Water Rafting on the West Glacial River

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  • Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Location: Varmahlíð, Iceland
  • Product code: 7561P2
From USD $135.02
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Adult (Age : 13 to 84)
Child (Age : 6 to 12)
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Itinerary
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Stop At: Viking Rafting, Akureyri 600 Iceland

This afternoon family-friendly adventure delivers an unforgettable, hands-on journey into the untamed beauty of northern Iceland’s river wilderness.

Make your way to the rafting base in Hafgrímsstaðir where your adventure starts. Begin by meeting your international team of guides at the river base, where you will get prepared and dressed in drysuits for your trip. From there, the rafting bus will take you on the short road to the put-in point for the raft at the West Glacial River. After a full explanation, demonstration, and training with your guides, push off from the river bank for a 90-minute, 10km descent of gentle rapids, spectacular scenery, and riverside hot springs. Conditions permitting, boost your excitement with a friendly cliff jump and a swim in the bubbling glacial waters of northern Iceland.

Along the way, enjoy a steaming cup of hot cocoa made directly with natural hot water from a riverside hot spring!

Duration: 1 hour


Inclusions

  • All necessary rafting equipment: drysuit, PFD, helmet, booties, gloves
  • Qualified, professional rafting guides and safety kayakers
  • Transportation between rafting base and the river
  • Riverside refreshments (hot drinks)
  • Entry/Admission - Viking Rafting

Exclusions

  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Transportation to rafting base from Akureyri/Reykjavik
  • Gratuities

Schedule Details

Departure Dates:

See Availability.

Departure Point:

Viking Rafting, Hafgrímsstaðir, 561 Varmahlíð, Iceland

Duration

3 hours 30 minutes(approx.)

Return details

Returns to original departure point

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Additional Information

Minimum age: 6

Recommended items to bring with you: Thermal underwear/base layers, warm fleece top/wool sweater, fleece pants/extra long johns, thick wool socks/hiking socks (at least 1 pair), change of clothes for after the river, any necessary medications (asthma inhalers, etc.), waterproof camera (optional)

Not wheelchair accessible

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Most travelers can participate

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund

This tour/activity will have a maximum of 60 travelers

Confirmation will be received at time of booking

Posted By : Susan L
From the moment you arrive, top notch facilities, staff and location. Maude is an excellent guide. Best day on the Ring Road.
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Posted On : 2023-09-17


Posted By : Y3314ACcynthiac
The best organized excursion I’ve ever been on. The logistics, instructions, and personnel are top notch. We had so much fun with Benji our guide and Hunter our spotter (and Gabriel our driver!). It was educational, exhilarating and 100% safe. We had so much fun - the paddling, floating in the river, hot chocolate from a hot spring and cliff jumping are beyond words. It was the best part of our 10 day Iceland trip. Benji and the crew are hysterical. Definitely worth it. I wish we could do it again today!
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Posted On : 2023-09-08


Posted By : Navigator14483859247
I would have liked to do the Class 4 river (but kids under 18 are not allowed) so I booked the family-friendly trip instead down a Class 2+ section of the Glacier River for my family, including my 80+ year old parents and my adolescent boys, and was not disappointed! It was a blast - the whole team very friendly, humorous, professional, qualified, and super understanding and helpful with my parents. We all got outfitted with dry suits, were given a safety briefing, told the commands and how to sit/behave on the raft, and were treated to not only stunning scenery and a fun river ride, but some nice surprises as well - hot chocolate out of a natural warm hot spring riverside and jumping off a cliff into the ice cold water, which my two sons eagerly did! Dreaming of coming back again in a few years to do the other arm of the Glacier River!
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Posted On : 2023-09-06


Posted By : R7000LTankeh
It was such an amazing tour for us and our kids! Benji was a great captain, and we had a lot of fun! We would do it again! Big smile on our faces😊
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Posted On : 2023-09-05


Posted By : L1881GKmattd
A great day on the river with professional and friendly guides. Would love to come back another time for the grade 4 for a bit of an adrenaline rush. If you want to get wet, ask to sit at the front of the boat (or take up the option of going for a river swim).
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Posted On : 2023-09-04


Posted By : 572adairs
Had an amazing trip rafting though a beautiful canyon! We really liked the stop for hot chocolate from a geothermal spring. We went as a couple because we wanted a shorter, less intense experience and really enjoyed it. The food was also very good and I would highly recommend getting lunch or dinner from them when you get off the river. I was expecting soup and bread but it ended up being a full meal with local ingredients that tasted better than some of the restaurants we went to in Iceland. Highly recommend this rafting trip!
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Posted On : 2023-09-03


Posted By : heatherg258
Benjamin was our guide, and the second boat was guided by Maude. Roshan took some awesome photos, too. The whole team was a group of fun-loving people that I was lucky to spend a few hours with. Our boat was adventure-seeking, and we unanimously requested to add a few bonus activities to our rafting - I highly recommend this for anyone debating between the higher-intensity rafting trip and this one. We ended up in the water 3 separate times (on purpose), and also got to jump in from a 3-4 m cliff. The guides taught us all we needed to know for safety and confidence while we were out on the water. They also provided a dry suit and neoprene shoes, gloves, and hats. Based on the weather each day they also give recommendations for how many layers to wear underneath. During a brief stop along the water we made hot chocolate with fresh steaming-warm water that was running alongside the river. I would absolutely recommend this experience to anyone, and I hope they are able to keep the rivers open and clear for future adventurers without industry taking them over.
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Posted On : 2023-09-01


Posted By : hylkjeb2021
We loved the experience! It was my friends and mine first time rafting, and our guide Amy was amazing 🥰. Beautiful landscape and fun surprises along the trip. We also had our photos taken on the river by their photographer Benji, and we love them ✨. Also the drive to and from the river was smooth thanks to the driver Gabriel 🫶
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Posted On : 2023-08-23


Posted By : Loves2Cplaces
Fun afternoon on an active level 2 river. Dillion was an excellent guide - the best we’ve ever been out with. All of the team were friendly and knew what they were doing. We were grateful for the dry suits that provided wind protection as well as kept us dry during the 1.5 hours on the river. I recommend giving this a try while in Northern Iceland. It was fun and there are two surprise experiences along the way.
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Posted On : 2023-08-20


Posted By : Roving38086313455
We enjoyed it so much, we came back the next day to raft the East side. Amy did a great job leading our expedition. She gave clear, specific directions to ensure everyone had a safe and fun time. Pablo was our boat captain and we had a pleasant trip down the river as he pointed out different interesting facts about the river and canyon. We're so glad we signed up for the photos as Dylan did a great job capturing some special moments. And we are grateful to Gabriel for safely transporting us to and from the base. This is a great experience for families and a professional and friendly operation.
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Posted On : 2023-08-18