10 Iceland Kayaking Tours to Book Early

1.Kayaking on the Sólheimajökull Glacier Lagoon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 421 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $170Our pick

Paddle the calm lagoon beside Sólheimajökull Glacier in a stable sit-on-top kayak. Your guide provides safety instruction, a dry suit, boots, gloves, paddle, and glacier facts. Guides such as Sebastian, Fernanda, Daniella, and Thomas are praised for clear teaching and warm help. Expect about 2.5 hours, including a rocky walk to the water.

“Guide Ferdinand is wonderful - she gave a great explanation of the history of the glacier and the reason for all the volcanic ash.”

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2.Guided Kayaking Tour on the Glacier Lagoon

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 179 reviews · 3 hours · from $170

Spend three hours kayaking Sólheimajökull’s quiet glacier lagoon in a small group of up to eight. Your English-speaking guide, such as Sebastian, Fernanda, or Dianela, fits your dry suit, teaches the basics, and leads you around floating icebergs. No kayaking experience is needed, but bring warm clothes and spare socks.

“We had such a good time Kayaking! Our guide, I think his name was Tommy, was so funny and helpful the whole trip. We were not experienced kayakers at all but had a great time and learned quickly. The pace is easy to keep up with. I would definitely recommend bringing a hat and preparing to be cold! Highly recommend this activity.”

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3.Mt. Kirkjufell Daytime Kayaking Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 170 reviews · 2 hours · from $120

Paddle a stable sit-atop kayak for 70 minutes beneath Mt. Kirkjufell, visiting Seal Skerry for seals and seabirds. Guides such as Reda, Greg, and Sony provide safety help, local stories, and well-fitted dry suits. The tour suits beginners, though wind can make the return paddle tiring.

“Our guides were so friendly and helpful!! I would recommend to anyone!”

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4.Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Kayaking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 165 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $162

Paddle a sit-on-top kayak through Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon with an English-speaking guide, warm two-piece gear, and close views of floating icebergs. The water is often calm, and you may spot seals and birds. Guides such as Ivo, Fabio, Tim, and Nic are praised for clear instruction and good humor, but you must be comfortable in water and able to swim.

“really amazing to get to see the icebergs up close”

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5.Midnight Sun Kayaking Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 29 reviews · 3 hours · from $155

Paddle for about two hours beneath Kirkjufell with local guides such as Sony, Reda, or Greg. You’ll learn basic kayak skills, visit Seal Skerry, watch for birds and seals, and see the mountain from several angles. Dry suits, gloves, shoes, safety instruction, and a hot drink are included.

“We had an unbelievably wonderful experience! The guides were great, the tour was fun and we even got to see a seal 😍”

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6.Guided kayak tour in Siglufjörður / Siglufjordur.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · from $97

Meet Sigló Sea at Norðurtangi in Siglufjörður for a 2.5-hour guided kayak trip. After a safety lesson and practice, paddle past a shipwreck, the Evanger avalanche site, and Selvíkurnef lighthouse while learning about the fjord’s geology, nature, and history. Wetsuit, boots, gloves, kayak, paddle, and life vest are provided.

“This was an amazing experience. Our guides were so interesting and informative and had all the gear necessary to outfit us and keep us safe. Our family had a terrific time!”

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7.Guided Sit on Top Kayak Tour near Akureyri

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $79Best value

Join a small guided group for a two-hour sit-on-top kayak trip on the gentle Svartá River near Akureyri. Guide Norris explains the basics and checks on the group as you paddle through North Iceland’s mountain scenery. Equipment, safety gear, transport, and post-trip hot tubs are included.

“27th July 2023. Great oportunity to experience icleandic nature. It is much more than admiring the river, you become the part of it. Do not worry, it is not deep. And you do not need much experience in kayaking because the wonderful guide Norris explains everything and check all the time how everyone is doing.”

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8.2-Hour Sea Kayak Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 18 reviews · from $96

Start in central Stykkishólmur for a two-hour guided paddle through Breiðafjörður Bay. You will visit Landey, see shipwrecks including the Thorgeir, watch for seabirds and possibly a white-tailed eagle, and return by kayak. Dry suits, kayaks, and an English or Icelandic guide are included.

“Really enjoyed our trip. Great guide and lots of interesting birds and shoreline. Though the weather was going to be a problem but it was fine especially since we were given nice dry suits to wear. Clear and patient explanations made it as enjoyable for those in my family with less experience as it was for those with lots of experience. Highly recommend”

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9.Siglufjörður / Siglufjordur: Guided kayak tour.

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 9 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $107

You will paddle Siglufjörður with an English-speaking guide in a group of no more than six. After a short lesson, follow the shore past a shipwreck, the Evanger avalanche site, and Selvíkurnef lighthouse. Drysuits, kayaks, and safety gear are supplied, and guides such as Tom and William add local stories about nature and Sigló’s past.

“Het kajakken was heel leuk en relaxed. De gids was aardig en kon ons veel over het plaatsje vertellen. Prachtig plaatsje, geweldige uitzichten”

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10.Private: Guided kayak tour in Siglufjörður / Siglufjordur.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)

Meet Sigló Sea in Siglufjörður for a private 2.5-hour kayak tour led in English. You’ll learn basic paddling, practice with a guide, then explore the fjord, shipwreck, Evanger avalanche site, and Selvíkurnef lighthouse in a small group of up to six.

“What a great experience. We can’t say enough about Tom, his communication, his management of our rainy trip and the relationships he has developed w/ the local community. We had an incredible experience. Despite the weather we enjoyed our paddling around the harbor in Siglo. We had no issues w/ the gear and were provided w/ both a warm fleece, gloves and an outer dry suit that kept us warm and dry. We stopped at a local cafe on the way back with limitless fish soup and local bread which everyone loved and ate until we were bursting. We had no issues whatsoever and would recommend this trip without any…”

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