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About Tour

Join us on this exhilarating adventure and explore Iceland’s raging white waters. Your journey down the river embarks from Drumboddsstadir rafting base, zips down the Hvita River, and finishes below the Bruarhlod cliffs.

Highlights

  • White water river rafting
  • Paddling down Hvítá River
  • Visiting Bruarhlod Canyon
  • Hot sauna after a day on the river

Included

  • Wetsuit
  • Life vest and helmet
  • All rafting equipment
  • Free entry to sauna and shower facilities

What to bring

  • Warm thermal underwear
  • Fleece or wool socks, sweater, and a change of clothes
  • Bathing suit and towel

Tour Snapshot

Availability May - Sept
Duration 3 / 7 hours
Departs From Reykjavik
Difficulty Easy Suitable for most people in fair condition.
Minimum age 11
Meet on Location Yes
Pick Up Yes
Ratio 1:16 Guide to client ratio

From

145
Per
Adult
  • No Booking Fees
  • Fast & secure payment

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Itinerary

Whether you’re an expert or novice, Iceland’s white waters hold secrets for adrenaline junkies of all skill levels. Your tour begins at Drumboddsstadir, continues down the Hvita River and ends in Bruarhlod Canyon, located at the foothills of Gullfoss Waterfall. The river’s turquoise waters will lead you down to the canyon past a rugged water-carved gorge and over a few steep rapids on an unforgettable adventure of a lifetime.

Your tour will start when we pick you up from your chosen pick-up point or when you arrive at Drumboddsstadir, the starting point of our tour. Pick-up from Reykjavik is included in the price and is available from various locations.

This river rafting tour in Gullfoss Canyon is the ultimate summer adventure in Iceland. Carved by the glacier-fed Hvita River, Gulfos Canyon is sheltered by rugged 230-ft (70-m) walls, hosting moss-covered plateaus just above them. Our riveting adventure begins at Gullfoss Waterfall, also known as the Golden Falls, and ends in Bruarhlod Canyon.

Gullfoss Waterfall is paramount to Iceland. Travelers from all over the world come to marvel at this wonder of nature and now, you too have the chance to experience the majestic waterfall from up close.

Before you set foot on the rafts, our experienced and certified guides will quickly brief you on essential safety procedures. Adventurers with little or no rafting experience are welcome, however, everyone on the tour must know how to swim. Afterward, we’ll all be handed a wetsuit and a life vest, and be seated on to the raft. Everyone on the raft gets a paddle and is encouraged to help our guide steer the raft during the tour.

The journey down the Hvita River will be an exhilarating experience. Glacial meltwaters from Langjokull Glacier are fiercely fast at times, rushing through peaking bumpy rocks and creating small yet powerful rapids. On top of adrenaline-filled moments, you’ll be invited to enjoy serene and otherworldly landscapes along the riverbanks as we glide through the calmer portion of the river.

After approximately one hour of river fun, we’ll reach Bruarhlod Canyon. There, those of us who crave for more spine-tingling experiences can leap from the cliffs and into the turquoise waters of Bruarhlod Canyon - a great finish to the adventure. Later, everyone will be invited to warm up in Drumbó’s sauna, try some locally cooked barbecue, or enjoy a glass of cold beer on the river’s edge.

Please be ready at your chosen pick up location at 12:30 p.m.

Pick-up can take up to 30 minutes and you may choose your pick-up location during the booking process.

For those of you who wish to meet us on location, please be at Drumboddstadir at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the tour. Tours begin at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. and will take approximately 3 hours to complete.

Reviews

5
Based on 2 reviews

River Rafting Down Gullfoss Canyon

FAQ

Yes, you must be able to swim and feel comfortable in the water. Each paddler on a rafting boat has to know how to swim.

Yes, we have a minimum age limit on all of our river rafting tours.

On the Gullfoss Canyon Rafting, the minimum age is 11 years if accompanied by a guardian.

On the West Glacier River, the minimum age is 6 years if accompanied by a guardian.

On the East Glacier River, the minimum age is 18 years.

Yes, you are allowed to bring your camera with you but if it isn’t waterproof then it will 100% get ruined.

At
Drumbó your options are: bringing a waterproof camera, renting a GoPro from us or buying a disposable waterproof camera.

At Hafgrímsstaðir your options are bringing a waterproof camera or getting a copy of the photo/photos one of the guides takes during the tour. A photographer/guide is not a guaranteed part of the tour, so should you wish to arrange photos in advance, please let us know and we will make sure to have a photographer along on the trip.

Yes, we will provide a life jacket for everyone on the tour.

Yes, there will be specially trained and certified river guide in every boat.

GRADE 1: EASY
Fast moving water with very small waves and without obstructions. Passages are obvious and easily navigated. The risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy.

GRADE 2: NOVICE
Simple rapids with regular small waves, easy eddies, and gradual bends. Wide, clear channels make navigating easy without scouting. Little manoeuvering is required, and rocks and obstructions are easily avoidable. Rapids that are at the upper end of this difficulty range are designated Class II+.

GRADE 3: INTERMEDIATE
Rapids with strong currents, large waves, powerful hydraulics, and obstructions that may be difficult to avoid. Controlled maneuvers are often required to navigate, although passages are simple and have relatively little objective danger. Scouting is advisable for inexperienced parties. Rapids at the lower and upper end of this difficulty range are designated Grade 3- and Grade 3+ respectively.

Grade 4: ADVANCED
Difficult yet predictable rapids with large, irregular waves, boiling eddies, powerful hydraulics, steeper gradient, and some unavoidable obstructions. Passages are often difficult to recognize and require precise boat control and skillful manoeuvering to navigate. Scouting is likely necessary for safe passage, and self-rescue is difficult. Rapids at the lower and upper end of this difficulty range are designated Grade 4- and Grade 4+ respectively.

GRADE 5: EXPERT
Long, powerful, obstructed, and unpredictable rapids that expose paddlers to significant danger. Rapids are steep with large, unavoidable waves and major hydraulics, congested chutes, and many obstructions. Complex, demanding routes require precise boat control, “must make” moves and a high level of mental and physical fitness. What eddies exist may be small, turbulent, and difficult to reach. Scouting is necessary but may be difficult. Swims are dangerous, and rescue is often difficult even for experts. Proper equipment, extensive experience, and practiced rescue skills are essential.

GRADE 6: EXTREME
All previous difficulties increased to the absolute limit of practicability, suitable for teams of specially prepared experts only. Runs of this classification are rarely attempted and often exemplify the extremes of difficulty, unpredictability, and danger. The consequences of errors are very severe and rescue may be impossible.

We recommend you to bring a spare set of clothes as you might get wet when participating in Rafting. Therefore you can change into nice dry clothes when the activity is finished.

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