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On this day tour, you’ll get to witness the beauty of Hvalfjörður by kayaking along the shores of Hvammsvík and trying out the famous Icelandic hot springs.
The first part of the tour will be dedicated to kayaking and appreciating the surroundings of Hvalfjörður fjord. Once you make your way back to the shore, you’ll be taken to Hvammsvík Hot Springs. This is where the part of you soaking in the hot springs and achieving a complete state of relaxation will start. Your day will finish with the trip back to Reykjavik.
From
Your tour will start from Reykjavik, from which you’ll travel to Hvammsvík Bay, situated in Hvalfjörður. Please note that there’s a possibility to join the tour straight from Hvammsvík Bay.
Once you’re in the location, you’ll be given kayaking gear and prepared for the swim by receiving safety and paddling instructions. When everyone’s ready, you’ll bring your kayaks to the beach and start paddling along the shore of Hvammsvík.
Hvalfjordur is known for its beautiful landscapes that can be admired by following a few hiking trails and spending some time on the appointed viewpoints. This place is not only praised for its beauty but also for its fascinating history. Back in the day, the fjord held an important role, being the heart of commerce. It also became significant during World War II when the British set up several military bases in Iceland. This was when the naval base was established in Hvammsvík to protect the west side of Iceland and shipping lanes to North America. As a base for anti-submarine patrols, Hvammsvík also protected convoys going from and to Iceland.
During the war, the British opened a few facilities in the area, including a hospital, radio station, fuel depot, and barracks. Even though there’s not much left of these buildings today that would serve as proof of Hvammsvík’s importance in defense of Iceland, the history is still alive in the minds of locals.
What hides behind the name of Hvalfjörður is “Whale Fjord,” however, the chances of seeing one are pretty slim, but you’ll get to see some other wildlife such as seals, Arctic terns, guillemots, or eider ducks.
After spending approximately 1.5 hours kayaking, you’ll reach the shore and be taken to Hvammsvík Hot Springs. The area consists of eight hot pools ranging from 37°C to 40°C. Since the hot springs are located in the Atlantic Ocean, their levels and temperature depend on the tides. The place also has a sauna, a bar, and a restaurant. You have 1.5 hours to relax and chill at the hot springs before heading back to Reykjavik.
Tour with pick-up from Reykjavik
Pick-up from your chosen location in Reykjavik starts at 9:00 a.m. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes. Your patience is greatly appreciated!
Available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures’ pick-up list.
Return to Reykjavik at 3:00 p.m.
Meet on location tour
Kayaking at Hvammsvík starts at 11:00 a.m. Time spent on the water is approximately 1.5 hours.
Hvammsvík Hot Springs starts at 1:00 p.m. Time spent in the hot springs is approximately 1.5 hours.
Please choose the tour option with pick-up from Reykjavik or meet on location during the booking process.
This is a great question. We ask all participants to be ready from the start of the pickup time indicated. This is because you may well be the first pick up of the day. Please be at your assigned location at the start time that you chose when booking the tour.
Here you should wait for your guide.
Have your email and phone number listed with us so we can contact you if we run into any trouble finding you.
View our pick-up locations in Reykjavík.
Your safety is our number one priority! Keeping this in mind, Arctic Adventures reserves the right to adjust the itinerary and/or take different routes depending on conditions. Please read more information in our cancellation policy.
No, for all your questions and concerns you would need to contact our customer service.
Our tours are split into four different categories that help participants to understand what to expect from the tour. The categories are Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Demanding. Each tour is rated making it easier to find tours that suit you.
For further information about the difficulty ratings and descriptions.
The first step is to make sure your credit card provider allows you to make payments in Canadian Dollars (CAD) or American Dollars (USD) if you have selected.
In some cases, your credit card company would need to pre-authorize the transaction for you before you can process the transaction online.
If you are still having problems booking through Arctic Adventures website www.adventures.is then please contact our Customer Care Team
We recommend that participants wear warm outdoor clothing, for example, a fleece or wool sweater and pants. You should also bring a change of clothing and swimwear.
No prior kayaking experience is required for the tours as our professional guides will teach the technique on location.
Our kayaking tours are all listed at a level easy or moderate so most people should be able to do the tour. Just keep in mind that the activity is an outdoor nature activity so some physical strength is needed.
All our kayaking tours are operated by experienced and certified professional 4 star BCU sea kayak guides.
We use top of the line plastic sea kayaks.
Our kayaks are very stable and easy to use.
Yes, they can tip over, although they are very stable and it happens rarely. If they tip over the guide has the necessary equipment and ability to quickly tip them over again.
If the kayaks tip over participants don’t have to worry too much, all participants get life jackets and neoprene suits so they will stay warm even if they fall in.
Taking a waterproof camera is a great idea when going on a kayak tour. However, it is not recommended to take too much on this day tour as there is really no need for it.
Although you don’t need to “swim” while sea kayaking, we recommend that you can. People that can’t swim tend to panic when they are in the water. You have to be comfortable with floating in water.
