Paddle in the Wild

by Borea Adventures · Sightseeing day tours · Multi-day packages · Reykjavík

5.0· 3 reviews of this tour4.60· 175 Google reviews of the operator
  • Fine on your own
  • Self-guided

from €2,419 per person

Next departure: Sun 13 Jun

  • Duration

    6 days and 1 hour

  • Difficulty

    Challenging

  • Season

    All year

  • Starts in

    Isafjørdur - høfn

  • Pickup

    Meet at the start point

  • Starts at

    Borea Adventures outdoor base

    Mávagarður C, Ísafirði

  • Departs

    09:00

  • Minimum age

    18

  • Cancellation

    Cancelling costs 25% of the price within 500 days of departure, rising to 50% within 28 days.

Meeting point, in Borea Adventures's words: Please print this voucher and bring it as confirmation of your payment Meeting point for boat trips to Hornstrandir is at our boat Bjarnarnes in Ísafjörður harbour. Floating docks on the East side of town.

About this experience

This is our longest sea kayak trip. It is a combination of Glacier Fjords Kayaking and Coastal Kayaking Adventure put end to end to create a truly wild adventure. Experience the best of both worlds, the beautiful fjords of Jökulfirðir glacial fjords in Hornstrandir Nature Reserve and Ísafjarðardjúp bay. Both of these areas are considered to offer the best sea kayaking in Iceland. Numerous bird species spend the summer in the area and there is a great chance to spot whales, porpoises, dolphins and seals. We spend the first three nights in comfortable houses and the remaining two nights wild camping on remote beaches. A unique combination which will keep you entertained until the very end. We paddle under towering cliffs, negotiating the waves and rocks which demonstrate nature’s raw power. We will take time to explore rocky coves and inlets and try our hand at surfing small waves should we encounter any. The camp to camp aspect of this trip along with the exposure to the open ocean and long open water crossings make to journey more suited to kayakers with substantial experience under their belt. If your experience is limited we suggest exploring other trips such as Wild Camp Discovery or Glacier Fjords Kayaking.

Description from the operator, Borea Adventures. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

Included: All food Accommodation in comfortable houses for the first three nights Tents for the final two nights, Ferry and car transfer on the first and last day Kayaking gear (kayak, paddle, neoprene pants, dry top, spray skirt, life vest, paddling boots, paddling gloves and additional dry bags) Professional guide. 

Not included: Travel to and from Ísafjörður prior to and after the trip Food on the first day until the trip departs Personal medical insurance Personal equipment and clothing

Good to know

Remember the less you bring, the easier it is. There’s plenty of space in the kayaks if you pack wisely. Thermal base layers, at least two sets of tops. Wool or fleece thermal mid layer. Hiking pants. We don’t recommend cotton as it is cold and takes a long time to dry. Waterproof and breathable pants and jacket for hiking onshore. The lighter - the better. Wool/fleece hat. One pair of warm gloves for camp. 2 to 3 pairs thick wool/synthetic socks. Light hiking shoes for strolls in and around camp. Sleeping bag rated to at least 0°C. Down is best since it packs smaller than synthetic. Sleeping mattress. A thin inflatable one is best as it easily fits inside the boat. Sun glasses. Sunscreen and after sun cream. 1 litre water bottle. Personal medical kit i.e. band aids, throat lozenges, lip salves, sea-sickness tablets etc. Don't forget your personal medication which you may need (e.g. Asthma inhaler, even if you don’t always need it). 2 x Dry bags* Binoculars are nice to have for watching wildlife. (optional) Don't forget your camera. *We use dry bags to keep our personal gear dry, especially our sleeping bags. We have a small selection of dry bags which you may use but you should bring at least two of your own. Test it to make sure that all of your gear fits inside. We supply all paddling gear and clothing. However, feel free to bring your own if you have it available. Your personal gear is guaranteed to fit perfectly and it is comfortable. We recommend good dry pants and top with rubber cuffs or at least a 3mm neoprene wetsuit with a windproof top. A full dry suit is definitely best but can be pretty warm and cumbersome on sunny days but great to have if things get rough. Footwear should preferably be neoprene boots with ankle support and thick soles to safely negotiate the rocky shoreline. Neoprene gloves, mittens or pogies are great at keeping your hands warm. We use neoprene wetsuits on our trips. However, you can upgrade to a dry suit if you would prefer. Please select this option and select your size during the booking process. You can see the size chart here. We also have sleeping bags and sleeping pads available to rent. Please select this option during the booking process.

Cancellation for this tour

Cancelling costs 25% of the price within 500 days of departure, rising to 50% within 28 days. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is a forecast the operator judges unsafe. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

  1. 1Borea Adventures decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
  2. 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
  3. 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until the cutoff shown above, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Who this is not for

  • Not for families with children under 18 — the operator will not take them, even with a parent.
  • Not for anyone unsure on their feet or carrying an injury — the operator rates this as physically demanding, and there is no easy version of the day.

Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.

Why we list it

Borea Adventures is one of 207 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

What travellers say about Borea Adventures

Read all 175 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.6/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Valerie Kramer

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    We went on the Highlights of Hornvik trip in June 2026. We loved it! Hiking was challenging - don't expect level trails - rocks, mud, etc. Really felt like got to see a remote area. Guides were excellent. Very knowledgeable and shared all kinds of interesting information about plants, animals, the environment. Did a good job of managing the group. Since the company has their own boat they have some flexibility in terms of getting back in time - we were a little later but it was okay. Excellent day! Very impressed with the company. It was helpful that they provided walking poles if needed.

  • Hui-Jung Chuang

    ★★★★★ · 4 weeks ago

    we are the 3 ladies who come from Taiwan and join the hiking tour in Hornstrandir national reservation park, we really enjoy the hiking, the good weather, the fresh air, the clear sky, the flowers and the colorful moss est . we are so lucky to see an arctic fox near the little house!! We especially want to thanks our tour guide ( sorry can't know how to write his name) keep our safety and help use choose easier road, and cooked the delicious meat ball. We really enjoy the hiking and thanks you all help also the boat stuff. we already introduce our friends to join your trip !!

  • Teresa Wong

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    Fantastic experience. We saw whales on the boat trip there. The hike was easy with little elevation. We managed to see many bird species, seals and of course the highlight the Arctic fox. The fish soup and Icelandic pancakes were delicious! Our guide was also hilarious, patient and made the whole trip a joy.

  • Amazing Spider-Flint

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    We did the two night Midnight Sun and Arctic Fox tour and it did not disappoint! First we were dropped off 6 km away from the house and hiked to the house. Our guide Mo, prepared our beds and cooked dinner. The next day we made short hikes up and down the coast looking for Arctic Foxes. The sky at sunset was amazing!! The third day just after breakfast a fox was spotted coming towards the house and came close. We spotted him again later from the kayak as he was laying in the grass near the shore. Everything was great and our guide had so much information on everything from the plants and fox to the history as well. Getting away from everything and unplugging was very relaxing. I can't recommend this tour enough.

Reviews from Google · updated 23 Oct 2026

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Multi-day packages — questions people ask

Are multi-day tours in Iceland worth it compared to day trips?

For the southeast, yes. Jökulsárlón and the ice caves are five hours from Reykjavík, so a day trip is fourteen hours of mostly bus. A two- or three-day tour (/experience/6131/, /experience/923386/) sleeps out there, sees the lagoon at a sane hour and adds an ice cave in winter. For the Golden Circle and South Coast alone, day trips are fine. Multi-day tours cost more per day but include the hotel.

What is included in a multi-day tour?

Transport in a minibus with a driver-guide, accommodation with breakfast, all the listed activities such as glacier hikes and ice caves, and the entrance fees on the route. Lunches and dinners are usually not included; you stop at guesthouses and cafes and pay your own way. Single travellers pay a supplement for their own room. Check the tour page for exact inclusions, the hotel standard and luggage limits, which are tight on small buses.

How many days do you need for the Ring Road on a tour?

Six to eight. Six-day tours (/experience/785082/, /experience/876949/) get round with one night in most regions and long driving days. Seven and eight days (/experience/20483/, /experience/33665/) add the highlands or Snæfellsnes and give more time out of the bus. Anything shorter than six is not a Ring Road tour. Summer versions have the highland detours; winter versions swap them for ice caves and shorter daylight.

Should I arrive in Iceland the day before a multi-day tour starts?

Yes. Multi-day tours leave Reykjavík between 08:00 and 09:00 and do not wait for delayed flights. Land the day before, sleep in the city, and start fresh. On the other end, tours arrive back in Reykjavík in the evening, so do not book a flight home the same night. In the planner, put arrival on day one, the tour from day two, and leave the last day for the flight.

  • One checkout, any number of operators

  • Rankings are not for sale

  • 206 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted

  • If it falls short, we fix it

Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €77 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.

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from

€2,419 per person

Book Sun 13 Jun · €2,419