Packrafting Expeditions Iceland

Iceland is one of the most fascinating places on earth. The price we pay, to explore the lava island in the Polar Sea autonomously, is the rough and very windy climate, a difficult terrain and challenging rivers. Every now and then we take a small group of packrafting adventurers into this unique packrafting Eldorado.

"Iceland is made of waterfalls, magic and lava rocks, held together by moss"

- An Icelander about Iceland -

Follow us into the loneliness of the rough, partly barren Icelandic highlands. This packrafting expedition from North to South, takes us from the highlands of the southern Icelandic coast, through a landscape built from lava, over glaciers, torrential rivers, glass clear blue lakes and creeks into wide glacier streams.

As a challenging and demanding tour this expedition is almost only off tracks in the Icelandic highlands. It requires, that you carry all equipment (including food for 7 days) on your own.

Partly you have to climb long distant ascents with heavy gear.

Difficult terrain on land and water. Partly wide, spreading and confusing glacier streams, sandy easy ground, steep slopes, snow fields, lake crossings if necessary despite strong winds.
Day stages between 15km and 25 km.
Limited to 6 participants.
For preparation you will receive packing lists, weather information and competent and personal advice through our guides.

Tales of the previous expeditions in our Land Water Blog:

Long report of the expedition 2018

Short stories from the expedition 2019

Next expected expedition period: 7 days between mid June - early July 2022.

We are planning the next expedition to Iceland for summer 2022, first interested people have already contacted us. If you are interested, please fill out the form below for a non-binding participation request. If 4 or more people are interested, we will start looking for dates and binding bookings about 8 months before the possible expedition period (if the Corona pandemic progresses positively).

When interested in participation, please request participation or contact us for more information.

Requirements

The minimum requirements for participation in our Iceland expeditions are:

Personal invitation from the LWA-team after previous training participation or an interview with the guide-team on your previous experience
Participation in at least one two-day Multiday-Packrafting-Training
Participation in a whitewater-training or similar previous experience in whitewater-kayak/-packraft

Depending on experience and knowledge the expedition team can customize these requirements individually.

The following trainings are suitable for preparation for this expedition:

Multiday Packrafting trainings Hunsrück (2-4 days)
Whitewater packrafting trainings Tyrol (3 days)
Whitewater packrafting trainings Slovenia (3-5 days)
Packrafting expedition training Norway (7 days)

The requirements to your outdoor equipment is, due to the stormy weather and rough climatic conditions, very high. We recommend an expedition suitable tent, a waterproof backpack and high-quality outdoor gear.

Thomas, participant of the Iceland Expedition in 2017:

"Two years after my trip to the Sylan Mountains I again was one week on tour with LWA – an individual trip in the southern part of Iceland.
I don’t want to deal with the description of this country, to be any way near in describing these unforgettable and fascinating impressions you must be a writer or poet. I am neither, just a 60 year old, reasonably fit, townsman who learned to trust in Sebastian from LWA: If Sebastian offers me a hiking/rafting trip to the Icelandic highlands, he will be sure that I can make it, and that is all I need to know.
This trust paid off. I experienced the capability of a man, having an experienced guide, precise preparation and a bit of flexibility on-site. In every single way a challenging but fulfilling week, in which I partly was happy doing nothing but following Sebastian’s wide back. In the last two years LWA became an even more professional provider of adventure trips. I highly recommend anyone to take the chance and explore your own limits."

Gallery

Route and area

Arrival and departure: Reykjavik, Iceland (Flight), then transfer

Route

The area of this expedition is the South East of Iceland close by known spots like Landmannalauger and Thorsmörk. North of this, the lonely part of the Icelandic highlands begins.

This is where our expedition starts. The route changes every year and is not set in advance. We will try to find our way through a mix of rivers, lakes, country and glacier crossings, from our drop off point in the highlands, to the South cost of Iceland.

Depending on the weather conditions, the group set and the on site circumstances, like glacier river levels, the expedition will end at one of the exit points, we planed in advance.

You will be extensively prepared by briefings and documents, that you will receive in advance.

Area of expedition is the South East of Iceland.

Expeditionsgebiet Island

Prices, logistics and registration

Participation, transfer and rent of packrafting equipment:

Expedition participation: 2359€
Includes all transfers from and to the team hotel in Reykjavik.
Rental fee for packrafting equipment (optional): 240 € (packraft, paddle, dry suit, pack sack, pack straps) + 30€ equipment shipping to and from you (Germany and the most EU countries) before expedition start and after expedition ending.
Does not include: flights, food and the nights before and after arrival and departure in Reykjavik (recommendations for accomodation are part of the expedition documents).

Please contact us through the form below if you are interested.

Booking flights: We ask you to arrive latest on the afternoon of the day before the first expedition day, so we can brief the entire group, the evening before the tour starts. Early in the morning on our first expedition day we will transfer you from Reykjavik to the start point of the Icelandic highlands. The return flight should not be earlier than on the first day following the last expedition day.

For preparation and tuning in we will have a virtual meeting through a video-call. We will plan the expedition date as soon as the group is completed.

The required minimum number of participants is 3.

Request expedition participation Iceland

Information

By submitting this form you express your interest in participation in one of our expeditions.

Following this submission we will contact you personally and discuss further steps. By submitting, you agree to us contacting you.

The submission of this form does not by itself entitle to participation.

Expedition name and date

Name*

Address*

eMail*

Phone (mobile preferred)*

Please tell us about your previous outdoor/tour/Packrafting experience

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Upon receipt of the automatic mail, your reservation request is securely transmitted, logged into the system and we usually respond within a few days with a personal confirmation.

From time to time our availability is limited due to adventures, so a personal response will be delayed. The current status of our personal availability can be found here: Contact and current availability.