Golden Circle & Rafting

by Arctic Rafting · Sightseeing day tours · Golden Circle

Fine on your own
Works in the rain

from €292.9 per person

No published departures in the coming months — ask us

Golden Circle & Rafting — Arctic Rafting

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9 photos from Arctic Rafting. Tap any one for the full-size original.

Duration
12 hours
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
All year
Starts in
Reykjavík
Pickup
Hotel pickup included
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
09:00
Minimum age
11
Cancellation
Free until 24 hours before

About this experience

Golden Circle Sightseeing & River Fun Rafting Day Tour from Reykjavík

Explore the Golden Circle; the scenic Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Hot Spring and Gullfoss Waterfall and go rafting on the amazing Hvítá river. The perfect day in Iceland.

Difficulty: 2/5 easy

Time of departure from Reykjavík: Please be ready at your designated pick up location at 12:30, departure at 13:00. Note that it can take us up to 30 minutes to arrive.

Our first stop on the famous Golden Circle is Thingvellir National Park. Thingvellir is an Icelandic cultural stable, a UNESCO world heritage site and the birthplace of Alþingi, the oldest existing parliament in the world founded by the Vikings more than a thousand years ago. Thingvellir is also a place of many geological wonders as it lies in the tectonic rift valley between America and Europe and home to Iceland's largest natural lake. It is surrounded by beautiful volcanoes created from the ongoing tectonic drift. The second stop is Geysir geothermal area, which is home of the original erupting "geyser" and his little brother Strokkur. Catch the sight of boiling hot water bursting from the ground up to 25 meters high. Next we stroll down to Gullfoss, the queen of Icelandic waterfalls. Gullfoss, "the Golden Waterfall", is a powerful and beautiful sight. The water flows 32 meters down three steps of lava rocks with amazing grandeur.

Lastly, to add the excitement to sightseeing with we go RAFTING. Hvítá is the river that gives Gullfoss its power so splish splashing in it will surely refresh you. The river gives us a beautiful experience, combining scenic canyons with adrenaline pumping rapids. Hvítá is a class II river, making it a fun ride while staying safe and suitable for almost anyone who‘s looking for an adventure. After the excitement you can warm up in the hot tubs and sauna, relax and maybe even enjoy a well-earned beverage.

This trip is the perfect day in Iceland with stunning natural beauty, Viking history, amazing geological wonders, and a great rafting adventure.

Disclaimer: All rafting trips are undertaken on the responsibility of its participants. Arctic Rafting does not assume any responsibility for accidents which are caused by its customers or can be traced to there own actions. Participants have to sign a waiver before undertaking all trips stating that they realize that all outdoor activities carry an inherent risk.

Description from the operator, Arctic Rafting. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Where you go

Reykjavík
Þingvellir National Park
Geysir Hot Springs Area
Gullfoss Waterfall
Drumboddsstaðir Rafting Base
Reykjavík

Included

Pick up and drop off in Reykjavík
Guided tour of the Golden Circle with visits to Þingvellir National Park, Geysir and Gullfoss.
Rafting tour down the scenic Hvítá River with all necessary equipment and an expert guide

Not included

Towels, food and beverages are not included.

Good to know

Warm undergarment clothing, fleece/wool sweater and pants and warm socks
Change of clothing
Bathing suit & towel.

Although you don't need to "swim" while river rafting/canoeing, we recommend that you can. You have to be comfortable with floating in water.

All of our tours begin from Drumbó River Base. At Drumbó you find:

Changing rooms
Showers
Sauna
Bar and coffee
Restaurant

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

Why this one and not the cheaper one?

The nearest cheaper Golden Circle Full day Bus Tour guided in Chinese冰岛黄金圈蓝色秘境瀑布中文一日团 from Magic Iceland Travel is €81 — €212 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

	Arctic Rafting · €293	Magic Iceland Travel · €81
How long it runs	12 hours	9 hours
Getting there	Picks you up	You make your own way
How hard it is	Moderate	Easy

The €212 buys you 3 more hours out and hotel pickup. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Who this is not for

Children under 11 cannot join this one.
Not a good fit if you want a relaxed day: 12 hours is a long time on the road, most of it spent getting there and back.

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

Why we list it

Arctic Rafting is one of 204 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 Arctic Rafting

Read all 139 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.9/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

Alan Cammack
★★★★★ · a month ago
Very accommodating and welcoming in every way! The guides are highly trained, engaging, and clearly enjoy being on the river. There are nice showers, hot tubs, and a sauna for after the trip. The restaurant and bar were excellent as well and I had the best hamburger for my entire trip in Iceland. Highly recommend!
Ahmed Almonsouri
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
I come to the rafting experience twice a year because I LOVE IT SO MUCH. What makes this experience fun are not only the rapids, but the guides on this trip. Victoria was our guide this year, and she was PHENOMENAL. She really made our trip unforgettable, she is hilarious, witty, easy going, and made sure everyone was safe all the time. I still remember her sense of humor in the middle of the day, and laugh a little. The other guides are also amazing, like Arjun. Very kind man, fun on the rafting, and super professional and overall fun. I have done rafting experiences all over the world, but I always look forward to our rafting experience in Iceland with Arctic Rafting because of the guides and how fun they make it. I rarely write reviews, but I only do so when the experience is above and beyond, and Arctic Adventures, you deserve 10 stars!
Tim R
★★★★★ · 4 months ago
Wonderful group of people. Our guide Victoria was very knowledgeable, patient, and professional. She and Armon (safety staff) gave our group a great time. The landscape was breathtaking. Our favorite part was the cliff jump. Unforgettable!!
Zita Zaikauske
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
One of the best Adventure👌Well organized, perfect atmosphere, amaizing guides. Fun is all the time. After the boat trip you can enjoy hot tubs, sauna and meal👌🤩

Reviews from Google · updated 21 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.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Reykjavík, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in Reykjavík →

One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
203 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 €13 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.