Private Canyoning Adventure Experience
by Ice Guardians Iceland · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón
- Works in the rain
- Eco-certified
from €1,467.43 per person
Next departure: Tue 1 Jun
1 / 15
Duration
5 hours
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
All year
Starts in
Höfn
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Haukafell Campground, Road 986, Höfn í hornafirði (dreifbýli)
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
09:00, 13:30
Minimum age
12
Cancellation
Cancelling costs 30% of the price within 365 days of departure, rising to 48% within 30 days, then 65% within 20 days.
About this experience
We operate this unique experience in South Eastern Iceland where we'll spend half a day moving down a river canyon using a variety of safe techniques such as;
- Jumping and sliding into crystal clear pools
- Abseiling down sheer rock faces and down waterfalls.
We begin by meeting on location, getting you geared up and briefed on safety. As we set off we will walk through the nurseries of trees planted by locals of the Forestry Association of Austur-Skaftafellinga. Along the way you will see what it would've been like to be a farmer at the foot of Europe's largest ice cap, Vatnajökull.
This trip is built for all who can move with ease for half a day, walking on uneven trails and being confident in water. We will take you through and practice the techniques that will be required to get down the canyon safely on the day.
Canyoning experience is NOT necessary. We can accommodate a maximum of 6 on this experience (if your party is more, just email info@ice-guardians.com).
Come with us and we will make sure to send you home with a story and some epic shots.
Description from the operator, Ice Guardians Iceland. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Included
- Experienced, knowledgeable and locally based Adventure Guides
- Guides will carry first aid kit, emergency communication, rope and rescue equipment.
- Necessary safety equipment will be provided (wetsuits, gloves, boots, helmets, rappelling hardware)
- Short hike to and from the canyon
- Abseiling/Rappelling instruction before the first descent
- Hot Soup on return.
Not included
- Your own vehicle transport to the meeting point- Haukafell Campsite, Hornafjörður
- Photo package (available as an optional add-on)
Good to know
- A swimsuit/fitted sports t-shirt/underwear.
- Dry clothes and a towel for after the trip.
- Camera/ mobile phone to capture your memories with a waterproof case.
- Difficulty rating, 2/5 (see FAQs).
- You will be asked to declare any medical conditions to your guide/s that will or could have an impact on a trip. If you are unsure if a medical condition will impact the trip, please drop us a message using the chat function or email info@ice-guardians.com
- For more than 6 people, please get in touch at info@ice-guardians.com
- Minimum age 12 (our guides have the right to ask for ID)
Cancellation for this tour
Cancelling costs 30% of the price within 365 days of departure, rising to 48% within 30 days, then 65% within 20 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.
- 1Ice Guardians Iceland 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.
- 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.
- 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 →
Sold out on your date?
Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.
Who this is not for
- Not for families with children under 12 — the operator will not take them, even with a parent.
Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.
Why we list it
Ice Guardians Iceland 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 Ice Guardians Iceland
Read all 115 reviews on Google →Operator rating 5.0/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.
★★★★★ · a month ago
Our day exploring the glacier and ice climbing was exceptional. I’ve had some glacier and climbing experience, but it was my friend’s first time on a glacier. Our guide, Kish, did an amazing job with making a day that both made my friend comfortable with glacial travel and ice climbing, and gave me pointers to be a more effective climber. We were fortunate to have amazing weather and took advantage of it. The views were brilliant! Kish did a great job as a guide, adapting the day based on our skill level, scaling up the difficulty as the day progressed based on how we were performing. Kish was a great guy to hang out with for the day, teaching us about the glacier, was a great climbing instructor, and gave us some good suggestions for our next day since we were staying in the area. I would whole-heartedly recommend Ice Guardians to anyone that wants to have a day in Iceland to remember. The program we did (Vatnajökull Hiking and Ice Climbing Tour) was well worth the price. The smaller group size and longer time spent on the glacier meant we were able to escape the crowds and really feel like we were exploring the glacier instead of just following the well-trodden paths of the large groups.
★★★★★ · 3 months ago
My husband and I did a full day glacier hike/ice climb followed by a half day canyon the next day. Both tours were absolutely incredible! We were able to provide input with our routes and how our tours progressed. We felt perfectly safe, yet wonderfully challenged each day. We learned so much while having an absolute blast! I couldn’t recommend Ice Guardians enough and would happily use their services again in a heartbeat!
★★★★★ · a month ago
Kish is an exceptional tour guide. He is an extremely knowledgeable and experienced outdoorsman and glacier hiker. “It’s like my backyard” as he jokes. He took us on a beautiful six hour tour on the Vatnajokull glacier. He knows all the best spots, and we avoided the tourist crowds. We even found an ice cave and got to name it! Kish’s tour far exceeded our expectations. It was easily the highlight of our Iceland vacation.
★★★★★ · 7 months ago
I cannot recommend touring with Ice Guardians enough and am so deeply grateful to have gone on a private tour with Kish!!!! The access and expertise we had was truly unmatched. Throughout the trip, I felt a great deal of sympathy for the other tour groups, whose numbers were in the dozens and whose treks were hardly off the road. It was incredible to get so far off the beaten path, truly immersed in untouched parts of nature, and to be guided by such a fun, knowledgeable, exemplary tour guide. I felt safe, empowered, supported, and happy the entire time. I am so grateful to Kish and Ice Guardians for this once-in-a-lifetime experience and cannot stress enough how big of a difference it made to go with mountaineering expertise, to receive geologist subject matter expertise, and to overall have a lovely day with a certified mountain chiller. No amount of money could be worth it, and no amount of words could describe, how beautiful the increasingly receding glaciers were and how exciting it was to ice climb throughout this otherworldly landscape. I gained even more appreciation for nature after receiving such wonderful education during my tour and having all of my questions answered by a geological expert. I hope to go back to Iceland someday and book additional tours solely because of how incredible this experience was. Thank you so much to Kish and Ice Guardians!!!! Best time ever.
Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026
Read before you book
- Canyoning in Iceland: the half day under VatnajökullIceland's canyoning runs near Höfn from June to mid-September only, from €277. Minimum age twelve, own car needed. Packrafting is the gentler alternative.
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 Höfn í Hornafirði, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.
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 €49 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.
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