Calm Water Kayaking

by Borea Adventures · Boat tours · Westfjords

4.8· 43 reviews of this tour4.60· 175 Google reviews of the operator

Fine on your own
Eco-certified
Self-guided

from €132 per person

Next departure: Thu 20 May

Book Thu 20 May · €132 Other dates

1 / 8

8 photos from Borea Adventures. Tap any one for the full-size original.

Duration
2 hours and 30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Season
All year
Starts in
Ísafjörður
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Borea Adventures outdoor base
Mávagarður C, Ísafjörður
Departs
09:00, 09:30, 10:30, 12:30 …
Minimum age
12
Cancellation
Cancelling costs 30% of the price within 7 days of departure.

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.

Our take on this one

Two and a half hours of flat-water paddling straight out of Ísafjörður, under the mountains that hem the town in. Borea run it for complete beginners as readily as for people who own a boat, and all the gear and a guide are in the price. The fjord is sheltered, which is why it runs year-round when open sea kayaking would not. In summer the water carries eider ducks, oystercatchers and arctic terns, and a seal colony lives in the fjord — we won't promise you a seal, but this is their address. The guides talk history and small-town life while you paddle, which is a good part of the value. Eight start times through the day; minimum age 12.

Book it if: Anyone spending a day in Ísafjörður who wants to see the fjord from the water without any paddling experience.
Skip it if: It is a calm two and a half hours close to town — if you came to the Westfjords for a serious expedition, this is not it.

Written by us, from the operator's own details and what we know of the route. We don't take a fee for a good word.

About this experience

A wonderful experience for beginners and veterans alike, this tour takes you paddling just beneath the magnificent mountains that tower over our small town. This trip is a perfect half-day activity. Experience the majesty of our fjord from a unique angle. Our guides will be sure to tell stories of history, folklore and life in a small town close to the arctic circle. During the summer, we can expect to see many sea birds including Oystercatchers, Arctic Terns, Eider ducks and of course the curious colony of seals who call Ísafjörður their home.

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

Included

All kayaking gear and professional guide.

Good to know

Warm woollen or fleece clothing including top, bottoms and socks. Please avoid cotton as it keeps you cold when wet and takes a very long time to dry. Sturdy shoes, no flip flops. Sunhat, sunglasses and sunscreen, it can get sunny up here. Water bottle. Don’t forget your camera.

Cancellation for this tour

Cancelling costs 30% of the price within 7 days of departure. 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 sea state — the skipper decides an hour or two before departure. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

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.
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 →

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

Borea Adventures 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 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 21 Oct 2026

Read before you book

Kayaking in Iceland: glacier lagoon or fjord?Paddle a glacier lagoon if you want icebergs and are in the southeast anyway; paddle a fjord if you want calm water, seals and a cheaper, gentler two hours.
Seal watching in Iceland: where to see themYtri Tunga on Snæfellsnes is the easiest seal stop from Reykjavík, all year. Jökulsárlón and Ísafjörður are better in summer, and Vatnsnes is self-drive only.

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.

Boat tours — questions people ask

Where do boat tours leave from in Reykjavík?

The Old Harbour, on Ægisgarður pier, about five minutes' walk from most downtown hotels and ten from Hallgrímskirkja. Elding and Reykjavik Sailors both have ticket offices there. Whale, puffin, sea-angling and northern-lights boats all use the same area. Arrive thirty minutes before departure to check in. The Viðey ferry (/experience/1539/) leaves from the same harbour in summer and from Skarfabakki the rest of the year.

Is the Jökulsárlón boat tour worth it?

Yes, if you are already at the lagoon. A Zodiac gets you among the icebergs and close to the glacier edge in a way the shore cannot, and the combined glacier hike and Zodiac day (/experience/716547/) is the best full day in the southeast. Boats run in the warmer months only; check the tour page for dates. It is not worth a fourteen-hour day trip from Reykjavík just for the boat.

What is the difference between a Zodiac and an amphibian boat at Jökulsárlón?

A Zodiac is a fast rigid inflatable seating around ten, with a guide who can nose it near the glacier face and into iceberg fields; you wear a flotation suit and get a bit wet. The amphibian is a slow duck boat carrying larger groups on a fixed loop. The Zodiac is the better trip and the one we list. It has a minimum age and is bumpier; the tour page has details.

Will a boat tour be cancelled if it is windy?

Quite possibly. Operators cancel whale, puffin and lagoon boats when the wind or swell makes them unsafe or pointless, and Iceland is windy. The decision usually comes the evening before or early on the day, by email or text. You get a full refund or a new date. Book boat trips early in your stay rather than on your last day so a cancellation can be rebooked.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Ísafjörður, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site. Ourhotels is our sister company — the same people, a different business — so we list it first and say so.

All hotels in Westfjords →

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

from

€132 per person

Borea Adventures's own price. 3% off the whole trip when you book two or more tours together, in one checkout.

Your date

The next departure we can see — change it if this tour is for another day.

Pick a date to check departures.

Departs09:0009:3010:3012:3013:0014:3015:0016:00

Ísafjörður: light 03:36–23:21, 19 h 45 min of daylight.

· Cancelling costs 30% of the price within 7 days of departure.
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Borea Adventures cancels for weather or safety: a full refund, or another date
✓ Card — Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device offers it — through Stripe; the charge is made in Icelandic krónur
✓ Price promise: Borea Adventures's own price, or we refund the difference
✓ One checkout, even with tours from several operators
✓ Vetted operator — the six checks every operator passes

Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €8 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.