Hvítá rafting near Gullfoss: raft or kayak?

If you have children between eight and ten, the family raft is the only one you can book, and it’s a good one. If everyone is eleven or older, take River Fun Rafting: a bit more splash for €22 more. If you are two adults who have rafted before and want to steer your own boat, take the Kayak River Ride. All three run on the same stretch of the Hvítá, through Brúarhlöð canyon, from the same base.

Where it is and when it runs

The Hvítá is the glacier river that pours over Gullfoss. A few kilometres downstream it squeezes through Brúarhlöð, a short, narrow canyon of basalt and white water. Arctic Rafting runs all three trips from their river base at Drumbó, about 90 minutes from Reykjavík by car.

It is a summer activity. Our calendars show the first departures on 15 May and the last on 15 September, with trips at 11:00 and 15:00 most days. There is no winter version.

The river is class 2. That means bumpy, wet and fun, not dangerous. If you want class 4 whitewater, it is in the north, in Skagafjörður. Our north Iceland rafting guide covers that river.

The family raft

Arctic Rafting’s Family Fun Rafting is from €146 for adults, with cheaper child fares. It runs the calmer lower section of the river, rated 1 of 5, and takes children from eight. A boat holds eight to ten people with a guide. You float through Brúarhlöð at the end, then warm up in the sauna and shower.

This is the right trip for a mixed family. Nobody is scared, and children usually love the canyon.

The standard raft

Arctic Rafting’s River Fun Rafting is from €168, three hours in total, minimum age eleven. It is rated 2 of 5 and runs the livelier rapids before the canyon. Expect to get soaked at least once. Sauna, hot tubs and showers are included at the base.

For a group of adults, or teenagers, this is the one. The difference from the family trip is real but not dramatic. Don’t upgrade to it just to be brave if you have a nervous swimmer in the group.

The kayak

Arctic Rafting’s Kayak River Ride is from €226 a person, adults only, rated 3 of 5. Instead of sitting in a big raft with a guide steering, you share an inflatable kayak with one other person and paddle it yourselves, with a safety team on the water around you. You are lower, closer to the waves, and more likely to swim.

It is the better trip if you have rafted before and found it tame. It is the wrong trip for a first time on moving water, or if one of the two of you would rather not be there.

What you wear

They give you a wetsuit, neoprene shoes, a helmet and a life jacket. In the north the operators use drysuits; here it is a wetsuit, so you will feel the water. Wear wool or fleece underneath, never cotton, and bring a swimsuit, towel and dry clothes for the sauna.

Getting there

Arctic Rafting also sells Reykjavík pickup versions of these trips, but those show no dates in our calendar at the moment. The meet-on-location trips do. So the honest advice is to drive. Combine it with Gullfoss and Geysir and you have a full Golden Circle day.

Without a car, Nordic Nonsense’s Private Golden Circle & River Rafting Tour is from €829 a person, ten hours from Reykjavík, adults only, and shows dates from June. It’s a lot of money. It only makes sense if a private day was the plan anyway.

Our honest take

Families book the Family Fun Rafting and don’t overthink it. Groups of adults book River Fun Rafting. The kayak is for two confident adults who want to get wet on purpose. Whichever you pick, go at 11:00 and spend the afternoon at Gullfoss and Geysir. If the operator cancels for the river or the weather, you get a full refund or a new date.