Þingvellir | Sunset in Mosfellsbær | Þingvellir, Arnarfell | Wintermoon over Helgafell |
---|---|---|---|
Wild blueberries | Þingvellir, Peningagjá | Faxaflói, sailing | Strokkur... resting |
Strokkur... exploding, take one. | Strokkur... exploding take two.. | Strokkur... exploding take three... | Strokkur... full blast |
Strokkur erupting | Gullfoss the face in the watherfall | Gullfoss | A small geysir |
A geysir | Geysir, the one and only | Þingvellir church | Brúará river |
Grimsnes, fresh wather | Night sky at sommertime | Reykjanesviti lighthouse | Horse basking in the spring sun |
Þingvellir riders in Almannagjá | Þingvellir Flosagjá | Reykjavík sunset | Sunset over Leirvogsárósar |
Þingvellir riders in Almannagjá | Grímsnes, river | Grímsnes river | Stokkseyri memorial |
Stokkseyri | Reykjanes | Reykjavik sunset | Reykjanes |
Þingvellir | Grímsnes, a hut in winter | Stokkseyri, canoes | Laugarvatn |
Sunset in Mosfellsbær | Þingvellir, Arnarfell | Wintermoon over Helgafell | Wild blueberries |
Þingvellir, Peningagjá | Faxaflói, sailing | Strokkur... resting | Strokkur... exploding, take one. |
Strokkur... exploding take two.. | Strokkur... exploding take three... | Strokkur... full blast | Strokkur erupting |
Gullfoss the face in the watherfall | Gullfoss | A small geysir | A geysir |
Geysir, the one and only | Brúará river | Grimsnes, fresh wather | Night sky at sommertime |
Reykjanesviti lighthouse | Horse basking in the spring sun | Þingvellir riders in Almannagjá | Þingvellir church |
Þingvellir Flosagjá | Reykjavík sunset | Sunset over Leirvogsárósar | Þingvellir riders in Almannagjá |
Grímsnes, river | Grímsnes river | Stokkseyri memorial | Stokkseyri |
Reykjanes | Reykjavik sunset | Reykjanes | Grímsnes, a hut in winter |
Stokkseyri, canoes | Laugarvatn |
Photos Anna Björk
A JOURNEY IS LIKE MARRIAGE
THE CERTAIN WAY TO BE WRONG IS TO THINK YOU CONTROL IT
John Steinbeck.
VIKING RAFTING - Partner profile
More than just a passion, it’s a LIFESTYLE!
The Vikings
We are the newest face of northern Iceland’s longest-running river rafting company, now owned and operated by the same guides that take you down the river everyday! Our passion for paddling is stronger than ever, as is our commitment to providing all of our guests with the most fun and professional service in the industry. With more combined years on the river than any other rafting tour operator in Iceland, we invite you to join our smiling guides for the ultimate river adventure and the perfect compliment to your trip to Iceland!
Our revised menu of river adventure tours now offers the largest variety of whitewater rafting and kayaking tours in Iceland. From half-day family floats and full-day adrenaline-pumping whitewater, to multi-day rafting expeditions and custom kayaking explorations, we continue to dig deeper into Iceland’s river wilderness than any other. Our door is always open, and we warmly welcome you to drop by, grab a paddle, and share a once-in-a-lifetime river adventure with Iceland’s whitewater specialists!
SPREADING A CULTURE OF "ECO" TOURISM
Iceland’s wilderness is unique in many ways, perhaps most of all because it remains largely intact and undisturbed. This is a result of centuries of little population living in isolated harmony with their environment. Today, things are changing, quickly and irreversibly. Explosive growth in adventure tourism and local economic ambitions are putting Iceland's fragile environment under unprecedented and dangerous strain. There are few environmental laws to regulate the ways in which companies practice, and fewer authorities to enforce them. Today, Iceland's wilderness depends greatly on industry leaders to maintain a culture of environmental integrity by setting good examples. At Viking Rafting, we recognize and honour our responsibility to lead by example. We see sound environmental practice as a part of our committment to setting and maintaining the highest professional standards within Iceland's whitewater industry.
PRACTICING WHAT WE PREACH
Our daily practices include filtering our trash to remove reusables, recyclables, and compost. In doing so, we minimizing our contribution of unwelcome black plastic bags to the environment. We keep all of our old and broken river equipment to use for spare parts and art projects (meet Rafting Eddy)! We repair all of our equipment on site, and have even begun to design and produce some of our own gear. Where possible, we use reclaimed wood and salvaged materials in building projects before purchasing them new. We source almost all of the meat we serve (and consume ourselves) from local farms, and are working towards doing the same with our produce. We keep our vehicle use to a minimum by sticking to a fixed trip schedule and by sharing our long-distance shuttle service with other companies. We avoid installing unsightly toilet trailers or advertising billboards in the otherwise pristine river canyon. Most importantly we strive for ongoing improvement in our knowledge and our ways. To perpetuate the cycle of awareness and good practice, we partner with like-minded companies and promote those we know share similar environmental values.
SHARING A LOVE FOR OUR WILD PLAYGROUND
A paddler's relationship with the river is one that few others can truly understand. Our love, respect, and committment to our natural environment was our lifestyle long before it became our "policy".
In our daily lives on the river, Mother Nature reigns supreme— she seduces us with her beauty, awes us with her might, and charms us with her style. What she often fails to show us is how vulnerable she really is and how much our actions hurt her. She depends on those who know her best to help others understand her needs. Here we recognize our duty to educate and inspire every one of our guests through one-of-a-kind whitewater experiences. In this way we strive to play a powerful role in raising awareness, shaping attitudes, and improving the ways in which we interact with nature.
WHY DO WE CARE SO MUCH?
Paddling was once our passion before it was our business. Today, it still is.
The Team
HI, MY NAME IS RAGNHEIÐUR GUÐMUNDSDÓTTIR
Please feel free to call me Ragga if you are struggling with my given name. It’s cool I totally understand if you do. I am the only person of my sex working for this company and my job mostly consists of things like answering emails and phone calls. Yeah the boring stuff, right? ...but someone needs to do it because it’s important too. But if you are concerned about gender equality, you should definitely try and convince my boss to send me rafting more often, after all I ‘m no stranger to the river…I mean I did live on the Ganges for 6 month this winter.
HI, MY NAME IS TIMO RATGEBER
I am the guy with that big black thing between his legs. That's because I am the driver. I am a guide as well but this is a rare sight these days.
HI, MY NAME IS SURJAN TAMANG
Hi Namastey, I am Surjan from small country called Nepal. I have been working as raft guide and safety kayaker for almost five years and living by the river almost all my life. This is my second summer here in Iceland with the Viking rafting family. I am always happy to guide you down on the river or be your safety kayaker☺!!!
HI, MY NAME IS FRED MATHÉ MILNER
This is my 4th season rafting in Iceland and I've studied 2 years in the Outdoor Academy of Finland. My relevant certificates to rafting are Wilderness First Responder and Swiftwater Rescue Technician. I've also attended a few raft guide Courses.
HI, MY NAME IS ROBIN BUSHELL
I'm from the UK, nearly a Welshman but from the flatlands in the east. Love to kayak, climb and long board. Here I'll be trip leading, sneakily splashing you unawares and always having a laugh. Lets have all the fun in this beautiful place!
HI, MY NAME IS MICHAEL BELL
Every body calls me Mikey, the Kenya river guide straight out of Scotland. Born and raised in Kenya and no im not black. Iv been kayaking and rafting for 5 years. If not hucking a waterfall, then ripping up the pow on skis. Always smiling with the attitude; sarcasm is the greatest form of wit.
HI, MY NAME IS ANUP GURUNG
My parents tried everything to keep me away from water. They didn't even allow me to take the swimming lesson in high school (I can tell you why if we ever meet). However, my parent's failed to keep me off the water. 2014 makes it 17 years since I have been rafting and kayaking and this is summer # 14 in the Icelandic ragging whitewater. Sometime I think I should find something else, little bit more warmer river perhaps. However, I have not found a perfect river like the East Glaciar River yet. So, as long as I am in Iceland, PHYSICALLY able and the river is flowing (not DAMMED), I will be going HARD. When I am not in Iceland I am in Nepal doing some social work, guiding tourist or simply chillaxing somewhere by the river.
HI, MY NAME IS CHRIS DOYLE-KELLY
I am an Irish-blooded, English-speaking, French-Canadian who has somehow found a home in northern Iceland! I have been a part of the river community up here since 2007, and in that time have had the opportunity to share some awesome paddling with many great guys and girls from all corners of the world. These days, it's hard to say exactly where you'll find me... steering your raft into big waves, capturing moments from behind the lens, in the drivers seat of the bus, serving you a cold one after your trip, or if I'm having a really good day... catching air off a big waterfall somewhere out there!