Kayaking between icebergs: the ultimate paddling experience

Close to nature and personal!

Kayakers love nature and the challenge. So how about a kayaking adventure among icebergs? A unique combination!

Kayak tours can be found almost everywhere in the world: even in places as adventurous as Spitsbergen or Greenland. And even in Antarctica. The lonely nature of the Arctic and Antarctic can be experienced in a kayak from a completely new perspective and in complete peace. You drift through the solitude in silence and wonder, paddling your kayak between icebergs.

But there are also travel destinations that are easier to reach. If you don't want to travel all the way south or north, you can alternatively visit Iceland, for example. There you can also take a kayak tour between icebergs and make your dream of paddling in the ice come true: for example on the beautiful glacial lake Jökulsárlón.

Especially for kayak trips in the Arctic or Antarctic, the kayak equipment naturally includes not only the kayak and paddle, but also special clothing. As a rule, dry suits are worn during the tours, which protect against wind, water and cold. Sometimes special gloves are also provided. It's important that you stay warm and dry on your icy adventure. So you can enjoy the nature experience in a relaxed manner in a kayak between icebergs, sea ice sheets or drift ice.

Kayak experience surrounded by Antarctic icebergs

Antarctica is only accessible to tourists by cruise ship. But some of the tourist expedition ships offer kayaking in Antarctica in addition to shore excursions and dinghy trips. Beautiful icebergs await paddlers on the icy coasts of the Antarctic Peninsula. Some are shaped like small sculptures, others are impressive enough because of their gigantic size. The small kayak between the large icebergs takes the perception of the white wonder world to a new level. Antarctica also has glaciers, drift ice and penguins to offer and with a bit of luck the penguin will even dive past the kayak.

We were with the expedition ship Sea Spirit on a trip to Antarctica. It was possible for kayakers or interested parties to book kayak excursions in advance. While the other travelers traveled in rubber dinghies or, alternatively, extended their shore excursions, the kayak club was able to experience Antarctica by paddling.

Kayaking on the ice edge in Svalbard (Spitsbergen)

In Spitsbergen you can book half-day, day or multi-day kayak tours with local providers. Tours usually start in Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Svalbard. In order to penetrate deeper into the Svalbard archipelago or, for example, to reach the pack ice limit, a longer ship voyage is suitable. In addition to shore excursions and dinghy rides, some of the cruise ships also offer kayaking along the way.

In Svalbard, kayakers can enjoy lonely coasts with beautiful fjord landscapes and marvel at huge glacier escarpments with drift ice and small icebergs. Depending on the season or how far north your tour takes you, you can also experience sea ice sheets and the pack ice boundary.

We have Experienced Svalbard and polar bears with Poseidon Expeditions. If you were interested, you could book canoe tours on cruises in advance and thus experience the High Arctic by paddling: Sea Spirit Kayak Club. For safety reasons, however, care was taken to ensure that polar bear safaris did not take place by kayak, but rather with motorized inflatable boats.

Kayak tour between icebergs in the glacial lakes of Iceland

In our opinion, the large glacial lake Jökulsárlón in the north-east of Iceland should definitely not be missed on any Iceland tour. It's best to bring plenty of time or come back several times and watch how the icebergs in the lagoon change. Depending on the calving and the tide, there will suddenly be more icebergs or fewer, drift ice will be pushed together or an iceberg will suddenly simply turn over. You can watch the icebergs from the shores of the glacial lake, take a boat trip on the Jökulsárlón or experience a kayak tour.

In addition to the famous Jökulsárlón, there are other glacial lakes in Iceland that can be explored by kayak. There are also good chances of finding icebergs on the Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon a little further northwest and on the small glacial lake Heinabergslón a little further southeast of Jökulsárlon. In the north of Iceland (approx. 12 kilometers from the famous Skogafoss waterfall), kayak tours are offered on the glacier lagoon of Sólheimajökull.