Rafting on the Golden Circle since 1985
Arctic Rafting is a small locally owned company. Our favorite thing to do is rafting and being on the river. The rafting trips on Hvítá River have been running from this location since 1985, and have since then become one of the most popular outdoor activities in Iceland. It is a cherished activity among locals as well as foreigners, as it combines thrilling waves with the fantastic views of basalt columns and Brúarhlöð, the canyon that Hvítá flows through. The river is comfortably situated a short drive from Gullfoss and Geysir, right in the heart of the Golden Circle, making it a perfect adventure activity to add to your Golden Circle experience.
Arctic Rafting is an ambitious company (go big or go home!) and keeps the safety standards high for its river guides and river equipment. All guides are certified by the International Rafting Federation (IRF) or equivalent, have a Swift Water Rescue certification, in addition to advanced training in first aid with Wilderness First Responder. This ensures that rafting down Hvítá is a safe activity, for anyone who is up for a fun adventure! We raft because we think rafting on a glacier river is something that everyone should have on their bucket list. The cool water splashes are revitalizing and the views from the river are simply magnificent!
The History of Rafting in Hvítá
Bátafólkið / The Boat People
The history of rafting in Iceland dates back to 1983 when the couple Villa and Bassi began playing on the river. They had bought a book about river rafting, ordered a boat from abroad and built the paddles themselves. In the beginning they flipped the boat, went man overboard, but said that they learnt the ways of the river fast. In 1985 they began to operate tours for Icelanders and in 1990 they began taking foreign visitors down the river under the name Bátafólkið or simply; The Boat People.
Drumbó River Base
The former farm Drumboddstaðir (Drumbó) is the cradle of river exploration in Iceland. Villa and Bassi knocked on the farm’s door in 1985 to ask if they could dry their socks. One of the inhabitants at Drumbó, a Drumba-sister, came to the door. Later in an interview she said that the couple never left after that first day. In 1990, the couple bought an old barn at Drumbór and turned it into a River Base.
The Icelandic River Community
Villa and Bassi got further help from abroad with river safety and knowledge from Norway, New Zealand, the UK, Mexico and Nepal thus building up the river community in Iceland. In the year 2005 a couple of young rafters, Torfi and Jón Heiðar bought the operation, as well as a competing company, Arctic Rafting founded in 1997, with Drumbó serving as the River Base.
Arctic Rafting
In 2005 the young rafters established Arctic Adventures, offering a wider range of adventure tours, such as glacier hikes and snorkeling alongside the original Icelandic adventure tour, River Rafting. In 2020, Ms. Tinna Sigurðardóttir became the new owner of the re-established Arctic Rafting. She bought the rafting operations out of Arctic Adventurs and once again Drumbó River Base only housed specialized rafting operations.
Ms. Tinna Sigurðardóttir
Tinna is a former teenage-rafting-groupie that turned into a river professional and now has over 20 years of experience in a wide variety of adventure tours in Iceland. Tinna from the very first splash in Hvítá became passionate about the river, river sport and river travel. In addition to being a river guide she is also a white water kayaker, glacier guide and dive instructor. You could say she likes water in all its forms, white water, sea, frozen and of course our sauna. In addition to that, she also holds a degree in Business Administration from Griffith University, Australia.
Back to the roots!
Tinna’s family is originally from Efstidalur, a place not far from where Drumbó is situated. Arctic Rafting puts an emphasis on contributing to the local community. One example is by cooking with the vegetables grown in the farmhouses nearby and use the best of other local food sources, which also aids in our quest to be environmentally friendly. We treat nature with respect, by leaving minimal trace on our tours. We of course recycle and compost, delivering the nutrients back into the earth, where they belong.
What is this River Rafting?
Good question! Rafting is an outdoor activity which uses an inflatable raft to sail down a river and has been popular since at least 1950. The boats used are made of advanced nylon and at Drumbó we have 8-10 person boats. Everyone is equipped with a paddle and therefore teamwork is needed to navigate down the river. All team members need to paddle, according to the instructions of the river guide.
On Hvítá it is possible that you might fall overboard, but the river is friendly and our guides will quickly assist you to get back on the boat. In all cases you will get wet.
Whitewater is divided into classes based on the difficulty of each river, mostly based on how demanding the rapids are. The classes go from class 1 up to class 6 with Class 1 being the easiest, and class 6 the hardest. If there is one class 3 rapid on the river, the whole river section would be graded as class 3, even though some of the rapids are only class 2.
Hvítá is graded as class 2, therefore it contains some rough water and requires maneuvering, which your guide will be responsible for. The skill level required is basic and is therefore suitable for most people.