Heli Rafting

Take the senic route to a wild whitewater rafting adventure down Markárfljót Canyon.

Price

Price availabe upon request - depends on several factors

STarting point

Pick-up available from your accommodation in Reykjavík, or meet us on location just outside Hvollsvöllur.

Age limit

The tour is intended for 18 yrs+

Available from June until the middle of September, with at least three days notice.

departures

Medium difficulty
moderate fitness required.

Markárfljót is a class 3 rafting river, which means it has demanding (and fun) rapids.

Difficulty level

2.5-3 hours, at least 1 hour on the river

Duration

Learn more

Tour Description

Fly your way into an adventure down Markárfljót Canyon

Scenic route

Take your whitewater rafting in Iceland to a new level in the most exclusive and scenic rafting in Iceland: Heli Rafting - Markarfljot Canyon. Take a scenic helicopter ride up the Markarfljot canyon, carved out by glacier water, and is up to 160 meters deep. The canyon offers great class III whitewater rafting and views not seen anywhere else in Iceland with glaciers, waterfalls and the steep basalt and basalt columns of the canyon. 

Well equipped

Upon arrival, we will hand out the equipment needed for the whitewater rafting and suit up before we go on a spectacular helicopter flight up the Markarfljót canyon towards the put-in, where Markarfljót river meets Emstruá river, and the start of the rafting trip. 

The helicopter lands inside the mighty Markarfljótsgljúfur canyon, giving a truly euphoric experience. This section of Markarfljót river is graded 3+ and will take participants on a highly scenic and action packed trip towards the takeout, which is next to the infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

Upgrade to include a glacier hike

This version is a full day, with the ice hiking having the same duration as the rafting, so this way we can split up bigger groups for two different activities. The duration would be 2,5-3 hours including everything, with around an hour of ice hiking on Tungnárkíslarjökull glacier, which is a beautiful outlet glacier coming out of Mýrdalsjökull glacier. In total this would be a 6 hour day on the south coast, if doing both activities, and we recommend setting up a lunch in between in Þórsmörk for example. 

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  • 🚁 Helicopter ride straight to Markárfljót canyon, stunnings views on the way included

    🌊 Rafting trip down wild Markárfljót canyon, with an expert guide

    🤿 All necessary rafting equipment; wetsuit, life-jacket, neoprene shoes, helmet and paddle

    🥳 Small group experience, the boat fits maximum 6 people.

  • Warm wool or fleece sweater and thermal underwear (pants) to wear underneath the wetsuit. Warm wool socks. This might get wet during your tour. Don’t wear cotton as it will not keep you warm when wet. 

    Bathing suit to wear underneath the neoprene pants on the river.

    Towel

    Change of clothing 

  • You can meet us on location or get picked up at your hotel.

    You have to be at least 18 years of age for this trip.

    Maximum 18 people, or three rafting boats.

    Note: for bigger groups, half could go ice hiking, and then they swop, for a full day experience!

  • We provide everyone with a neoprene wetsuit long johns, neoprene booties, splash jacket, life-jacket and a helmet. You need to bring warm clothes underneath that you don’t mind getting wet, e.g. fleece sweater, wool pants and wool socks. Neoprene will warm up a bit when wet.

  • Yes, you can bring your camera. However, if it’s not waterproof then it will get ruined. 

    Luckily, you have a few options to get that great photo;

    • You own a waterproof camera or phone that you bring with you (make sure it has a string to attach it to your life west).

    • You buy a waterproof plastic pocket from us, to make your phone waterproof while still being operational for the river ride.

    • You rent a GoPro from us at Drumbó River Base

    • You buy a disposable waterproof camera at the Drumbó River Base.

    • You buy photos from us! We can arrange for a photographer or drone to join the trip.

  • We will pick you up at your designated pick up location, at the decided time. If you are staying at the very center of Reykjavík it is likely that you will have to go to your designated bus stop.

    You can type in your accommodation here to check which one is yours: https://busstop.is/

 Good to know

You can find more questions and answers in our big FAQ.