Iceland. We are all alone on the water. Above us is blue sky, our red kayaks are surrounded by icebergs. I hear loose ice floating in the water, jingling. Nothing else. I dip my paddle back in and pull it through the lagoon's icy cold water. Next to me icebergs in all imaginable sizes and shapes glide by. One forms a bow, another a cave. I am at Heinabergslón, one of the ice lagoons in Iceland. Here you will read everything you need to know for your kayak tour in the Heinabergslón glacier lagoon in the south of Iceland.
Unassigned, unpaid advertising. The article contains affiliate links.
Where is the Heinabergslón Glacier Lagoon?
The glacier lagoon Heinabergslón is located south of Vatnajökull, between the famous ice lagoon Jökulsárlón and the city of Höfn. It is not located right at the ring road but approximately 7 kilometres inland, thus a little off the usual tourist paths.
Iceguide offers kayak tours on the glacier lagoon. The meeting point for the tours is on the ring road at Flatey Farm. From here it takes about 15 minutes in a 4x4 bus on a gravel road to the lagoon. From Höfn to the meeting point you drive about 38 kilometres, from the Jökulsárlón ice lagoon about 42 kilometres. The GPS coordinates of the farm are 64°15'32.7″N 15°34'54.7″W (64.259074N -15.581846W).
Details of the kayak tour on the ice lagoon with Iceguide:
Total duration of the tour: 3,5 hours
Price: 15.900 ISK (about 100 Euro)
Tips for your Kayak Outfit
For the kayak tour in the glacier lagoon you will be equipped with a dry suit, rubber boots, neoprene gloves and life jacket. Underneath you should dress as comfortable and warm as possible. But not too warm on the upper part of your body, because such a dry suit quickly turns into a sweatbox.
How warm it gets while paddling depends on how fast the group is going. But if you are dawdling and freezing, you can easily paddle extra laps or zigzag.
On my paddling day it was sunny and dry at 15° Celsius, but very windy. I wore the following:
- On top I was wearing a thin long-sleeved merino shirt and a thermoshirt.
- On the legs a thermo and an outdoor leggings on top of each other.
- And on the feet a pair of thin and a pair of mega-thick merino socks.
- On the head a cap and sunglasses.
For your camera or other things you want to take with you on the kayak, waterproof bags in different sizes are available.
The Kayaks and the Wind
On the way to my kayak tour I made a short stop at the glacier lagoon Fjallsárlón. A biting wind blew head-on over the ice lagoon towards me. It was quite strong. Do we really go paddling in this wind? No sooner was I back in the car than my mobile rang. And my kayak tour was shifted from 9 to 12 o'clock. So the wind was too strong after all.
Luckily the wind calmed down a bit around noon and the kayak tour took place. Strong wind is quite common here. Once it was even so strong that it blew the kayaks away from the beach. Therefore all kayaks were now weighted down with big stones.
The kayaks are stable sit-on-top kayaks. They are wide and do not tip over so easily. However, if there is a lot of wind or you are inattentive, this can happen. Therefore our guide explained in detail what to do if we fall into the water. Sounded simple at first: Turn the kayak over again if necessary, position yourself to the side of the kayak and let your bottom and legs float up. Afterwards, one simply pulls the kayak underneath oneself. I prefered not to try it...
You've never paddled before? No problem! Your guide will explain everything you need to know: Among other things, how to adjust the footrests, how to hold the paddle and how to paddle as energy-saving as possible.
The Glacier Heinabergjökull
A real paddle tour also includes a little break where you can get out and stretch your legs a little. At the glacier tongue of Heinabergjökull is the perfect place for this. We pulled the boats onto the ice for a bit and then the crampons came into play. I was really impressed by my new Icelandic outfit: dry suit, rubber boots, crampons and sunglasses! What a combination!
We walked up the glacier tongue, always following our guide. The surface of the glacier looked like compressed caipirinha ice. There were small rivulets, crevasses and holes in the ground and I was happy about the crampons on my rubber boots, which gave me a non-slip step. From a small rise we had a wonderful view to the glacier and over the lagoon.
What else can I do after the Kayak Tour in the Southeast of Iceland?
The Flatey Farm, the meeting point for the kayak tour on the ice lagoon, is one of the biggest dairy farms in Iceland. Visitors have the opportunity to take a look inside the farm . A restaurant also serves traditional Icelandic dishes. Unfortunately everything was closed during my stay because of Covid-19.
If you are already so close to the town of Höfn, I recommend a visit to the Vestrahorn east of Höfn. Vestrahorn is a 454 meter high mountain with many peaks. A great photo motif. Plan for a visit at least two hours, but I would like to stay longer, because there are very nice hiking trails and a lovely Viking café.
Towards the west it is worth visiting the famous ice lagoon Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach. Maybe you would like to take a Zodiac between the icebergs to the edge of the glacier again?
Book Recommendations for Iceland
Do you want to know where the journey is going? Then I can recommend this travel guides* to you.
You can order the travel guides on Amazon by clicking on the pictures. If you buy a product via an affiliate link, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. This does not make the product more expensive for you.
Have you ever done a kayak tour in Iceland yourself? Where was that and how did you like it? Do you have any questions or suggestions about my article? If so, please write me a comment!
Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.
Recommendations for further Reading
Do you love the Scandinavian countries as much as I do? Then you might also be interested in my articles about the Kayak Tour in the Swedish Archipelago or a Trekking Tour to the Greenlandic Ice Sheet.
