Kayaking, paragliding and ziplining around Vík

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

The activities on this page have little in common apart from the weather they depend on. The kayak trip takes place on the lagoon in front of Sólheimajökull, west of Vík. The tandem flights start from Reynisfjall, the 340 m tuff mountain right above the village. The ziplines cross Grafargil, a canyon a short drive from the centre. All of them are guided, and none of them needs previous experience.

Paddling the Sólheimajökull lagoon

Sólheimajökull is an outlet glacier of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, 11 km long and 1 to 2 km wide. Katla Geopark records that it retreated about 977 m between 1930 and 1969, advanced again until the mid-1990s and by 2010 lay about a kilometre further up the valley than in 1930. The lagoon at its snout is 60 m deep and keeps growing as the ice pulls back, which is why the distance between the kayaks and the glacier front changes from year to year.

Icelandic Mountain Guides run the three-hour tour from their base at the Sólheimajökull car park; another listing of the same tour asks you to arrive 30 minutes early and limits the group to eight. You get a dry suit, a paddle and a sit-on-top kayak, then a briefing before you paddle between floating icebergs. Warm clothing and spare socks are not included, and reviewers say why you need them: the walk to the water takes about ten minutes over black rocks, and feet get wet on the way.

Reviews are positive about the guides and about touching an iceberg from the boat. The criticism repeats itself: too many stops and too little paddling on some trips, a smaller lagoon than at Jökulsárlón, and on a few days not getting close to the ice at all. Some reviewers also mention paying for parking at the glacier. Treat it as a calm paddle for beginners rather than a sporting trip.

The glacier car park is also the start of the guided hikes on the ice, so you can do both on one day. The options on the ice are on our glacier hiking page, and the walk to the DC-3 wreck nearby is described under Sólheimajökull and the plane wreck.

Tandem flights off Reynisfjall

True Adventure works from a white house facing the sea in Vík; you park in front of the Skaftfellingur Museum and walk a short way towards the shore. A jeep takes you about ten minutes up to the take-off point, usually on Reynisfjall, and the pilot aims for 10 to 15 minutes in the air. The mountain ends in cliffs above the black beach, with the 66 m Reynisdrangar sea stacks standing in the surf off its tip.

The wind decides everything. The operator asks you to keep about two hours free either side of your booking and to call the day before. If the conditions are wrong, the flight is cancelled and refunded in full. One reviewer waited out a rain shower and then took off from a different mountain. Passengers must be at least 12 years old and weigh between 30 and 120 kg, and pregnant women cannot fly. Photos and videos from the flight are sold separately. The pilots speak English, French and Icelandic.

Ziplines in Grafargil canyon

Katlatrack starts the tour at its base in Vík and drives you about five minutes by Super Jeep to Grafargil. The 90-minute tour strings together four lines. The longest, The Gentle Giant, runs 240 m, and the last one, Big Rush, crosses above the Hundafoss waterfall. Between the lines you hike 2 to 3 km, and the operator rates the difficulty as moderate to challenging.

Children from 8 can join, and every rider must weigh between 30 and 110 kg. Hiking boots are not provided. Reviews describe the tour as suitable for children and beginners, and one German reviewer felt it could have lasted longer. So far the reviews all date from June to October, so check available dates if you are coming in winter; the operator also warns that heavy weather can affect the tour.

A zipline over the glacier

Ice Pic Journeys combines the two ideas on the ice itself. The four-hour trip starts at the Sólheimajökull car park with a crampon hike on the glacier, after which those who want to can ride a zipline above the ice while guests with a no-fly ticket stay on the glacier and watch. Groups are limited to 12 and the age range is 8 to 80. Entrance fees are included, meals are not. It is a recent listing with little detail, so read the description again closely before booking.

Picking a day for each

Vík is one of the wettest places on the Icelandic coast: the Met Office station recorded about 2,400 mm of rain a year in the 1990s, with the most in autumn. The kayak trip copes with rain best, since you sit in a dry suit. Paragliding needs the right wind and is the first thing to be called off. The ziplines run in heavy weather only within limits.

Daylight sets the frame in winter. On 21 December the sun is up only from 10:59 to 15:29, while in June there are more than 20 hours of sun and the nights stay bright. Reviews of the kayak tour run from May to December. If you want to fit several of these into one stay, plan the flight for your most flexible day and keep the others around it. Our page on Vík village shows where the operators' bases are.