Reykjavík Grapevine - 27.07.2007, Blaðsíða 23

8_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 11_007_THEN & NOW REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 11_007_DESTINATION_9
The village of Stokkseyri, located on the south
coast of Iceland, is only about a 45-minute
drive from Reykjavík and a true recreational
paradise for just about any visitor. Home to ap-
proximately 500 people, this friendly community
offers plenty of activities, including impressive
museums, a gourmet lobster restaurant and
outdoor action for water sports enthusiasts.
The small village is renowned for its beauti-
ful coastline and going sea kayaking along the
shore has become a popular way to explore
the surrounding nature. During a recent visit
to the village, the Grapevine staff experienced
the scenery first hand when spending an af-
ternoon kayaking with Kajakaferðir (Icelandic
Kayaktours).
For more than a decade, the company has
provided kayaks designed for open water en-
counters and organised tours on either the sur-
rounding lagoons or the ocean. After handing
out waterproof overalls, rubber boots and life
jackets and giving us a brief beginners lesson
on how to use the paddle, our guide walked us
to the shore, where the kayaks were stored.
All geared up, we stumbled into the long
open plastic boats and hit the water. As we
were a group of first-time paddlers who had
never been kayaking on open water before, it
took some time learning the right technique.
But after most of the awkwardness was behind
us, we left the coast and paddled through the
water as hard as we could, trying not to hit the
many skerries on our way or rolling our boats
over.
For our own safety, we weren’t allowed to
go too far out from the shore where the waves
were a bit unfriendlier, so instead we paddled
slowly on the flat sea, enjoying the view over the
village from afar. Our guide explained that the
area is home to many seals, who find paddling
tourists quite curious, and that inexperienced
kayak rowers tend to fall in the water when their
heads unexpectedly pop up. Unfortunately we
didn’t see any seals this time around and none
of us capsized the boat, but we nonetheless
managed to come back ashore soaking wet.
Luckily, the kayak rental is located next door to
the Stokkseyri swimming pool, where you can
take off the wet clothes, unbend and stretch
the sore muscles in the hot tubs.
Without having to share nature with a
swarm of other travellers, kayaking along the
Stokkseyri area is one-hell-of-an exercise and at
the same time an exhilarating way to explore the
coastline. Just be sure to bring extra clothes.
Kajakferðir
825 Stokkseyri, www.kajak.is
Car provided by Sixt Car Rental
Tel.: 540-2222, www.sixt.is
Sea Kayaking
Text by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir
Photo by Gulli
Two unique exihbitions:
The Settlement of Iceland
and
Egils saga
Open daily from 10 am to 7 pm
R E S T A U R A N T
Open from 10 am to 9:30 pm
Tel: +354 437 1600
www.landnamssetur.is
A must do
for the visitor...
SetTlement
centre
the
I N B O R G A R N E S
In 1930 Graf Zeppelin visited Iceland and flew over Reykjavík. Today private jets, owned by local billionaires, frequently fly over downtown Reykjavík.