One of the world’s truly unique adventure travel companies, H2Outfitters marries their long history of teaching kayaking skills and fundamentals, with adventures that take you to world class destinations.  One only has to visit their website to see how creatively they have tailored kayaking (from beginners to seasoned paddlers) and the dynamite odysseys they offer to places like Japan, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, North America’s Atlantic Seaboard, Belize and Costa Rica.

In June and September of this year H2Outfitters will be hosting two different kayaking adventures to the island Republic of Iceland.  Both itineraries are several days long, howeve,r each is designed to appeal to a slightly different demographic.  The June visit will combine kayaking, camping and several nights in Iceland’s delightful guesthouses.  The primary focus will be on Iceland’s Western Fjords.  On those nights where camping is experienced in pristine and bucolic coastal setting, all necessary (state-of-the-art) camping equipment will be provided.  Breakfasts and dinners will be enjoyed at the best local eateries.   

Freshly prepared lunches and snacks using the foods that are seasonal and locally grown or harvested (produce, Icelandic fish, baked breads just out of the oven, desserts and fresh fruits) will be enjoyed.  Combining scenic adventures, pristine camp settings, excellent in guest houses and gourmet dining is a feat only H2Outfitters has achieved.    

Their second scheduled departure (September) for Iceland’s sea and landscapes, villages and cities will include spending all nights in Iceland’s charming bed & breakfasts (no camping). In both scenarios (camping and B&B’s) the few hours that are spent each day paddling kayaks and exploring Iceland’s marine/coastal secrets are augmented with day hikes in pastoral settings and along majestic buffs, shopping in country markets and taking ferry boats to outlying islands. One particular island that is a mandatory stop and one that is scheduled hosts the world’s largest colony of puffins.  On both the June and September departures should you choose to not go paddling or day hiking, you can languish around camp or at the bed & breakfast where you’re staying and simply veg-out.  You can do whatever pleases you and feels good that day.  In this country where the summer sun barely goes down, kayaking is a key component as it is with every H2Outfitter adventure.  However, it is only one of several key components.   Of paramount importance with H2Outfitters is that every guest strike harmony with their inner self.  Bottom line, H2Outfitters structures their adventures to permit the individual to participate at whatever level they elect to participate.  Good job!

H2Outiftters own Jeff Cooper, told photoandtravel.com that an important ingredient in this travel company’s mission as a guide in international settings is to immerse their clients in the cultural side of whatever country the adventure is taking place in.  Each itinerary is tailored to enrich the visitor by providing an up close and personal experience with the local people, their customs, foods, folklore, rituals and whenever possible their fine and performing arts.  Double Good job!

Iceland is the perfect setting for an H2Outfitters adventure.   Along with the plethora of fun stuff noted above you will have the opportunity to ride miniature horses that are endemic this island nation.  A short five hour flight from New York (jet lag is not tolerated), the end of your stay in the island Republic of Iceland includes spending a day visiting the Capital City of Reykjavík where half of all Icelanders live, work and play.  Here you will visit museums, enjoy culinary treats in their many excellent bistros and indulge yourself with a visit to the Blue Lagoon.      

The most popular attraction in Iceland, the Blue Lagoon is where foreigners and Icelanders alike come to take full advantage of the thermal hot springs that bubble up from deep within the earth.  Bathing and relaxing in hot springs that have been active since the beginning of time, the water these springs yield is touted as possessing therapeutic qualities.  You can languish in the warm seawater, enjoy a silica bath, sauna, a steam bath or simply stand in the path of a natural hot waterfall and enjoy the benefits of nature’s own massage therapy.  Yes, both Iceland

and the Blue Lagoon provide a much

needed respite from a busy, busy world. 

Happy Traveling!