Iceland's Highlands

By Benjamin Hardman

Venturing into the highlands often leads to new discovery. Whether it be discovering landscapes for the first time or experiencing new emotions, these trips often leave us with memories that we’ll hold close forever.

With the Oru’s on board, we set out on a mission to find new highland lakes. Places that we'd heard about but never managed to find on previous adventures.

We made our way out the northern side of the Fjallabak area, where we came across a series of connecting lakes called Álftavötn, all flowing out to a singular stream and off to the mountains. This made for the perfect setting to commence our first paddle with the kayaks. 

Working as a team we began to set up each one, guided by the setup manuals the kayaks came together with ease. After 20 minutes, we were ready to explore in the water. 

The patters as we looked down from above were incredible, glacial silt sat on the bottom of the lake, sinking down from the glaciers over hundreds of years. We were able to push forward all the way to a canyon that sat hidden in sight around a bend, it was truly spectacular.

Packing down the kayaks it was time to move on to our second target, a much deeper and more secluded lake that I had only ever seen from my drone. Once we arrived, everyone agreed this would be an epic place to paddle.

With the kit already setup, it was a simple process to unfold the Oru’s and head straight out. It is incredible to be able to set up and pack down these Kayaks in such a short time. It means we get more time out in the water shooting images. Doing what we love.