At a glance
- Guided kayak trips from Geiranger start from US$122 on GetYourGuide, and a private double kayak rental from US$79 for three hours.
- The Kayak Centre's 2.5-hour tour needs no paddling experience and includes instruction in technique and a safety briefing.[4]
- Rental starts at age 8, the short guided tour at 10 and the Seven Sisters tour at 13, with every child up to 15 paired with an adult.[4][5][6]
- The four-hour tour paddles towards the Seven Sisters and the Suitor; the short tour takes in Gjerdefossen, Bringefossen and often the Seven Sisters.[4][5]
- The Geiranger Kayak Centre opens 9:00 to 17:00 from the end of May until late September, and closes at 15:00 in autumn.[6]
- Guided kayak tour from US$127 Duration2 hoursGuideEnglish instructor, small groupRecommended forA first guided paddleRating4.54 from 205 reviews See this tour
- Beginner-friendly kayaking from US$126 Duration2 hoursGuideEnglish live guideRecommended forComplete beginnersRating4.89 from 26 reviews See this tour
- Private double kayak from US$79 Duration3 hoursGuideEnglish instructor, small groupRecommended forTwo paddlers setting their own paceRating4.34 from 39 reviews See this tour
The Discover Kayaking Tour is perfect for those who are new to kayaking or only have a few hours to enjoy Geiranger.
Book the Geiranger: Guided Kayak Tour in Geiranger Fjord
Provided on a guided tour
Geirangerfjord kayaking for first-timers
Can you kayak in Geirangerfjord with no experience? Yes, on a guided tour. The Geiranger Kayak Centre sells its 2.5-hour tour as its easy option, with no paddling experience needed, and it includes instruction in paddling technique and a safety briefing before the group sets off.[4] Uteguiden runs a three-hour tour from Grande that it describes as suited to beginners and to paddlers with some experience, with thorough instructions and stable kayaks.[8]
Conditions on the water are demanding. Paddling on the Geirangerfjord means remoteness, changing weather and water conditions, cold water and limited places to land a kayak.[7] On the Kayak Centre tours the guide carries safety and emergency equipment, and groups are capped at ten people per guide on the short tour and eight per guide on the four-hour tour.[4][5]
The day on the water also bends to the group. The 2.5-hour tour's length depends on the group's physical ability and on the weather, and Uteguiden adapts its route to the group and the conditions.[7][8] Expect the plan to change with the weather.
Guided tour or rental: which one to book
A guided tour is the right choice for anyone new to a sea kayak. Rental at the Kayak Centre is pitched at experienced kayakers who want to explore the fjord on their own, and it hands over a life jacket, spray skirt, paddle and a map of the area rather than a guide.[6]
Rental kayaks cannot be booked online; the centre takes online bookings for guided tours only. It sits 2 km around the bay at Homlong, an easy drive along a gravel road or a 30-minute walk along the fjord, and it opens 9:00 to 17:00. If you plan more than three hours on the water, the centre asks you to think about your arrival time, as it closes at 17:00.[6]
Through GetYourGuide, the private double kayak rental runs three hours from US$79 and is rated 4.34 from 39 reviews. The guided options sit well above it: the guided kayak tour in Geiranger is from US$127 and the beginner-friendly trip from US$126, both for two hours.[1][12]
Calm green water below the steep walls of the Geirangerfjord
Kayak rental Geirangerfjord prices, hour by hour
Rental at the Kayak Centre is priced in three time bands. A single kayak is from 460 NOK for one hour, from 685 NOK for one to three hours and from 950 NOK for three to six hours. A double kayak is from 685 NOK for one hour, from 1,050 NOK for one to three hours and from 1,575 NOK for three to six hours.[6]
Guided tours cost more, and add a guide, instruction and safety equipment to the same kit. The Kayak Centre's 2.5-hour tour is from 1,160 NOK per adult and its four-hour Seven Sisters tour from 1,550 NOK.[4][5] Uteguiden's three-hour tour from Grande is from 1,199 NOK for adults and from 899 NOK for children aged 5 to 14.[8]
On GetYourGuide, the kayak tour with waterfall views runs three hours from US$136, collects you, and is rated 4.86 from 41 reviews.[2] For comparison, the Geiranger: Dalsnibba, Flydalsjuvet, Eagle Bend & Fjords Tour is from US$116 for 3.5 hours above the fjord.[3]
How long a kayak trip takes, and how far you paddle
Guided trips on the fjord run from two hours to four. The Kayak Centre offers 2.5 hours and four hours, Uteguiden three hours, and on GetYourGuide the guided kayak tour runs two hours and the waterfall-views tour three.[1][2][4][5][8] The short Kayak Centre tour leaves every day at 10:15 and at 14:00.[7]
Uteguiden puts the total distance at roughly 7 to 10 km on its three-hour tour, which starts and ends at the Grande Fjord Hotel below the Eagle Road, with a free return shuttle bus from Geiranger.[8] Rental, by contrast, runs for as long as you pay for, in bands of up to one, three or six hours.[6]
Uteguiden also runs a Hellesylt kayak trip. Its tour there runs from 10:00 to 12:30 and covers about 6 km, leaving the kayak centre in Hellesylt towards Dinne Stranda and on in the direction of the Geirangerfjord, from 1,099 NOK for adults.[9] On GetYourGuide, the beginner-friendly Hellesylt trip runs two hours from US$126 and the guided Hellesylt tour with equipment 2.5 hours from US$116.
1 h
A double kayak at the Geiranger Kayak Centre starts from 685 NOK for one hour, and children aged 8 to 15 must paddle with an adult.[6]
Which waterfalls you can paddle towards
The short guided tour from Homlong takes in waterfalls such as Gjerdefossen and Bringefossen, and often the Seven Sisters, along with troll myths and a goat farm.[4] The four-hour tour paddles down the fjord towards the Seven Sisters and the Suitor.[5]
The Seven Sisters is a 410-metre waterfall made up of seven separate streams, about 6.5 km west of Geiranger village, and the Suitor falls as a single waterfall directly across the fjord from it.[10]
Uteguiden is direct about the limit of a shorter trip: on its three-hour tours it is not possible to paddle all the way to the waterfalls, though you may see them from the fjord.[11] If the Seven Sisters are the point of your day, book the four-hour tour, which is named after them and paddles towards them.[5]
Geirangerfjord kayak family trips and age limits
Age limits depend on what you book. Rental starts at age 8, the 2.5-hour guided tour at age 10 and the four-hour Seven Sisters tour at age 13, and on each of them children up to 15 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.[4][5][6]
That adult should expect to do the work. The Kayak Centre says the accompanying adult must be prepared to do all the paddling in a double kayak, as a child often has little or no effective paddling effect.[5] Every paddler must also weigh no more than 100 kg, be no taller than 200 cm and have hips no wider than 40 cm, and anyone who cannot sit upright on the floor with legs straight out will likely find the kayak uncomfortable.[4]
Younger children have options with Uteguiden, which prices children aged 5 to 14 on its Geiranger tour and aged 6 to 12 on its Hellesylt tour, where tandem kayaks are used for children.[8][9] On GetYourGuide, a family-friendly kayak trip from Hellesylt runs two hours from US$111, and one from Valldal three hours from US$99.
What to wear, and the best time of year to paddle
Kayaking in Geirangerfjord means cold water, so dress for it.[7] The Kayak Centre asks paddlers not to wear jeans, which are heavy and cold when wet, and its kit list for the four-hour tour covers layered clothing, soft shoes, warm socks, a rain jacket, a towel, a change of clothes, sunscreen, a water bottle and a plastic bag.[5] Uteguiden adds a windproof and waterproof jacket and suggests avoiding cotton on colder days.[11]
The season is short. The Kayak Centre is open from the end of May until late September, and closes at 15:00 instead of 17:00 in autumn.[6] Uteguiden also notes that some rain in the middle of summer will make the waterfalls massive.[11]
The GetYourGuide kayak listings let you reserve now and pay later with free cancellation.[1][2][12] The Geiranger: Dalsnibba, Flydalsjuvet, Eagle Bend & Fjords Tour takes a different view of the same water, stopping at Flydalsjuvet, Dalsnibba, Djupvatnet and Eagle Bend high above it.[3]
What a kayak trip costs to book
Starting prices from each tour's GetYourGuide listing; every figure is a from price, not a quote.[1][2][3][12]
Price a kayak trip on the Geirangerfjord
Every figure is a "from" price for one adult and not a quote. Child prices may differ, so check the listing for your own party before you book.
Before you book a kayak trip
Booking a kayak trip
Be honest about experience
Rental is pitched at experienced kayakers; first-timers belong on a guided tour.[4][6]
Check every paddler fits the kayak
Each person must weigh at most 100 kg, stand at most 200 cm and have hips no wider than 40 cm.[4]
Match the tour to the ages
Minimum ages are 8 for rental, 10 for the short tour and 13 for the Seven Sisters tour.[4][5][6]
Pick your starting point
Paddle from Homlong, from Grande below the Eagle Road, or from the kayak centre in Hellesylt.[6][8][9]
Pack layers, not jeans
Bring warm layers, a rain jacket, soft shoes and a change of clothes.[5]
Geiranger: Guided Kayak Tour in Geiranger Fjord
from US$127
