Arctic Adventures Anmeldelser 

Booked onto a heli tour (Glacier Heli) months in advance via Arctic adventures. We called them the day before to find out what the arrangements were and they informed us by text straight after our call that they had to cancel because they didn't have enough people to make it worth it for them. They then proceeded to 'offer' us another tour for an hour later at almost double the price! Basically do not book with these guys if you actually want to go on your experience.

We booked this snorkeling tour and arrived at the meeting point as required. **The staff rejected us on the spot, claiming we needed "very strong swimming skills" to participate** - even though we can swim freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke.
**The Contradictions**:
1. **On-Site vs. Emails**:
- Staff said: *"Must have strong swimming skills."*
- Later emails: *"We never said 'strong skills' - just
'able to swim!"*
- Final email: *"This is an extreme sport!"* (Which contradicts their own handbook).
2. **No Testing, No Fairness**:
- They refused us **without any swimming test** or chance to prove our ability.
3. **Hidden Rules**:
- Their website/handbook only states: *"Able to swim without a lifejacket."* No mention of "extreme sport" or
"fluent English."
**Conclusion**:
This company changes rules arbitrarily, refuses refunds, and treats customers unfairly. Save your money and time.
(Note: I have kept all communication records as evidence.)

While I had high expectations for this trip, several issues significantly impacted my experience:
• Transportation Issues: A mini bus was provided for 17 people, which was inadequate for a road trip requiring a minimum of 350 km a day. The vehicle was cramped and uncomfortable, making long journeys difficult for everyone involved.
• Guided Tours: he guided tours did not meet the promised standards. Arctic Adventure provided us with a driver who also acted as the guide. While he was friendly and nice, he lacked guiding experience. We did not receive a professional morning briefing for the day, nor clear information throughout our journey. Many of our questions went unanswered, which diminished the overall experience.
• Sightseeing and break stops: The time allocated for sightseeing and breaks was not planned professionally. Some locations required more time for proper enjoyment, while others were given excessive time. This led to missed opportunities to fully appreciate the beautiful stops we visited. Additionally, we had unnecessary stops at gas stations and supermarkets, which further detracted from our experience. This led to missed opportunities to appreciate the stunning scenery and attractions.
• Activities cancellation: Unfortunately, our whale watching tour was canceled due to bad weather. However, the way this cancellation was managed was not professional. We had a night in the lovely town of Akureyri, but due to a late arrival, we didn’t have a chance to explore. We noticed poor weather conditions in the morning and suggested to our guide that we check for alternative plans, like enjoying sometime in the town before proceeding. The guide assured us the weather was fine for whale watching. After a 30-minute drive, we were informed that the tour had been canceled with no alternative options provided. We ended up spending the day wandering between supermarkets, which was very disappointing given our expectations for this trip.
• Customer Service: When I reached out for assistance during the trip, the response was unsatisfactory. Despite marking my emails as urgent, I did not receive a same-day response. There was no direct contact number provided for emergencies, and my inquiries were largely ignored. This left me feeling unsupported while dealing with unexpected service issues that I had paid for.
• After-Sales Service: I sent multiple complaint emails with several reminders but received no response. While I received prompt replies before the sale, after-sales communication was nonexistent. This lack of support has been very frustrating.
• Accommodation: The accommodation was acceptable and met my expectations
These issues not only detracted from my overall enjoyment but also led to significant inconveniences

We booked the ice cave tour for 9:30 in the morning, but due to severe snowstorms, the road from our hotel to the meeting point was closed. We called them at 8:00 (when the office opened), and they informed us there was nothing going on, we could easily get there (we couldn't!).

Finally, they agreed to let us rebook to 13:00, hoping the storm would ease down and the roads would be safe again. We drove through the storm to the meeting location, but the parking was closed, a temporary parking location was being created on the beach (very dangerous!). When we tried to park there, a ranger from the national park came to us that we were absolutely not allowed to park there. This was all very confusing. Upon exiting our vehicle, 10 minutes before the agreed meeting time, we received a cancellation in our email because of the bad weather.

They probably already knew that morning that the weather was too bad for tours to depart all day, but they made us drive anyway. We saw several cars tipped/on the side of the road due to the hazardous conditions! I understand the Icelandic weather can be very unpredictable, but they should be pro-active in keeping tourists safe, not making them drive unsafe roads and park on hazardous lots.

We booked the afternoon snorkelling which was fantastic. It was really well organised with clear parking/arrival time instructions and although there were 3 groups of 6 it only took 2 hours in total. We spent about 30 mins snorkelling which was plenty as it was so cold. Take spare clothes as unfortunately my partner’s dry suit leaked and he was soaked, dripping wet rather than a little leak. It was a really memorable experience and would recommend it as a must do.

AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. Never EVER book with this unreliable and dishonest company. We were booked for the Northern Lights tour on 22 February. It had rained in the morning but cleared in the afternoon and the skies were clear. We waited for 11/2 hours but no guide arrived. When we returned to the hotel there was a message saying that the tour was cancelled due to bad weather! While we were waiting other tour operators collected their customers for the trip and only we and another couple were left waiting for Arctic Adventures.
We messaged Artic Adventures asking to be booked on the following evening. We received no communication from them but went to the pick up stop again as we did not want to lose the opportunity of going on the trip but not knowing if we were booked or not. Yet again Arctic Adventures did not show, although again other operators did. We and another couple left again. Weather was fine!
I wrote to Arctic Adventures on our return to the UK. Lots of apologies about lack of communication but nothing about not turning up. Complete disinterest but saying that they “hoped to serve us better in the future” if we returned. Even if we did return why would we book any tours with Arctic Adventures?
Interesting a previous review states that the guide forgot to pick them up. I have asked them whether no guide was available or too few people on the trip two days running; but maybe they forgot. Oh for honesty

We went on the golden circle tour 01/03. We were really disappointed as the golden circle with Kerid Crater is a great tour, but our tour guide must have been in a rush to get back home!

First she left without us and had to come back to the bus stop (we were on time but there were lots of buses, we were told it would have an artic adventures logo, but the minibus was actually a completely different one), apparently she called us, but to be honest she mustn't have tried very hard and must have left at 8.01 - she then had the cheek to saynwe must have arrived late!).

We had so very little time at the different places and we felt very rushed - especially as it seemed like she was going to leave one couple at the first stop who had got lost - we didnt want to risk being late back to the bus!

We got back to the city about 3pm, which considering we didn't leave until about 8.45 and we had the hiccup at the first stop that delayed us by about 30 minutes, means we had very little time, which was very disappointing.

So disappointed, we had photos taken during our northern lights tour on the 11.2.25 and our photos have not been uploaded and there has been no reply from the company. Very upsetting and the lack of response has made it even worse.

January is definitely a challenging month in Iceland, and since we chose not to drive in the snow, we didn’t rent a car. We’re so glad we picked the 3-day tour for this trip. Our guide, Lili, was amazing. Despite the weather challenges, she stayed patient, kept us calm, and made sure we were safe while driving in the snow. Her driving skills made all the difference when we weren’t used to such conditions.

Lili also had great stories to share and a fantastic music playlist! We were especially impressed by how she managed everything so smoothly, from handling the bad weather to the last minute rearranging of our ice cave experience.

This trip will always be remembered. Thank you, Lili, for going above and beyond!”**

We booked a northern lights tour intentionally on the only day on our trip that would have moderate Aurora activity and no clouds. We waited outside for the 30 min waiting period they ask for us to allow for, then called the company and they said the bus was running 5-10 min later. 30 min later, after we waited 1 hour in the snow and -1 degree weather, we got a call that our bus driver skipped our stop and would not return for us. Ridiculous. NEVER book with this company. It’s not worth the gamble.

We booked through get your guide on the 6th December.
We booked the golden circle with the snowmobile and man made ice cave tour.

We obviously paid extra and a premium for this. The snowmobile and ice cave tour section was through Arctic adventures.

The snowmobile was excellent as was the super trucks for driving on the glaciers. This is the reason that I've given 2 stars.

However the ice cave tour didn't go ahead. We weren't advised before hand and only found out when we arrived at the glacier point.

There was no reason given as to why this was cancelled. I'm presuming that they didn't get enough people. The reason given was ludicrous!

I could have booked the same tour with the snowmobile for considerably less than what I paid for the ice-tour. Also they didn't supply what was actually booked!

I've had no communication and a refusal of providing the difference in money back.

Complete rip off!

Well it took them a year to reply
So my response is WELL WHERE'S MY REFUND. Nothing about communication upfront to make an informed decision as to whether we want to go ahead with the tour. Just told tough on the day, miles from anywhere! From a company that takes a year to respond and then lie about it
On that basis- downgraded from 2 to 1 star!

Do not book with this company - no one to meet us on arrival no refund spoke to rude customer services who did not help one bit and was very rude - drove 2 hours to meet the guide no one arrived to meet us spoken to my bank reported fraud

Don't do it. We booked with these people and not only did we get completely jipped on the tour (the cave was hilariously small), our vehicles broke down twice in the snow on our way back and we were freezing for over an hour. To top it all off, our tour driver got pulled over by the police on the way home. Miserable experience. Lastly, their cancellation policy is very strict and confusing. Be sure you read everything you can if you want to back out of a trip because they won't refund you for anything, even partial refund, unless every bit of it is followed clearly. I wouldn't book with them again.

We booked the snowmobiling/ice caving tour out of Husafell at 10am. It is meant to be a 3-4 hour tour, becaude of heavy snow and very cold weather, it was taking a very long time for the snowmobiles to reach the cave becuase they had to break the trail. Then the snowmobiles had to wait at the cave entrance for hours for the glacier vehicle to arrive (it took even longer for that vehicle to break trail). Then the glacier vehicle had to dig out the entrance to the cave. All while the snowmobile passengers waited outside in frigid temperatures.

Dec 28, the 10am tour did not return until 7pm and never reached the cave (5 hours longer than anticipated).
Dec 29, the 10am tour did not return until 5pm (3 hours longer than anticipated). One of the snowmobile passengers was taken away on a stretcher by ambulance due to frostbite. The next day she was on crutches.
It seems obvious to me that a recreational tour should be canceled under these circumstances.

We were scheduled for Dec 30 - after 10+ people at the hotel told us what a horrible experience they had, we were nervous to go.

Bottom line, it might be a nice tour in better weather. It might even be okay if you aren’t the first people in the morning because another group has broken the trail. But, the guides are not going to cancel this tour no matter the conditions, they aren’t going to proactively tell you that the tour might be more than double the expected time and once you start the tour, there is no turning back. You shouldn’t trust the guides to cancel in frigid and snowy weather that risks frostbite, you’ll need to weigh that up for yourself. And, if you decide the conditions are too dangerous within 24 hours of the tour, you’ll aren’t getting a refund.

So, I paid $250 USD and didn’t go. But, at least I got my day back and kept all my toes. More than I can say of the other passengers who weren’t lucky enough to be warned.

They are still to refund us

We did three tours with Arctic Adventures in October of 2024 mainly to view the northern lights but also to view the spectacular sights of Iceland along the coast. The three day tour and two northern lights tours from Reykjavík in the evening. I did as much research as possible and we were lucky enough to see incredible northern lights during our evening tours. But I must say that our guide Martin for the 3-day tour was world class. We travel extensively and are difficult to impress. Martin was a fantastic guide. Informative, funny, personable, caring and punctual. He was also able to give us a perspective on the country and its folklore that could only be given by someone who truly loves the country he calls home.

Our group of 12 friends had a private 3 day tour with Vjeran, who was both driver and guide. We had the most amazing trip. Lots of stops to admire waterfalls, geisers, glazer walk, beaches and the amazing landscape in general. We stayed at 3 different hotels all very comfortable. There were lots of stops to ensure our comfort as there was alot of driving. He catered for all our needs and was very knowledgeable on Icelandic history, volcanos and his stories of myths and legends. Also, he kindly changed itinerary when the road was blocked and great as group photographer too. Very memorable trip we all won't forget. Thanks Vjeran

The northern lights tours are always a gamble, and at such an expensive price (for us Americans at least) it was a tough call to decide to go. The first night we barely got to see much of a faint view, with horrible winds and no pictures. The company let us go out again the next night and we were very pleased to see them much better! Greta should be running this company. She was an incredible tour guide. I probably would not have even been upset if we didnt see the northern lights at all because she was such a delight! My one recommendation for the tour is to DEPART the bus stop at the EXACT time you tell folks to meet. Ours started at 8:30pm, but some people were late and called in to ask our driver to wait so our entire bus had to wait for the late folks. This happened both nights and could have impacted how long we got to see the lights. If theyre even 2 minutes late, they should miss out or reschedule. No waiting around for their poor planning.

Contratamos la excursión de la cueva de hielo y un completo robo!!
Te llevan a una cueva inundada, llena de gente y ahí esperas 40 minutos a que los otros grupos se echen una foto y cuando consigues pasar por el agua (zapatos y pantalón mojado) tienes 10 segundos para echarte la foto más cara de la historia puesto que hay grupos detrás esperando. La luz del casco que te dan no alumbra nada por lo que te vas tropezando con todas las piedras, la guía se supone que te tiene que explicar algo y es muy poco lo que hablo!! Deberían reembolsar el dinero de esta estafa!

Super guides kinga und Martin nicht zu toppen aber auch Anastasia und Andreas auch wirklich gut. Alle bestrebt dass die Reisenden die Nordlichter auch zu sehen bekommen. Während der Fahrt werden die Nordlichter gejagt und es gibt keinen festen Plan. Bei unsere ersten Tour sind wir bis Finnland gefahren- bei unserer 2.tour stand der Weg bis Schweden auf dem Plan -Warane nicht notwendig…kinga hat einen super Platz gefunden.wir hatten einen sternenklaren Himmel und die Lichter waren uns wohlgesonnen..neben grün konnten wir auch rote Lichter sehen. Es wurde Feuer gemacht und tolle Photos geschossen . Gleichzeitig wurde sehr viel wissen an uns weitergegeben und wieder guides die für ihren Job und Norwegen brennen 🔥. Eine Freude zuzuhören.absolut empfehlenswert