Menu

Find us on ...

Environmental Policy

 

 

Policy Aims

Our mission statement is simply: “Nature is the adventure”. Through it, we have tailored all our trips in such a way that we do not harm or affect nature. We always inform our clients of how to treat nature with respect and to pass through it without leaving a mark.

Preserving our Playground

Iceland’s wilderness is unique in the way that it remains largely intact and undisturbed. With the rapid growth in adventure tourism, this fragile environment is being subjected to unprecedented strain. The Arctic Adventures family is committed to sharing its love and respect for our great outdoors with each of our guests through a one-of-a-kind  experience. Leading by example, we continue to set standards in Iceland’s young adventure industry in the hope of promoting attitudes and practices that will keep our wilderness intact for future generations. We are continually striving towards new and creative ways to evolve our company in harmony with Iceland’s beautiful fragile nature. We are moving towards being a sustainable tour operator by seeking certification of Vakinn, the official quality and environmental system within Icelandic tourism.

Our four guidelines are:

  • Take nothing but pictures.
  • Kill nothing but time.
  • Leave nothing but footprints.
  • Make nothing but memories.

 

Environmental Responsibility

Leave No Trace

As one of the largest tour companies in Iceland, Arctic Adventures understands that it has an obligation to protect and conserve the environment to the best of our ability. To not do so would not only be socially irresponsible and reckless, but it would be counterintuitive to the business of Arctic Adventures as our main demographic of clientele focuses on displaying the natural environment in its most pristine form. Because of this, Arctic Adventures adheres to a strict “leave no trace policy”.

Because of this all staff must:

  • Remove all waste and refuse from Arctic Adventures tours away from areas of operation; “we carry out, what we carry in”. Staff should also dispose of trash in the area even if it is not from their tour.
  • Properly dispose of all waste, for example, recycle all applicable materials. This includes in the field and in all Arctic Adventure facilities.
  • Inform clients of the leave no trace policy and how it applies to them.
  • Discourage anyone from taking any natural “souvenirs”; only photographs.
  • Ensure all participants minimize their environmental impact and stay on marked paths and trails if possible
  • Ensure no contaminates enter waterways.
  • Campsites and resting areas should be left is as good a condition as they were found.

 

We run our day to day operations out of Iceland's first eco-friendly, sustainable (solar & wind) straw-bale house based in Vatnajökull National Park.  This straw-bale house was built by our team of guides almost entirely out of recycled materials.

“Nature is the adventure”