Hidden Iceland would be nothing without our team of dedicated employees. From the first email to the final farewell, our friendly team at Hidden Iceland are here to help create unforgettable experiences. Scroll down to learn more!

While you’ll primarily engage with our Travel Experts as you plan your trip and our Guides during your adventure, there’s an unsung army behind the scenes ensuring everything runs seamlessly. Meet the incredible individuals who form the backbone of Hidden Iceland, diligently working to enhance your journey. Each member, like every tour we offer, is unique and exceptional in their own way. This page is a tribute to our entire team, the driving force behind unforgettable experiences.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Dagný Björg Stefánsdóttir
CEO | Co Owner
dagny@hiddeniceland.is

Dagný has roots in a remote West fjords farm in Iceland. Her childhood summers were filled with family camping adventures across the captivating country. While she relishes city life as an adult and is well-versed in Reykjavík’s happenings, her early farm life inspired her quest for Iceland’s hidden treasures, leading to the establishment of Hidden Iceland. In addition to overseeing sales, shaping company policies, and charting future endeavours, she cherishes her rare days off to continue exploring Iceland’s wonders.

Scott Drummond
Managing Director | Co Owner
scott@hiddeniceland.is

Scott is an Australian-born Geologist who, after travelling through Europe, found himself in Iceland, not wanting to leave. He holds degrees in both Geology and Finance from studies in his hometown of Perth and abroad in Sweden. He has travelled extensively throughout Iceland, opting to explore the more remote parts of the country to find hidden gems not in the guidebooks. Scott was instrumental in creating our fantastic itineraries and is often helping out behind the scenes when you are on tour with our wonderful guides. Scott is a certified Glacier Guide, Wilderness First Responder and is trained in various emergency rescue procedures.

Ryan Connolly
Marketing Director | Environmental Manager | Co Owner
ryan@hiddeniceland.is

Ryan has spent many years working and travelling the world. He achieved his life goal of travelling to all seven continents back in 2016 and never seems to stop telling us all about his trip to Antarctica or Everest Base Camp. In fact, it was in Antarctica that Ryan fell in love with the blue glacial ice, then headed straight for Iceland. He often refers to the glaciers as his happy place. These days, Ryan spends much of his time marketing the company and developing the brand, but tries to get back out on the road with guests whenever he can. Get in touch if you are an agent, journalist, or trip planner. He is also the Environmental Manager and was instrumental in gaining Hidden Iceland’s Gold Class award from Vakinn and achieving Carbon Negative status. Ryan is a certified Glacier Guide and Wilderness First Responder.

Emily Bridger
Operations & Guide Manager
emily@hiddeniceland.is

From a small village in the south of England, Emily went searching for mountains at the age of 18 and has never looked back. From Norway to the Alps to the Himalayas, she has climbed and kayaked all over the world. However, back in 2016, Iceland caught her heart, and she has lived here ever since. With her Icelandic partner, she has explored all the corners of the island, from the coast to the highest mountains. Passionate about the environment, Emily loves to share her enthusiasm for sustainable travel, supporting local communities and acting as a steward to ensure future generations get to enjoy Iceland’s incredible landscapes.

As a qualified Mountain Leader, Glacier Guide, Sea Kayaker and Wilderness First Responder, Emily studied a degree in Outdoor Leadership and Adventure Education in the UK and brings her expertise in Risk Management and Operational Procedures to the Hidden Iceland team. Emily is responsible for ensuring that Hidden Iceland’s robust Safety Management Plans are maintained, which has assisted Hidden Iceland gaining the Gold Class Environmental Certificate with Iceland’s Tourism Quality Control, Vakinn. Emily is the line manager for the Guiding team as well as the Operations team at Hidden Iceland.

Sarah Sommariva
Sales Manager
sarah@hiddeniceland.is

Sarah is originally from Germany but has found herself living and working in Icelandic tourism since 2017. She holds a degree in German Philology & Art History. Before this, she was travelling back and forth between Germany and Iceland since 2010. This is where she met her current Icelandic partner and decided to make Iceland her full-time home. She loves to travel both in Iceland and abroad, read books and would love to open up a hamster sanctuary if she had the chance. Her warm and caring demeanour makes her an ideal person to help you plan your dream holiday.

TRAVEL EXPERTS & OPERATIONS

Aaron Thomas
Travel Expert | Small Group & Private Day Tour Supervisor

From a young age in the South of England, Aaron had always dreamed of travel. It wasn’t until the age of 19, when he travelled to Peru, that he realised how much of a passion travel was for him. Eventually, Aaron’s love of travel turned into a desire for working in the outdoors. This brought him to Iceland to become a Glacier Guide. The rest of the year was spent travelling and working in exotic places. Aaron has travelled or worked in Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, Russia and many other places, but says nowhere in the world feels more like home for him than Iceland. Now a certified Glacier Guide, Wilderness First Responder and world-class hugger, Aaron loves the opportunity to show everyone why he fell in love with Iceland. He looks forward to welcoming you into his family and creating some memories with you.

Agata Ryszkowska
Travel Expert

Agata originally comes from Poland, but from a young age, she was mesmerized by the Northern countries. The original plan was to move to Norway right after graduating from university, however after visiting Iceland in 2016, the land of fire and ice stole her heart. She holds a master’s degree in Tourism and Recreation and has travelled extensively all around Iceland. In her spare time, she loves going camping, sleeping in her converted car, taking pictures, hiking and exploring Reykjavík’s dining scene. With her vast knowledge of the country and all its hidden gems, experience in the local tourism industry and valuable communication skills, rest assured you will be in good hands to plan your perfect holiday to Iceland with her.

Alberto Marini
Sales & Operations

Alberto is a veteran glacier and wilderness guide in Iceland. In previous roles, Alberto was responsible for training new guides, safety procedures and forging new routes on the glaciers around Iceland. He often jokes that he spent the last 4 years continuously outside. These days, Alberto loves to show you some of his favourite places in the country. He is well-read and loves to share his knowledge and funny stories with all the customers he meets. He loves books, landscape photography, rock climbing, hiking and yoga. His charm and infectious smile will leave you feeling like you have made a friend for life.

Anna Maria Pizzinini
Travel Expert

Anna grew up on an Alpine Tyrolean mountain farm where the “hills are alive”, right next to the ski slopes. As soon as she was able to ski on her own, she was taking the guests of her family hotel onto the slopes too! After completing her diploma in design, she started exploring further afield, across mountains of all shapes and sizes, no matter the season! From hiking for weeks through the Georgian Caucasus, to snowboarding and trail running in the Canadian Rockies, to volunteering and working in many countries as she travelled.

These days, she has settled down in Iceland where she completed her Masters studies at university. Over the years, she has worked extensively in tourism and has poured all her experiences with languages, cultures and organizing skills into helping guests be as fascinated by Iceland as she is. Anna’s empathy, understanding, and knowledge of all things Iceland makes for an ideal Travel Expert.

Anika Truter
Travel Expert | Private Tour Supervisor

Anika was born in South Africa but spent most of her life in Vancouver, Canada. After moving to the West fjords for a year, she was meant to go back to Canada, but 6 years later, she is still in Iceland. She has an undergraduate degree in business administration and a master’s degree in coastal and marine resource management with a focus on tourist safety in Iceland. As a member of the Icelandic Search and Rescue team, she has spent a lot of time hiking in Iceland’s most remote areas.

Her favorite hiking spots in Iceland are Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the West fjords and Þórsmörk in the southern highlands. In her spare time, she enjoys walking through Reykjavík’s botanical gardens and moving to Nordic countries, only to complain about the cold.

Arna Hrund Jónsdóttir
Sales & Operations | Driver Guide

Arna was born and raised in Iceland. She grew up in the city but spent most of her summers during childhood in the countryside in the west of Iceland. With a passion for adventure and the outdoors, Arna usually spends a few months a year travelling the world, exploring new places and different cultures. In her spare time, you can find her in the yoga studio or roaming around the mountains on her own two feet or on her horse. Apart from living in Iceland, she has also lived in the US and Ecuador and speaks fluent Icelandic, English, and Spanish!

Bryony Gill
Sales & Operations | Operation Supervisor

From sunny Cornwall in South West England, Bryony has been brought up camping, hiking and exploring with her two sisters and parents. In her early 20s she started to travel the World and has visited a total of 30 countries, working with and experiencing different cultures has given her a wonderful outlook on life.

She has experience in mountaineering, Wilderness Medicine and working in Operations with other Icelandic tourism companies. She came to Iceland 7 years ago to become a glacier guide on Vatnajökull and has not wanted to leave. Now, her favourite places to visit include the Highlands, Hornstrandir and anywhere for long hikes and beautiful mountain views.

Caroline Giroud
Sales & Operations

Caroline was always destined for a job in adventure tourism! She was born and raised in the French Alps and from a young age really took to the outdoors. Her love of nature inspired her to travel, and over many years she visited many countries. She says her biggest highlight was working as a dive instructor in Mexico, where she gained her diving qualifications. In fact, these qualifications are what allowed her to make her way to Iceland, though the diving here is a little more chilly. Fast-forward many years and Caroline is now settled in Iceland.

Over the years, she has worked as a diving instructor at Silfra, a glacier guide in the Vatnajökull National Park, a trip leader for multi-day hikes in the Icelandic highlands, and even gained her Rescue Diver and Wilderness First Responder Certificates. These days, she finds herself promoting travel around Iceland from the cosy offices of Hidden Iceland in Reykjavík. Her experience working across the country as a guide makes her the perfect person to plan a trip with.

Charlotte Theobald
Project Supervisor

Charlotte visited on holiday in 2012 and fell in love with the island, which led to her moving here less than a year later. She started out as an au pair, moving into the tourism industry, which led her to spend four years living in a remote part of the South East of the country near Iceland’s highest mountain. As her family grew, she decided to swap the mountains for the sea and moved to the “countryside in the city” suburb of Álftanes just outside the capital (boasting the president as her neighbour!). Charlotte has an Icelandic husband who is a guide, and two young children who are all far more adventurous than her, and so you can often find her providing the picnic and trailing behind on family adventures.

Clare Nedin
Sales & Operations

Born and raised in South Wales, UK, Clare grew up an active child and spent most of her spare time either dancing, horse riding or practising archery. It quickly became apparent that Clare was a natural at archery and competed for Wales, both at junior and senior level, during her teens, as well as trained with the Welsh squad, but it was Clare’s passion for motorsport that first brought her to Iceland in 2008. By the time she moved to Iceland full-time in 2019, she had visited numerous times and was part of the organizing team of her father’s second classic rally in Iceland. Clare now calls Iceland her home with her Icelandic partner. With a degree in Leisure Management, Clare has always loved the outdoors and exploring new places. Her background is in arts, marketing, and customer service with a Business Support role for the Brecon Beacons and Monmouthshire countryside team at the National Trust, where she had mountains of work and mountains to help look after! Clare is settled in Iceland and, having travelled extensively around the country on numerous motorsport events, she takes any opportunity she can get outside and continue exploring.

Emilie Colliar
Sales & Operations

Emilie was born and raised in the French Alps, but now lives full-time in Iceland as she works and studies. It was her childhood growing up in the mountains that cultivated her passion for all things snowy. After a childhood spent skiing competitively for one of Scotland’s junior teams, she completed a degree in Medieval history and archaeology in England, before moving to Iceland at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. She has spent her time since then studying a mix of history, tourism, and Icelandic immigration, and exploring the deserted landscapes of her new home. In her spare time, she runs a small jewellery business under the supervision of her beloved cat, Lúsí. Her knowledge and love of all things Iceland makes her an ideal person to plan the perfect holiday with.

Evaldas Butkus
Fleet & Operations

Evaldas originally hails from Lithuania but has lived and worked in Iceland for many years. He has a professional Bachelor of Technological Sciences as a Marine Navigator, which served him well as a seafarer. While working and travelling, Evaldas managed to visit many countries, across numerous continents. His work and travel lifestyle has given him the chance to develop professionally in many fields.

When Evaldas is not working behind the scenes in the warehouse and the office at Hidden Iceland, he enjoys playing basketball, going to the gym and relaxing in many of the Icelandic swimming pools. When Evaldas gets time off, he loves hiking with his wife, with the biggest hike he’s achieved so far being the Camino del Norte 1140 km & Camino Lituano 600 km. Despite his many travels around the world, these days he loves to explore his adopted homeland and says that the breathtaking places around the country never stop amazing him.

Gabríella Sif Beck
Travel Expert | Brand & Design Supervisor

Gabríella was born in East Iceland but grew up in Reykjavík, always having one foot in the East with her extended family. She spent her early summers travelling to every remote corner of Iceland in her grandparents’ RV, and still loves travelling and hiking in various places around the country. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her son, doing graphic design and playing roller derby with the local Reykjavík team and Iceland’s National Team. Gabríella studied Tourism at the University of Iceland and graduated in Graphic Media Design from the Technical College of Reykjavík.

Maksim Kachanzhi
Operations | Fleet Supervisor

Maksim has been living and working as a guide in Iceland since 2017. After getting his bachelors degree in Tourism and Recreation in 2013 in his native homeland of Moldova, he has worked with various outdoor companies back home, and around the world. Maksim often claims that he knew Iceland would be his future home before even stepping foot on the soil.

With his diverse outdoor and adventure guiding CV, we can see why we thought Iceland’s rugged and natural landscape would be the perfect fit. In Iceland alone, Maksim has worked as a glacier guide, multi day trekking guide, kayaking guide, snowmobiling guide and ATV guide. Maksim also has a passion for cycling, travelling, natural sciences and everything that has to do with the geography of Iceland. He will gladly show you his favourite locations and will share his knowledge of the area, helping you create unforgettable memories from your adventures. Maksim, among his qualifications and skills, is a certified Glacier Guide and Wilderness First Responder.

Nina Walter
Travel Expert

Nina is one of our passionate Travel Experts at Hidden Iceland who combines her love for Iceland’s natural wonders and her extensive experience in the tourism industry. With a BA in Business, specializing in Tourism & Leisure Management, she fell in love with Iceland and its impressive landscapes. Nina finds joy in visiting cosy coffee shops, channelling her creativity through various outlets such as exploring new places, capturing breathtaking landscapes with her photography and immersing herself in artistic endeavours.

At Hidden Iceland, Nina enjoys creating customized itineraries and building strong connections with each client, and her attention to detail and organizational skills ensure an unforgettable adventures. She’s eager to utilize her expertise and genuine love for Iceland to help you discover the wonders of the country and create a one-in-a-lifetime journey, personalized for each guest’s interests.

Rita Cardoso
Travel Expert

Rita is originally from a small village in Portugal now calls Iceland home. Her insatiable passion for travelling ignited an unforgettable journey that brought her and her boyfriend to Iceland in 2017. Since then, she has embarked on numerous adventures, criss-crossing Iceland’s vast landscapes and always on the lookout for hidden gems yet to be discovered, and adeptly capturing those moments through her photography.

With her knowledge of Iceland, the tourism industry, and her varied experience over the years, Rita is perfectly equipped to assist you in crafting the ideal Iceland holiday. Whether you seek breathtaking natural wonders, off-the-beaten-path destinations, or unique travel experiences, she will curate an unforgettable journey that she has tailored precisely to each guest’s desires and preferences. Rest assured, to Rita’s friendly expertise, your Iceland adventure will be nothing short of extraordinary.

Unnur Silfá Eyfells
Travel Expert

Unnur was born in Iceland and grew up in the winter wonderland of Akureyri. She inherited her family’s passion for travel and the outdoors, having spent most of her childhood summers running around in the Icelandic highlands and her winters skiing down the mountains in her hometown. Her favourite places in Iceland are the remote highlands and the West fjords, from where she can trace her family’s roots back hundreds of years. Unnur has worked within the Icelandic service industry since she was a teenager.

After travelling the world as a solo female backpacker, her interest in travel services and the positive impact of socially and environmentally conscious travels was sparked. She now holds a B.Sc. in Tourism from the University of Iceland, where she minored in business and East Asian culture and history.

THE GUIDES

Andrés Andrésson
Driver Guide

Andrés (Andy) was born and raised in Reykjavík. As a youth, he travelled extensively around Iceland with his family, creating a lifelong appreciation and love for his country. As a professional guide, Andrés has had the privilege to share his country with travellers, and connoisseurs from across the globe, experiencing the joy and amazement through the eyes of others. He believes one of the most rewarding aspects of his profession is the human factor, getting to know people. He loves to educate and entertain and brings to the table a wealth of knowledge about all things Icelandic: history, current affairs, culture, myth, and geology.

A background in history, political science, education, and English, as well as having attended a professional guide school, have equipped him well in tackling the nuances of guiding. He also loves to read and write with his main literary critique and confidant, (his English Springer Spaniel, Frodi), being very “vocal” about Andrés’ artistic talents. Travelling is essential to Andrés’ existence, a passion he shares with his better half.

Auður Eggertsdóttir
Glacier & Driver Guide

Born and raised in Reykjavík, Auður loves to explore the outdoors; hiking and swimming in Iceland’s outdoor pools in her spare time, whilst also taking care of her big family. Now Auður is a full-time guide, but back when Icelandic tourism was still in its infancy, Auður would work as a guide in the summer and study furniture restoration in the warmth of Spain in the winter. She has always been interested in the old Icelandic stories, poetry, and everything related to Icelandic history, “without our past and our stories, we wouldn’t be who we are today”. You will learn all about the history, culture, and stories of Iceland when you are lucky enough to explore with Auður. Not to mention that she is not only fluent in Icelandic and English, but also Swedish, Spanish, and French! Auður is a certified glacier guide and Wilderness First Responder, so you are in safe hands when on the ice with her.

Ásdís Birgisdóttir
Driver Guide

Ásdís was born in Iceland and spent her youth in the US. Growing up with the family, the vacations were spent outside enjoying nature, either camping in the highlands of Iceland or in the national parks of the US. The love of travel and adventure steered her towards the guiding profession, but as Icelanders tend to have many hats, Ásdís also has degrees in textile art and design and is halfway to becoming a carpenter. So she can tell you all about the Icelandic traditions in handcrafts and, with the added passion for geology, wildlife and horses, would keep you interested and entertained while exploring the Icelandic countryside. Ásdís is a certified hiking guide and Wilderness First Responder.

Einar Sveinn Westlund
Driver Guide

Einar Sveinn Westlund is from Hafnarfjörður, a town on the outskirts of Reykjavík. After taking one year exchange studies in the Dolomites in Italy, Einar got interested in becoming an adventure guide. Since then, he has been to Canada to study an Adventure Guide Diploma in TRU, worked as a multi-day trekking guide with an emphasis on great food in the highlands of Iceland. He has also studied navigation, studied in Finland for a year, where he met his French partner. They have been moving back and forth to and from Iceland ever since, with the aim of seeking new experiences and meeting interesting people around the world. In fact, one winter in Rovaniemi, Finland, he rebuilt an old-timer camper van and travelled around Europe in it.

In 2020, Einar went to Denmark to learn how to forage wild edible herbs from the world-renowned restaurant Noma for 7 months. Einar loves food and anything to do with food, and you can be sure that he’ll work that into any conversation. He is curious and threads the line of being entertaining and informative. Einar is a Thompson Rivers University graduate with an Adventure Guide Diploma and Wilderness First Responder, with extensive multi-day trekking and cooking experience.

Emilia Bandosz
Driver Guide

Sometimes, one must journey afar to find what they seek, even if it’s just a four-hour flight away. Life unfolds amidst unexpected plans—a summer job before an Erasmus stint led to running a fine dining restaurant in England, wine exploration in New Zealand unveiled a love for glaciers and guiding. Emilia settled in Iceland since 2016, and has since found solace away from the city, captivated by its geothermal pools and folklore. Enthusiastic about sharing Iceland’s wonders, she embraces a life intertwined with guiding, drawn to the island’s pristine nature and endless exploration.

She holds a master’s degree in Tourism and Recreation, in the field of Geography and Geology. Additionally, she has participated in various courses in the field, such as Wilderness First Responder and glacier training, and worked for very prestigious companies.

Fannar Andrésson
Driver Guide

Meet Fannar, born and raised in Álftanes on the outskirts of Reykjavík, but has roamed all of Iceland searching for an adventure! Guiding became his calling, blending his love for exploration with storytelling and people interaction. When not guiding, he’s often found golfing, fishing, or birdwatching. As a lifelong Eider duck farmer in Breiðafjörður fjord, he’s also passionate about collecting down for duvets. With 8 years of guiding experience across Iceland and a kayak company in West Iceland since 2019, Fannar is a devoted family man who savors camping with his two young sons in summer and snowy play times in winter.

Helgi Helgason
Driver Guide

Helgi was born and raised in the west side of Reykjavík. Helgi’s route to guiding was quite a unique one, with many specialities. Although he loved the outdoors as a young man, spending most of his spare time on the football field, his career set solely in the business world until much later. He studied Psychology at University, but then moved into advertising, eventually owning his agency. More recently, he was working alongside his wife in her upholstery business. It was only later in his career that he realized that guiding was his true calling.

As he transitioned away from business and into the outdoors, he completed Icelandic guiding school with a focus on hiking and mountaineering. In his spare time and as a guide, Helgi has summited many mountains, traversed many glaciers and run many multi-day hiking tours across the country with, as he puts it, “með allt á bakinu”, which roughly translates to ‘everything on his back’. His favourite topics to share with his guests are geology and glaciers, but has vast knowledge of everything that is Iceland. Helgi is also a qualified Wilderness First Responder.

Holly Spice
Glacier & Driver Guide

Holly was born and raised in Scotland, and first visited Iceland as a teenager on a Scout summer camp. This trip inspired her to study Geology at university, and she went on to complete a PhD related to volcanism in Iceland. She loves to tell you all about the volcanoes in Iceland! She even gained the nickname, Doctor Volcano, on a recent private trip. A fitting name in our books.

Holly moved to Iceland to pursue the outdoor life. She is a keen rock climber, mountaineer, skier, and runner. Holly is a trained Wilderness First Responder and glacier guide, and also holds the UK Mountain Leader and Rock Climbing Instructor awards.

Ingimundur Stefánsson
Glacier & Driver Guide

Ingimundur is an Iceland native, family man and seasoned veteran in the guiding community. He has guided across every inch of the country over the years and delights in sharing his rich family history and how it connects with his passion for the outdoors and folklore. It’s hard not to become best friends with Ingimundur by the end of the trip, as his stories and personality make you feel like you are sharing a memory with a trusted friend rather than facts and figures from a tour guide. When Ingimundur isn’t teaching our clients about the wilderness, he’s out exploring it with his family. Ingimundur is a certified Glacier Guide and Wilderness First Responder.

Kristjón Grétarsson
Driver Guide

Kristjón (or Kris), was born and raised in Reykjavík and Keflavík, but spent his summers as a young boy exploring the Icelandic countryside on a farm with different domestic animals and exploring the unspoiled nature. His love of nature, hiking, climbing, and guiding doesn’t go unnoticed by his family and friends. He also manages to squeeze some golfing into his schedule but admits that there is room for improvement in this particular field.

As a certified Glacier Guide and a Wilderness First Responder, Kristjón has climbed many of the Icelandic peaks with his friends, both in winter and summer conditions, and reached the summits of some of the most renowned peaks in the Alps. With years of experience as a professional driver guide in Iceland, Kristjón has established a loyal following of happy customers. When you travel with him, you can be sure that safety and fun are at the heart of every trip!

Levi Baráth
Driver Guide

Levi grew up in Hungary, where he discovered his love for nature near Europe’s largest thermal water lake. Childhood adventures and sports, alongside work at a horse stable, nurtured his outdoor passion. Leading tours across Europe, Asia, and North Africa for a decade deepened his love for exploration, especially in Iceland since 2015. A self-taught photographer and videographer, Levi expertly captures his journeys, which comes in handy while on tours. His tours seamlessly blend adventure and visual storytelling. Levi’s genuine joy in teaching and sharing enriches every expedition, creating unforgettable experiences for all.

Loftur Atli Eiríksson
Driver Guide

With a population of less than 400,000, Icelanders need to be able to take on many roles. This makes Icelandic bios sometimes quite interesting. Meet Loftur, who has done his share of working many roles; from working in a fish factory; aquarium; The Copenhagen Zoo. But for most of his career, he has been an editor and a journalist for local newspapers and magazines. Having granted a Fulbright scholarship, his path took him to study visual arts in the US where he lived for seven years, completing his Master’s degree at California Institute of the Arts, and being a Hollywood reporter on the side.

Loftur grew up in the countryside in Garðahreppur, close to Reykjavík. His home was just by the water with a small brook running into the sea, which made him a passionate angler and a nature enthusiast from early childhood. Fly fishing in Iceland is one of two books he has published, and he who holds a second Master in Cultural Administration. Loftur started his guiding career on salmon rivers but has been concentrating on general guiding for private parties and groups in Iceland and Greenland since 2016. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Sigrún, and they have an adopted son from India named Haukur and a Boarder Collie named Lukka. Loftur is a qualified Wilderness First Responder.

Marcin Grzyb
Glacier & Driver Guide

Marcin was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland. Growing up in a city, he dreamed of the mountains and sea — managing to travel extensively through Europe every chance he got. He first stepped foot in Iceland back in 2013 during an Erasmus student exchange, not realizing back then that this country would soon become his home for life. Marcin realized that by working in tourism as a guide, he could combine his passion for the outdoors with his career aspirations. He started his guiding career in earnest as a glacier guide in 2016 in the Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland. Since then, he has gained experience and qualification in many terrains such as; glacier hiking, wild trekking, sea kayaking, white water rafting and ocean sailing. He has also guided in New Zealand, Canada, and Norway, but he often tells his clients that Iceland stole his heart. After taking part in 2 sailing expeditions to Greenland and Svalbard, his interest widened to the whole Arctic region, and he’s always happy to teach you about its geography, geology and history and the special place that Iceland holds in all of them.

Marcin is a fully certified AIMG Hard Ice Guide, Wilderness First Responder and IRATA Rope Access Technician. He also holds a degree in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics.

Matej Školc
Driver Guide

Born and raised in Slovenia, Matej’s thirst for adventure led him to live and work in various countries, including Croatia, Greece, and Turkey, before finding his way to Iceland in 2018. There, he began his journey as a scuba diving guide at the breathtaking Silfra fissure. Falling in love with Iceland’s enchanting landscapes, Matej transitioned into sharing its beauty with others full-time.

Alongside exploring Iceland, he’s on a mission to show its wonders to fellow travellers. When he’s not out discovering new corners of the island, you’ll find Matej sipping on piña coladas and avoiding rainy days. If he ever skips a whale watching tour, you know something’s amiss!

Prokop Teper
Glacier & Driver Guide

Born in a country that no longer exists, Prokop has been on the move since 2010, having lived in 7 foreign countries before finding his new home, Iceland! As Prokop says, “you can guide people on ice and do it year round, what’s better than that?” Since arriving in Iceland in 2016, Prokop has guided on multiple outlet glaciers in the south-east of the country, where the mighty Vatnajökull ice cap is situated. Or, as he calls it, “the 3rd heaviest ice-cube in the world.”

In addition to being a fully certified AIMG Hard ice guide, Prokop is a NOLS Wilderness First Responder, a PROAOA class 4 white water raft guide and a D5L Fritidsskipper motorboat operator. These qualifications allowed him to guide in places as diverse as the Canadian Rockies and western Norway, but he always knew “unique, one of a kind” Iceland would be his home. Prokop is also a passionate advocate for protecting the environment and sharing best practices on the climate crisis. In his spare time, he loves to go fishing or to unwind in one of many Icelandic hot springs.

Ragnar Ísleifur Bragason
Driver Guide

Meet Ragnar, a joyful guide and devoted father of three. With a background in theatre as a maker, writer, and actor, Ragnar brings a creative spark to his guiding role. His love for guiding has flourished over the years, allowing him to share diverse experiences and stories with new people. He has a passion for Icelandic food, especially Icelandic candy, which he rarely travels without. Ragnar’s zest for life and storytelling shines whether guiding through Iceland’s wilderness or captivating audiences on stage, leaving a lasting impression on all he meets.

Robert Konopka
Driver Guide

Robert is originally from Poland but now considers Iceland his home, having worked as a guide and in operations for many years. Robert’s move to Iceland follows the same story as many guides. His first career was in the corporate working environment, as a Human Resources specialist, but he knew that his life was not one that revolved around 2 screens and lots of copy and pasting. So on one fateful day, Robert decided to buy a one-way ticket to Iceland and start a new life here. Quickly, he found himself working as a glacier guide and in operations on the south coast of Iceland. His years of experience in Iceland, and his infectious smile, is what led to him joining the team of Driver Guides at Hidden Iceland.

In his spare time, Robert loves to travel, with his fondest memory being a solo long-distance bike ride through Europe with stop off in the Balkans, Romania, and even as far east as Ukraine. He loves sharing the beautiful wonders of Iceland with you and swapping stories. Robert is also a keen amateur photographer, so don’t be shy if you want some great pics from him.

Símon Adolf Haraldsson
Driver Guide

Born in Reykjavík, Iceland and raised in Árbær, a village within the city surrounded by nature. From an early age, travelling with his parents and camping all over Iceland made him fall in love with Icelandic nature. Working five summers on a farm during the age 11-15 just under the famous volcano of Eyjafjallajökull made him permanently hooked on glaciers and mountains. His curiosity has also taken him all over the world, living for some time in Spain, India, and Thailand. With a background in business and consultancy for almost 20 years and an MBA, he one day decided to change his office but keep what he loves, which is to be around people, teaching them and telling stories.

He has been a full-time guide since 2018, and he finds his passion for Iceland and Icelandic nature growing by each day. Iceland truly is “like a box of chocolates’ as he often quips. There are few things that do not interest him, and his attention to details is remarkable. His focus is to always add value to each day and capture the moment, after all, “God is in the details”.

Teitur Torkelsson
Glacier & Driver Guide

Iceland born, Teitur Torkelsson, is a lifelong adventurer, TV personality, peacekeeper, public relations specialist and traveller to more than sixty countries. Basically, anything that allows him to explore the outdoors is his passion. These days, he follows this passion in a guiding role and loves to share his experiences while on new adventures across Iceland with his guests. Growing up, Teitur was raised on farms in three different parts of Iceland and educated in Iceland, France, Japan, and the USA. He has worked in several countries around the world and is extremely knowledgeable about world affairs and the nature, economy, culture, and history of Iceland.

Teitur also holds degrees in Philosophy and Journalism from the University of Iceland and International Law and Security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, USA. He is a level II Certified Glacier Guide, Wilderness First Responder, Sea Captain and Advanced Scuba Diver and is currently working on his private pilot’s licence.

Þór Tulinius
Driver Guide

Although Þór (Thor) was born in Iceland, he was raised in different parts of the world, spending a year in the Faroe Islands, a year in Germany, five years in the USA and five years in France, thus being fluent in English and French. Since the age of 15, he has more or less lived in Iceland, and he started his guiding career early, at the age of 18. The definite lack of French-speaking guides back then allowed him to work and learn on the job.

Thor is a well-educated and experienced guide and has explored most parts of Iceland. When we asked him what his favourite part of the country was, he was at a loss for words because the list crosses the whole country. You’ll just have to decide for yourself when you’re travelling with him! Being a trained actor and having a master’s degree in creative writing, Thor especially enjoys sharing the History and legends of his country. Being a Wilderness First Responder, Þór’s motto as a guide is: “have them feel safe, and then we can start having fun!”

FINANCE & ACCOUNTS

Gent Hoda
Finance & Accounts

Gent was born and raised in Iceland and has spent much of his childhood (and adulthood) out in nature. Gent has joined us in the Finance & Accounts team, but certainly still has plenty of knowledge of the places you are likely to visit too. Gent loves to snowboard, especially in the mountains around Akureyri, but feels just as at peace when playing golf on the outskirts of Reykjavík too!

Regardless of the sport, Gent loves the outdoors and travelling and has visited many spots around the country over the years. His experience in auditing and accounting, alongside his love of the travel industry in Iceland, made him an ideal addition to the team. You are unlikely to encounter Gent, or the other members of the Finance team, while you’re planning your trip with us, but rest assured, they are hard at work in the background making sure everything goes smoothly.

Gréta Blængsdóttir
Bookkeeper | Finance & Accounts

Born and raised in Iceland, Gréta loves her country. She especially loves the outdoors, where she likes to spend time with her two sons. Hiking, cycling, golf, skiing and swimming are just some of her favourite past times. She also taught aerobics, as well as playing football and handball when she was younger. If it sounds like she has ‘done it all’, we agree!

Gréta was predominantly brought into the team for her extensive background in Finance, but it’s her experience in the travel industry that really sets her apart from others. In fact, her first role in tourism dates back to 1999, having worked in various roles including; Sales, Marketing, Operations and Purchasing, before eventually finding her passion in finance. It’s clear that she has focused her career in tourism, and often jokes that she ‘knows everyone’. It might just be true!