Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
Trip difficulty: 3+ of 5 possible (Challenging)
6 days day hike in the Vestfirðir peninsula.
The Hornstrandir nature reserve is a place of magnificent untouched beauty and wild life. The sheer basalt mountains stretch from the sea to the sky chaotically divided by deep fjords, secluded alcoves and valleys. At the coastline the relentless power of the ocean has molded towering sea cliffs richly populated by birds and many of the alcoves and scurries of the coast are home to an abundance of seals. Inland the crawling glaciers of the last ice age have hewn ancient mountain passes and lakes into the rugged peninsula and there the arctic fox wanders in its natural environment. At the settlement of Iceland and until the middle of the 20th century the area was populated by the toughest of Icelandic fishermen and craftsmen. Many of them making their livelihood from crafting unsurpassed vessels for the North Atlantic Ocean. Hornstrandir is now empty of permanent settlers but their abandoned homes and workshops are scattered around the area, nestled deep in the fjords and valleys.
You can be sure that trekking through the Hornstrandir will leave you breathless and packed with memories that will last a lifetime.
Price: please fill in the contact form and we will send you the details for this tour. Private departures available upon request.
Guaranteed departures 2012:
July 10, 2012
July 24, 2012
August 7, 2012
Price: 179.990 ISK per person provided the minimum number of passengers has been reached.
Included in price: Guiding, boat ride into the reserve, food for 3 days (except breakfast on day one and dinner last day), tents, cooking gear and transfer of luggage.
Not included: Flight from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður.
Minimum: 4. Maximum: 14.
Note: The trek starts and ends in Ísafjörður in the Vestfirðir. You will have to arrange for transfer or flight from/to Reykjavík.
Rough itinerary:
Day 1 / Saturday: (9:30) Ísafjörður-Veiðileysufjörður-Kjaransvík
Day 2 / Sunday: Kjaransvík-Fljótavík
Day 3 / Monday: Fljótavík-Látrar í Aðalvík
Day 4 / Tuesday: Látrar-Ísafjörður. The boat arrives at 10:00 at Látrar, arrives 12:00 in Isafjordur.
Detailed itinerary:
Hornstrandir 3½ day trip (Saturday-Tuesday):
Day 1
Ísafjörður-Veiðileysufjörður-Kjaransvík (3-4hrs of walking)
At Ísafjörður harbor we catch a ride with scheduled boat tours to Veiðileysufjörður. Located under the glacier Drangajökull, Veiðileysufjörður is a good place to start our hike. The boat trip, the only means of transportation, takes roughly 1 hour and is a nice ride in the beautiful landscape of Jökulfirðir (glacier fjords), with its impressive, steep snow-flecked mountains and its quiet and secluded coves. From the old farm site of Steinólfsstaðir and Meleyri we start hiking up to the mountain pass, Hlöðuvíkurskarð, then down to the beach again and along the beach to the next destination Kjaransvík. There we camp for the night.
Day 2
Kjaransvík-Fljótavík (8-10hrs of walking)
To the north we hike up to the mountain Kjalárnúpur, then over two mountain passes, Almenningaskarð and Þorleifsskarð, to the beautiful lake, Fljótsvatn. Then along the lake to Fljótavík alcove. The night is spent in the green grass by the river mouth of Fljótsvatn Lake.
Day 3
Fljótavík- Látrar í Aðalvík (6hrs of walking)
The day starts by passing the river mouth but it needs to be passed at low tide. Then an unclear path is followed into Tungudalur valley and up a steep slope to the plateau Tunguheiði. The plateau is marked with cairns from time when people still lived on the farms in the area. Shortly after the plateau the route turns into a clear track which leads all the way to Látrar in Aðalvík.
Day 4
The boat will pick us up around 10:00 and sail us back to Ísafjörður. Back at Ísafjörður between 12:00 and 14:00.