6 days self supportive hiking in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in Iceland´s West fjords.
Trip difficulty: 3+ out of 5 possible.
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
amazed and packed with memories that will last a lifetime.
Check out our environmental and social policy by clicking here!
Guaranteed departures 2010:
6th of July
20th of July
10th of August
The trip starts at 7:30 AM from Reykjavik Domestic Airport. Make sure
you book your spot on the tour with good notice.
Rough itinerary:
Day 1: Tuesday: Flight from Reykjavik at 8:00 AM to
Ísafjörður and then a boat trip at 9:30 AM to Hornvík.
Day 2: Wednesday: Hornvík to Kjaransvík
Day 3: Thursday: Kjarnasvík to Fljótavík
Day 4: Friday: Fljótavík to Látrar í Aðalvík.
Day 5: Saturday: Aðalvík to Hesteyri
Day 6: Sunday: Sleep in and boat trip back to
Ísafjörður at 10:30 and a flight to Reykjavík at 18:00
See detailed itinerary below.
Price: 149.990 ISK per person (minimum 4 persons)
If there are fewer then 4 in your group, contact us to see if
there are others that you can join!
Minimum Age: 14 years if accompanied by guardian.
Included in price: Flight to and from Ísafjörður, guiding, boat ride
into the reserve, food for 6 days (except breakfast on day one and
dinner last day), tents and cooking gear. Sleeping bag and mattress can
be rented if you let us know in advanced.
Not included: sleeping bag, mattress and pillow, but these can be rented
from us. Please contact us in advance if you need to rent equipment.
We can book accommodation at the Reykjavik Backpackers for your nights
in Reykjavik.
Maximum no of participants: 14.
Bring with you: Outdoor clothing (warm, wind and waterproof), headwear,
gloves and solid waterproof hiking boots with ankle support.
Hornstrandir Detailed Itinerary:
6 day trip (Tuesday-Sunday):
Day 1
Ísafjörður-Hornvík (6 hours of walking)
At Ísafjörður harbour we catch a ride with the scheduled boat tours to
Hornvík (vík means alcove in English). The sailing takes 3 hours along
this unique coastline. Nothing compares to the beauty of Hornvík,
surrounding are two of Iceland’s largest bird cliffs. Like the entire
Hornstrandir area, Hornvík is very remote and is only accessible by boat
or by foot. We hike to Hornbjarg cliff where thousands of birds can be
seen, and then back to Hornvík where we spend the night.
Day 2
Hornvík-Kjaransvík (4-5 hours of walking)
From Hornvík we traverse a steep slope to get around the Mt. Kollur over
to Rekavík. Then up to the mountain pass Atlaskarð (327m) where we
follow a route marked with cairns all the way to the edge of mountain
ridge Skálakambur. Down the steep slope of Skálakambur we walk to
Hlöðuvík and along the beach to Kjaransvík where we will spend the
night.
Day 3
Kjaransvík-Fljótavík (8-10hours of walking)
To the north we hike up to the mountain Kjalárnúpur, then over two
mountain passes Almenningaskarð and Þorleifsskarð, where we witness the
magnificent view over Fljótavík and hike down to the beautiful lake,
Fljótsvatn. We walk along the wetlands beside the lake to Atlastaðir
farm in Fljótavík. There we spend the night the green grass by the river
mouth of lake Fljótsvatn.
Day 4
Fljótavík-Látrar í Aðalvík (6 hours of walking)
The day starts with passing the river mouth, Atlastaðaós, below the farm
Atlastaðir since 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 well marked with ancient cairns since
people still lived on the farms in the area. This trail was often used
by the farmers to travel between Látrar and Fljótavík, where they went
fishing in the morning and brought back their catch at the end of the
day. The top of the plateau is narrow and we quickly start to descend,
walking along several ponds as the track winds it way to Látrar in
Aðalvík. The biggest pond is called Dragonlake named for a ferocious
dragon that supposedly lived on a small island in the lake. As we
descend plateau we see Rekavík and further along Skorar US military
station on the Straumnesfjall mountain. There the US built a radar
station in the Second World War, but it was only used for few years and
today you can see the interesting remains of the station. An optional
5-6 hour hike up to the station is available and is certainly worth the
effort.
Day 5
Látrar í Aðalvík-Hesteyri (4 hours of walking)
From Látrar we hike to Stakkadalsá river. There we refresh our feet as
we wade the river and continue up the easy slopes of valley Stakkadalur
up to mountain Stakkadalsfjall. This area has a big population of the
arctic fox and if we are lucky we will catch a glimpse of one in its
natural habitat. There we follow the cairns over to the mountain pass of
Hesteyrarskarð. From there it’s an easy hike down to Hesteyri where we
should have some time to explore the area of Hesteyri. Hesteyri used to
be a small village of 80 people with a school, shop, post office, doctor
and a clinic. The Norwegians ran a whale station at nearby Stekkeyri
from 1894 to 1915 when a 10 year whale hunting ban was put in force in
1915 around Iceland. In 1927 a company from Reykjavík bought the whaling
station and changed it into a herring fishmeal factory. When the
herring disappeared in 1940 the factory was closed down with devastating
consequences for the town. With no jobs, people started to leave, and
in 1952 the last 30 persons that still lived in Hesteyri came together
in a town meeting and decided to move away because of the harsh living
conditions. Today the old doctor’s house is a small café, which serves
pancakes and coffee, both of which taste real good after a few days
hike.
Day 6
Hesteyri-Ísafjörður-Reykjavík
On our last day we sleep in and relax while waiting for the boat to come
and pick us up around 10:30 in the morning, from Hesteyri we sail to
Ísafjörður where you can relax, go out, eat and enjoy for a while before
taking the flight back to Reykjavík at 18:00.
Disclaimer:
All hiking trips are undertaken on the responsibility of its
participants. Arctic Adventures does not assume any responsibility for
accidents which are caused by its customers or can be traced to there
own actions. Participants have to sign a waiver before undertaking all
trips stating that they realize that all outdoor activities carry an
inherit risk.