A unique six days backpacking tour in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in Iceland´s Westfjords. Trip difficulty: 4 out of 5 possible. Challenging.
The Hornstrandir nature reserve is a place of magnificent unspoiled nature and wildlife. The basalt mountains stretch from the ocean to the sky, chaotically divided by deep fjords and valleys. By the coast, the great power of the ocean has molded towering sea cliffs which are populated by various species of seabirds. 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 eroded numbers of mountain passes and lakes into the rugged peninsula. This is one of the few places in Iceland where you can get the chance to see the arctic fox wandering around in its natural environment. From the settlement of Iceland and until the middle of the 20th century the area was populated by the tough Icelandic fishermen and craftsmen. Hornstrandir no longer have any permanent settlers but their abandoned homes and workshops are scattered around the area, embraced by fjords and valleys.
You can be sure that trekking through the Hornstrandir nature reserve will leave you amazed and with a database of memories that will last a lifetime.
Check out our environmental and social policy by clicking here!
Guaranteed departures 2012:
10th July - International departure
24th of July - International departure
7th of August - International departure
The trip starts at 7:30 AM from Reykjavik Domestic Airport. Make sure you book this tour with good notice.
Click here for details on our cancellation policy. Rough itinerary: Day 1: Monday: Flight from Reykjavik to Ísafjörður in the morning and then a boat trip to Hesteyri. Hike to Hælavík.
Day 2: Tuesday: Hælavík to Hornvík.
Day 3: Wednesday: Hornvík.
Day 4: Thursday: Hornvík to Veiðileysa.
Day 5: Friday: Veiðileysa to Hesteyri.
Day 6: Saturday: Boat trip back to Ísafjörður in the morning and a flight to Reykjavík in the afternoon.
See detailed itinerary below.
Price: 179.990 ISK per person.
If there are less than 4 people in your group, contact us to see if there is a group that you can join!
Age limit: 16 years.
Included in price: Flight to and from Ísafjörður, guiding, boat ride into the Hornstrandir nature reserve, food for 6 days (except breakfast on day one and dinner the last day), tents and cooking gear.
Not included in price: Sleeping bag and a sleeping mat, but these can be rented from us. Please contact us in advance if you need to rent equipment.
We can help you book an accommodation at the
Reykjavik Backpackers for your nights in Reykjavik.
Minimum number of participants: 4 persons.
Maximum number of participants: 14 persons per guide.
Bring with you: A good 70-90 L backpack, outdoor clothing (warm, wind and waterproof), headwear, gloves and solid waterproof hiking boots with ankle support.
Click here for a detailed equipment list. Hornstrandir Detailed Itinerary: 6 day trip (Thuesday-Sunday):
Day 1 Ísafjörður-Hornvík (6 hours of walking)
At Ísafjörður harbour we catch a ride with a boat to Hornvík (vík means alcove in English). The boat trip takes about 3 hours along a unique coastline. Not many places compare 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 sea cliff where thousands of birds make their nests. Then we head 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 we head 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 across two mountain passes, where we witness the magnificent view over Fljótavík and hike down to the beautiful Fljótsvatn lake. We walk along the wetlands by the lake to Atlastaðir farm in Fljótavík. There we spend the night camping on the green grass by the river mouth of our newfound lake.
Day 4 Fljótavík-Látrar í Aðalvík (6 hours of walking)
The day usually starts with passing the river mouth, Atlastaðaós, 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 the time when people still lived on the farms in this 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, as the track winds its way to Látrar in Aðalvík. We will pass a pond which is called Dragonlake, named after a ferocious dragon that supposedly lived on a small island in the lake. As we descend from the plateau we see Rekavík and further along Skorar US military station on the Straumnesfjall mountain. There the US built a radar station during World War II, 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 certainly worth the effort.
Day 5 Látrar í Aðalvík-Hesteyri (4 hours of walking)
From Látrar we hike to Stakkadalsá river. There we wash our feet as we cross the river and continue up the easy slopes of Mt. Stakkadalsfjall. If we are lucky we will catch a glimpse of the arctic fox in its natural habitat, it´s quite common in this area. 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 this old abandoned settlement. Hesteyri used to be a small village of about 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 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 the town 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.