Hornvík Heights and Sights
Duration
2 days
Location
Isafjørdur - høfn
Type
Day Tour
Minimum age
16 years
About this tour
Join us for a hike in the heart of Hornstrandir, taking in all of its beauty, including Hornbjarg bird cliffs and Hornvík bay. When limited to only a couple days in Hornstrandir, the toughest part can be deciding where to go. Hornvík Bay is a clear favourite for many travellers and is our recommendation for the “I only have a couple days, where should I go?” traveller. We totally recommend doing more than a day trip to the nature reserve as the nature takes on a different shape in the evenings. The Arctic Fox comes out from their dens searching for food, the midnight sun shines straight into Hornvík bay and it's very cosy to sit around the table in our basecamp enjoying a nice cup of tea talking to your fellow travellers. The wildlife in Hornvík is amazing with over 6 million birds nesting on the cliffs, Arctic Foxes that are so relaxed that you can enjoy their company very close up and many species of waders that call the bay their home. The nature is so pristine and breathtaking, you will return from this trip a different person. We sleep in comfortable 2 person tents and have a big separate cooking/eating tent which is heated, where we spend time socialising and drying off our gear!
Photos
What's included
- · Boat ride to and from Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
- · All food
- · Accommodation at our comfortable basecamp
- · Professional guide
Not included
- · Travel to and from Ísafjörður prior to and after the trip
- · Food on the first day until the trip departs
- · Personal medical insurance
- · Personal equipment and clothing
Itinerary
- 1
Hornvík
We meet at our office in Aðalstræti 17 (downtown main street) at 8am for a briefing, where we will answer any questions and make final preparations. We depart from the harbour in Ísafjörður on our passenger boat at 9am. The ride to Hornvík Bay takes between 2 and 3 hours and en-route you can see the whole coastline and bays that are carved into Hornstrandir. All these bays were once occupied by our ancestors that harvested the land and fished the waters. The ferry will drop us off on a land under the old farm of Horn and we start circumnavigating the edge of the magnificent Hornbjarg bird cliffs. During the hike you will experience looking down the 400 meter cliffs (if you dare) to see kittiwakes taking a bath in the lake under the cliffs, thousands of birds soaring the edge, Arctic Foxes searching for food on the beach and enjoy the magnificent view over this isolated and pristine place. We then start our descent to our camp where we will have a well-deserved dinner. Distance: 12 km. Altitude gain: 550 m.
- 2
Veiðileysufjörður
We take an easy morning. After a hearty breakfast we will say goodbye to Hornvík bay and start hiking towards Veiðileysufjörður on the southside of the peninsula. The hike takes us up to 500 meters and is on a path most of the way. When walking down the pass is usually covered with snow and is a little steep. Our guides will be there to help every step of the way. Then we follow the path down to the fjord where the boat will pick us up around 5 – 6pm, we then make the journey back to Ísafjörður which takes around an hour. Distance: 11 km. Altitude gain: 450 m. This itinerary is a guide only and is subject to change depending on the weather, sea conditions and the ability of the group.
Know before you go
Remember that everything you bring you will have to carry on your back for the entire hike. Try to pack as light as possible while still bringing everything you need. Please note that we provide the tents, sleeping bag, mattress and pillow and you will not need to carry any of this with you. However, you will need to bring your own sleeping bag liner and pillow cover. Warm outdoor clothing including hiking pants and warm upper layers. Please avoid cotton as it keeps you cold when wet and takes a very long time to dry. Waterproof jacket and pants. Hiking boots. Please use waterproof high-top hiking boots, which provide ankle support. Hat and gloves. Small backpack. Personal medical kit i.e. band aids, throat lozenges, lip salves, seasickness tablets etc. Don't forget your personal medication, which you may need (e.g. Asthma inhaler, even if you don’t always need it). Sun glasses. Sunscreen and after sun cream. Binoculars are nice to have for watching wildlife. (Optional). Water bottle. Sleeping bag liner and pillow cover. Don't forget your camera!
