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Lost Fjords

Trip difficulty: 3 of 5 possible.

6 day trek in the Vestfirðir peninsula.

 

The Hornstrandir nature reserve is a place of magnificent untouched beauty and wildlife. 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.

 

 

Rough itinerary:

Day 1: Flight from Reykjavik at 8:00 AM to Ísafjörður & then a boat trip at 9:30 AM to Hornvík

Day 2: Hornvík to Kjaransvík

Day 3: Kjaransvík to Fljótavík

Day 4: Fljótavík to Látrar í Aðalvík.

Day 5: Aðalvík to Hesteyri

Day 6: 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)

 

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.

Transfer of luggage with boat can be arranged.

 

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.

Bring with you: see equipment list at the bottom of the document.

 

Lost Fjords - Detailed Intinerary

6 day trip (Thursday-Tuesday):

 

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 and eat and enjoy for a while before taking the flight back to Reykjavík at 18:00.

 

Equipment list for Trekking Tours / Assisted Treks

 

Boots and Clothing:

• Hiking Boots – The boots should be of leather (or leather and synthetic) with high cut to give sufficient ankle support. Preferably the sole should be soft but robust. Gore-Tex or alternative waterproof membrane is a preferable extra.

• Long sleeve shirt (thermal underwear) – Wool or synthetic.

• Rain Jacket or an Anorak with hood – Preferably waterproof and breathable material (Gore-Tex or equivalents).

• Rain trousers – Waterproof and breathable material.

• Liner Gloves – Wool or synthetic (polypropylene / polyester).

• Mittens – Wool or synthetic (optionally waterproof) (two pairs if no Liner Gloves).

• Socks – Wool or synthetic. Bring two or three pairs.

• Hat or Balaclava – Wool or synthetic.

 

Other gear:

• Backpack for extra clothes and food during the day. Size approx. 30-50 liters.

• Gaiters – Calf or knee height and wide enough for your boots.

• River shoes – Old pair of light sneakers do nicely to ford the rivers. Open sandals are not sufficient for the purpose.

• Sleeping bag – Down or fibre. Aim for light weight and warm bags. We

• recommend goose down with high “fill power” or top of the line synthetic bags.

• Insulation mattress – A foam mattress (11 mm) will do, but newer light weight airmattresses insulate as well and are more comfortable.

• A travel sack for your baggage that is transported between camps. Note that suitcases are to be avoided.

• Towel – A light weight and packable one.

• Toothbrush.

• Sunglasses – Big enough to cover the eyes and with sufficient UV-protection.

• Sun protection.

• Water container – Pet plastic bottle.

 

Optional gear:

• Walking poles (recommended).

• Neophrene socks – A preferable item on trips where we have to cross many rivers.

• Pen knife.

• Sun/rain Hat or a Cap.

• Thermal mat (for lunch brakes).

• Camera, spare batteries and a memory card or films.