Hornvík Hiking – Trekking Iceland

Join us for a hike in the heart of Hornstrandir, taking in all of its beauty, including Hornbjarg bird cliffs and Hornvík bay.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 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. On this two-day trekking tour in Iceland, we sleep in comfortable 2 persons tents and have a big separate cooking/eating tent with us, which is heated, where we spend time socializing and drying off our gear!

We will enjoy the Arctic Fox, that will come out from their dens searching for food, the incredible midnight sun shines straight into Hornvík bay and it's very cozy to sit around the table in our basecamp, enjoying a nice cup of tea while talking to our fellow travelers.

Day 1

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 harbor in Ísafjörður on our passenger ferry Bjarmi at 9am.

The ride to Hornvík Bay takes between 2 and 3 hours and on the way, 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

Day 2

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 about an hour.
Distance: 11 km

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.

Suggestions of what to bring:

• 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).
• Sunglasses.
• 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!

This itinerary is a guide only and is subject to change depending on the weather, sea conditions and the ability of the group