Route in Hornstrandir: Section 3

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Commonly Backpacked · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

You can take a boat from Ísafjörður to Hornstrandir. There are two boat operators:
westtours.is/ or boreaadventures.com/

I recommend doing routes in Hornstrandir with a guide.

Take a GPS device and a compass with you. Buy an official map of the peninsula at the tourist office in Ísafjörður. Mobile data was not available.

Water is available everywhere in the nature reserve. There are no grocery stores. Buy all your food before you take the boat to Hornstrandir.

Share your hiking plan with the local ranger for tips before you start.

You'll pass through snowfields, even in high summer. Without waterproof hiking shoes, you'll get wet feet.

I did my hike in the summer; there was always daylight! No need for a torch, but a sleep mask is an advantage.

Share your travel plan with safetravel.is/travel-plan

Wild Camping is prohibited. You can pitch your tent at the official places.

At Búðir, we decided to head south and then climb the next mountain from the eastern side. At the top, we were convinced that this was the most challenging part so far.

From the peak, it was again a pretty flat trail slowly going down to sea level. At the coast, we had to use several ropes to climb along the acclivity (Picture).

Eventually, we arrived at the Hornvik Bay to pitch our tent for the second night. There are restrooms, emergency shelters and also a ranger who lives in a tiny hut.

It is possible to spot the arctic fox and also puffins among the nature reserve.