Bad weather, but great fun! Fast and exciting boat trip, going to shore with a zodiac, then hiking up a valley up to a fantastic panorama and down to the next fjord, where I saw a female polar fox very close - wow! Jonas, our nice guide, told us many interesting facts about flora, fauna, geology and history of this remote area. In the cozy atmosphere of Kviar farm we all got warm and dry again (it was raining all day). He also proved to be a very talented chef de cuisine, serving us a delicious dinner - thanks again, Jonas! II had a great day!

We had the pleasure of experiencing the three day Hornstrandir Traverse trip earlier this month and had an unbelievable time. The Hornstrandir Nature Reserve is possibly the most spectacular part of a country that is already ridiculously scenic and was well worth the time and effort it took to reach. The trip started with a scenic 2.5 hour boat ride to Hornvik Bay where our gear was dropped at the basecamp while we started our first hike up the Hornbjarg bird cliffs. We were lucky to have a sunny day and the views of the cliffs looming sharply over the ocean defied belief. Beautiful wildflowers covered the green slopes and thousands of birds swarmed over the ocean. As we continued up the cliff edge, we saw two separate arctic fox dens and had an amazing time observing and photographing the cubs at very close range. At the top we had spectacular views of the fjord below framed by sheer mountains on either side. I will say without hesitation that this was the most dramatic and beautiful view I've ever experienced. The trail wound down the slope to a small lake with whooping swans and other birds and we then descended to the shoreline and made our way to the basecamp at the head of the fjord. The camp was extremely comfortable with a cook tent and Arctic Oven tents with cots as sleeping quarters, and arctic foxes prowled through the camp inspecting us through the night. The food was very good and very ample and our guide Raguel was an amazing host.
Day two consisted of a 6-7 mile hike up and over a snowy pass to a lighthouse on the far side of the bird cliffs. The view up the coastline was majestic with waterfalls dropping from the cliffs and huge promontories jutting into the ocean. We made our way back to Hornvik Bay where Raguel's family has a cabin (one of two structures remaining in this former settlement which emptied after WW II.) By luck, his father, great-uncle, and brother were visiting the cabin and we got to see historic pictures (including a polar bear that drifted over from Greenland in the sixties and was stranded) and have tea. Afterwards, Raguel's brother took us in a dinghy to catch some cod for supper and we were able to pull in one for each of us in short order, which made dinner extra-delicious that night. The following morning we were able to sleep in a bit before starting our hike out. This was another gorgeous hike with long range views although we were up in the clouds as we went over the pass. There was lots of snow and we were able to do a little sledding on our rain jackets down the far slope of the pass. We arrived around 5 to meet our ferry back (only an hour or so this time) and sadly said goodbye to this magical place.
All in all, this was a definite highlight of our trip to Iceland. Perhaps the best thing about it, besides the incredible views and excellent service from Borea, was the fact that we saw no one else on two out of the three days we were hiking, and very few people on the first day. This kind of solitude in a place of such beauty is hard to find anywhere and we certainly didn't experience it anywhere else in Iceland, where tourism seems to be increasing very rapidly. I can't recommend this trip strongly enough!

The trip was amazing. Starting with the boat and zodiac ride to the nature preserve. We spent ample time watching the Arctic foxes and hiked along the cliffs. Our guide was very knowledgable and adapted to the weather that was thrown at us. The last day coming over the pass we could see up the fjord and stood there in awe.