Hornstrandir | GET INFORMED
Are you captured by the idea of switching off your phone and escaping the real world, while hiking across the remote and wild landscapes of Iceland’s Westfjords?
I can assure you… if this is your wish, Hornstrandir will not disappoint you!
This post will guide you through the most common questions that usually fill up my brain when I start dreaming about hiking a new trail… happy planning!
What is the Hornstrandir Trail?
The Hornstrandir Trail is a trekking in the most remote north-western peninsula of Iceland, called “Hornstrandir”. This reserve can only be reached by boat from Ísafjörður, as it is not served by roads. Its nature is therefore incredibly untouched and wild, and is home of many birds and arctic foxes.
The trail does not really have an official start and end point, nor an official length. There are indeed different options for hiking and exploring the peninsula, depending on how hikers decide to arrange the ferry schedule. As for accommodation, apart from three hostels, only very basic campsites are present along the way, offering no more than toilets and clean water sources.
The map shows the locations offering accommodation (hostel or campground) on the Hornstrandir Peninsula, which could therefore represent the start or end point of a stage. The ones which are served by boat are indicated with a dotted line. The path we hiked is marked in red.
What kind of experience does it offer?
This trail is so special and unique! It gives you the great opportunity to explore Hornstrandir, the most remote and wild peninsula of Iceland’s Westfjords, far away from roads, cars and tourists. It allows to briefly disconnect from the real world and to simply adjust to the rythms of nature.
The Hornstrandir Trail is not a highly frequented trekking, mainly because of its remoteness and the arduous planning of the boat rides to get to and off the peninsula.
Prepare yourself to enjoy the silence, to admire the power of the rough nature in this protected reserve, and to spot many curious arctic foxes!
Yannick and I spent 3 days hiking in the Hornstrandir Peninsula. Both of us really enjoyed the solitude and peace of this trail, and regretted not spending more time exploring this surreal place!
That being said, it is important to note that a thru hike will always provide a different and unique experience to every hiker... in short, HYOH :)
Where can I find useful information?
I know… the planning phase of a long-distance hike can easily become tricky and overwhelming, especially if you don’t know which information source you should trust more. Here you can find the pages that could be used to self-organize your adventure on the Hornstrandir.
The Website: this website provides up to date information about the Hornstrandir Peninsula, as it is run from the same company offering boat rides and guided tours in the nature reserve.
The Blog: this blog page from Lisa Germany could provide some inspiration and gives an example of a possible trekking itinerary in the Hornstrandir Peninsula.
The Book: as soon as we decided to travel to Iceland, we purchased this book guide from Cicerone. It includes many more hikes than just the ones in the Hornstrandir Peninsula. It helped us in the planning of the stages and the overall timeline of our holidays in Iceland. However, we found the provided information about Hornstrandir not fully up to date or complete.
The Trail Chat: feel free to ask me anything about the trail. I am always happy to help and support you during the planning phase of your thru hikes!
Which difficulties will I face?
Due to the remoteness and the wild nature of the Hornstrandir peninsula, I would not recommend this trail as a first-time thru hike, but I think that anyone with experience of being self-sufficient for several days while hiking, with the right equipment, enough planning and a moderate fitness level, will be able to enjoy trekking at Hornstrandir.
These are the most important points that need to be considered prior to this adventure:
HEAVY BACKPACK
You must be completely self-sufficient while on trail. Your backpack can therefore become quite heavy if you don’t plan your equipment list well. More importantly, make sure you know how to use your equipment before heading out into the unknown! You can find a list of the equipment and food we brought with us in the posts EQUIPMENT and FOOD.
WEATHER
The weather is a potential issue that you must not underestimate on the Hornstrandir. You have to keep in mind that the trail will lead you across the rough and wild nature of Iceland’s Westfjords, where weather is often very unpredictable. You must therefore be prepared for every type of forecast… even for a snowstorm in the middle of the summer season!
TRAIL CONDITIONS AND WAYMARKS
The trail itself could be considered moderate to difficult. It sometimes includes steep and rugged ascents/descents, and some exposed sections on ridges could cause problems to hikers who strongly suffer from vertigo. In case of heavy rain, the terrain will get muddy and therefore very slippery. Additionally, good navigation skills are essential, as the huge cairns marking the path could become very difficult to spot in case of bad visibility. Often, a clear path is not even present on the ground, and you’ll just find yourself walking “off-trail“ from one cairn to the next.
REMOTENESS
The trail leads hikers deep into the rough and wild nature of Iceland’s Westfjords, far away from civilization and where phone signal is very scarce. We strongly advise to carry a GPS device that also has a SOS button, which can be pressed for alerting authorities in emergency situations. If you are curious to see which devices we brought with us, head to our EQUIPMENT post.
RIVER CROSSINGS
There are some tidal rivers along the trail that could become tricky to cross if the tide is high. We therefore advise to check the tide times in advance. You can then cross them when the tide is low, or search for the best and shallowest spot! If the riverbed is rocky, we also recommend to wear hiking sandals or crocs while crossing it, to avoid feet injuries.
I will be honest… the water will be freezing cold… don’t think about it, bite the bullet and you will quickly get to the other side :)
When is the best time to hike it?
The Hornstrandir Peninsula is accessible by boat from end of May until mid September. However, hiking in the reserve is recommended between mid June and mid August, when the weather is usually less harsh. You need however to keep in mind that the weather can be unpredictable anytime, even during summer season!
How do I reach the trail?
If you have read the above information about the Hornstrandir and decided that you want to experience this adventure, it is time to start thinking about how to actually reach the trail.
First of all, Iceland can be easily reached by plane, landing at the Keflavík International Airport, close to Reykjavík, which is served by many airlines from several countries.
To then reach the Hornstrandir peninsula, you’ll need to:
Travel to Ísafjörður
From Reykjavík, the easiest and fastest option would be to catch a domestic flight.
However, in case you are renting a car, Ísafjörður can also be reached with a 4x4 vehicle.
In our case, since we were driving along the Ring Road before heading to Hornstrandir, we reached Ísafjörður by car, and parked it for free near the harbor for a few days.Take a boat ride from Ísafjörður to Hornstrandir
From Ísafjörður, you’ll then need to catch a boat to the Hornstrandir Peninsula. The bays that are served by boats are also indicated in the map above.
We advise to check the schedules of Borea and Sjóferðir and to book your rides in advance, because these boats could get fully booked and no phone reception is available on the peninsula for last-minute pick-up arrangements.
In our case, we arranged a Borea boat from Ísafjörður to Hesteyri, and a Sjóferðir boat from Hornvík to Ísafjörður 3 days later.
The post OUR TRIP describes our travel schedule and itinerary in Iceland more in detail, and you might find some inspiration and important tips & tricks!
What should I pack?
You will find a detailed list of all the equipment and food we took along with us in the posts EQUIPMENT and FOOD.
Here I will just try to answer the most frequently asked questions during the planning phase of this trekking adventure.
Where can I buy fuel for my camping stove?
You’ll need to bring fuel to cook your own meals while on trail. We recommend to purchase your gas canister in Ísafjörður, and to make sure that its screwing mechanism is compatible with your stove.
Since we were travelling by car and we already hiked the Laugavegur Trail before heading to the Westfjords, we had already purchased two gas canisters (230 g), one for each of us, in one of the many Icewear Shops in Reykjavík.
Where can I resupply for food?
This is a remote adventure. You must be completely self-sufficient while on trail and therefore bring your own trekking food along with you. In both Reykjavík and Ísafjörður, you will find many supermarkets where you could resupply before hitting the trail, with Bónus and Nettó being the biggest ones.
For our adventure in Iceland, we decided to plan our meal schedule in advance and cook our own food recipes. We therefore brought all our dried trekking food from home. The only important rule to consider regarding the import of food into Iceland is that animal products of any kind must be boiled or canned.
We will be honest with you…
We placed our food bags in our backpacks, which were checked-in to be put in the hold of the airplane. Of course we were a bit worried that our backpacks would be opened at the customs and that our food would be removed from them. My backpack was indeed opened and checked through, but luckily no items were removed from it… phiu! :)
How much water should I carry?
I personally carried 2L of water with me every day but never drank it all during the stages. Clean water is available at every campsite (from either a source or a river) and we made sure to fill our bottles every morning before starting our hike. Additionally, there is plenty of water in streams and rivers along the trail, which in theory does not even need to be filtered.
Where can I leave my normal clothes?
Since we planned to travel along the Ring Road and explore Iceland before our Hornstrandir hike, additionally to our trail backpack, we brought a bag containing “normal“ clothes. As we were travelling by car, we parked it in Ísafjörður for a few days while we were on the Hornstrandir peninsula, and left our “normal bags“ in it.
However, you can also find storage solutions in Reykjavík. Here you can find a helpful list and description of all the lockers available. Just make sure to choose one that allows luggage storage for more than 3 - 4 days!
How much money will I spend?
For our entire trip to Iceland, we both spent 4’000 CHF each… I know, you’re thinking “WTF?!”
First of all, you must consider that Iceland is not the cheapest place to visit, but this budget can be greatly reduced, especially if you plan to travel just for hiking in the Hornstrandir nature reserve!
We indeed considered Iceland a once-in-a-lifetime destination and we wanted to make the best out of this adventure. For this reason, we decided to spend almost 3 weeks in the country. Additionally to our Hornstrandir trekking, we also hiked the Laugavegur Trail in the Highlands and rented a car to drive along the Ring Road. We alternated accommodations between B&B and campings, and also took part to a few rather expensive guided tours and activities!
If you are interested in our travel itinerary, we recommend to read the post OUR TRIP.
I think that, with good planning and without additional touristic expenses, the budget for hiking in the Hornstrandir Peninsula could be easily reduced to 1’000 CHF.
Long story short, don’t get discouraged and plan your own adventure!
CASH OR CARD?
We always payed everything by credit card during our trip in Iceland. However, it is always useful to bring some cash (ISK) along, in case of a credit card terminal issue. We therefore decided to withdraw 15’000 ISK (100 CHF) at one of the many ATMs in Reykjavík, before starting our big adventure.