Hornstrandir | OUR STAGES
Here we provide information about the stages of our trekking adventure on the Hornstrandir Peninsula. The route we hiked is 46 km long, spanning between Hesteyri and Hornvík, for a total of 3 stages.
Our Stages
STAGE 1: Hesteyri - Hlöðuvík
Distance: 16 km
Elevation Gain: 560 m
Elevation Loss: 560 m
Walking Time: 5h
IMPORTANT REMARKS
The path is marked by huge cairns and crosses the nature reserve from South to North. At the end of the stage, hikers have to choose between left and right. Continuing left will allow to complete a loop and hike back to Hesteyri in 2 more days, while the path on the right leads to the famous and impressive Horn in 2 days.
MEMORIES
We catched a Borea boat at 09:00 at the harbor in Ísafjörður, and were then dropped off at Hesteyri at around 12:00, together with other adventurous hikers.
We therefore decided to directly stop for lunch, and ordered coffee and delicious pancakes at the Old Doctors’ House, a charming house right by the boat deck. We got to know Cam (from Australia) and Kate (from the USA), two passionate long distance hikers on the way to start a great adventure in Iceland… a 3 weeks hike from the northernmost to the southernmost lighthouse of the island!
It was hard to say goodbye to Cam and Kate and to start walking in opposite directions… the trail was winding from one fjord to another, climbing up to a rocky pass where great views were awaiting us… the vastness of the landscapes reminded us of the Arctic Circle Trail in Greenland, and we really liked it!
The last stretch to the campsite was also very beautiful, as it followed a soft sandy beach with awesome colors. The campsite was very basic, as it only had two toilets and an emergency shelter…nothing else. We filled our water bottles at the river and had dinner at the beach, while enjoying the beauty of the wild landscapes in front of us. We even spotted two seals in the water hunting for fish, and a tiny curious arctic fox wondering around the beach in search of food!
WORD OF THE DAY
“good luck with the flies!”: as soon as we arrived at Hesteyri, a tourist wearing a head net tried to warn us about midges.
HIKERS OF THE DAY
Cam & Kate: long distance hikers met at the Old Doctor’s House in Hesteyri.
“la cartografa”: girl with a laminated map hanging form the neck.
STAGE 2: Hlöðuvík - Hornvík
Distance: 12 km
Elevation Gain: 520 m
Elevation Loss: 520 m
Walking Time: 4h 30min
IMPORTANT REMARKS
This stage is quite diverse, as it combines mountainous climbs, descents into huge green valleys and rugged coastal walks, one of which is even so steep that is equipped with a rope. Overall, it provides amazing views over the fjords!
MEMORIES
We had an amazing day! The weather was clouded and fog was flowing up and down the mountains, adding a mystical touch to the landscapes.
As soon as we reached the top of the first climb, we took a break and observed the water in the fjord… we couldn’t believe it! A whale was peacefully swimming and we could watch her come to the surface to breathe several times… it was amazing!
We then spent the rest of the hike trying to escape the rain.
We even spotted many arctic foxes along the shores… they are so cute and curious! A family of foxes was also looking for food at the beach near the campground… it was really nice to watch the cubs playing with each other.
There were many hikers at the campground in Hornvík. We set up our tent, had some snacks (probably more than necessary) and immediately fell asleep for a few hours… we woke up at 19:00, confused and not hungry at all. It was cold outside, so it took us a while to gather our willing power to get out of the sleeping bag and cook dinner.
We had lentils and fajitas and shared chocolate with our neighbor, a man from Belgium on his way to spend 8 days in the Hornstrandir peninsula.
WORD OF THE DAY
“robotbird”: a bird that hides in the bushes and produces very weird, rhythmic and metallic sounds.
HIKERS OF THE DAY
“le chocolatier”: Belgian hiker who hung out with us at camp and offered us Belgian chocolate after dinner.
STAGE 3: Hornvík - Horn loop - Hornvík
Distance: 18 km
Elevation Gain: 500 m
Elevation Loss: 500 m
Walking Time: 5h
IMPORTANT REMARKS
This stage follows a loop around Hornvík, to visit the famous and impressive Horn of Hornstrandir.
Towards the end of the Hornvík beach, there is a tidal river that needs to be crossed. This can be easily forded with low tide, or at its shallowest point, located more inland. We advise to ask for advice on how/when to cross it to the ranger at the campsite of Hornvík!
The entire loop hike is quite long, but could be shortened by walking down towards the shore from the tiny lake right below the Horn. We advise to proceed carefully while walking this stage, as the terrain can become quite muddy and the slopes are at times very steep.
You will not be disappointed… the views on the steep cliffs filled with vegetation and screaming birds are just out of this world!
MEMORIES
We left part of our gear in the tent and left the campsite of Hornvík at around 09:15.
Due to the high tide in the morning, we decided to cross the tidal river further inland, instead of at the beach. This deviation lengthened our hike and we additionally lost some time admiring the wildlife along the shores, as we spotted many seals resting on rocks… they are so clumsy and funny when out of the water!
Once we completed the path along the shore, we noticed it was already 11:15 and began to stress a bit. The boat we booked to go back to Ísafjörður was indeed supposed to leave the campsite at Hornvik at 16:00… we were tight on time with our planned stage schedule.
We kept hiking at a good pace. The path was winding up along the ridgecrest of the green cliffs… it was at times very steep, exposed and slippery because of the mud, but the views were EPIC! We were completely surrounded by the screams of seagulls nesting on the steep cliffs, and felt like on another planet while admiring the Horn. On the way back, we spotted a cute and curious arctic fox staring at us… it looked like a small fluffy bear!
In order to be on time for our boat, we decided to interrupt our loop right below the Horn, and took a path leading down towards the sea shore. To further save time, and due to the low tide at around 14:00, we crossed the tidal river along the beach and walked barefoot until the campsite.
On the way back to Ísafjörður, we couldn’t stop thinking of how much we fell in love with the wild and rough landscapes of Hornstrandir… we promised to come back in the future to spend more time exploring the peninsula!
WORD OF THE DAY
“dai dai dai!”: stress because of the boat’s schedule.
Things we would do differently
We will be honest with you… we are not the perfect planners when it comes to combine long distance hiking with visiting a country during a vacation. We are both subjected to FOMO (fear of missing out), and we always try to optimize our experience by visiting as much as possible before or after the hike. This often adds stress to our adventure, because of the restricted time of our holidays and the loss of flexibility that planning can cause. Moreover, we always realize that the thing we most enjoy during our holidays is the peaceful and special time we spend on trail.
Here are two big mistakes we did when we planned our trekking adventure on the Hornstrandir Peninsula:
We decided to spend 3 days hiking at Hornstrandir. We indeed thought it was the perfect amount of time to take a break from the Ring Road and visit the Peninsula. However, both of us enjoyed the solitude and peace of this trail so much that we regretted not spending more time exploring this surreal place!
Our last stage on trail comprised a loop of the famous Horn, with start and finish point at Hornvík. This circuit hike is magnificent but also quite long. Our mistake was to book a boat ride from Hornvík back to Ísafjörður on the same day of this last stage. We ended up stressing out while walking, as soon as we realized we did not have enough time to fully complete the loop. If you are also planning to walk the Horn Loop on your last trekking day, we advise you to take your time for the hike, spend one more night at Hornvík after completing the loop, and organize your boat ride for the next day. This way, you will have time to fully enjoy this spectacular hike!
Alternative Start & Exit Points
This 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 their ferry schedule. Any of the locations which are served by Borea and Sjóferðir boats could be used as either start or exit points. These locations are also indicated on the map below.
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.
Walking Direction
This trail does not really have an official walking direction. There are indeed different options for hiking and exploring the peninsula, depending on how hikers decide to arrange their ferry schedule.
For example, we started our adventure at Hesteyri and ended it at Hornvík, after visiting the impressive Horn of Hornstrandir. We liked the idea of finishing our trekking at an epic location… and the Horn did not disappoint us!
Trail Map and GPX File
Here you can find a map that I customized using AllTrails, showing an overview of our stages on the Hornstrandir Peninsula. In case the view of the map is not optimal, you can try to re-select the display mode. You can click on the first map title to head to the AllTrails website, where all the waypoints are described.
This is the GPX file we used on the trail for our navigation device.