Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HIKING HORNSTRANDIR
How is one supposed to choose from the array of trails that zigzag across Hornstrandir's
peninsula? Locals and tourists agree: the Royal Horn (or 'Hornsleið') is, hands down, your
best option for getting a taste of all that the reserve has to offer. This four-to-five-day hike
from Veiðileysufjörður to Hesteyri can also be easily modified if you run into bad weather.
Trails on this route are clearly marked, but there are very few tourists, so it's a great way
to experience this remote land.
THE ROYAL HORN
Day 1 Sail from Bolungarvík or Ísafjörður to Veiðileysufjörður, one of the local jökulfirðir
(glacier fjords). The hike begins on a street near the bottom of the fjord and follows a
cairn-marked trail up the slope and through the mountain pass. From the pass you can
descend the mountain on either side until you reach the campground at Höfn in Hornvík.
The hike from Veiðileysufjörður to Hornvík can take anywhere between four and eight
hours. There's a ranger station at the campground here, so feel free to get the latest
weather forecast and information about trail conditions.
Day 2 Stay in Hornvík for a second night and use your second day to visit Hornbjarg ,
one of Iceland's most beautiful bird cliffs with diverse flora and fauna. Alternatively, you
could spend the second day exploring the area around the lighthouse, Hornbjargsviti .
Day 3 Hike from Hornvík to Hlöðuvík. The partly marked trail goes through a mountain
pass and is relatively easy to find. Camping in Hlöðuvík is best by the Hlöðuvíkurós (the
mouth of the Hlöðuvík river). Like Hornvík, Hlöðuvík faces north - it's the perfect place to
watch the spectacular midnight sun. Figure around six hours to reach Hlöðuvík.
Day 4 Hike through Kjarnsvíkurskarð (a mountain pass) and Hesteyrarbrúnir pass to
Hesteyri (figure around eight hours). Hesteyri is an old village that was abandoned
around the middle of the 20th century. There are still several well-kept houses amid the
fields of angelica. Ruins of a turn-of-the-century whaling station are found near the vil-
lage. The coffee shop in Hesteyri is a good place to stop at the end of your hike - you can
wait here for the ferry back to Bolungarvík or Ísafjörður.
Day 5 If the ferry isn't running the day you arrive, enjoy a night in Heysteri and spend
one more day exploring the area before catching the boat. Pitch your tent at the camp-
ground just south of the village, or, if you prebooked, stay at the Doctor's House in
Hesteyri.
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