BOREA ADVENTURES

My husband and I took the Hornvík Heights and Sights 2-day tour in Hornstrandir with Borea in early June. It was the absolute highlight of our 3-week trip in Iceland!

The first day, we got on a ferry from Ísafjörður to Veiðileysufjörður, hiked across Hafnarskarð Pass to Hornvík Bay, setup tents, and had dinner at the luxurious basecamp (which had a stove, refrigerator, heater, and sofa). The second day, we had a late start due to uncertain wind conditions (extremely strong wind during the night and in the morning). We were thankfully able to hike towards the Horn cliffs (which included a chilly barefoot river crossing) and spent some time on the cliffs before heading down to get picked up by the ferry back to Ísafjörður.

There were so many incredibly memorable moments - crossing over the snow at the top of the incredibly windy mountain pass, sleeping in a very luxurious tent in extreme wind yet feeling quite warm, the chilly river crossing, incredible views of Hornvík Bay & the Horn cliffs, spotting arctic foxes (even one carrying a seagull in its mouth!), etc.

Lukáš was the guide for our group of 6 hikers, and he was absolutely wonderful. He kept a steady pace with periodic stops to explain different features/point out wild plants. There were a handful of times during the tour that I was very glad we had a guide (especially at the top of the mountain pass & at times when the path wasn't so clear). Lukáš made sure we were all safe and helped those of us who were struggling with the wind.

At Hornvík camp, we met another couple + their guide Justin. Lukáš and Justin prepared a delicious dinner + a breakfast the next day for us. Both guides were incredibly friendly, kind, and approachable. They had both been living & guiding in the West Fjords for 6+ years and had a wealth of knowledge about the region.

The ferry ride to be dropped off in Hornstrandir was uneventful (other than briefly spotting a whale!), and we enjoyed the Zodiac ride from the ferry to the shore. The ride back to Ísafjörður, however, was extremely choppy (far more than average). Multiple people became seasick and vomited (including locals coming back from their summer home in Hornstrandir). Sensitive folks might want to look into taking medication for seasickness in case this happens.

We highly recommend this tour to any moderately adventurous folks who wish to visit the beautiful and pristine Hornstrandir Nature Reserve!

Note: We recommend practicing hiking with elevation to prepare. My husband and I had regularly completed hikes with longer distance and greater elevation gain, but we still found some of the sections challenging due to the Icelandic conditions of high wind and steep cliffs. (For whatever reason, Icelandic trails have very few switchbacks and tend to be more vertical than trails in the United States, for example.)

As recommended on the Borea website, waterproof/high top hiking boots are essential! There are a number of river crossing scrambles where waterproof shoes are incredibly useful, and you'll definitely want ankle protection as the paths are often very rocky/uneven.

Last note: Unless you book a private tour, you'll most likely have other hikers on the tour. We really liked the 3 other couples we met/hiked with -- they were excellent hiking buddies & had pleasant attitudes. (If you're reading this, thank you for making it an even better trip!)

We did the 3 day Traverse hike and loved it. Our guide (Vala) was awesome, and super knowledgeable about the area. We saw so much beautiful nature and quite a few Arctic Foxes! Also, the food was really good at the base camp.

My wife and I had a really great time. We went on the arctic foxes tour. I feel as if we were very very lucky, we were able to see several different foxes and even a whole family with babies. This trip was one of the most memorable in our lives. Our tour guide shared so much knowledge about the area and about the foxes and other wildlife, and also about Iceland in general. It was worth every penny, I would highly recommend.

I’ve done a lot of hikes, but the hike to hornstrandir was probably the most beautiful I’ve ever experienced. Borea adventures were fantastic- from the guides, the camp, the food and the boat. Our guide Luca was great!

Awesome adventure to a really beautiful and remote place. Excellent guide!