Opinions BOREA ADVENTURES Ísafjörður

Literally my favorite three day hike ever. I've hiked on 5 continents over 40 years and never had an experience this great. The scenery, logistical support and overall vibe of the experience Borea provided was off the charts great. You start with a lovely boat ride up to the Arctic Circle and are dropped off in a bay that feels further away from civilization than you've ever been. Six hours of amazing hiking later you come to a backcountry camp with your tents already pitched, greeted by warm drinks in a communal gathering/cook/dining tent. Your next day starts with a great breakfast, and after getting a pack lunch, you're off again for a loop in the remote Westfjords. After a great dinner at camp and breakfast the next morning, you traverse a serious pass to an entirely different fjord/watershed and hike down to the water where a boat picks you up for the return to civilization.

Each night was filled with great chat and tales of other backcountry adventures, thoroughly entertaining. We happened to share the camp (and the boat ride) with a BBC film crew who were filming a documentary on the mating rituals of the Arctic fox, and I came back from my trip learning all sorts of stuff from my fellow campers.

I can’t say enough about this experience, highly recommended.

I was fortunate to do the paddle in the wild trip in August with Lukas. Amazing trip. Lukas was on top of every detail. He is great at reading the water and weather and serious about safety. His camp cooking was gourmet quality. I can't wait do go on another trip with Lukas.

I will be back in the West Fjords this Fall.

Thank You
Ed Anderson
Woodinville, WA, USA

A delayed review.

My family and I (partner and two kids, ages 13 and 9) had booked a custom guided 4-day hike with Borea for July 2020. Then the pandemic came. Borea simply shifted the whole trip to July 2021.

July 2021 finally came. Before the trip, when we arrived at the Borea office, we were informed that bad weather was heading towards Hornstrandir and that we'd have to modify the trip. Needless to say, I was concerned with this new plan, but it turned into an unforgettable and wonderful experience! Thank you Sigga and Hjalti!

Because the hike was shortened by one day, Borea actually booked us for a night at the Hótel Ísafjörður, and then our lovely guides took us on a day tour of the area surrounding Ísafjörður, including Simbahöllin in Þingeyri, Skrúður the botanical garden, Dynjandi the waterfall, and the Latrar Air Station.

We thank Borea and our wonderful guides for a fantastic trip!

We hat the most exhilarating and special experience kayaking through the Hornstradir fjords with our wonderful guide Nicole! She was not only clever, funny and very knowledgeable, we felt safe and well taken care of the entire time, and the food she cooked was fantastic! The remote places we visited were stunning and we got to see polar foxes and seals in their natural habitat, getting really close to us on land and on sea! Even with adjustments for weather we had a unique and truly memorable experience, which we will hold dear for very long. Thank you Borea adventures for a smooth organisation, this wonderful trip and our rekindled love for kayaking (we’re soon to be owners of our own sea-kayak, and hope to return at some point with even better paddling skills ;) )

BIGGEST recommendation for everyone, beginner or expert as this is a once in a lifetime experience!! <3

Beautiful three days experience in Westfjords, thanks also to a really competent guide. In this wilderness you can do hiking, kayaking and, if you're silent, patient and lucky, waching arctic foxes going around

Our three-night kayaking trip (Glacier Fjords Kayaking) with Borea was absolutely brilliant. Guided throughout by the enormously professional Lukas, everything from start to finish contributed to a genuinely outstanding tour.

The team were proactive and helpful to get us ready, answered all our questions and made sure we were set. Whilst we were very lucky to be by ourselves with Lukas, the other guides from Borea who passed through Kviar were super friendly and always interested in how we were getting on. Lukas was very knowledgeable about the area - he clearly had a genuine passion for the region and it showed; everything from the wildlife (foxes, eagles, seals, birds) to the geology, people and history.

The kayaking itself was reasonably challenging - generally 15-20km a day - and Borea are right to recommend that some prior kayaking experience is sensible. The weather was good to us, and we felt safe when out on the water in a range of different conditions. Lukas always explained ahead of time what decisions he may need to make and we always felt part of the process. It was obvious how seriously Lukas takes his guiding responsibilities to match the conditions, activity and guests well. We definitely got out of our comfort zone, but always in the right way!

Kviar was a lovely place to stay - it was genuinely remote and exactly what we wanted. Given its off-grid location, it was very well equipped and offered a great base. The food was excellent, the coffee was always available and we were consistently set well each day. As well the kayaking, we managed a couple of short walks around Kviar to stretch our legs, as well as making the most of the sauna (the recommendation of three repetitions of the sauna then the river dip is definitely worth doing!)

A fantastic and challenging trip - outstanding work by Borea and Lukas in particular. If you’re up for something unique and want to see one of the most beautiful parts of Iceland from a different perspective, we can wholeheartedly recommend this tour, and Borea Adventures as a fantastic outfit to go with.

Highly recommended.
Westfjords and the natural reserve Hornstrandir are stunning.
The company organises tours around the area hiking, kayaking and many others activities.
We saw three whales from the boats, a seal with two cubs and artic foxes.

We had a wonderful time on the Hornvik heights and sights tour in early July! We had six people in our group and two guides, Luke and Orla (though typically there’s one guide). The Hornstrandir area is beautiful, and our guides told us about the history of the area and pointed out the different types of wildflowers we saw on our hike. On the first day, we hiked uphill from the fjord, took a lunch break (they provided a pack lunch), hiked over a mountain ridge (which involved walking through a few snow fields), and down into the valley where the campsite is located. The base camp area was nice, and it was great not to have to pitch our own tents! The tents do let in a fair amount of light, so I would recommend packing an eye mask. We also saw a few arctic foxes running around, and a seal not far from the shore! On the second day, we hiked on the beach near the campsite for a bit (including a short river crossing) before heading up the Hornbjarg mountain. On our way up, we encountered another arctic fox that hung around near us for a few minutes! Much of the hike was quite steep, but extremely worth it. From the top we had an incredible view of the fjord, the valley, the river we crossed, the surrounding mountains, and the sea. We finished the hike by descending down to the shore, and got picked up by the boat. This was a great capstone to our two week vacation in Iceland!

Abbiamo prenotato il servizio di traghetto da Isafjordur a Hesteyri. All'andata tutto bene, partiti con un po' di ritardo ma accettabile. Al ritorno hanno tardato di due ore. Non si sono nemmeno scusati, come se fosse una prassi quella di arrivare tardi. Può capitare, ci mancherebbe, ma almeno chiedere scusa sarebbe stato gentile da parte loro.

Great hike around the Hornstrandir!! Knowledgeable guides!

Words can't really describe how extraordinary the kayak trip was, in no small part thanks to the personnel from Borea Adventures, who made a huge effort so that we can fully experience the beauty of nature in the Westfjords

Terrific Around the Walls mountain biking experience with Hugo! 2.5 hours of beautiful scenery and some good ups and downs. Great bikes.

I booked with Borea Adventures because they had more pickup/drop off times. While booking, I end up booking the wrong ticket and emailed them. They got the ticket corrected for me no problem. The day of my pick up, I was changing my mind in regards to where I wanted to be picked up, so I stopped by the main office and got my ticket changed again and paid a difference since my new pickup location was farther away. I got dropped off at Veiðileysufjörður and picked up at Hornvik. I was told pick up time will be 1pm. The boat showed up at 12pm to unload supplies/passengers. We were on our way back to town by 12:40pm. The employee didn't see my name on the passenger list to be picked up. I'm assuming because I changed my point of pickup the day I left? I don't know but the employee said she'll look into and figure it out since she remembers me from the first time I got dropped off.

Make sure you leave them a phone number that they can call you. I received a call about an hour or two before my pick up time that the boat was delayed by an hour. T-Mobile service works there (under the Nova network). If you don't know, get yourself a Google Voice number ahead of time so you can have one single number when using foreign sims.

I did leave some gear with them at the meeting point. They have this small container office that you can leave your gear there. When the boat came back, I saw people getting their suitcases out of the office. The first employee I asked to leave my gear, she seemed unsure but eventually took my gear and left it under a seat in the office. When I came back, I walked into the office to get my gear and another employee asked me how I leave my gear here if the office was locked?" So two employees seems unsure about gear storage but It seems to be allowed to storage gear with them.

Lastly, the dock is large and there seems to be plenty of cars parked around. So if you're considering renting a car, you may be able to park at the meeting point but I'd ask first.

Overall, I had a great time at Hornstrandir and Borea Adventures did a fine job getting me there. I loved that their had morning and afternoon pickup times so it makes planning a little easier. Would recommend them.

In mid-July together with another family (total of 4 adults and 4 children) we went on an excursion with Lucas around Ísafjörður and it was great: Lucas is a very knowledgeable person (as well as very nice) and he showed us the real Iceland! I highly recommend Borea Adventures for their professionalism and seriousness.

My wife and I booked the calm water kayak on the day that our cruise ship was in town. Alex in the office was a joy to work with and fixed us up with a trip that fitted the time we had available. Isabelle was our guide was lovely and very kind and knowledgable. Good equipment and always felt safe.

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!

We booked a private hike and it was amazing!! Jake our tour guide went above and beyond and even helped us make a dinner reservation and made plenty of cool recommendations for the rest of our trip in iceland. His sense of humor was a solid 11/10 and he had a real love for and intimate knowledge of all the flora and fauna we saw on the hike.

We rented (with 1 month in advanced) two mountain bikes with borea and asked the team for some advise on trails. But they only shared the trailforks app to check the Trails. So gave no service at all.

When we got there, we told the staff our plan on those trails, (which they had shared earlier) and they confirmed it would be OK, but when we got to the area of biking, it was all snowed, which the staff didn't know about this? So we couldn't mountain bike at the end on those trails...

On top of that one of the bikes they gave us had the suspension lockout broken... And they didn't have another option... So we had to go with no suspension at all!

I would only recommend Borea if you know the area and know about the weather condition and knowing you might get a different bike that the one you rented.

It was still a nice experience as the area is beautifull but the service was not good at all.

If you’re going to Iceland, and you’re looking for an adventure, check in with Borea Adventures. They know the terrain, they’ll ensure you have a quality experience and you’ll never forget Iceland! We went to the NW fjords and experienced the wonderful nature, the remoteness and the beauty of this incredible location! I’m already looking forward to returning in the near future!

Viajamos con Borea a la Reserva Natural de Hornstradir y fue una verdadera maravilla. Aunque nuestro propósito era ver zorros árticos y no pudo ser (la naturaleza es caprichosa), la excursión mereció mucho la pena. Hicimos algún trekking por la reserva y tuvimos la suerte de ver focas en la costa bastante cerca. ¡Y luego de vuelta vimos ballenas en el barco! Nuestra guía Fes, fue un súper profesional y también muy cariñosa con nuestra hija. ¡Para repetir!

We used Borea Adventures for a calm water sea kayaking tour for one of our couples and they were extremely easy to work with. Our clients missed their tour (not their fault at all) and Borea Adventures ensured they were on the tour the following day. The guests loved the excursion and appreciate the excellent customer service!

In top agency for its excursion kayaking, with Miaamm lunch!