Hiking Hornstrandir: Into Iceland’s Most Remote Wilderness

The Hornstrandir Peninsula is Iceland’s most remote wilderness region. Located in the rugged Westfjords, this pristine nature reserve has no roads, no permanent residents (at least of the bipedal variety), and is accessible only by boat during the summer. While it may not be the easiest place to reach, those who make the journey are rewarded with a magical landscape of dramatic sea cliffs, lonely peaks, and primeval tundra.The flora and fauna is equally impressive, with an exceptional variety of plant life, along with vast seabird colonies and an abundance of arctic foxes. It’s one of my favourite places in Iceland—and considering the strength of the competition, that’s saying quite a bit!

Note: I visited Hornstrandir in 2023 with Kate Pickett as part of an extended trip in Iceland. The journey also included double-digit hot springs, a Eurovision pilgrimage, a detour to the Apollo training sites,and a north-to-south traverse of the country from Hraunhafnartangi Lighthouse to Dyrhólaey Lighthouse.

At a Glance

Distance:  Approx. 120 km (75 mi) (including side trips)

Duration:  6 days

Difficulty Level:  Moderate

Total Elevation Gain: 4,271 m (14,012 ft)

Start/Finish: Hesteyri

Planning Information:

• Getting There & Away: During the summer, Hornstrandir is typically accessed via passenger ferries from the town of Ísafjörður (about an hour each way). Besides Hesteyri, you can also start or finish your trek at Veiðileysufjörður, Látravík, or Hornvík. Be sure to book in advance (including your return journey), as seats are limited. Note that services are sometimes canceled due to dodgy weather, so ideally you should have a little flexibility in your itinerary (and perhaps an extra day’s food).

• Season: June to early September. The go-to source for weather info when hiking in Iceland is the Icelandic Met Offices official website (Tip: Download their excellent app before setting out).

• Permits & Fees: No permits required.

• Online Resources: 1. Environmental Agency of Iceland (Hornstrandir) 2. Westfjords Hornstrandir Guide; 3. Epic Iceland’s Hornstrandir Guide; 4. Alltrails; 5. Lisa Germany’s blog, and; 6. Kraig Adams (Youtube).

• Navigation – GPS and Maps: I pieced together our route on GaiaGPS. Additionally, we carried the Hornstrandir 1:100,000/1:55,000 topographic hiking map (Sérkort 9) which we picked up in Reykjavik.

• Water: Ample and pristine. You shouldn’t have to carry more than half a liter. We didn’t filter and had no issues.

• Food: Bring all food with you from the start, as there’s nowhere to purchase items along the way (except the Old Doctor’s House). Along with some food we brought to Iceland from overseas, we purchased most of our backpacking provisions – both for Hornstrandir and the Iceland Traverse – at the excellent Bonus Supermarket in downtown Reykjavik.

Accommodation:

• Camping: There are 16 designated campsites around the Hornstrandir Peninsula. Unlike most of Iceland, wild camping outside of these areas is not permitted.

• Indoor Options:  1. Old Doctor’s House – Historic guesthouse and café in the abandoned village of Hesteyri. Good crepes, pancakes, and hot chocolate; 2. Hornbjargsviti – Lighthouse-adjacent accommodation on Hornstrandir’s northeast shore with bunk beds and a campsite (66.41067, -22.37934), and; 3. Reykjarfjörður – Unfortunately I didn’t see this one. Located in the far southeast of the peninsula, it has basic sleeping-bag lodging, and a geothermal pool and hot tub (6.25813, -22.08849).

Five Facts about Hornstrandir

1. From Remote Outpost to Nature Reserve: The last permanent residents left Hornstrandir in the 1950s. The peninsula’s traditional livelihoods of farming and fishing had become increasingly difficult to sustain, while job opportunities and access to modern services drew folks to larger settlements. The population decline accelerated after the collapse of the salt-fish market in the 1930s and the closure of the herring station at Hesteyri in the 1940s. In 1975, the Hornstrandir Peninsula was declared a nature reserve.

2. Colourful Holiday Homes (Big and Small): Some of the former inhabitants descendants still own and maintain their family houses, which they use as summer homes. We passed by a handful of these characterful cottages during our trip.

3. The Flora of Hornstrandir: Although the wildlife gets most of the attention (see below), Hornstrandir’s flora is also impressive. With no grazing for more than half a century, the peninsula supports remarkable botanical diversity. More than 260 species of vascular plants have been recorded within the nature reserve, including Arctic lupine, angelica, crowberry, bilberry and bog rosemary

4. A Stronghold for Seabirds: Hornstrandir’s sea cliffs are among Iceland’s most important seabird breeding areas. At Hornbjarg, the cliffs tower more than 500 metres above the sea and support large summer colonies of guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and kittiwakes. The birds nest on ledges and narrow shelves along the cliffs, often just below the hiking trails.

5. Land of the Arctic Foxes: Hornstrandir’s most famous inhabitants are its arctic foxes, Iceland’s only native land mammal. Arctic foxes occur in two main colour morphs: blue and white. In Iceland, the blue morph is by far the more common, accounting for around two-thirds of the population. These foxes have brown-grey or slate-coloured coats that remain dark through winter, while the white morph develops the more familiar snow-coloured coat (more commonly seen in other Arctic regions such as Greenland, Svalbard, Canada, and Siberia).

Route Overview

• Direction: Beginning and ending in Hesteyri, we did the approximately 120 km (75 mi) journey in a clockwise direction over six days – a few of which were abbreviated because of travel and/or weather. 

• Tread: The route was a mixture of established trails, cross-country, coastal rock-hopping, and beach walking. Most of it was fairly straightforward, with the toughest stretch possibly being Hlöðuvíkurskarð Pass in stormy conditions on the final morning.

• Weather: Speaking of which, on the meteorological front we had a mixed bag. Not a lot of sunshine, but overall we were fortunate in that the heaviest storms occurred at night. On that note, the Tarptent Stratospire was solid as a rock both in Hornstrandir and on the subsequent Iceland Traverse.

• Fellow Ramblers: With the exception of the area around Hornvik Campsite on Day 3, we only saw a handful of other folks during our trip. 

Day 1: Hesteyri to Tjaldsvæði Látrum

Day 2: Tjaldsvæði Látrum to Hlöðuvík Bay

Day 3: Hlöðuvík Bay to Horn Campsite 

Day 4: Horn Campsite to Hornbjargsviti Lighthouse

 

Day 5: Hornbjargsviti Lighthouse to Steinólfsstaðir Campsite

Day 6: Steinólfsstaðir Campsite to Hesteyri

 

Related Posts

(Note: Gear list for Iceland still to come. Probably the most notable difference for this trip was that I carried a larger/more comfortable two person shelter, the Tarptent Stratospire 2. The rest of my kit was fairly similar to the items noted in the “Nordic” gear lists below):

• • Gear List: Arctic Circle Trail
  • Gear List Long Crossing of the Lofoten Islands