Route to Isafjordur
After leaving Holmavik town, we were on our way to Isafjordur which was 223 km away and also a long long drive. Not many people visited Isafjordur which was on the West Fjord of Iceland. We were there because we wanted to visit Hornstrandir Nature Reserve which not reachable by car. We were going on guided hike to Hornstrandir starting from Isafjordur.
There was no straight route to Isafjordur, once we reached the Westfljord the coastal roads curved in and out of the “fingers”. Occasionally there was rare bridge crossing the water between the “fingers” saving us the drive all the way down to the base of the “finger” to get to the other side.
We saw ducks and other water fowls as we drove along the coastal road. We stopped when we spotted seals on a rock outcrop. It was a nice to have a “driving break” since we found a reason come down and stretch our legs.
The landscape on the Westfjord got very stunning as we near Isafjordur. The mountains had this “sheer” inclination that went almost vertical to their apexes.
HornBjarg: King and Queen of Cliffs
We had seen pictures of Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, it was breathtakingly beautiful with soaring mountains and cliffs that looked like knifes piercing up to the sky. Such landscape was so uniquely Iceland that we just had to see and experience it for ourselves. Unfortunately it was a hard-to-reach place and no car could bring us there.
To visit Hornstrandir Nature Reserve we signed up for a 1 day guided hike to Hornbjarb: King and Queen Cliffs. The 1-day programme started in Ísafjörður and lasted 10 hours with 5 hours of non-stop hiking on Hornstrandir.
We were not sure if the 5 hours of non-stop hiking would be too overwhelming for us. So in preparation for the hike we stayed three days in Isafjordur. Day 1 we reached Isafjordur then rest and relax. Day 2 we would do the hike and Day 3 we rest and recover. The following day we would leave Isafjordur to continue our Iceland road trip.
Our hike was with “West Tours” and for the 1 day hike to Hornbjarg: King and Queen of Cliffs it was ISK 52900 per person, which included two way boat transfer (2 to 2.5 hour one way) and a guided 5 hour hike. No equipment or lunch was provided.
We met at West Tours Agency at 8.30am and walked 650m (10 minutes) to the jetty where we boarded a boat.
There were many other hiking trails on the reserve some taking up to several days. We did consider doing our own hiking without a guide, this meant paying only for the boat ride (ISK 18000 one way per person). We decided against that eventually as the hike was in a relatively unknown widerness and getting lost and missing the returning boat ride would be a disaster.
The boat ride took 2.5 hour, so much time because Hornvik was on the other side / far side of the reserve. The boat ride was rather “stable” and the scenery was interesting.
About two hours into the “ride” we were called to go on deck to see a rock pillar standing in the middle of the sea. Our boat captain intentionally sailed near to the rock and our guide pointed out to the seabirds that were nesting on the rock.
Half an hour later we reached Hornvik. From far we saw two sets of houses near the beach, they looked good, not dilapidated as this was an unihabited place. Hornstrandir used to have a industry of salt fish but it collapsed in the 1930s. Farmers who lived in the area found the terrain and weather condition difficult to sustain farming and the last farmers left in 1950s.
In 1975, Hornstrandir was declared a nature reserve. It was home to many species fo birds (arctic terns, puffins, gulls and black guillemots). It was a popular hiking destination and some Icelanders visit in the summer to maintain their ancestors’ homes.
Our boat anchored at Hornvik Bay and all of us with our guide boarded a motorised rubber dinghy which transferred us to shore. At the beach was a wooden stairs that brought us to the upper area. There we had a wonderful view of Hornvik Bay.
We walked for more than an hour before our guide called for a break. I being the slowest reached my group some minutes later and had a shorter rest. During the break our guide narrated some history of Hornstrandir.
So far the view we got was Hornvik Bay on our left. We had yet to spot Hornbjarg the King & Queen of Cliffs!
After a short break we continued hiking and I was still the slowest. Finally after another half an hour we got a side view of the Horn of Hornbjarg! We were still very far away and our guide assured us that we would eventually reached there, but first we had to hike over the hill/mountain infront!
The trek went on and on, it was gentle at the start then it was up and up and up. We were still the last in the group. Last because we were not as fit as the young ones in the group, last because we kept stopping to take photos!
Once over the hill we had an unobstructed view of the Horn (cliffs). We stopped for another short break where we did nothing but stared out at the Horn. The Horn was also called the King and Queen of Cliffs. We supposed the narrower one was the Queen and the broader one was the King?
It was just after 2pm when our guide told us that it was time for lunch. All of us had self-packed our meals as advised by the tour agency. After lunch our guide walked us a short distance up a rocky slope to had a “grand view” of the bay. It was still the same Hornvik Bay, viewed from a high point.
As we hiked nearer to the Horn we passed a sharp cliff with practically vertical cliff wall. There were many birds nesting on the cliff wall and to view them we had to lay on the ground to go as near to the edge as possible. These birds had white heads and grey bodies, probably Iceland Gulls and there were thousands of them dotting the cliffs.
Soon we had to go down a steep slope which we managed by means of a thick rope already installed there. Our guide told us to grab the rope and go back down. We managed to scramble back down safely. We supposed if we were to do this hike on our own we would not know about the existence of this rope.
Finally we were practically at the base of the Horn.
At the base of the Horn of HornbjargI was disappointed when our guide said that we would not be going up anymore but instead to walk a semi circle trek at the base of the Horn and return to the beach of Hornvik Bay. It was my wishful “dream” to be at the tip top of the King and Queen of Cliffs looking down.
I supposed going to the “tip top” was not possible, I was not that fit and we were already 3 hours into our 5 hour trek. It was time to go back! Going back was not as fun, it was walk and walk and walk. I was falling back further and further from my group and Yat Thong was stay back to keep me safe.
We lost sight of our group and went the wrong route to the beach. We sort of reached the beach the “hard way”. We were on higher ground and could see the two houses on the beach. Using the houses as goal point we just navigated in that direction. We finally met our group and a concerned guide. At about 5pm we returned to our boat via the motorised rubber dinghy.
I enjoyed the hike though I was slow. I did wish that there was more time for me to rest and relax and enjoyed the green widerness. Probably the same circuit in 6 hours would be more pleasurable to me. As for Yat Thong he was slightly disappointed as he said that the landscape view was only Hornvik Bay and the “King and Queen of Cliffs”, he was no fan of hiking.
Isafjordur
We did explore Isafjordur on our first day and again on our last day (3rd day) in the town. On the first day we explored the waterfront. The place was rather quiet.
We also visited Netto the supermarket in town to stock up on three days of fresh food for breakfast and dinner. We bought pork belly, chicken, strawberry, bread and cheese.
On our third day in Isafjordur we went into town again after a relaxing morning. We needed to “recover” from our 5+hours of hiking the day before. We saw a 3D zebra crossing and had fun photographing it. There was also a short rainbow walk.
Then it was time for a nice coffee break. We picked Heimabyggð a from google map, it had good rating. We had a cheese cake and cafe latte.
Our stay
Our stay was a studio at “Entire apartment in Ísafjörður” booked on Airbnb. The cost was SGD$820 for three days. Though the cost was steep, we decided we needed a good place in Isafjordur for three days.
Our studio was located in the lower level (ground) of a blue and black house.
The studio came with a washer and dryer which were very much needed. The big room had two beds, a settee, a toilet anda kitchen.
The kitchen had an oven and an small electrical stove. It was good enough for us to cooked three delicious breakfasts and three yummy dinners (roast pork belly, pizza and roast chicken). We did feel that the table was a big small for two.
Other Accommodation in Isafjordur