Description
Summary
Description
Look for Arctic foxes under the midnight sun in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the Westfjords on this small-group tour from Isafjordur.
The tour starts with a briefing at the meeting point on the main street in Isafjordur.
Then you sail from the harbor in Isafjordur on a passenger ferry toward Hornstrandir. There's a very good chance of seeing humpback whales, puffins, and other seabirds on the way. Depending on the boat schedule, the ferry may make one or two stops before dropping you off at Kviar.
Kviar Lodge is an old farmhouse just above the beach, the only house for miles, and you can only reach it by boat. You carry your luggage up to the house, settle in, and get a short briefing on the history of Hornstrandir.
The last residents left Hornstrandir in 1952, taking their livestock with them, and Arctic foxes became the only remaining land mammals. Free from human disturbance, the foxes have become unusually tame and playful, and a fox family has had its den behind the farmhouse for years.
On the first afternoon, you hike up Kviadalur Valley, from the lush lowlands to barren, glacier-carved terrain and lakes higher up, and on to the ridges above the fjords. You come back down along the river, past lakes and waterfalls, to a home-cooked dinner and a session in the wood-heated sauna.
On the second day, you usually hike in the morning to a viewpoint over Lonafjordur Fjord, watching for Arctic foxes and birds such as eider ducks, swans, oystercatchers, snipes, and the rarer white-tailed eagle. In the afternoon, you go sea kayaking into Lonafjordur Fjord in stable kayaks if conditions allow. You can also choose a full day of hiking or kayaking.
The last day is flexible. You can hike, kayak, relax in the fields, or take a picnic to a quiet spot and look for seals and foxes along the shore. In the late afternoon, you take the boat back to Isafjordur.
The long, bright summer nights give you plenty of time to explore and to take photos in the golden light.
Check availability by choosing a date.
