Description
Summary
Description
Sea kayak in the remote Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the Westfjords on this tour from Isafjordur, staying in a farmhouse instead of camping.
Because you don't need to carry camping and cooking gear, you travel light and have more time and energy for the scenery and wildlife. Hornstrandir has no roads, so you reach it by passenger ferry.
The evening before the tour, you meet your guide and group at the base in Isafjordur for a briefing of about an hour.
On day 1, you meet again at the base at 8:00 a.m., and the ferry leaves Isafjordur Harbor at 9:00 a.m. for Hesteyri, once the largest settlement in Hornstrandir. After a safety briefing, you paddle either along the coast toward the lighthouse at Sletta or into the fjord to see the remains of an old Norwegian whaling station. You then cross the fjord, with a good chance of seeing white-tailed eagles along the cliffs, and paddle across Veidileysufjordur Fjord, past waterfalls, to the farmhouse at Kviar. You paddle about 10.5 miles (17 kilometers).
On day 2, you paddle into Lonafjordur Fjord, which many consider the most beautiful fjord in Iceland. It's a haven for birds, and a large seal colony lives in the small bay of Sopandi. You follow the whole coastline and paddle about 12.4 miles (20 kilometers).
On day 3, you head to Leirufjordur Fjord, where Drangajokull Glacier rises in the background and silt from the glacier turns the water milky. It's easy to land almost anywhere in the fjord for a short hike. You paddle about 12.4 miles (20 kilometers).
On day 4, the passenger ferry picks you up at Kviar at about 11:00 a.m. and takes you back to Isafjordur. Your guide may stay at Kviar with another group, and the ferry crew looks after you on the way back.
Each night, you stay at the farmhouse at Kviar, the only house in the valley. It was built in 1921, stood empty for over 60 years, and has since been rebuilt. In the evenings, you can relax in the sauna, and Arctic foxes often come by. Along the way, you may also see seabirds, seals, and other marine mammals.
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