Sopandiの観光情報

Historic map showing Sópandi. Photo: Generalstabens topografiske Afdeling, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sópandi is a small cove at the very head of Lónafjörður, one of the five Jökulfirðir ("glacier fjords") that open off the north side of Ísafjarðardjúp in Iceland's Westfjords. It lies inside the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, in an area with no roads, no permanent residents and almost no visitors on foot.

The fjord ends in a pair of shallow, lagoon-like coves divided by a cliff-girt rock called Einbúi ("the hermit"); Sópandi is the inner, south-eastern one, beside the gravel spit Hvanneyri. Seals haul out on the sandbanks here, and sea kayakers from Ísafjörður paddle in to watch them.

Key Takeaways About Sópandi

• Sópandi is the innermost cove of Lónafjörður, one of the narrowest of the five Jökulfirðir, inside the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve.
• Seals haul out on its sandbanks at low tide; the cove lies below the volcanic rock Einbúi, which splits the fjord head in two.
• No roads, pier, signage or facilities: access is by guided sea kayak from Kvíar or Hesteyri, or on unmarked wilderness routes.
• Kayak trips run only in summer, June to August; snow lies in the inner valleys into July.
• Nearby Gautastaðahlíð holds traces of forest more than 14 million years old, some of the oldest in Iceland.

Why visit Sópandi

Lónafjörður is a narrow, enclosed fjord, one of the tightest of the Jökulfirðir. It sits between Hrafnsfjörður to the east and Veiðileysufjörður to the west, closed off by the headlands Lónanúpur, which the older guides compare to an upturned ship, and Múli.

The fjord is so tight that the sun does not melt the winter snow in the inner valleys until well into summer, and snow-bed vegetation gives the slopes an unusually colourful look while it lasts.

Sea kayaks in the Jökulfirðir. Photo: Smiley.toerist, CC BY-SA 4.0

At the head of the fjord, Einbúi splits the water into two arms. The western arm forks again into the coves of Rangali and Miðkjós; the eastern arm is Sópandi.

Both are backed by sea lagoons that reach right to the foot of the mountains, and local tradition says the lagoons are bottomless. The lagoons are known for their seals.

You can only walk around Einbúi at low tide. Geologists read Einbúi, with its sheer cliffs and scree, as clear evidence of a large central volcano that once stood in the eastern Jökulfirðir, and the nearby hillside of Gautastaðahlíð holds some of the oldest traces of forest in Iceland, more than 14 million years old.

The quiet of Sópandi is what draws people. Seals rest on the spits at low water, seabirds nest on the cliffs in summer, and arctic foxes patrol the shore.

On the south shore towards the fjord mouth is Sauðungseyri, a spit with a large pond, once called Sauðhúseyri after sheep houses kept there by the priest at Staður in Grunnavík.

A short way west of the fjord mouth, between Lónafjörður and Veiðileysufjörður, stands the farm of Kvíar, abandoned in 1948 and now run as a lodge by Borea Adventures, used as a base by kayak and hiking groups.

How to get to Sópandi

There is no road access anywhere in the Jökulfirðir. The last farms in these fjords were abandoned by the 1960s, and today the only way in is by sea or on foot over the heaths.

Jökulfirðir fjords, Hornstrandir. Photo: Smiley.toerist, CC BY-SA 4.0

1. Reach Ísafjörður first. From Reykjavík it is 415 to 455 km by road, about six to seven hours via Route 1 and then Route 60 or Route 61, or a domestic flight of under an hour.
2. From Ísafjörður, summer boats serve Hesteyri, Veiðileysufjörður and other landing points in Hornstrandir, roughly June to August (check current timetables). Guided kayak trips paddle from Hesteyri or Kvíar into Lónafjörður; the GTI tour's day from Kvíar into Lónafjörður and back is described as about 20 km of paddling.
3. On foot, Lónafjörður can be reached from Hornvík over Rangalaskarð to Rangali, or from Barðsvík on the east coast through the gap of Þrengsli, which drops straight into Sópandi. Both routes are unmarked, and the Þrengsli path is described as faint and hard to follow.

There is no parking, no pier and no signage. Independent visitors need their own boat charter or a serious wilderness hiking plan.

Best time to visit

July and the first half of August. Kayak tours run only in summer (June to August), when the fjords are usually ice- and storm-free and the midnight sun gives long paddling days.

Seal numbers on the haul-outs are highest at low tide on calm days. Snow can lie in the inner valleys into July, and by late August the boats stop and the weather turns.

Safety and practical tips

• Tides matter. The lagoons at the fjord head are only passable on foot at low tide, and kayakers should time their visit so they are not stranded on mudflats or fighting the outgoing current.
• Keep well back from the seals. Hauled-out seals flush easily, and repeated disturbance drives them off the site. Watch from the water or the far shore with binoculars.
• Weather in the Jökulfirðir changes quickly, and the narrow fjord funnels wind. Only paddle with a guide unless you have real sea-kayaking experience and cold-water gear.
• There are no facilities at Sópandi: no toilets, huts, shops or phone signal. The nearest shelter is Kvíar lodge, by arrangement.
• Camping in the reserve is allowed only at designated sites. Take all rubbish out.
• Arctic foxes are protected here and are not shy. Do not feed them and keep food packed away.
• Anyone entering Hornstrandir between 1 March and 15 June, or between 1 September and 1 November, must register their travel plan with the Environment Agency (Umhverfisstofnun).