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Nature reserveWestfjords

Hornstrandir

Westfjords, Iceland580 km²Protected land

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Nature reserveWestfjords

Hornstrandir

Westfjords, Iceland580 km²Protected land

About

A 580 km² uninhabited peninsula at the top of the Westfjords, protected as a nature reserve — no roads, no power lines, reached only by boat or on foot.

Abandoned farmsteads, fog rolling over Hornbjarg, and an arctic fox trotting past your tent like it pays rent. The quietest place in Iceland that still has a ferry timetable.

This is expedition hiking, not a day trip. Boats run roughly mid-June to late August, rivers are unbridged, there is zero phone signal in most bays, and the weather cancels plans without asking. Carry everything in and out, and build a spare day around the boat.

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Plan your visit to Hornstrandir

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Map of Hornstrandir

Hornstrandir is in the Westfjords, Iceland at 66.3889°N, 22.5288°W. The interactive map has the exact pin, parking and everything around it.

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Plan your visit

Off the main road: 38.6 km from Route 61
Nearest town: Hnífsdalur — 41 km away
Distance from Reykjavík: 251 km in a straight line
What else is close: 98 mapped places within 20 km

Hornstrandir weather and conditions

At Hornstrandir in Westfjords, conditions as of 10 September 2026, 20:45 (Iceland time): 6°C (feels like 3°C), light rain, wind 3 m/s gusting to 10 m/s, 0.3 mm precipitation in the last hour. Daylight today: 13 h 54 m (sunrise 06:30, sunset 20:24). Check road status before driving on live road conditions.

Data verified 10 September 2026, 20:45 · source: Open-Meteo at this location’s coordinates · refreshes hourly

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Visit now · Open year-round · 30 min stop · Visibility —

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Westfjords Reykjavík South Coast West North East Reykjanes Highlands

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Cars & campers

−12%exclusive discountFree cancellation

KEF airport pickup 24/74.8

SUV

Dacia Duster 4x4

Cheapest real 4WD in the fleet — gravel, the Westfjords and easy summer F-roads without truck prices.

VW Caravelle

Whole family or friend group in one car — gear in the back, room to stretch.

TransmissionAutomatic

12,750 kr15,000 kr/day

Reserve −12%

Camper

Key Camper Wild Duo

Sleep right by the trailhead, wake up at the falls — F-road ready from mid-June.

Tours near Hornstrandir

Free cancellation

Small groups

Iceland tour

Avoid the crowds

Book this tour and let us know what you'd love to see or do in the Westfjords—water sports included if you're up for it!

Bike and Kayak Combo

Combine our classic tours Calm Water Kayaking and Around the Walls to create a full day of activities.

BIRD CLIFFS & BEAUTIFUL BEACHES - biking

The tour starts at the Westfjords Adventures office in Patreksfjörður from where we will drive 60 km to the Látrabjarg cliffs.

Photos & videos

Hornstrandir — photo by Mickaël Delcey (Silverkey) · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Mickaël Delcey (Silverkey) · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

No verified videos yet — we only show footage confirmed to be Hornstrandir, no lookalikes. Search YouTube

Reviews

Frequently
asked
questions

How do you get to Hornstrandir?

By boat. Scheduled summer services run from Ísafjörður and Bolungarvík to the main landing bays; there are no roads anywhere on the peninsula. Book the return leg at the same time and treat the schedule as weather-dependent.

Can you drive to Hornstrandir?

No. The reserve has no roads at all — the road network ends well south of it. Access is by boat in summer, or on foot for long multi-day approaches. There is nowhere to park a car problem because there is nowhere to put a car.

When is the Hornstrandir season?

Roughly mid-June to late August, when the scheduled boats run. Outside that window the boats stop, the weather closes in, and the reserve is effectively unreachable for ordinary hikers.

Are the arctic foxes in Hornstrandir dangerous?

No. Hornstrandir is the one place in Iceland where arctic foxes are fully protected from hunting, so they are unusually relaxed around people. Watch them, photograph them, and do not feed them — a fed fox starts raiding tents.

Nearby

Waterfalls

#1.Drifandi

10 km·~12 min drive

A waterfall in Westfjords.

#2.Glúmsstaðafoss

15 km·~18 min drive

A waterfall in Westfjords.

#3.Möngufoss

30 km·~36 min drive

A waterfall in Westfjords.

#4.Bunárfoss

47 km·~57 min drive

A waterfall in Westfjords.

4 waterfalls near Westfjords

Hot Springs

#1.Geothermal hot spring near Árneshreppur

37 km·~44 min drive

Natural hot spring

#2.Natural hot pot near Strandabyggð

42 km·~50 min drive

Swimming_pool hot spring

#3.Geothermal hot spring near Bolungarvíkurkaupstaður

42 km·~50 min drive

Public_bath hot spring

#4.Gjörvidalslaug

42 km·~50 min drive

Hot spring in East Iceland. Natural geothermal bathing spot.

4 hot springs near Westfjords

Campsites

#1.Hornvík

4.5 km·~5 min drive

Westfjords campsite. Remote location rewards those who make the journey. Dramatic…

#2.Hlöðuvík

6.9 km·~8 min drive

Westfjords campsite. Remote location rewards those who make the journey. Dramatic…

#3.Hornbjargsviti

7 km·~8 min drive

Westfjords campsite. Remote location rewards those who make the journey. Dramatic…

#4.Horn

7.2 km·~9 min drive

Westfjords campsite. Remote location rewards those who make the journey. Dramatic…

4 campsites near Westfjords

Supermarkets

#1.Kjörbúðin

41 km·~49 min drive

Supermarket — supplies

#2.Nettó

44 km·~53 min drive

Nettó supermarket — supplies

#3.SAM

47 km·~56 min drive

Supermarket — supplies

#4.Bónus

47 km·~56 min drive

Bónus supermarket — supplies

4 supermarkets near Westfjords

Gas stations

#1.Bolungarvík

41 km·~49 min drive

ÓB · 308.7 kr/L petrol

#2.Ísafjörður

44 km·~53 min drive

N1 · 306.9 kr/L petrol

#3.Súðavík

45 km·~54 min drive

Orkan · 308.6 kr/L petrol

#4.Norðurfjörður

58 km·~69 min drive

N1 · 310.9 kr/L petrol

4 gas stations near Westfjords

Tours

#1.Avoid the crowds

6 hours

Book this tour and let us know what you'd love to see or do in the Westfjords—water sports included if you're up for it!

from 45.000 ISKView tour →

#2.Bike and Kayak Combo

7 hours

Combine our classic tours Calm Water Kayaking and Around the Walls to create a full day of activities.

from 27.900 ISKView tour →

#3.BIRD CLIFFS & BEAUTIFUL BEACHES - biking

9 hours

The tour starts at the Westfjords Adventures office in Patreksfjörður from where we will drive 60 km to the Látrabjarg cliffs.

from 36.800 ISKView tour →

3 tours near Westfjords

Data & sources

Everything on this page comes from the sources below. Live feeds refresh automatically.

Wikimedia CommonsHero & gallery photography · Mickaël Delcey (Silverkey) · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
VegagerðinVisitor access & practical facts
VegagerðinLive road status & cameras · Icelandic Road Administration
Open-MeteoWeather forecast · CC BY 4.0
NOAA SWPCAurora (planetary Kp) forecast · public domain
OpenStreetMapInteractive-map data · ODbL
Esri, Maxar & Earthstar GeographicsSatellite imagery for the 3D terrain render · GIS User Community