Borea Adventures - Adventure blog from Iceland, Greenland and Jan Mayen

Spring 2013

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:42:00 +0000

The 2013 season started in mid-March with our classic Sailboat Ski trips onboard Aurora. For the 8th year in a row Captain Siggi has impressed our guests with his freshly picked mussels and delicious soups, after the group has skied from one fjord to the next, from one mountain to another. Runar organized ski mountaineering courses in the mountains around the town of Isafjordur, we did some winter camping under the northern lights and assisted several groups of professional skiers, climbers and photographers with logistics in the area. It's busy times and that's how we like it.

When snow melts, we'll store our ski gear and take out our trekking boots and kayaks. We have some departures where we accept individual bookings and where we still have a few places available:

"Fjords and Birdcliffs" is a new 6-day hiking trip in Hornstrandir where we spend the nights in the old farmhouse of Kviar and in confortable tents in the majestic Hornvik while all luggage is transported with a speedboat. It's a relatively easy trip as the participants are not required to carry heavy load between campsites. We have two guaranteed departures in July: 8/7 - 13/7 and 22/7 - 27/7.

More details: http://boreaadventures.com/nature/Fjords_and_Birdcliffs/

"Lost Fjords" is another 6-day trekking trip in Hornstrandir. It's more physically challenging than the other trip as the participants are required to carry their backpacks between campsites. It covers the entire northern part of Hornstrandir and shows all the best that the area has to offer; history, midnight sun, bays, arctic foxes and bird cliffs. We have two guaranteed departures for that trip: 15/7-20/7 and 29/7-3/8.

More details: http://boreaadventures.com/nature/Lost_Fjords/

"Paddle in the Wild" is a 6-day kayak trip where we experience beautiful fjords, waterfalls, Drangajokull glacier and small islands. The area has rich wildlife; abundance of birds, seals and arctic foxes, good chance to spot whales and porpoises. This trip is intended for people with kayaking experience. Nights will be spent in good and comfortable tents. We have available places for one departure: 5/8 - 10/8.

More details: http://boreaadventures.com/summer/Paddle_in_the_Wild/

We'd be happy to have you onboard one of those trips and we guarantee that you will return with a big smile on your face and great memories from our remote corner of Iceland.

Skiing through the hardship of Hornstrandir - New video

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 22:48:00 +0000

Last May we were privileged with the visit of Jordan and Chad Manley, Forrest Coots and Chad Sayers, coming to Iceland to film a skiing segment for Arc'teryx and Gore Tex. We spent ten days with them crossing a glacier, paddling kayaks wit

h skis strapped on deck, sailing the fjords, eating good food and of course skiing. What a great bunch of guys and the result is this amazing film where the story of the landscape is as important as the skiing itself. Thank you guys!

You can see more of Jordan's work here: http://jordanmanley.com/blog/

Iceland: A Skier's Journey EP3 S3 from ARC'TERYX on Vimeo.

The One Life Crew

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:51:00 +0000

In May last year we got the One Life crew on board Aurora. They are a group of tough snowboarding girls of four nationalities and the aim was to film and shoot their adventures in the fjords of Hornstrandir. They had a blast and the first result appeared in Cooler Magazine. Here is the article.

Thank you girls for a great trip!

East Greenland - an awesome wilderness

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:46:00 +0000

The extent of the Denmark Strait sea-ice reached a record high this past summer and it looked like we wouldn´t be able to reach the coast of Greenland as planned. Fortunately the ice cleared enough and we were able to sail out of Ísafjörður harbour with a group of enthusiastic explorers on July 29th.

Before long we were reaching under full sails, heading towards Greenland at a speed of 10-12 knots. We had planned to start our expedition in Nansen Fjord but it was packed full of ice so landfall was in one of our favourite spots in the magnificent Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord. This is one of the most spectacular areas in the Arctic with views of towering mountains and immense ice-filled tributary fjords. Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord is a region of Greenland that only a few hardy adventurers in the annals of Arctic exploration have ever deigned to challenge but one that we have studied and explored for many years.

Soon after Aurora was safely anchored in Suhaili Bay, the group took to the kayaks to explore the vicinity. After only half an hour of paddling on the calm waters, they came across a young polar bear swimming in the sea. Watching in awe as this magnificent animal climbed out of the water and onto an iceberg, the bear then retreated to a nearby island.

We spent a few fantastic days exploring the surrounding area onboard Aurora, kayaking the tranquil waters and hiking in the hills and mountains. We continued south along the coast, which the British Admiralty has quoted 'as the most difficult in Greenland'. Visiting some of our favourite, sheltered anchorages and hiking and kayaking en route. After two weeks of outstanding adventure we arrived in the village of Kulusuk where our guests left us for their flights back home.

In 2013 we are planning one trip on this exclusive expedition to the 'Forbidden Coast' and only nine seats will be available. Please don´t wait too long to secure your seat.

From the end of August to mid September 2013, we are running two week-long tours in the Ammassalik area. We call this expedition 'Arctic Fjordscapes'. The trip is suitable for anyone interested in experiencing the magic of late summer in Greenland onboard our expedition sailing yacht the Aurora. We combine visits to the local villages alongside easy activities such as hiking and kayaking. This is early autumn and the northern lights will surely light up the night sky for us as we anchor in secluded coves. The two trips both start and conclude in the village of Kulusuk where the small airport offers domestic and international flights.

Looking back on Greenland

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 15:48:00 +0000

Our guide Haukur Sigurðsson published a great post on his blog this summer about his adventures in Greenland last year. He sure has a good eye for photos with his background in visual anthopology and a sense for the Inuit culture. I recommend this reading. Haukur's Blog can be found HERE.

A Polar Bear Welcomes Aurora in Greenland

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:08:00 +0000

It's been a week since Aurora left for Greenland and will do three trips there this season.

The voyage across went very well with fresh breeze off the coast of the Westfjords and Aurora was making steady 10 knots towards the promised land. Closer to Greenland the wind dropped and very little ice made navigating into Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord easy. A lot of seals and whales said hello while the crew dropped the anchor. Dines, our Greenland guide got anxious with water in his mouth! He says its very strange to visit his homeland as a tourist and having to leave his hunting insticts behind. Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord is among the best hunting grounds on the East coast and many seals, few narwhals and polar bears are shot there every year. All according to strict hunting laws.

On the first day of kayaking to Skaergaard, an abandoned village from the 60's, a young polar bear was spotted running on the ice and up to a small island. The atmosphere in the group got a little bit tense as you can imagine. But Dines said that the bear was not out hunting. So the group just watched this amazing king of the Arctic for a while. The photo is not top quality, since it's sent via satellite phone.

New day trip to Hornstrandir Nature Reserve

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:11:00 +0000

This summer we are offering a new day-trip to the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. Few days ago we did the first trip with a mix of Icelandic, Japanese and German visitors. The sun was shining from a perfectly clear, blue sky when our ferry Bjarnarnes motored out of Bolungarvik harbour in the early morning. A slight swell was running but everyone’s spirits were high as we set course for Jökulfirðir bay (Glacier Fjords). A couple of Humpback whales greeted us about half way and showed us their tails as they dove down for another mouthful of food. We landed at the head of Veiðileysufjörður fjord („fjord where there is no fishing“!) and the group was dropped off at Karlsstaðir. From there the hike led up the valley in perfect summer weather.

Still there is quite a bit of snow left in the mountains and sometime we had to hike across patches of spring snow. That didn´t give us any problems and only added to the flavour of spring hiking just 20km below the arctic circle. We reached the highest point at around 650 meters and had a delicious lunch prepared by our own Bræðraborg coffee shop. Here we enjoyed a fantastic view of the surrounding area; snow capped mountains, quiet fjords and lush green valleys. After a well earned break we headed down another valley towards the sea again. Six hours after we were dropped off we arrived at the abandoned farm of Kvíar. The total length of the hike was around 12 km. Here we took time to look around and see how people lived almost 70 years ago when 20 persons called this farm their home.

Today nature rules unchallenged and the only access is by foot or by boat. We then lit the barbeque and grilled a couple of nice fillets of Rainbow Trout from the neighbouring Dýrafjörður and fresh Ling from the local market. With the fish we had salad and freshly baked bread brought along from Bræðraborg Café. Just when we had finished a nice cup of coffee and cheese for desert we saw Bjarnarnes approaching and got ourselves ready to be picked up on the beach. It was a happy group that climbed up on the wharf in Bolungarvik after 13 hours of wonderful adventure in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve.

Great article and photos

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 21:05:00 +0000

Here is a great article and superb photos from Martino Colonna and Luca de Anton that came with us on a sailboat ski trip last year in April. You should check it out!

Summer is here...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 10:37:00 +0000

After a fantastic ski-sail season - summer is here. We are enjoying nice sunny weather day after day and have already started with our summer program. Aurora is doing a few trips in the Westfjords before she goes to Greenland in end of July.

Check out the two options:

Hornstrandir - the Wild Life is really "best-of" the area. We stop by at Vigur island, at Hesteyri, Aðalvík and last but not least we spend two night in Hornvík.

Quest for the Arctic Fox is another trip where we focus on observing the foxes of Hornstrandir. This is the only area in Iceland where the Arctic Fox is fully protected and a perfect place to visit these friend of ours.

Both of these trips are suitable for people of all ages and with different interests. We always have options of sailing, hiking/walking, kayaking and simply enjoying the landscape and cultural history of this magnificent area.

Please don´t hesitate to contact us for further information.

In the Wake of Killer Whales

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:03:00 +0000

While sailing out of the bay in beautiful weather last week, we spotted three killer whales in front of us. Of course we slowed down and watched their graceful blows with seagulls passing above. One of them even dived next to Aurora and rolled over to check us out. What a great looking animal. Here are few photos.