Our FAQ section, your go-to resource for answers to common queries about our Icelandic expeditions and services. If you have questions about our multi-day tours, day trips, kayaking adventures, or any other aspect of your journey with us, you’re in the right place. Here is our FAQ:
Our office is located at Aðalstræti 17, Isafjordur and we start our multi-day hiking trips from this location. The Meeting point for our kayaking and biking trips, is at Mávagarður C close to the Eastern harbour. Across the street is our Service Center (white shipping container) where the meeting point for day trips and boat rides are.
Upon your arrival in Iceland, you have the option to either fly or drive to Ísafjörður in the Westfjords. If flying, you arrive in Keflavik International Airport about 40 minutes away from the capital city of Reykjavik and the domestic airport. From the domestic airport in Reykjavik there are 2-3 daily 40 minute flights to Isafjordur. For a smooth transition, you might consider taking the Flybus between the airports and can complete the journey on the same day.
Check out Icelandair for schedules and offers. If driving, you can rent a car and drive to Isafjordur. The drive, over mountain passes and through fjords is an adventure itself. The journey spans approximately 440-500 km, depending on your chosen route, and typically takes around 6 hours. We strongly recommend you to spend a few extra days visiting the Westfjords and other parts of Iceland. We’re happy to help you arrange a few days in the area or give you good tips about exciting things to do while in Iceland.
We do not offer transportation to and from Ísafjörður.
There is a municipal shuttle service from Isafjordur Airport into the central square that operates according to the plane schedule. A seat in the shuttle cost 1,000kr.
We offer tours related to hiking, biking, kayaking, photography and skiing. These tours are single day experiences and multi day experiences. Please browse all of our options using the drop down menus to aid your search.
We realise the efforts taken to arrive here in the Westfjords and we’d like you to enjoy a dream holiday. Our tours are shared experiences with preset tours designed specifically for your best experience. If you would like to request a custom tour, please email us your request. Dietary requests can be provided for a fee.
Our unique trips revolve around Hornstrandir Nature Reserve and the fjords around Ísafjarðardjúp. All our tours depart from Isafjordur.
Book directly with us, that way you know you are receiving the best deal possible. Receive details and suggestions pre-departure from the guides that know these trails!
Unlike booking with third party travel agents, our prices do not contain booking fees.
Please read our booking conditions
All of our guides undergo thorough training to effectively manage emergency situations. They are equipped to safely evacuate individuals and maintain communication with emergency first responders, ensuring a swift and coordinated response to any unforeseen circumstances..
Guides will bring a first aid kit and radio during each expedition. Should you need any equipment such as hiking poles, these can be rented from us.
We love to showcase our backcountry to beginners. Be sure to check the difficulty rating for our tours to understand the distances and demands of a day out.
Depending on your tour, you will either be staying at one of two bases. In Hornvik, our accommodations include a basecamp mess hall where meals will be provided, as well as a lounging area equipped with a sofa, warm reflex stove and plentiful cups of tea, coffee, or juice.
Sleeping arrangements in Hornvik are organised in large tents for two people. These tents come with a cot, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, pillow and woollen blanket. Please bring a sleeping bag liner and pillow case, as these items are not provided.
Please read your booking confirmation email and provided itinerary. Multiday tours will provide all meals.
Of course, we realise that we’re not all made the same and have different needs and desires. We try our best to cater to your needs. Please let us know ahead of time if you have any requirements so that we can plan the food accordingly. You can do that during the booking process.
Our online booking service accepts credit card payments only. Bank transfers are also accepted, as well as payments at the office with either a debit or credit card.
No, there are no hidden fees.
If you have a family or big group travelling together (6 people or more), please email us at info@borea.is
Check out our Equipment List and Know before You Go. Please refer to the booking confirmation email and attachments.
Please refer to our Difficulty Rating.
Our Wildlife and Arctic Foxes tour is open to all ages. The minimum age for select tours is 12 years old. These include, Calm Water Kayaking, Around the Walls, Bike and Kayak Combo, Hornstrandir Panorama, Valley to Valley, and Midnight Sun and Arctic Foxes. All other tours are for people aged over 16 or 18, please refer to the individual tour description.
April and May bring a sense of stability to the Westfjords, offering extended periods of calm weather that are perfect for ski touring. However, the high Arctic setting in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean brings occasional storms that can last one or two days. We would like to remind our guests that bad weather can always happen, and it is part of the adventure. Situated in the heart of the Atlantic, fast-moving low-pressure systems arrive and depart swiftly.
During April and May, temperatures in the mountainous landscapes typically range from a mild -10 to 0 degrees Celsius. On favourable days, the temperature may climb to a pleasant +10 degrees, with colder periods potentially bringing temperatures down to -10 degrees. One remarkable advantage of our northerly position is the extended daylight.
This prolonged daylight enhances our chances of finding favourable weather windows for our ski missions. In May, the sun is already setting around midnight, providing a unique experience to the adventure and enabling skiers to maximise their time in this Arctic environment.
Our minimum group size is set at 4 skiers. If you are an individual or a pair interested in joining the ski trip, feel free to reach out, and we will keep you informed about the available trips. While the maximum group size is set at 8 skiers, our lodge has the capacity to accommodate up to 12 guests, and we can arrange for additional guides to accommodate larger group sizes.
Our guides are enthusiastic and caring leaders for your tours. As locals of the Westfjords, information about local wildlife, history and culture and possibly even hot gossip will be offered to open ears. Several members of our team have received masters degrees at the local university, and have settled here thereafter making up 50% of our staff. Borea is a very international team with over 10 nationalities!
All guides receive training in first aid and cpr. Borea guides also receive training from NOLS wilderness medicine courses for safety in the backcountry. Guides graduating from this course receive a Wilderness First Responder certificate upon completion. Kayaking guides…Skiing guides….
Borea Adventures adheres to the principles of low impact, sustainable tourism. Our trips are “silent”, as we try not to use any motorised vehicles. We like to encourage physical activity to suit any level of ability from easy kayaking and hiking through to exhilarating action sports. Respect nature, use local resources whenever possible, offer the best trips, cause no unnecessary harm, inspire people.
We strive to reduce our environmental impact for our tours by utilising renewable energy sources at both of our bases in Hornstrandir (solar panels and wind turbines). Our food choices for our tours prioritise local produce rather than imported commodities, and we strive to reduce food waste and recycle as much as possible.
We disseminate best practices to the public on behaviours around local wildlife, even by taking the initiative to set up a boundary around a nearby fox den to reduce the disturbance of encroachment and foot traffic. By giving the foxes the ability to decide the distance they want to maintain with us, we can spectate their natural curious behaviour in a peaceful way.
We collaborate with local conservation projects in Hornstrandir relating to Arctic Foxes, beach cleanup initiatives, and identifying whales for our local catalogue. As a stakeholder in the area we often provide logistical support as well as shelter during changeable weather conditions. Please contribute to citizen science with your photos with Happy Whale.
Call us at +354 456 3322. Please send an email to us with any information, attachments needed for your support at info@borea.is
We try to respond to your inquiries within 24hrs, please bear with us if your waiting time is longer.
Mobile phone signal is unreliable but there are known locations that have good reception and emergency calls can be made. For emergency situations, your guide is able to contact national emergency service lines through the use of their VHF radio. Our guides also use Garmin inReach systems, though these units are prioritised for our longer and more strenuous tours.
Skútusiglingar ehf | Aðalstræti 17 | 400 Ísafjörður | Kt. 530306-1510 | VAT Number: 110291