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Ísafjörður

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Hornbjargsviti

Around the Walls – Biking

Stretch your legs from all that driving and come biking around Skutulsfjörður

Join us for a fun half-day trip exploring the fjord in all its glory. This is a beginner friendly trail with stunning views across the fjord and beyond. Get to know the history of the town and a local perspective of what living in Ísafjörður is like.

Contents of this tour

Tour overview

Description

The town of Ísafjörður sits below steep mountain sides and is therefore exposed to avalanche risk during the winter time. Because of this, there are big walls in certain places to protect houses below. During the summer time, it’s a lot of fun to explore the barriers on a mountain bike.

The avalanche barriers along with the forests and open trails combine to make a great mountain biking route above the town. Our guides will be sure to give you all the assistance you need as well as tell tales of life in Ísafjörður, history of the area and perhaps some local gossip!

Please drop us an email if you’re interested!

Meeting point: Our base at Mávagarður C (grey building) close to the Eastern Harbour.

Departure: 13:00. Be there half an hour before departure time.

Minimum age: 12 years.

Group size: We need a minimum number of 2 participants to operate the tour. Maximum group size is 8, but most of our tours are between 2–6 people.

Trip Difficulty: Easy/Moderate.

Duration of trip: 2.5 hours.

Included: Mountain bike, helmet and professional guide.

Photos

Itinerary

The journey begins at our base, Mávagarður C (grey building), where you meet your guide and gear up. We then start biking up the main street of the town, Aðalstræti. We bike up towards the mountains and the first slope that leads us to the avalanche barrier.

We sneak behind the towering walls and bike along the backside, popping back out to continue along the base of the mountain. We continue along flowing single track towards the forest in Tungudalur where we find the marvellous Buná river and waterfall.

For a great view over the fjord, we bike across the valley towards the final avalanche barrier. The short and slightly steep climb up the barrier is well worth the view. From here on it´s easy ride back into town.

What to bring

  • Warm woollen or fleece clothing including top, bottoms and socks. Please avoid cotton as it keeps you cold when wet and takes a very long time to dry.
  • Sturdy shoes, no flip flops!
  • Sunhat, sunglasses and sunscreen, it can get sunny up here!
  • Water bottle.
  • Don’t forget your camera!

FAQ

Yes, families with children age 12 or above can join this trip, as long as everyone knows how to ride a bike.
This tour is very easy and suitable for people of all abilities. The route is very flexible and we’re able to avoid or add section, depending on how you’re feeling.
You arrive in Keflavik International Airport about 40 minutes away from the capital city of Reykjavik. From the domestic airport in Reykjavik there are 2-3 daily 40 minute flights to Isafjordur. You can take the Fly-Bus between the airports and most of the time you can continue same day. Check out Air Iceland Connect for schedules and special offers. You can also rent a car and drive to Isafjordur. The drive, over mountain passes and through fjords is an adventure itself. It’s about 440-500 km depending on which route you take. A new road via Arnkötludalur opened in 2009 which completes the asphalted pathway the whole way, and kills the old myth of bad roads in the Westfjords! The drive will normally take you 5-6 hours. A new tunnel opened in September 2020 under the infamous mountain pass between the fjords of Arnarfjörður and Dýrafjörður. That tunnel makes it much easier to travel through the Westfjords all year round and shortens the route up the West coast. For accommodation in Reykjavik there are many options of hotels and guesthouses that we can book for groups. Please ask us for individual bookings. We strongly recommend you to spend a few extra days visiting the West Fjords and other parts of Iceland. We’re happy to help you arranging few days in the area or give you good tips about exciting things to do while in Iceland.

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