Hornstrandir

Hornstrandir is freakin' amazing!

I went with no prior trekking experience and was totally fine!  Isolated and empty, you won't see many people, especially if you are multi-day trekking, that also means you have to be prepared.  I did a lot of research ahead of time, but found the reviews really lacking, so, here's the 411!

Wilderness Hiking:  We lost the trail more times that I can count, crossed streams and rivers more times then I can count, and navigated extremely rugged terrain.  To pass from fjord to fjord, there is also a good amount of climbing involved, about 1,500 meters at the top.  Everyday you'll be going up and down, and not on nice trails.  I had low top hiking shoes, HUGE mistake.  I was told by a very experienced hiker that those boots were great and 80% of the people on the Appalachian Trail and PCT were sporting them.  On day two, I was a broken man.  My ankles were screaming, and I still had three more days left.  They also turned out not to be water proof, despite saying so.  That made the wetlands, streams, and snow caps not fun at all.   Despite this major inconvenience, the views were ridiculous and well worth the pain.  Some days, the only people we saw were at camp.  Trekking poles are most necessary.  They are very useful on snow caps and keeping your balance as you cross streams, of which there are many.  We only had to wade across at two points, the rest of the flowing water can be creatively crossed in someway or another without getting wet.  Everything is also much farther than it appears.  Keep that in mind.  

Getting There:  Schedule a boat ahead of time.  There are limited options for getting there from ísafjörður, so book ASAP.  We took Sjóferðir, via West Tours.  You can also book a tour with them or just a boat ride, either for a day hike, or a multi-day trek.

Food & Water & Outhouses:  Fresh water is EVERYWHERE.  We drank strait from streams.  It's all snow melt, always moving, and with hundreds of small streams.  With no glaciers, you also don't have to worry about silt.  We drank the water untreated as did the others we shared camp with.  Pack in your food, pack out your rubbish—pretty standard.  Outhouses are at the campsites, but at those locations.  You also don't need to worry about bears getting at your stuff.  Polar bears are not native to Iceland.  They do wash ashore occasionally, but are promptly shot upon their arrival.

Weather:  *MUST READ*  Listen up, because this is a big one.  Weather can change incredibly fast, so be prepared for it.  Fog can roll in at anytime and when it does your visibility is shot.   When, not if, when you lose the trail, you need to be confident with a map and compass to make sure you don't disappear.  I can't tell you how many times we were on the "trail", then, suddenly, walked into the trail, and that was without fog.  You need to have a solid idea of your heading without a path to guide you and a clear view of your surroundings.  That said, I was on Youtube looking up how to use a compass right before I left, yikes; therefore, you don't need to be an expert to survive.  And most of all, it is wet.  In the middle of July there was fog, wind, warm, cold, sunshine, snow, slush, wet ground, and water everywhere.  Temperatures were 7-15 degrees Celsius.  And because I want to end on a positive note, if you do get direct sun, it is absolute beautiful trekking weather!  Once again, we went in the middle of July.

Wildlife:  No predators to worry about.  Birds and arctic foxes and bugs.  The foxes are no bigger than cats, and the bugs, frankly, while really annoying, have zero interest in you.  The Arctic has a serious mosquito problem, but not Iceland!  It's an ecological anomaly.  Hooray!

Heavy fog means you need a map and compass

All the Small things

Látravík:  This is an inlet just south of the Horn.  At the lighthouse you can get waffles, coffee, accommodations, a shower, a bathroom, and use of the kitchen.

Höfn:  The biggest campsite, maybe 10 tents.  It's located at Hornvík.  There is a ranger station complete with a working toilet, faucet (cold water only), and a ranger.  Also an outhouse.

Hesteryi:  This is the main access point for day trippers.  A collection of 5 or six buildings, here you will find the Doctors House, and it is great!  We ended out trek here got great pancakes, coffee, and milk!  There are also accommodations here as well as toilets.  Because it is the main access point, there are a good amount of people here on a scheduled boat day.  Just FYI, there are a ton of bugs, not interested in you, but do they get pretty annoying.  There is also an elf palace on a nearby hill!

Iceland

Get away from the crowds!  

Seriously though, get away from the crowds.   The Golden Circle was my least favorite part.  This country is full of natural beauty, and I've found that the more I have to go out of my way to see something, the more spectacular it is when I see I finally get there.  Maybe the waterfall isn't as big as Gullfoss, but the intimacy of finding it will make the whole experience significantly more memorable and special.  There nothing magical about standing around with 100 of your closest friends from all over the world as people incessantly snap selfies all around you.  

Iceland was hands down amazing, and I will definitely be returning, something that I can't say about many places.  I'm a very big fan.

The Places

Why did the sheep cross the bridge?  To get to the other side, duh!

The Wesfjords:  Simply stunning.  The main road does have several unpaved sections, but don't let that stop you.  The fjords are magnificent, and most tourists will miss this area.  However, you are on the same road as everyone that does make it there, so keep that in mind.  Free roaming sheep and nameless waterfalls dot the landscape as you wind in and out of the great fjords.   And Dynjandi, a waterfall worth naming, was the coolest cascade I saw all trip (pictured above).  Also, make a reservation at Tjöruhúsið in Ísafjörður, the capital of the region.  Dine at long nordic tables and enjoy the best fish of your life while soaking up its intoxicating provincial vibe.  Another note, there are only a few restaurants in Ísafjörður.  Plan ahead, or eat pizza at what looks like an American rest stop.   In summer the sun barley sets this far north.  Bring an eye mask.  And just a heads up, there is a single lane tunnel, which, is a little jarring when you see the headlights coming at you.  Most of all, watch out for the sheep!

Snaefellsnes Peninsula:   Formed by volcanic activity the peninsula has got some very interesting topography.  We were wiped from Hornstrandir, but if I went back, I'd definitely climb Snæfellsjökull (I actually can pronounce this one), a massive glacier that covering the volcano.  This natural monument was the inspiration for Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth.  A local also gave us a tip that there are some great hiking trails that lead up into the mountains that not many people take advantage of.  Check em' out.   

Reykjavik:  A cool little city with a very interesting art scene, it can be seen in a day.  Great to check out, but it certainly should not be the focus of your adventure.

The rest of Iceland:  We only made it to the areas listed above, but it looks like there's amazing stuff all over.  A lot of people do the "Ring Road" which seems interesting but from what we heard from locals, you should really rent a 4x4 and check out the interior.  Iceland is very rugged and there is awesome stuff where most cars and people don't go.  It actually quite funny.  All around you'll see what look like urban assault vehicles, and although not as popular as say sheep, Iceland has an interesting tradition of rugged motoring.  To appreciate this land for what is it you need to run and hide from the crowds.  But be advised, these are expensive rentals, $200 a day!

Camping:  Extremely camp friendly and there are sites all over the place.  Renting campers is also very big.  Maybe something to consider.  

Everyone speaks English:  So well that in some cases I actually thought they were Americans.  That good.  This is awesome because you have really great conversations, not just about the weather, where is the library, and how much you like this country.  We really hit it off with all our Air BnB hosts.  They gave us tips, chatted with us, and booked us at restaurants.  I only have amazing things to say about the people of Iceland.  

Air BnB:  Yes!  Do it!  We had such great experiences with our hosts, and they were very, very helpful.  Not to mention even hostels are twice the price of Air BnB accommodations.  And don't even think about a hotel!  Air BnB all the way!

Raw whale and three types of herring!  Þrir Frakkar, Reykjavik

Food:  I didn't try the fermented shark.  Even our tour guide Ragnar, who used the word "delicacy" to describe a packet of dried fish, thought the shark was disgusting.  So, it didn't feel like I was missing anything.  We tried all the fish we could.   They crush it; no surprise there, but they also have a really great dark, dense, sweet rye bread that pares excellent with all fish, smoked, souffléd, pickled, all go quite nicely with it.  We did try raw whale.  Yikes!  I would suggest trying it if you can find it.  I like raw meat, so this was for me the best way to try something new.  A red meat, its like beef that comes from the sea.  Its not that common so don't, worry they aren't killing off the whale population.  The lamb was also excellent.  There is a simple lamb soup that's excellent.  Get a bowl.  Lamb and fish are quite prevalent, so you won't have any issue finding them on menus.  The more specialty stuff you will have to go out of your way, so plan for it.  We didn't come across horse or puffin again, thus, I didn't get another chance at it.  I highly recommend reservations; reservations for everything.  Showing up doesn't work so well here.  Maybe because it's high season in the summer, but everything is packed.  It might take some spontaneity out of it, but that's better than eating gas station pizza, in Iceland, after you spent all that money to get there.  And on a final note, things are expensive here, especially food.  A cup of coffee is, no joke, $5.  You just got to accept it and move on; you can't win em' all. 

Hot Springs:  I really tried to find hot springs along our driving route.  They are far less common where we were, but make for an excellent stop.  You should definitely try to scope a few out on your way.  They are prevalent in the south, not so much in the west and Westfjords.  And just so you know, they aren't really that intimate in the summer.  We really only went to one natural spring that wasn't known, and that even had two other people in it.  Still totally worth it.  And these are small, it only takes one other car to potentially make it a crowd.  We had a great time chatting with the folks we met, but then again, we were looking to socialize.  If a romantic experience is what you seek, dial down your expectations.

The Galápagos Islands

Go with a tour  

But really, go with a tour...  Don't try to make it happen when you get there.  You'll miss out on everything that makes the islands so amazing.  I'm all about going it alone, but here, no way.  The Galápagos hold vast amounts of knowledge, and there is no place like them.  It's not about seeing sites and great vistas, learning about power of nature is why this place is so unique and famous.  The learn, you need a teacher that can impart a tremendous amount of knowledge.  We went went with Classic Journeys and it was well worth it.  When I returned I swapped stories with a friend, a sad soul who went without a tour.  He saw some stuff and got a picture with a sea lion but that was it.  He didn't learn or retain a shred of information, not to mention, missed out on the more difficult places to get to.

Land v Sea:  There are four populated islands, Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, and Floreana.  If you go on land, you will probably only see these islands.  The upside is that you can go into town whenever you want, stay out by the beaches as late as you want, and take a stroll at your connivence.  By sea, you can view more Islands, but you don't have that freedom at the end of the day. 

Island Guides:  Everywhere you go you need a Galápagos park guide to go with you, even if you are part of a tour group.  One guide we had spoke great english and was fabulous at explaining the nature surrounding us.  Those are two different things, by the way, a teacher, and an English speaker.  The other two guides did not speak English, nor did I get the sense from my broken Spanish they were good teachers.  If we didn't have Thomas' (our company's guide) extensive breath of information, it would have sucked, and we would have missed out on all the reasons why you should visit this place.

Camera:  If you're into pictures, have a camera that can zoom.  Animals are the draw here, and if you have an iPhone, it's impossible to take good shots.  A good point-and-shoot should suffice, and camera with real zoom will definitely get you some good shots.  At this point, I only had an iPhone, and when I returned, I saw that my pictures were severely lacking.  I took epic pictures of western landscapes with just a phone, but here, it was useless.  I can't speak for a point-and-shoot as I only recently started using one, but that zoom might not be enough either.  Just FYI.