Up the Fjords
We awoke to abundant sunshine and decided to take a walk on the coast of Hofn before the local store opened. Things in Iceland open late and close early compared to the U.S. We restocked our cooler with ice and got food for the next few days and started driving up the Northeast coast of Iceland. These were the more accessible fjords in Iceland. There was a noticeable tourist drop off at Hofn. Northern Iceland is definitely more remote and most tourists don’t make it up that high. We stopped for lunch in a quaint coastal town called Djupivogur. We ate at the local cafe and decided to hit the gift shop across the street. I asked the woman in the shop if there was good hiking at the very northern end of the fjords in a small town called Bakkagerði. She said that there was excellent hiking there and recommended a stunning hike called Sturero.
The Harbor in Djupivogur
We set our sites for Bakkagerði and drove up the fjords weaving in and out the inlets to amazing scenery. Along the way we encountered some reindeer(pic above). We never saw any puffins but were told it was too late in the year for them. We continued driving north to the furthest northeast corner of Iceland. We began ascending and eventually went over a pass which made you feel like you were at 12,000 feet. We descended and could see the fjord below as the stunning mountain scenery flanked the fjord on both sides. It was breathtaking. The road turned to dirt and then to pavement and then back again as it weaved it’s way like a snake along the cliffs. We eventually came to Bakkagerði and decided to stop at the Alfacafe restaurant. Super cool place. The guy said Sturero was indeed the hike to do if it was clear and the forecast called for sunny skies the following day. We stocked up on homemade Banana bread and looked for a camping spot for the night. We found one down by the river.
Bakkagerði
The drive into Bakkagerði
The van down by the river camping spot. Outside Bakkagerði
Getting up High in Iceland
We awoke to partly sunny skies and decided to head for Sturero. There were 3 ways to start. We chose to start at the first trailhead we came to on the road. We saw people coming down and followed their footsteps and ended up on a sheep trail. We never could find the actual trail. The sheep trail eventually lead us to the middle trailhead. We began ascending and came upon some stunning scenery. The pictures below are all from the hike along the way.
We came to a 3 way junction in the trail and could see turquoise colored water below. I felt compelled to get closer even though it was a steep hike down to the water. It turned out to be worth every step. I took the following 3 shots down at the water level.
I ascended back up the steep grade and we headed for the van. The skies were beginning to clear which gave me ample opportunity to snap some killer shots. The next pics are from the hike out.
Below is the Iceland Adventure part 2 video. Click icon at bottom right of video for fullscreen. Enjoy.