5 Day Borgarfjörður East Iceland Hiking Tour

The first day of our tour will start with arriving at Egilsstaðir airport from Reykjavík. After that, we will reach the locally-owned Álfheimar Country Hotel in Borgarfjörður, our home for the next five nights. When we settle in, our hiking adventure will begin. 

Today we'll have a relatively easy day hike of around 12 km (7.5 mi) and 400 m (1312 ft) elevation. At the beginning of this adventure, we'll hike up to the local village, where we'll find the Old turf house, local fish factory, concert hall, and other exciting locations along the way.

After we've had our lunch, we'll continue our journey through the unspoiled trails of the Borgarfjörður valley. We'll go up to Dimmidalur (the Dark Valley) and Jökuldalur (Glacier Valley) to enjoy the beautiful, rugged landscape among the Door Mountains. 

During this trip, we'll also get acquainted with elves. We'll walk through the elf community of Lobbuhraun and later visit their home in Dimmidalur valley. Later on, we'll return to Bakkagerði village, where we'll notice many exciting aspects and see the Elf Queen at Álfaborg (Elf Hill).

On our second day, we'll hike for about 16 km (10 mi) at approximately 700 m (2296 ft) elevation. The day will start at the environmentally friendly Borgarfjörður harbor, Hafnarhólmi. Here we can spot puffins and others birds that are nesting here. 

Next, we'll continue our hike up from the coast through the green mountains to Brúnavík pass and down to Brúnavík inlet. We'll visit the spectacular black sand beach where we can listen to waves and gaze at the beautiful stones. Here you'll be able to take off your shoes and dip your toes into the sand. Then we will hike another 321 m (1053 ft) over the Hofstrandarskarð pass on our way back. We'll walk beside the colorful Helgárgil canyon towards Bakkagerði village.

On the third day, we'll head to Iceland's best-kept secret - Stórurð (Boulder Hollow). This will be a rather challenging hike considering that 15% of the route consists of gravel. The entire hike will be around 16 km (10 mi) long with an elevation of 500 m (1640 ft).

Our day's hike will start from the Vatnskarð pass (431 m), then towards the Geldingafjall mountain (640 m), and then continue west of Súlur peaks. There we will get excellent views over Njarðvík, Fljótsdalshérað valley, the black sandy beach of Héraðsflói bay, and perhaps even to Vatnajökull glacier and Mt. Snæfell in the eastern part of the central highlands. 

After that, we'll go into Stórurð, an expanse of enormous rocks divided by a small river. Here you will see icy blue water basins hidden by enormous boulders, covered in green. This is a truly fairytale-like view! Getting back from this magical place, we'll be able to choose between the hike along the Dyrfjöll (Door Mountains) or the easy way down the valley below Rjúpnafell peak.

Today is for an easy hike through about 15 km (9.3 mi) and 400 m (1312 ft) of elevation. We'll get a transport Afrétt and then take up our hike over moors, gravel, and the light brown rhyolite around Urðarhólavatn. We'll continue further on to Gæsavötn and Víknaheiði before reaching Breiðavík inlet. The rhyolite mountains along the way will give a range of beautiful pastel colors. 

After a lunch stop, we'll continue our hike up to Gagnheiði ridge (479 m), where we can take in the incredible panoramic views. After a day full of adventures, we'll finally make our way back to Bakkagerði.

On the last day, we'll hike for around 11 km (6.8 mi), with 415 m (1361 ft) elevation. The route will take us from Stapavík to Njarðvík. It'll begin with a 15-minute drive from Borgarfjörður and stop at Unaós farm. Then, we'll hike along the Selfljót river to the seashore and the Stapavík cove, a former unloading place for ships. From there, we'll take a relatively easy hike along Gönguskörð pass. This hiking trail was the main and only route between Borgarfjörður and Fljótsdalshérað valley for around 1000 years before the new road over Vatnskarð pass was opened in 1955. Since then, this route has been isolated and visited by very few tourists. Our day will end with a pick-up at Njarðavík farm and a drive to Borgarfjörður.