Hornstrandir is a nature reserve in northwest Iceland. It is an isolated peninsula once inhabited by humans. Now deserted, it has become a paradise for experienced hikers and the kingdom of Icelandic Arctic foxes. I discovered this nature reserve when I started taking an interest in one of the smallest canids in the world, the Arctic fox. I’m a wildlife photographer. For several years, I’ve been working in the Hornstrandir reserve as a hiking and photo guide. Every year, I organize an Arctic Fox Photo Workshop for wildlife photographers, biologists, and enthusiasts with a small team. But the story I willContinue reading
hiking
Vlieland: 5 Days of Quietude, Craft Beers, and a Lighthouse (Walk + Work)
We stayed on the carfree island of Vlieland from the 21st till the 26th of January, 2024. As part of the Walk + Work Dutch Coastline Hike, we stayed here and walked a section of the coast every day. Since this is a continuation of the original Walk + Work trip, the hiking days count up, starting at 21. Contents1 1. Arriving in Vlieland (Day 21)1.1 Ferry ride to Vlieland1.2 Checking in to our Airbnb in Oost-Vlieland1.3 Hiking the Dutch Coastline Day 21: the Easternmost point of Vlieland2 2. Walking the North Coast (Day 22)2.1 Vlieland Tourist Information, Bus toContinue reading
Drouseia to Neo Chorio, Revisiting Akamas – E4 Cyprus Hiking Day 9
We hiked this section of the E4 on Monday the 8th of January, 2024. Since we based ourselves in Polis, we took the bus from there to the start in Drouseia and hitchhiked back from the end in Neo Chorio. We’ve tried to do as much of the E4 in Cyprus as possible without a car. Planning + Bus 648 to Drouseia Two days before the hike, we plotted a route via a section of the E4 with overlapping bus lines. My OSM map showed a route of bus 648 going to Drouseia, which is on the E4, and oneContinue reading
Avakas Gorge Nature Trail: A Popular Canyon Hike near Paphos
We did this touristy hike on the 30th of December, 2023. Despite traveling to the Avakas Gorge in the low season, it was rather busy Driving to and Parking at the Avakas Gorge The day before, Jonas and I did some shallow research into doing the Avakas Gorge hike. As we were doing a catsit in the mountains near Paphos, we had access to the pet parents’ car. Normally, we would do such a trip with public transport, hitchhiking, or not at all when the internet says it’s too touristy. If we’d done it by bus, we would have gottenContinue reading
Hailuoto Day Trip from Oulu: Marjaniemi Lighthouse + Keskiniemi Beacon
We visited Hailuoto on Thursday the 14th of September, 2014. It’s a very beautiful and flat island in the northern Baltic Sea in Finland. Contents1 Bus 59S from Oulu to Marjaniemi Lighthouse on Hailuoto2 Marjaniemi Lighthouse + Coffee3 Hiking Hailuoto’s Forests to Karvo4 Keskiniemi Beacon Tower and Light5 Harrassed by Bugs in the Forests of Hailuoto6 Hyypänmäki and the Struve Geodetic Arc7 Hitchhiking to the Ferry + Return from Hailuoto to Oulu8 Solving the Mystery: Meet the Deer Fly9 Map of Hailuoto Hike10 Was this post useful? Ponder buying me a beer!11 Good read? Consider sharing it with fellow FinnophilesContinue reading
Four Days in the Aosta Valley (Italy)
Between two catsits in Geneva, Switzerland, and The Hague, the Netherlands, we took the bus from Geneva to Aosta in Italy. Aosta is the capital of the autonomous Aosta Valley region, which is bilingual (Italian and French). From the 30th of May till the 3rd of June, we spent four incredible days in the Aosta Valley. We used the city of Aosta as a base for day trips to the surrounding villages. Contents1 Plotting Our Trip + Bus Ride from Geneva to Aosta2 But First, Pizza + Gnocchi3 Taking the Bus to Cogne + Hiking to Lillaz Waterfalls4 Cogne toContinue reading
Strolling up Mont Limon, the Highest Peak of Rodrigues
We hiked up the peak of Mont Limon on Friday the 15th of April and the 7th of June, 2022. It’s not an impressive feat, but I thought I’d share some pictures anyway. Rodrigues Island Highest Point I already knew for a long time that I wanted to travel to Rodrigues in Mauritius and visit the highest peak. On the only usable map of Rodrigues – OpenStreetMaps – it showed that there’s a big road next to the peak called ‘Mont Limon’ and some stairs up that later become a trail. No big deal. Close to the peak is aContinue reading
Îlot Fourneau: Peak Hike via an Interpretive Trail
We did this trip to Îlot Fourneau on the 6th of January, 2022. The Idea + Attempt #1 When we moved from Souillac to La Gaulette by taxi, we drove past Le Morne Village. We both saw the small islet called Îlot Fourneau off the coast. I want to visit as many islets in Mauritius as possible; they are the best kind of day trips. So when we settled into our home in La Gaulette, I did some digging into going there. I found a blog post about walking to the islet in shallow waters at low tide and thenContinue reading
Penang National Park and the Meromictic Lake at Pantai Keracut
Events in this story happened on Tuesday the 30th of June 2020. We hiked in Penang National Park to the meromictic lake at Turtle Beach (Pantai Keracut). This is during the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) during the easing of the restrictions during the coronavirus outbreak. You can read my pandemic in Penang diary here. Preparations and Getting the Grab We took three liters of water in my hydration bladder and another 1.5 liters in a bottle in Jonas’ bag. Our lessons from previous hikes in the hills of Penang and on its beaches taught us it’s a good ideaContinue reading