Rajan Parrikar Photo Blog

Hornstrandir, Winter Edition

Remote wilderness.

Austere, spectral, and alone – Hornstrandir in winter is a realm unto itself. This farthest reach of the Westfjords of Iceland, forsaken by time and spared the scars of human ambition, lies locked in the grip of an unbroken hush. The wind sculpts its frozen corridors as the sub-Arctic light dances across ice-laced ridges.

From the air, the land reveals its secret geometry: fjords chiselled by ancient glaciers, headlands lost in a dream of frost, and valleys where time stands still. Where the North Atlantic meets the Greenland Sea, mist drifts over a shore where no footfall lingers. The last settlement here was abandoned in 1952, its few remaining souls yielding to the long night of winter and the pull of an easier life to the south. Now a designated nature reserve, it remains untouched but not forgotten – each summer, descendants of those who once lived here return to the modest houses they have built.

These images and footage come from a helicopter sortie into this remote wilderness during the winter of 2022 – an unforgettable encounter with a world that endures beyond the reach of roads and routine. More from this excursion will follow, with further images and reflections to be published in due course.

Horn, Hornbjarg, Hornstrandir, Westfjords of IcelandHorn, Hornbjarg, Hornstrandir, Westfjords of IcelandHornbjarg, Hornvík, Hornstrandir, Westfjords of Iceland

Hornbjarg, Hornvík, Hornstrandir, Westfjords of Iceland

Hornbjarg and Hornvík – Hornstrandir
5DS, 24-70L f/2.8 II & 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

 

 
 

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