Travel: On the trail of wild reindeer

ACTIVITIES Wildlife tour

Reindeer safari

Searching for wild reindeer in East Iceland.

TEXT: Eyglo Svala Arnarsdottir PHOTO: Hrefna I. Melsted

“I think I see reindeer!” I look in the direction Helga is pointing and closely inspect the colours in the landscape. I notice some lighter dots. “Aren’t those horses?” I ask. “No, they’re reindeer,” she maintains, and as we drive closer I can see that she’s right. We sneak out of the car and tiptoe towards the wild animals. Helga hands me binoculars and I marvel at these stately creatures: a male with large, branchy antlers, a smaller female – which has spotted us and has her guard up – and a playful little calf, which makes a run for it and happily jumps about.

Helga Hronn Melsted runs tour company Tinna Adventure in Breiddalsvik with her husband and daughter. They offer a range of super jeep excursions all around East Iceland, including the Wild reindeer experience tour from October to June. Skies are overcast as we drive towards Djupivogur, where reindeer have been sighted recently. A distinct mountain towers over the road. “This is Naphorn,” says Helga, adding that outlaws once hid there in a cave. “See the troll climbing up?” She points at a stone formation on the side of the mountain. Waves crash against skerries. On the horizon, the outlines of Papey island appear. “My mum grew up here and when she was little she thought they marked the end of the world!” We drive past Djupivogur and onto the rough trail of Geithellnadalur valley. We cross snowbanks and ford rivers but only find possible traces of reindeer. Helga regularly pulls out the binoculars. “No, it’s only a sheep…” Eventually, we turn back.

There are around 5,000 wild reindeer in East Iceland and they usually stick together, up to 200 animals in one herd. They graze in the highlands, as well as the lowlands. It’s on the way back to Breiddalsvik that we see the three reindeer – by the side of the highway. Enchanted, I watch until they disappear from sight. The late autumn colours are magnified by the rain. “People don’t like the East Fjord fog,” says Helga. “But I do. There’s something mysterious about it.”

GETTING THERE:

Reykjavik Egilsstadir Breiddalsvik

Air Iceland Connect flies from Reykjavik to Egilsstadir in only 50 minutes. From there it takes about one and a half hours to drive to Breiddalsvik. Tinna Adventure also offers pickups from Egilsstadir and other towns in East Iceland.

→ airicelandconnect.com → tinna-adventure.is