2024: A Year of Hiking Adventures in Review (and a Sneak Peek at 2025)

Well, here we are again… 2024 flew by in the blink of an eye, and just like that, we’re looking back on another incredible year of hiking adventures.

From Iceland’s unpredictable Sundhnúkur volcano eruptions to hiking through some wild weather in the Icelandic Highlands, celebrating Albert’s birthday in East Greenland and dodging storms in the Faroe Islands that led us to a whole new set of islands in the south, we experienced a lot!

But above all, we shared these experiences with an incredible community of likeminded adventurers—new friends, familiar faces, and those who joined one of our hiking tours while seeking something deeper than a typical vacation.

Let’s take a look at the highlights from our 2024 hiking season and what made the past year one for the books.

2024 started off with one of the most eventful volcanic seasons Iceland has seen in years! We experienced seven eruptions in total from the Sundhnúkur volcano. From January through November, we watched the Sundhnúkur volcano fissure transform the landscape, with some really dramatic eruptions where you could see boiling hot magma all the way from Reykjavik! These eruptions provided locals and travelers visiting Iceland the rare opportunity to witness a live volcano spew lava in real time.

This past winter in Iceland also brought one of the best Northern Lights displays we have ever seen. The series of solar storms that occurred from May 10-23, 2024 sent a series of extreme solar flares and geomagnetic storms barreling towards earth, which most of the northern hemisphere was able to experience as the northern lights danced across the skies for nights on end.

A personal highlight and challenge was completing our open sea rescue training and re-certifying our Wilderness First Responder training. We are always looking to sharpen our safety skills, and these courses ensure we’re prepared to respond effectively and safely in remote, unpredictable environments during our adventures.

Lastly, we visited Þórsmörk many times throughout the winter and met Kári the self-proclaimed “Lord of Þórsmörk”—a famous Arctic fox! Kári frequently visits the area, and he has become somewhat of a social media star. He can be elusive as operates on his own schedule, but he’s quite the sight to see if you get the chance!

This year of hiking and sailing adventures in the Faroe Islands wasn’t without its challenges. For the first time in Amarok Adventures history, a powerful storm kept us from sailing to the northern islands of the archipelago. But that’s the beauty of the Faroe Islands, and hence why it’s called the “Land of Maybe!” Nothing is ever guaranteed here, and each day unfolds based on the weather and sea conditions. 

We embraced the adventure and shifted gears, sailing south to the islands of Hestur and Sandoy, where we enjoyed some incredible hiking and scenic landscapes. Later, we found ourselves in Vestmanna on Streymoy Island, where the weather forced us to change plans. Instead of continuing our usual route, we visited Vestmana’s first distillery, Faer Isles Distillery, where we were treated to a cozy afternoon learning about local craft spirits—a unique experience that turned out to be the perfect shelter from the storm.

Another highlight was the chance to indulge in Faroese cuisine. We enjoyed some of the freshest Faroese delicacies straight from the ocean: monkfish, halibut, redfish, deep-sea red crab, and more! Every dinner on board sailing vessel Norðlýsið, was a true feast, celebrating the Faroe islands’ rich maritime culture and leaving us all with full bellies and great memories.

Learn more about our Faroe Islands Hiking Tours

2024 hiking in Iceland was one for the books, with unexpected snowfalls, rare weather patterns, and moments that made us appreciate the rugged, untamed beauty of the Highlands. The snow lingered longer than usual this year, so much so that the first groups of the Iceland season were able to hike across some small snow patches—something you typically don’t get to experience this late into the summer. The unusually cold weather also delayed the blooming of Alaskan lupin and fireweed, which meant we got to see these vibrant flowers well into mid-July.

In a season full of unexpected twists, we also had our fair share of extreme weather. Two of our groups were caught in the worst storm the Highlands had seen in 31 years, lasting for four days with intense rain and wind gusts of up to 100 km/h. While challenging, this storm gave us the chance to explore new, uncharted trails as some rivers overflowed and blocked our usual paths.  It was a good reminder of how unpredictable Iceland’s weather can be, but our groups banded together for some epic team camaraderie in the face of the adverse weather—looking after each other and braving the elements as a team.

No Iceland season would be complete without the Northern Lights, and we were lucky to witness the first display of the season on August 14th. There’s something incredibly humbling about seeing those vibrant colours and celestial lights dance across the night sky, reminding us of the fleeting beauty we can find in nature.

One of the notable moments of the season was the Skaftá river’s glacial flood (Skaftárhlaup), which we’ve seen a few times over the years. This time, it occurred in between our Hidden Trails trips, so while it didn’t alter our hiking plans, we did witness the river flowing stronger than usual and could smell the sulphur in the air.

And when the trekking was done, we celebrated the end of each Hidden Trails trip in true Icelandic fashion with a delicious dinner featuring grilled local lamb and mushrooms, accompanied with beer, wine, and great company in Þórsmörk. These celebratory moments were a perfect way to reflect on our accomplishments, the beauty of the Highlands, and the incredible people we met along the way.

Learn more about our adventures in Iceland

East Greenland has always been a special place, and 2024 took it to new heights with some epic experiences. We were lucky enough to witness the northern lights almost every night aboard our floating base camp, Byr, a ketch-rigged, highly seaworthy specially built for sailing in the Arctic.

We explored the abandoned US military base of Bluie East II, which felt like stepping into a piece of history. It was fascinating to see the remnants of military equipment and signs of past human activity in such a remote location. However, the contrast between this and the untouched landscapes we explored later, like the Knud Rasmussen and Karale glaciers, was striking.

A lack of wind kept us from sailing into the Sermilik Fjord, but it gave us the chance to spend a day kayaking among massive icebergs drifting in the outflow waters. The fjords started freezing earlier this year and we had to work together as a team—guides, first mate, and guests—to break paths through the ice for the zodiac boat so we could reach shore to go hiking!

Our Greenland expeditions always fall on Albert’s birthday, and this year we took time to celebrate onboard Byr, enjoyed a friendly football match with locals in Kuummiut, and danced to “Ice, Ice, Baby” on top of a glacier. To wrap up the season, we gathered in a local Greenlandic bar, toasting to the journey we had shared and reflecting on the amazing adventures we had.

Learn more about our Greenland tours

We finished our 2024 hiking expedition season in Nepal. Our groups arrived in Kathmandu at the start of the Tihar festival. The city was full of lights, music, and celebration—setting a vibrant energetic tone for our last two expeditions of the season.

Our Annapurna group experienced an unexpected cultural moment when they visited a Buddhist monastery and witnessed the monks in a ceremonial setting. Along the trek, they also had a taste of the local flavors, including Yak cheese and Himalayan apples. Meanwhile, the Manaslu group enjoyed a cozy, homey surprise deep in the Himalayan mountains—fresh homemade cinnamon rolls to fuel them through the day’s trek!

Both groups successfully crossed the challenging Thorung La Pass and Larke La Pass, achieving high-altitude triumphs that brought an immense sense of accomplishment. After the trek, the Manaslu group celebrated their achievement with a well-earned pint at the Barahsinghe Craft Beer brewery in Darechok, a village about 4 hours from Kathmandu, on their way back.

One of the most exciting moments of the treks was the discovery of snow leopard footprints on the trail! The group also explored some of the region’s hidden treasures, like finding fossils along the Kali Gandaki River and trekking through the lower Mustang region, which was unanimously declared the best day of the entire trip.

The Manaslu trek group hiked to the stunning Birendra Tal (Birendra Lake), nestled below Manaslu peak. Along the way, they saw donkey and yak caravans, encountered the elusive blue sheep, and saw groups of Nepalese children walking home through narrow mountain paths. They also got to see the famous Manaslu beehives, where the renowned “mad honey” is collected.

2025 is shaping up to be another year of epic adventures! 
In March, we are headed off to Patagonia to hike and sail the Chilean Fjords and explore the world’s southernmost hiking trails. 

We’re also kicking off our first-ever Baffin Island hiking expedition (with guests) in July, and couldn’t be more excited to return to the Akshayuk Pass Trail in the Canadian Arctic.

We’re excited to announce that for the first time ever, we’ll be hosting TWO East Greenland expeditions next September—both of which sold out in record timing! If you missed out, be sure to sign up for the 2026 East Greenland waitlist.

As for the Faroe Islands and Iceland, both itineraries are already sold out for 2025. But don’t worry—you can still get on the waitlist to be notified about future availability.

Our 2026 calendar will be dropping soon, so make sure you subscribe to our newsletter for early access!