Halldor Bjarkason
I am Icelandic and have always enjoyed travelling around my strikingly beautiful country. I have also lived in a few different parts of the world and travelled a fair amount internationally, and at some point realised that I had started to identify entirely with foreigners who visit Iceland - Icelandic nature is incredibly powerful especially when you are not used to it everyday. My approach is all about helping people get the most out of their holiday, everyone has their own reason to visit Iceland and understands the experience they want - my job is to make it work in practice and hopefully add a little bit more as well.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"I specialise in customised holidays all over Iceland, and small group tours in the Westfjords region. We plan a lot of sightseeing road trips (self drive and private guided), multi-day northern lights hunts in the countryside, hiking trips, day tours and shore excursions."
How did you get involved in travel?
"In 2011 I moved back to my home town of Ísafjörður and started a travel agency specialised in customised Iceland holidays and Westfjords travel, and have been doing this ever since. "
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"There are too many things to see in Iceland for any one experience to stand out! It is unique enough to visit Iceland. If you want to be the most unique, visit the Westfjords :)"
Featured trips & expertise
How Kimkim Trips Works in Iceland
Travelers love Iceland for its wild landscapes, Reykjavik's cultural charms, and the seasonal magic of the Northern Lights. Work with a kimkim travel specialist to experience it all (while escaping the crowds): discover glaciers and waterfalls, stay in remote farmhouses, hike breathtaking trails, and do Reykjavik like a local. Read on to learn what it's like to plan a trip with kimkim, starting with customizing the perfect itinerary.
Laugavegur Hut-to-Hut Trek - 5 Days
Hike Iceland's best-known trail from the geothermal valley of Landmannalaugar, through the Þórsmörk valley, and along the base of the famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano. On the 35-mile-long Laugavegur trail, you'll see colorful rhyolite mountains, cross black sand deserts, venture into canyons, and hike between birch tree groves. After each long day of exploring, stay the night in cozy, rustic mountain huts.
2 Weeks in Iceland - 2 Unique Itinerary Ideas
Glaciers, waterfalls, and wildlife like you've never seen: fourteen days is plenty of time to experience Iceland beyond what you'll find in any guidebook—both on and off the beaten path. Here are two itineraries that make the most of two weeks in the Land of Fire and Ice.
Traveler Interview: Christmas Homestay in Iceland
Ted Walsh and his family were accustomed to spending the holiday season in sunny Australia, and wanted to switch things up with a real White Christmas somewhere beautiful. And what better place than Iceland? They went all-in with an immersive cultural experience: a homestay in a remote fishing village, complete with authentic Icelandic traditions and, of course, plenty of snow.
Guide to Hiking Glymur Falls
The trail to the majestic Glymur Waterfall offers all kinds of challenges - but the stunning views from the top are well worth the adventure. Get to the trailhead prepared for your exhilarating day of hiking with this detailed trail description and other helpful tips.
Hiking in the Highlands: Iceland's Volcanic Trails
Get off the beaten track and discover Iceland’s otherworldly volcanic landscape on a multi-day hike in the country’s less traveled Highlands region. Choose one of these 3 trekking itineraries and experience everything the storied Volcanic Trails have to offer: lava fields, mountains, and so much more.
Recent trip reviews for Halldor
Our trip to Iceland was truly memorable-highly recommend Kimkim and Halldor
Iceland
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Aug 19 - Sep 5, 2021
Our trip to Iceland was truly memorable! Halldor from Kimkim organized a trip tailored for our requests which included lots of hiking and experiencing the more remote, less crowded areas of Iceland. The trip he arranged was a perfect fit for us. We really appreciated his recommendation to head to the Westfjords and include a 3 day "glamping" trip in the Hornstrandir National Park-spectacular scenery and families of arctic foxes who are not shy and came right up to our feet to play. We also... read more
Thanks a lot for the review, and all the great photos from your trip!
Trip to Iceland
Iceland
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Jul 22 - Aug 2, 2019
What an experience! Our family thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Iceland. No one, from the youngest to the oldest (ages 4 to 77), has had any negative comment.
We were there almost twelve days and really needed more time. Well, I suppose that will have to happen in a subsequent trip. We were pretty much seeing the southwest quadrant of the island, doing all the activities requested and then some. Halldor was an excellent tourist agent. It must have been quite a feat to pull together such... read more
Trip to Iceland
Iceland
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Jun 23 - Jul 6, 2019
Herbert was fantastic. The only reason I didn’t give this a 5 star was because we initially had another specialist Herbert who was extremely difficult to get a response from. I understand he’s not with the company anymore and Halldor was awesome. We spent 14 days around Iceland and saw many out of the way things that we never would have found on our own. The accommodations were all quite nice and the day excursions were great as was the scheduling. And in fact after we were in Iceland and... read more
Top 12 Family Activities in Iceland
Iceland
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Jun 29 - Jul 7, 2019
Halldoor and Kim Kim were great at creating plan for our ten day trip to Iceland. Everything was high quality, interesting and enjoyable. I would recommend their services highly.
Regarding improvement I would appreciated a little more transparency with respect to price itemization .
Trip to Iceland
Iceland
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Dec 19 - Dec 26, 2018
Everything planned worked out perfectly without a single glitch. Our guide and transportations all showed up and were timely and professional. I highly recommend staying at the Bubble and experience it at least for a night. It was one of the highlights of the trip. When we visited the South Coast's glacier tongue, lagoon and Diamond Beach, glacier caves and is when we truly felt we were in Iceland. Tip: Go to the glacier lagoon at sunset, order your beer or hot cocoa and watch the sun set. Beautiful. Thank you for putting together a wonderful itinerary for us. Takk!
Madelaine and family!
Iceland - 2018
Iceland
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Oct 27 - Nov 2, 2018
We would like to thank Halldor for the last minute planning on our Iceland Vacation.
While searching for the Northern lights, he did a great job at moving us around for our best chances.
Our Itinerary also include some amazing scenic sites and recommendations.
Iceland
Iceland
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Aug 18 - Aug 25, 2018
Halldor did a great job organizing our vacation. We especially liked the first 2 days north of Reykjavík (the Snaefellus area) as there were very few tourists. We liked the hotels except the one in Reykjavik. The Blue Lagoon was fun and we liked the horse back riding. Thanks for the restaurant recommendations they were very good. We enjoyed the black sand beaches and all of the water falls.
Hiking in the Highlands: Iceland's Volcanic Trails
Iceland
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Jul 28 - Aug 2, 2018
Our experience in Iceland was amazing!
We loved all the activities that Halldor planed for us. The place that we liked the most was Landmannalaugar, and Halldor made us a great recommendation of hiking the blue mountain, great views!! Also it was a very beautifull and clear day.
The lodging were pretty good, we loved that they all included breakfast and were clean.
The car rental service gave us a car that wasn't exactly 4x4, it was a good car in general, just on the river crossing part on... read more
Iceland
Iceland
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Jul 20 - Jul 25, 2018
The Westfjords were recommended first by Preeti and this was a highlight of the trip. Halldor took over after the initial contact.
Our main complaint is the vehicle. We were assigned a Renault delivery truck that had been converted to carry passengers. We experienced the following problems. The seats were to close together, the van was noisy, but worst of all, the leaf spring suspension made the vehicle very uncomfortable to ride in not only on some of the rough backcountry roads, but even on the well paved roads.
Iceland 2018
Iceland
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Jun 29 - Jul 12, 2018
We booked a 14 day ring road trip. Planned it a year in advance. Everything went smoothly for the most part, but the hiccups made it more of an adventure.I loved the West Fjords the most the scenery was beautiful and it was the only time sun was shining so that helped. When we had any issues or questions during the trip they emailed us in a timely manner. I would not hesitate to use this service again.
3-generation adventure to see the soul of Iceland
Iceland
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Jun 25 - Jul 1, 2018
We had a terrific trip. Visiting Landmannalaugar was probably my favorite - the landscape is incredible and hard to even describe. We hiked through an obsidian lava field to a bunch of fumaroles, and then up to the closest peak for an amazing view. The whole family really enjoyed our trip to Heimaey as well (although as the family member with motion sickness isssues, I had a few complaints!). We climbed up Eldfell and found an active hot air vent, which was very exciting, saw the puffins... read more
Iceland
Iceland
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Jun 18 - Jun 23, 2018
All of our guides were very good. The part of the trip we enjoyed the most was the hike in Hornstrandir. The hike was very challenging for us. The elevation gain and distance were just what we expected. We didn't expect the rocks to move around so much as we walked on them. The food at the farm house was great.
The Isafjordur Cultural walk was very informative and enjoyable.
The kayaking was similar to what we experienced in other places. The clothing provided was much better than we... read more
Outdoor / Adventure Trip
Iceland
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Jun 8 - Jun 16, 2018
Trip was fantastic - I never could have planned this without Halldor / Wild Westfjords. I have no idea what premium I paid to have this trip planned but it doesn't matter - I could never have put something like this together on my own.
I would definitely refer Halldor - and KimKim - to anyone looking to visit Iceland.
2-Week Ring Road Self-Drive Itinerary: Highlights of Iceland and the Remote Westfjords
Iceland
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May 25 - Jun 7, 2018
We were very happy with the itinerary for our 14 day "package" self-drive trip to Iceland. Included in our package price was: car hire, accommodation at 2/3 star level (including breakfasts), car ferry to the western fjords, entry to Blue Lagoon and Myvatn Nature Baths, and a boat ride at the Glacier Lagoon. Also included was the peace of mind that we could call on Halldor or Preeti in case anything went wrong. We took up the dining suggestion at Tjoruhusid and were not disappointed! It... read more
Explore Iceland in 5 days - Seven Optimized Itineraries to help you make the most of your Short Trip to Iceland
Iceland
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Apr 7 - Apr 13, 2018
Hálldor and Preeti did a phenomenal job in picking the hotels, locations and excursion companies. Everything worked out perfectly, the hotels were perfect and the excursions were private with personable, knowledgeable and great guides.
When I go back to Iceland, I intend on using Hálldor and Preeti again. They’re fantastic and I’m very happy with the experience.
Extream Honeymoon
Iceland
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Mar 3 - Mar 15, 2018
Halldor was a treat to work with. He was very professional and took into consideration all the aspects we discussed with him. We booked a 2 week extensive trip all around Iceland.
I cannot look back onto our trip and think of a single thing we missed out on aside for some roads being inaccessible due to weather. With Halldor's help we experienced the best Iceland had to offer for the money.
We will definitely use Halldor's assistance again.
5 days excursion
Iceland
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Nov 25 - Nov 29, 2017
Thank you Halldor for a perfect Iceland trip itinerary. The accommodations, car rental and the lay out of places to visit were easy to follow. We feel that we have seen the South Coast and Reykjavík to its fullest. Thank you for being so flexible and patience during the planning stage.
Ring Road
Iceland
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Sep 28 - Oct 5, 2017
The overall trip was awesome and exactly what we wanted. We couldn't be happier with what we did and saw and the experience we had with kimkim.com. We would recommend the website to anyone.
Halldor was great to work with. He brought our vision to life and gave us exactly what we wanted. He kept our itinerary packed and got us to the most amazing, rarely seen places in Iceland. Thank you!
There was miscommunication on the ferry ride we were scheduled to take which resulted in us... read more
10 day circle trip of Iceland
Iceland
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Aug 30 - Sep 8, 2017
First, the positive comments. Iceland was a beautiful country to visit and our accommodations were very comfortable.
However, we were quite disappointed in the effort put out by your sub-contractor, Wild Westfjords for a number of reasons. We had expected the same level of service as provided to our friend, Susan Turner.
The itinerary that Susan was given showed a choice of accommodation at each location and specified the cost at each. We were given one choice with the note that if that... read more
10-12 day driving tour of Iceland
Iceland
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Sep 2 - Sep 13, 2017
The trip was close to perfect. Great choices on destinations and activities. One day was overplanned: it would have been too much to get off the ferry at 17:30 in Brjanslaekur, then drive to the cliffs of Latrabjarg, then drive back to Patreksfjordur. So we skipped Latrabjarg.
It was fun to stumble on the Wild Westfjords office in Isafjordur and meet Halldor, Preeti, and the kids. The next day we got to spend a good bit of time with the family. We drove up above town to a ski area to... read more
Fire, Ice and Adventure
Iceland
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Sep 2 - Sep 10, 2017
The driving plan didn't include GPS coordinates or addresses for each location which made navigating hard at times. Some of the hiking trails that were mentioned and sites to see the written directions weren't sufficient enough to easily locate trails/site.
Halldor was very responsive during planning however the driving plan lacked the addressed/GPS coordinates needed to easily navigate the island from place to place.
Honeymoon in July
Iceland
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Aug 5 - Aug 14, 2017
Halldor did a great job at answering all our questions. He was prompt and always gave us options. The advice was well received and everything worked out great. He delivered on every request we had. Great job!
Halldor did a great job and gave us an itinerary that was very well balanced. We visited some of the most popular spots, but there were also special places that had very few people and just as beautiful.
Trip to Iceland
Iceland
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Jul 1 - Jul 13, 2017
Kimkim and Halldor provided a great service for us.
I have planned fairly long international travel before and found it exhausting. It was great to just say what we wanted to do and have it taken care of. Everything worked out great in terms of having the vouchers we needed to do all the excursions we wanted.
Iceland is an incredibly beautiful country. Laugevegur deserves its position as one of the top hikes in the world! It is also totally doable in 2 days (but painful). This was by far the highlight of our trip.
Would definitely use this service again.
8-Day Ring Road Itinerary: Explore Iceland’s Top Places Along Its Most Famous Road
Iceland
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Jun 28 - Jul 10, 2017
The team was able to work in my added side trips to the schedule in a very efficient way.
Halldor and the team were great, answering all my "silly" questions about how things work in Iceland.
The communication initiated by the team did stop abruptly once my balance was paid though. It would have been better to at least drop me a line a week or so before my departure to verify everything was arranged.
8-Day Ring Road Itinerary: Explore Iceland’s Top Places Along Its Most Famous Road
Iceland
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Jun 28 - Jul 7, 2017
Probably open by saying that nothing is ever perfect so that's my standard. Overall was very good! Was a little concerned about getting the confirmation that things were booked, etc. until ~60 hours before leaving. That said, the arrangements were 99% there (first night accommodation apparently sent email with instructions - Golden Circle Apartments (a code to access key box for identified apartment) - that I didn't have). Apart from that, the bookings were on the money. The google maps and... read more
Ring Road' or 'Snæfellsnes Peninsula...' 7-9 day Itinerary
Iceland
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Jul 7 - Jul 15, 2017
The written itinerary and maps didn't match exactly which caused us some confusion a couple of times - nothing too major but when you can't understand the place names, it added some challenges.
Same as above - but by and large everything went really smoothly. For those days where we needed to arrive somewhere at a specific time (ie to catch a ferry), it would have helped if the itinerary had said we would need to leave our hotel by a certain time to view the suggested stop along the way -... read more
Where To Go in Iceland: the Best Sights and Activities Region by Region
Iceland
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May 25 - Jun 5, 2017
Thank you so much to the KimKim team for putting together such an amazing vacation for us. Everything was customized to exactly what we wanted. An extra special thanks for working with us through our 2-day flight cancellation/travel delay issues!
Halldor was great!
Iceland trip
Iceland
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May 9 - May 14, 2017
Small hiccup that was weather related. Could have been more responsive during the planning period. Itinerary was outstanding and the way that it was adjusted when the weather threw a monkey wrench was great. Otherwise, we loved it.
Timing of responses could have been better. When I started directly emailing him and calling while in Iceland, communication was much better