Tour operator case study | Icelandic Mountain Guides

Guided hikers moving through volcanic terrain on a multi-day hiking route in Iceland.

Context

Icelandic Mountain Guides is a well-established adventure tour operator offering guided trips across Iceland, with an emphasis on multi-day hiking and remote travel.

I collaborated on a series of long-distance hiking itineraries, completing four multi-day journeys to document each route through direct participation. The work focused on terrain, conditions, and daily rhythm as experienced over the full course of each journey.

Hiking trail across volcanic landscape in Iceland, showing terrain and route conditions.

Scope of work

  • Photography produced alongside written content, captured during the experience rather than staged or posed
  • Long-form blog posts documenting multi-day journeys, developed through full participation on each itinerary

What made the work effective

Completing each hike in full allowed photography to reflect progression, changing conditions, and the day-to-day realities people encounter on the trail. This resulting imagery supported realistic trip representation and expectation-setting, rather than highlight-driven visuals.

Treating each experience as a complete journey also shaped the written work. Instead of repeating itinerary details, the writing focused on how the hikes feel to undertake, helping prospective clients understand pace, conditions, and on-trail decision-making.

How this approach applies to destination organisations →

Hikers supporting each other at a river crossing encountered during a multi-day guided hike in Iceland

How the work is used

Photography is used across Icelandic Mountain Guides’ website and social media, supporting trip pages and broader brand communication.

The written pieces are published on my own website as first-hand accounts of each hike, providing contextual insight for readers researching guided hiking routes in Iceland.

Together, the work supports realistic representation of the hiking experiences while directing interested readers toward relevant guided offerings.

Selected samples

The examples below represent commissioned writing produced as part of this collaboration, even where individual bylines are not consistently displayed.

• Blog post: Day 2 of the Unplugged Wilderness Trek ->
• Route summary: Iceland’s Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls (10Adventures) ->

Hikers progressing along a marked route through Icelandic volcanic terrain.
Group of hikers walking single file along a narrow trail through moss-covered volcanic terrain in Iceland.
Hikers resting during a multi-day trek in Iceland, showing pace and physical effort.

A similar approach informs collaborations with national tourism organisations and tour operators.

• See selected clients →
• National tourism board case study | Visit Greenland →
• DMO case study | Destination Arctic Circle →