Deplar Farm in northern Iceland is perfect for adventurous travellers and over-worked, stressed individuals looking for a fun and challenging wellness retreat. Eleven Life is based on principles of marginal gains and competitive outdoor challenges set in the exclusive lodge.

Distance from airport: Rekjavik's Keflavik International Airport is about 260 miles away; around a five hour up Iceland's west coast.

‘Iceland is the perfect place for a wellness experience. It is one of the happiest countries in the world and has some of the purest air and freshest water on the planet’

Deplar Farm is hidden away in the remote far north of Iceland, on the off the grid Fljót Valley on the mountainous Troll Peninsula. Visit in the summer and you’ll be picking wild berries, bursting with antioxidants, from bushes that cover the countryside surrounding Deplar. In winter, the long, dark nights will lull you into the deepest sleep you’ve ever had.

Located on a converted sheep farm, Deplar Farm is camouflaged into the natural landscape with its black timber cladding and a living roof. Floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the property draw in the surrounding peaks and open onto stunning views of the huge, colourful Icelandic skies. Inside is a stylish choice of 13 suites, restaurant and contemporary spa which all boast views of the surrounding mountains and peninsula. Deplar Farm’s 13 bedrooms (which include family rooms) are a cosy contrast to the raw wilderness outside.

Everything is included during your stay at Deplar Farm so there’s no need to worry about the bill at breakfast, lunch or dinner and many of the activities are included too from skiing, trekking and horse-riding.

Outdoor Adventure and Spa

Spend your days revelling in an adventure with revitalising and invigorating activities for the mind, body and soul. By night, watch the Aurora Borealis from the outdoor pool (heated geothermally to the perfect temperature), which is filled with pure and natural spring water harvested directly from the valley. At Deplar Farm, a simple soak is as relaxing as it is healing.

This remote valley hosts outdoor adventures ranging from snow skiing to sea kayaking and it’s the perfect location for viewing the Northern Lights.

The winter season, from November through mid-March, is short on sunlight, but the days are jam-packed with activities and outdoor adventures including whale watching in the surrounding fjords, Astro-touring the celestial events in the Deplar Farm’s own backyard, and biking neatly honed trails around the Fljót valley.

Back at the lodge, some guests choose to simply spend the day in the spa, hopping from the geothermal-heated indoor/outdoor pool to the Isopod flotation tanks and outdoor Viking sauna. During the winter season, the pool provides front-row seats to view the heavenly Northern Lights.

Eleven Life is about the life-affirming exhilaration of achieving health and fitness goals by challenging yourself to take a leap and reach the next level.

Eleven Experience

The globally renowned creator of boundary-pushing, challenging adventures, launches its first wellness and fitness programme at Deplar Farm on the Troll Peninsula in northern Iceland. Ideal for luxury travellers who are seeking a challenging, innovative and science-based approach to achieving their wellness and fitness goals, Eleven Life is an extraordinary bespoke 4-day programme that will push you to test your limits by combining an exhilarating menu of outdoor active adventures with physical and mental tasks and challenges alongside key lifestyle practices.

Fill in a pre-trip consultation and you’ll receive a bespoke plan that includes Eleven Life’s key principles: marginal gains and stimulating challenges, outdoor adventure, spa therapies, fitness and nutrition.

Eleven Life offers guests a range of spa treatments including The Viking Sauna, an incredible experience that combines drumming, breathing techniques, and hot and cold plunges to stimulate the immune system and test endurance. Soothing evening gong and breathing technique sessions help to reduce stress and aid sleep.

Facials and massages are designed to support the skin in extreme temperatures. The Viking Float is a sensory deprivation therapy used by top athletes to develop a winning mindset.

Deplar Farm is the ideal setting for a revitalising wellness retreat, enjoying some of the purest air and water in the world with the country ranking 4th on the global happiness scale.

Take advantage of Iceland’s pure air by focusing on breathwork while taking daily wilderness walks and sea-kayaking excursions in the summer and experience sensory-deprivation night walks, exploring the area under the glow of the Northern Lights.

Therapists at Deplar Farm work with pure, organic, vegan-friendly products, made from supercharged natural ingredients, that are scientifically proven to be incredibly effective.

The Troll Peninsula of Iceland is often called otherworldly, and that is conveniently also the best way to describe the culinary program at Deplar Farm under the direction of Executive Chef Garðar Kári Garðarsson.

Nutrition

Garðar Kári Garðarsson is Deplar Farm’s Executive Chef. Born in Reykjavík he was raised in the western countryside of Iceland where his parents were vegetable farmers. Gardar became familiar with homegrown produce at a young age and has always had a passion for fresh food and local produce. Making the most of the geothermal energy and using greenhouses in the winter, Chef Gardar is able to harvest produce year-round. Gardar graduated from the Culinary School of Kópavogur in 2011 and began competing in high-level chef competitions around Iceland and the world. Gardar won first place in Iceland’s Chef of the Year competition.

Rates for Eleven Life start from £1,737 per room per night (based on two people sharing) this price includes an in-depth consolation and wellness programme, guided activities, all equipment necessary for activities, pre-arrival planning, daily housekeeping, all meals, minibar, house alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and round-trip transfers to Akureyri Airport. You’re on holiday, you want to enjoy your time with friends and family and not worry about pulling out your credit card throughout your stay!

elevenexperience.com/eleven-life-deplar-farm

COVID-19

Iceland has one of the lowest population densities in the world and is an incredible destination to get away from it all. Deplar Farm is located in the remote Fljót Valley of northern Iceland with just a handful of resident farmers. Sheep outnumber humans in Iceland by more than 2:1. Deplar Farm is intimate in size and freestanding by design and is designed to get our guests out to explore the abundant and breathtaking landscapes that surround the lodge. Guests can fly privately into one of the nearby fishing villages or charter a private air transfer directly to the lodge. COVID-19 testing will be available for tourists arriving at Keflavik Airport. Early vigilance, rigorous testing and digital contact tracing for both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases have put Iceland in the global spotlight for its success in handling the pandemic.