Tausim Travel · Adventure · Unique Places · Simulation
Rhyolite mountains in yellow, red and green, hot rivers and a trail across lava and ice

Fire · Iceland

Iceland Highlands

The interior of Iceland opens for ten weeks a year: mountains of coloured rhyolite, obsidian lava fields, a natural hot river beside the campsite and the Laugavegur, a four day walk across the aftermath of volcanoes.

Best window: July and August; late June and early September if the roads and huts are openDays needed: 3 to 5

Landmannalaugar sits at the edge of a caldera in the Fjallabak reserve, six hundred metres up and a hundred kilometres from the nearest town, and the mountains around it are rhyolite in yellow, red, pink and green. A hot river runs beside the campsite. South of it the Laugavegur crosses obsidian lava, a steaming plateau, black sand and glacial rivers to the birch woods of Þórsmörk, fifty-five kilometres in four days with huts at each stage. It is the most beautiful walk in northern Europe and it is open for ten weeks a year.

What the model says

July and August, with the shoulders depending on the snow. The highs sit around eleven to thirteen degrees, the lows near five, and eleven rain days a month means that the weather you get is a coin toss with a heavy edge. Daylight is not the constraint; at 64 degrees north the July night is a long dusk. The Stage Simulator matters here: the first day carries the height gain and the plateau, and that is where walkers get cold.

What the ground says back

The huts sell out in February, and the tent campers who arrive without a plan still have a good time because the campsites have cooking shelters and wardens. The fords are the technical part: glacial, thigh-deep by afternoon, crossed early with the pack unbuckled. The colours of the mountains are real and the photographs undersell them. Bring gear for six degrees and horizontal rain and expect to use it at least once.

Days

Three days for Landmannalaugar and a day walk. Five for the trek. The Laugavegur continues over Fimmvörðuháls to Skógar for a sixth day between two glaciers, and that is the version to do if the legs allow.

A sample day

  1. 06:30Wake in the Landmannalaugar hut, steam rising off the hot river outside
  2. 07:30Set out on stage one: obsidian lava, then the coloured mountains
  3. 10:00Steam vents at Stórihver, the ground warm through your boots
  4. 12:30Hrafntinnusker hut in a snowfield, soup, the wind finding every seam
  5. 13:30Onward down the ridges towards Álftavatn, green suddenly, the lake below
  6. 17:00Hut at Álftavatn, boots off, the kitchen queue
  7. 20:00Walk to the lake shore, the light not changing for hours
  8. 23:00Still bright enough to read outside; sleep is a decision

A sample plan · 5 days

  1. Day 1Highland bus to Landmannalaugar, an afternoon in the hot river and up Bláhnúkur for the coloured mountains.
  2. Day 2Laugavegur stage one and two to Álftavatn, 24 km over the highest ground.
  3. Day 3Stage three to Emstrur across black sand and glacial rivers.
  4. Day 4Stage four into Þórsmörk’s birch woods, the glacier tongues either side.
  5. Day 5Bus out, or a fifth day over Fimmvörðuháls between two glaciers to Skógar.
Climate by monthMonthly normals, rounded. Highs and lows in °C, rain days per month.
0°-1-6-1-60-53-371114136126834-11-4-1-6JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec141313121110111213151414
Daylightday length on the 15th of each month at 64.0° N
  • 5.4hJan
  • 8.3hFeb
  • 11.7hMar
  • 15hApr
  • 18.5hMay
  • 20.9hJun
  • 19.6hJul
  • 16.2hAug
  • 12.9hSep
  • 9.5hOct
  • 6.3hNov
  • 4.3hDec

What can go wrong

  • ▲▲▲WeatherSnow in July is normal on the first stage; whiteouts on the Hrafntinnusker plateau have killed walkers in summer.
  • ▲▲River fordsUnbridged, glacial and rising through the day; cross early, unbuckle the pack, face upstream.
  • ▲▲Cold and wetSix degrees and horizontal rain is a normal afternoon; hypothermia is the highland risk, not exposure.
  • ▲RemotenessHuts have wardens and radios; between them you are on your own for hours.

Getting there

Highland buses run daily in season from Reykjavík to Landmannalaugar over the F-roads; a hire 4x4 gets you there with two river fords. The Laugavegur trek runs south from here to Þórsmörk in four days, huts booked months ahead, and can continue over Fimmvörðuháls to Skógar.

Hub Reykjavík, then highland bus or 4x4 (3 to 4 h)

Permits No permits; hut and campsite fees, and hut beds sell out in February for July.

Avoid October to mid June the highland roads are closed; the mountains exist but you cannot reach them.

Questions people ask

How hard is the Laugavegur?

Fifty-five kilometres in four days with a 1,000 m plateau on day one. The distances are moderate; the weather is the difficulty. Fit walkers with good gear manage it, and the huts make it a walk rather than an expedition.

Can I do it without a guide?

Yes; the trail is marked and the huts have wardens. The judgement calls are the fords and the whiteouts, and the wardens advise on both.

Do I need a 4x4?

To drive in, yes, with real fords. Most walkers take the highland bus and skip the driving entirely.

Field Notes

Related

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