Laugavegur Trek

The group meets in Reykjavik. Participants travel to Iceland independently (by plane). No one flies directly from the CIS to Iceland; you have to look for options with transfers (most often in Europe). We will try to help you find the most profitable option.

Group gathering at a tent camp in the city center. You can get there from the airport by bus. We will send you detailed travel instructions in advance. The campsite has a shower, a kitchen, and an electrical outlet. There are thermal springs with a bath nearby. After we set up the tents and distribute the food, we can take a walk around the city. It gets dark late here, so there is time.

Early rise. At about 7 am we have a bus to the mountains. Until this time, you need to fold your tents, have breakfast and put excess things in the camping storage room (optional). For the first 3 hours we drive on asphalt, making a couple of stops at gas stations. Then the off-road begins, we go around the Hekla volcano, our all-wheel drive bus crosses several rivers. During the 5-hour journey, the area around will change beyond recognition. After all, the Landmannalaugar National Park, which we are going to, has amazing colored mountains. Volcanic rocks in all the colors of the rainbow plus a little emerald moss - this is the recipe for the beauty of Landmannalaugar.

Upon arrival (around noon), we set up tents at the campsite and have lunch. Then we go radially to the neighboring volcano Bláhnjúkur (Bláhnjúkur - “blue peak”, height 940m). The base of this small hill is indeed made of greenish-blue rock, and from the top there is an excellent view of the wide valley of the Jökulgilskvisi River. We descend from the Blahnukur volcano along another path that goes through a labyrinth of lava fields. Upon returning to the campsite, we swim in the thermal river flowing nearby (it’s free) and have dinner.

Distance - 3 km, elevation gain - 420 m.

Finally a full day of walking. We continue to get acquainted with the colorful mountains of Landmannalaugar, which literally smoke under our feet. Steam from numerous fumaroles and hot springs swirls above the trail. It leads to a pass crossing the spurs of the neighboring volcano Brennisteinsalda (Brennysteinsalda - “sulfur wave”, height 855 m). We then ascend to a vast plateau with altitudes of about 900 meters. There may already be snow here. We have lunch in a warm ravine with a huge fumarole at the source of the Hamragilskvisi river. Then several more treks across an endless plateau, another pass (1030 meters). Soon after the pass we set up tents on a harsh stone plateau near the Hrafntinnusker shelter (height 1074 m). This is a cold and very windy site - we devote the rest of the evening to strengthening the tents and building windproof walls.

Distance - 12 km, elevation gain - 450 m.

The first half of the day we walk along a mountain plateau at altitudes of about 900m, i.e. It is quite possible that the snow will continue. Suddenly the color palette changes - we reach the edge of the plateau and the multi-colored rhyolite slopes are replaced by black and gray lava flows decorated with bright green moss. We go down to the valley - it is much warmer there and we can have lunch calmly. Having rested, we ford the river and make a march across an absolutely flat plain. We set up camp at the shelter on the shore of Lake Álftavatn (Alftavatn - “Swan Lake”, height 538 m). In the evening we go for a walk to the rocks towering above the lake.

Distance - 13 km, elevation gain - 200 m, descent - 700 m.

The day begins with a cold ford across the Bratthalskvisl river. It is named after Mount Bratthals, which will grace our morning. We go down to the small shelter Hvanngil, cross the Kaldaklofskvisl river via a suspension bridge and reach the wide and relatively deep Blafjallakvisl river. To ford here you will need to not only take off your shoes (or rather change your shoes), but also take off your trousers. To warm up after this, we will speed up slightly and in one trip we will reach the harsh Innri Emstrua. This is another powerful river, but fortunately there is a good bridge. We have lunch while the water roars.

We cross the black volcanic desert, against which the green Mount Hattafell (863m) looks like an unreal mirage. The monotonous, dull landscape suddenly gives way to a bewitching panorama: the Mýrdalsjökull glacier advances on the left (Mýrdalsjökull - “mud valley glacier”), and a deep canyon cuts the plain on the right. We spend the night in the Emstrur-Botnar shelter (altitude 520 m), which is hidden in a cozy green ravine - a kind of oasis in the middle of the black desert. In the evening we go on a radial route to that same Markarfljótsgljúfur canyon. The day turns out to be quite long, but the canyon is simply fantastic, and as soon as you see it, your fatigue will disappear :)

Distance - 17 km, elevation gain - 400 m.

At the beginning of the day we cross (this time on a bridge) the already familiar canyon and the Fremri Emstrua river flowing through it. Sheer basalt walls and a small piece of extreme sports will slightly dilute the subsequent kilometers of desert. However, the desert is gradually coming to life - rare grass and even rare bushes appear. We walk along the left side of a wide valley leading directly to the Eyjafjallajökull glacier and the volcano of the same name lying underneath (the same one because of which planes did not fly). Tomorrow we will get closer to it, and today another miracle awaits us - the Icelandic forest. After all, in this country trees are very rare. After another ford (wide but shallow), we find ourselves in the Tórsmörk National Park (Tórsmörk - “Thor’s forest”). It is located at an altitude of only a hundred meters above sea level and therefore not dwarf, but quite familiar birches and fir trees grow here. And, imagine, real grass. We stop for a while at the Langidalur shelter - there is a small shop here from time to time. Then, using original “wheeled” trailer bridges, we cross the wide Krossa River and set up tents in a clearing near the Basar shelter.

Distance - 17 km, descent - 300 m.

The hardest and most eventful day of the hike. We have to take a pass (about 1070 m) located between two glaciers - Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. At this altitude there is almost a guarantee of snow. But we still have to crawl to them. If we’re lucky with the weather, the gorgeous views behind us (from the slopes we can see the valley of the Krossa River and a significant part of the Laugavegur trek) will help us cope with the continuous climb. And if we are unlucky, then the wind and rain will push us. Almost on the pass there is a fissure volcano Fimmvörðuháls (Fimmvörðuháls - “pass of five rounds”). In 2010, lava flowed here, and we will go on foot. We will also climb the fresh craters Modi and Magni. Beyond the pass, quite expectedly, a long descent to the ocean begins. But the sea is still far away, but for now we have to cross the tongues of the Myrdalsjokull glacier, eaten away by gullies. Just behind the glacier there is a small shelter called Baldvinsskali, where you can hide and have lunch in case of bad weather. But it’s not wise to spend the night here (it’s cold, it’s expensive, there’s no normal water). Therefore, we will continue the descent (easy, but not too picturesque) and in a couple of hours we will reach the upper reaches of the valley of waterfalls on the Skouga River. This is truly a miracle of nature - quaint shores and dozens of beautiful cascades. We set up camp in a “wild camp” near the Skoga River.

Distance - 18 km, elevation gain - 700 m.

We continue our descent along the Skóga river. On its way to the sea, it forms many cascades and waterfalls, cutting through rocks into deep canyons. The final highlight of the walking part of the hike in Iceland will be the 60-meter Skógafoss waterfall. After the photo shoot, we go down to the campsite, have lunch and wait for the shuttle bus to Reykjavik. Along the way, the bus will make a stop at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, short, but quite long enough to run behind the streams of water and get wet through. At approximately 18:30 we will arrive at the already familiar campsite in Reykjavik. We set up tents, take things from the storage room, and queue for a hot shower!!!

Distance - 8 km, descent - 700 m.

Hiking in Iceland is complete. If you wish, you can walk around the city for a couple of hours and fly home... which would be a huge mistake!! The hike is cool, but you haven't seen the real Iceland yet. You can get to know her on the road trip around all of Iceland. We rent a minibus and for a week we drive along the legendary ring road No. 1 (we spend the night in campsites, shop in supermarkets), visiting the main attractions of Iceland along the way. You'll see the Golden Circle with its geysers and waterfalls, basalt grottoes and black beaches, the puffin colony at Vik, Glacier Lagoon, Game of Thrones filming locations, Dimmuborgir volcanic castle, colonies of seals and humpback whales, all of Iceland's major waterfalls and numerous volcanic attractions around Lake Mývatn. As a result, you can safely say that you have seen all of Iceland. Join us!