THE BEST TREKKING OF ICELAND

DAY 1. FLIGHT TO REYKJAVIK
Flight departure. Flight duration: 4 hours. Arrival at Keflavik airport, reception by our guides. From there we will take the line bus that, crossing the northern part of the Reykjanes peninsula, will take us to the capital (45 km) and to our accommodation.

Hotel accommodation, Reykjavik.

DAY 2. REYKJAVIK
Breakfast.

Free day to discover the capital of Iceland on our own. Our hotel is very central. We can stroll along the promenade, through the city center, on the banks of Lake Tjörnin and climb the bell tower of the Hallgrímskirkja church. The guides will provide you with maps of walking itineraries and tourist information. That day the guide will be doing material preparation and logistics work for the trekking.

Hotel accommodation, Reykjavik.

DAY 3. REYKJAVIK – LANDMANNALAUGAR
Breakfast dinner.

In the morning we will take the bus to Landmannalaugar. The trip lasts about 5 hours and on the way we will be able to observe the beauty of Icelandic nature and the contrast of landscapes from the coastal part to the Highlands. Arrival and installation of the camp. Picnic lunch. Free time to take a thermal bath in the hot water river or take a gentle walk in the surroundings.

Tent accommodation.

DAY 4. LANDMANNALAUGAR – HRAFNTINNUSKER (HÖSKULDSSKÁLI) – ÁLFTAVATN
Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

After breakfast we will start our journey. The trekking begins crossing the Laugahraun lava field and then begins the ascent to Brennisteinsalda through a magical valley of multicolored red, green, ocher, brown rocks and fumarole fields. Arrived at the highest point of the day, our path continues through the upper part crossing some stream channels until we reach Hrafntinnusker where a small refuge is located, near the Kaldaklof mountains. Many people stay to sleep in this place, but we will continue our walk. The march continues through the volcanic plateau bordering Mount Reykjafjöll until reaching Jökultungur. In this area it is frequent to find snowfields and the terrain is characterized by the dark color of the rock formations. On our way to Álftavatn, the landscape will change little by little, with the presence of upwelling water and melt streams favoring the growth of plants and flowers. Arrival on the shores of Lake Álftavatn, where we will locate our camp.

Distance: 20.3 km; Time: 7-8 hours; Difference in altitude: +470 m / -490m
Tent accommodation.

DAY 5. ÁLFTAVATN – EMSTRUR (BOTNAR)
Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Today you will start walking under the slopes of the Brattháls until you reach the Hvanngil valley. At this point it will be necessary to cross the Bratthálskvísl river on foot before continuing the march that will take us to the bridge over the Kaldaklofskvísl river. The last obstacle before reaching our final goal will be fording a river again, the Bláfjallakvísl. Beyond a short walk through a gentle relief of hills of black sand will take us to the refuge of Emstrur.

Distance: 16.1 km; Time: 6-7 hours; Difference in altitude: -40 m
Tent accommodation.

DAY 6. EMSTRUR (BOTNAR) – ÞÓRSMÖRK
Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

The start of the trail will be downhill until crossing the Syðri Emstruá river to later reach the Almenningar area. This point corresponds to the transition between the high-altitude landscapes with snow-capped peaks where we have traveled and the much greener valley floor where we are going. Before reaching Þórsmörk we will have to ford perhaps the largest river so far, the Þröngá river, and in this way we will easily reach Þórsmörk, literally the “Valley of the Gods”, one of the most spectacular in Iceland, nestled in an incomparable setting and surrounded by three glaciers, to the east the Mýrdalsjökull, to the south the Eyjafjallajökull and to the north the modest Tindfjallajökull. In the afternoon, we can go up to one of the hills that dominate the valley to get a bird ‘

Distance: 16.2 km; Time: 6-7 hours; Difference in altitude: -300 m
Tent accommodation.

DAY 7. ÞÓRSMÖRK – FIMMVÖRÐUHÁLS A) (MODI AND MAGNI CRATERS) OR B) TRIP TO SKÓGAR.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Today we will start very early, at dawn. Leaving Þórsmörk we will cross the Krossá river through a bridge to enter the rugged Goðalönd valley, nestled between two glaciers and between rock buttresses covered with vegetation and flowers of all colors. Our path continues to climb towards the Fimmvörðuháls pass. Along the way we will see the volcanic slag and lava accumulated in this sector after the eruption in 2010 of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Once above, at a height of 1,020 meters, we will visit the craters of red lavas, Modi and Magni, where the heat of the subsoil can still be seen through the fissures of the terrain.

Option A) Descent along the same route to Þórsmörk. At 3pm we will take the bus to the Seldjalandfoss stop. Here we will have 1 hour of time to visit this famous waterfall before taking the bus to Skógar. Arrival at 19:10. Overnight in hostel.
Distance: 14 km; Time: 6 hours; Difference in altitude: +/- 900 m

Option B) Continuation to the Fimmvörðuháls refuge, located at the top of the pass that separates the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers. From here we will start the descent down the southern slope crossing the lava fields of Baldvinsskali (emergency refuge) to go down through the valley of the Skógar stream. Halfway down the trail the trail crosses the stream and from there the river is encased in a spectacular canyon. We will descend parallel to the torrent and we will contemplate the more than twenty waterfalls until we reach the last one, the beautiful Skógafoss waterfall. Arrival in Skógar, overnight in hostel.

Distance: 25 km; Time: 9 hours; Difference in altitude: +/- 1,000 m
Hotel accommodation, Skógar.

DAY 8. REYKJAVIK – REYKJANES PENINSULA – AIRPORT – RETURN FLIGHT.
Breakfast.

Free morning in Reykjavik. In the early afternoon transfer by Flybus to the airport. Boarding the flight with departure in the afternoon. Arrival at night to our destination city.

END OF OUR ADVENTURE IN ICELAND!