Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Einhyrningur, meaning "one horn", is a standalone mountain about 750 m high on the edge of the highlands beyond Fljótshlíð, between the Tindfjöll glacier and the river Markarfljót. It is roughly 150 km (about 2.5 hours) from Reykjavík by the F261 highland road, free to view, open only in summer for vehicle access, and most people see it in passing on a highland drive or tour.
Einhyrningur stands apart from the glaciers around it: Tindfjallajökull to the north and Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull to the south. From certain angles a rock spur near the summit looks like a single horn, which is how the mountain got its name and its English nickname, the Unicorn Mountain. The grassy plain beneath it, Einhyrningsflatir, is used for grazing sheep in summer, and you will often see rams and ewes beside the road.
The mountain is an extinct volcano built from rhyolite, which gives it lighter, more colourful rock than the black basalt common elsewhere on the South Coast. Together with Hattafell, it is one of the two landmarks everyone notices along the F261 road, Emstruleið (open only in summer, 4x4 only). Hikers on the Laugavegur trail also see it across the Markarfljót canyon on the last stage towards Þórsmörk.
Like most places in Iceland, Einhyrningur has a story. According to the Book of Settlements (Landnáma), a settler called Sighvatur the Red built his farm, Bólstaður, on the plain at the foot of the mountain. Faint ruins were long pointed out as the site of the farm, though little can be seen today.
The name lives on in the Bólstaður mountain hut, which stands on Einhyrningsflatir below the mountain. Local farmers use it when they gather their sheep from the highland pastures in late summer. From the hut you look across to two ice caps, Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull.
The F261 crosses unbridged rivers and is only suitable for experienced 4x4 drivers. Outside summer it is closed, so most of the year Einhyrningur is seen from a distance rather than up close.
The drive is part of the visit. Allow about two and a half hours from Reykjavík, and more if you stop on the way.
F-roads are unpaved, rough and unserviced. Drive only on the track, never beside it, and turn back if a river looks too deep.
There are no facilities at the mountain itself. The nearest services are in Hvolsvöllur, and Volcano Huts in Þórsmörk has a shop and café in summer.
Most visitors base themselves in Hvolsvöllur or along the South Coast and visit on a day trip, since accommodation in the highlands near Einhyrningur itself is limited to huts in Þórsmörk.
A rock spur near the summit looks like a single horn from certain angles, which gives the mountain its Icelandic name ("one horn") and English nickname.
Only in summer, and only with a 4x4, via the F261 highland road, which crosses unbridged rivers.
No. The trail runs on the other side of the Markarfljót river, but hikers get a clear view of the mountain across the canyon on the final stretch into Þórsmörk.
Drive the Ring Road to Hvolsvöllur, take Route 261 through Fljótshlíð and continue on the F261 mountain road. It takes about two and a half hours and needs a 4x4.
Yes, the Bólstaður hut stands on the plain below the mountain. It is used by local farmers during the sheep round-up, so ask locally before counting on it for a night.
Tours and trips that include Einhyrningur, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
