8 Day Grand Laugavegur Trek & Iceland’s Highlights | Mountain Huts

You drive into the highlands, with views of the south coast and Hekla on the way, and arrive at Landmannalaugar, where the Laugavegur trail begins. The first day is a shorter warm-up of about 8 kilometres among the coloured rhyolite mountains, to help you find your pace. The night is in the mountain hut at Landmannalaugar.

The longest day of the trek. The trail leaves through the Laugahraun lava field, passes the coloured slopes of Brennisteinsalda and climbs through narrow gorges and across yellow ridges, before crossing the black obsidian desert at Hrafntinnusker. It then drops through steaming gullies, where the ground is stained yellow and red by geothermal heat. The day ends with a river to wade before the hut at Álftavatn.

A mostly level day. It starts with a stream crossing, then crosses the black sand desert of Mælifellssandur, passing volcanoes with moss-covered slopes. Near the end you reach the Markarfljótsgljúfur canyon, about 200 metres deep, and then Botnar, a green patch in the middle of the desert. The night is in the mountain hut at Emstrur.

The last stage of the Laugavegur trail leads through the Almenningar gorge below the pointed shape of Mount Einhyrningur, with glacier views over Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. As you approach Þórsmörk, sparse trees appear and slowly give way to dense birch forest. You arrive in the valley, surrounded by mountains and glaciers, and stay in the Langidalur hut for the next two nights.

A day hike from Þórsmörk up part of the Fimmvörðuháls trail, through black sand plains and over lava ridges in country shaped by the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. Magni and Móði, named after the sons of Thor, were formed in that eruption, and near them the ground is fresh lava and steaming vents. There are some steep sections and loose gravel, so good boots and reasonable fitness are needed. You return to the same hut in Langidalur.

A last short walk in Þórsmörk before the highland bus takes you out of the valley to a countryside hotel in Hella. If the weather allows, you can take the steep hike up Mount Útigönguhöfði. An easier choice is a stroll to Húsadalur, or a rest around the Langidalur hut.

A day on the South Coast by bus: Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and the black sand beach at Reynisfjara. In the afternoon comes a guided hike on Sólheimajökull, a glacier tongue that flows down from the larger Mýrdalsjökull. Your guide gives you the equipment and a safety briefing before you step onto the ice.

The final day covers the Golden Circle: Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir geothermal area, where you see Strokkur erupt, and Gullfoss waterfall. A soak in the Secret Lagoon, with entry included, follows before the drive back to Reykjavík, where you are dropped off.