5 Day Laugavegur Trek, South Coast & Glacier Hike | Mountain Huts

This Laugavegur trek and glacier hike is a 5 day guided tour: four days walking from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk with nights in mountain huts, then a day on the South Coast with a glacier hike on Sólheimajökull.

• The full 55 km Laugavegur trail from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk
• Three nights in mountain huts and one night in a hotel in Hella
• A guided glacier hike on Sólheimajökull, with safety equipment provided
• Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and the black sand beach at Reynisfjara
• Small group of up to 16, with luggage transfers between huts

Your day, stop by stop

2Day 1: Reykjavík to LandmannalaugarDrive 3–4 hours into the highlands, then a warm-up hike of about 8 km around Landmannalaugar.

The first walk takes you through the Laugahraun lava field and past the Grænagil gorge and the Bláhnjúkur volcano. In the evening you can bathe in the natural hot spring beside the hut.

Distance · about 8 kmWalking time · 4–5 hoursNight · Landmannalaugar hut

Read our Landmannalaugar guide →

3Day 2: Landmannalaugar to ÁlftavatnThe longest day of the trek, over rhyolite mountains and the obsidian desert at Hrafntinnusker.

The longest day of the trek. The trail leaves through the Laugahraun lava field, passes the Brennisteinsalda volcano and climbs across the rhyolite mountains to the black obsidian desert at Hrafntinnusker, then drops past the hot springs and mud pools of Jökultungur, where the ground is stained yellow and red by geothermal heat. A river to wade comes before the hut at Álftavatn.

Distance · about 24 kmWalking time · 8–9 hoursNight · Álftavatn hut

Read our Landmannalaugar guide →

4Day 3: Álftavatn to EmstrurAcross the black sand desert of Mælifellssandur to the huts at Emstrur.

The day starts with a stream crossing and then crosses the black sand desert of Mælifellssandur, passing the volcanoes Stórasúla and Hattafell, with views of the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers. Near the end you reach the Markarfljótsgljúfur canyon, about 200 metres deep, and then Botnar, the green patch at Emstrur where the hut stands.

Distance · about 15 kmWalking time · 6–7 hoursNight · Emstrur hut

5Day 4: Emstrur to ÞórsmörkThe last stretch of the trail, down into the birch woods of Þórsmörk, then a highland bus to a hotel in Hella.

The last stretch of the Laugavegur trail goes through the Almenningar area, below Mount Einhyrningur, with glacier views, and descends about 300 metres into Þórsmörk, where sparse trees slowly give way to dense birch forest. You finish the Laugavegur in the valley, surrounded by mountains and glaciers. From there a highland bus takes you to a hotel in Hella for the night.

Distance · about 15 kmWalking time · 6–7 hoursNight · Hotel in Hella

Read our Þórsmörk guide →

6Day 5: South Coast and glacier hikeWaterfalls, a black sand beach and a guided hike on Sólheimajökull, then the drive back to Reykjavík.

After breakfast at the hotel you stop at Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and the black sand beach at Reynisfjara. At Sólheimajökull, a glacier tongue of Mýrdalsjökull, you are given glacier equipment and a safety briefing before you walk onto the ice with your guide, and then you drive back to Reykjavík.

Sights · Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, ReynisfjaraGlacier · Sólheimajökull

About the Laugavegur trek and glacier hike

This tour joins the Laugavegur trek and a glacier hike into one 5 day trip. You walk the 55 km Laugavegur trail over four days, from the coloured rhyolite mountains of Landmannalaugar to the birch woods of Þórsmörk. On the fifth day you see the South Coast and hike on a glacier before you return to Reykjavík.

The walking days are not equal. The first day is a short warm-up of about 8 km. The second day, from Landmannalaugar to Álftavatn, is the longest at about 24 km. Days three and four are about 15 km each. You cross rivers on foot along the way, so you need a pair of shoes that can get wet.

You sleep in mountain huts at Landmannalaugar, Álftavatn and Emstrur, in shared dormitory-style rooms with bunk beds. After the last walking day a highland bus takes you from Þórsmörk to a countryside hotel in Hella. Meals on the trek are included from lunch on day one to lunch on day four, and the group helps the guides prepare them. Your main bag is carried between the huts, so you walk with a day pack only.

Day five is a day by bus along the South Coast. You stop at Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind the falls, at Skógafoss, and at Reynisfjara with its basalt columns and sea stacks. Then you put on glacier equipment for a guided hike on Sólheimajökull, an outlet of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, before the drive back to Reykjavík.

• Special diet meals
• Single room
• Hiking boot rental
• Hiking pole rental
• Sleeping bag rental
• Waterproof jacket and trousers rental
• Rental package with hiking boots, poles, waterproof jacket and trousers, and a sleeping bag

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