Landmannalaugar Iceland

We arrive at the Keflavik airport and drive to Reykjavik to our guesthouse. After checking in, we walk around the city. In Iceland, you will be surprised by the white nights—it's a polar day. At first, going to bed in the light of day will be unusual.

In the evening, we plan to walk around the capital of Iceland, which is relatively small. All the interesting places are located in the center. We will walk to the theHallgrímskirkja Cathedral, which offers a fascinating view of the bay, along the Laugavegur shopping street, see the Harpa concert hall, visit the Old Port and the Old Town, and have a busy evening.

We start our traveling days by waking up very early, at 7 a.m., and taking a bus to the beginning of the hiking route. The road is not close—it takes 5 hours. During this time, the terrain around us will change a lot. Landmannalaugar National Park, where we are going, is an incredible mountain of volcanic rocks. It seems that they were painted with colored pencils.

Today, a radial route to the neighboring Blanjukur volcano is planned. This volcano is also called the Blue Peak. It got its name because of its color. From its top, you will have a beautiful view of the broad valley of the Jökulgilskvísl River - another unearthly landscape. The descent is also not easy because we will pass through a maze of lava fields, and not so long ago, lava flowed there. After the track, we will swim in the thermal river near the campsite and will be able to relax a bit from these adventures in the valley of “Mordor”.

We will have a busy day of traveling, with the main point being the Brennisteinsalda volcano. Along the way, we will see a couple of hot springs, from which smoke swirls and lies over the trail we will walk. The trail leads to the pass to the Brennisteinsalda volcano—its name comes from the yellow sulfur spots on its surface. However, the volcano's surface has different colors: green, pink, beige, gray, blue, black, and white.

During the day, we will meet several small geysers that emit jets of steam, creating the appearance of smoky mountains. These views are reminiscent of science fiction movies about Mars or other planets. In the evening, we will find ourselves on a stone plateau near the Hrafntinnusker Hut shelter at an altitude of 1074m, but we do not stop here. We need to reach the Álftavatn lake, where we will set up our camp.

We wake up, open the tent, and see Mars and white nights. Getting used to the Icelandic scenery is difficult so that we will be surprised until the end of the trip. The route today will not be very difficult; according to the plan, we will have several river crossings. Then, the route will pass through the black volcanic desert, behind which the green mountain Hattafell looks. The contrasts change by 180 degrees.

Later, the picture will change even more: on the left is the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, also called the “Glacier of the Swamp Valley,” and on the right, the plain is cut by the deep Markarfljótsgljúfur canyon. Yes, Iceland is so fascinating.

We plan to spend the night in the Emstrur-Botnar Hut shelter at 520 meters, a kind of oasis in the black desert. We will take a radial route to the same canyon, Markarfljótsgljúfur in the evening. The day will be pretty long, but the canyon is just fantastic. You should walk through it!

Trekking in Iceland is very interesting and full of adventures, and so will be today. In the morning, we cross the already familiar Markarfljótsgljúfur canyon, but we will use a bridge this time. The Martian landscapes end - this day, there will be more greenery, and we will see the Eyjafjallajökull glacier - its name means “glacier of the Island Mountains.” This glacier is the ice cap of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, and you've probably heard about it from the news because its eruption in 2010 closed the airspace over Europe.

And then, even more interestingly, we will finally get to the Icelandic forest. After another ford and the Mordor Valley, we will get to Tórsmörk Park. It is located at a low altitude, so there are ordinary trees and grass here, but we already missed it.

We will have a snack near the Langidalur shelter. We will have full meals for snacks—it is tourist food that has been dried and packed—Food, James Cook, and Green Tramps. Further along the route, we cross the Krossa River to the clearing near the Basar shelter, where we set up our tents.

The time has come to climb the pass at an altitude of about 1070 meters, which is located between two glaciers—Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. There will definitely be snow at this altitude, but it's Iceland, so it's okay to make a snowman. The gorgeous views and cool company will help you cope with the altitude gain. On the pass itself is the Fimmvörðuháls volcano. In 2010, lava flowed here, so we will see fresh craters from the Modi and Magna magma.

After the pass, we will descend to the sea, a long but interesting journey. Of course, we will have a snack, and if it rains, it will be a good reason to visit the Baldvinsskáli shelter—it is very small but colorful. We continue down to the valley of waterfalls on the Skógar River. This is a true natural wonder—bizarre banks and dozens of the most beautiful cascades you can see on Earth.

The descent is long, so we divided it into 2 days. After breakfast, we continue our descent along the Skógar River. On its way to the sea, it forms many cascades and waterfalls that cut through the rocks into deep canyons.

The culmination of your trip to Iceland will be the Skógafoss waterfall. This is a very beautiful and popular place. Many myths about the waterfall exist, one of which says that a whole treasure chest is hidden somewhere in the cave.

We will do a photo shoot near the waterfall, and the photos will be fantastic. From the Skógafoss waterfall, we will go down to the campsite, have lunch, and wait for the bus to Reykjavik. On the way, the bus will make a short stop at the Sellalandsfoss waterfall, another top destination in Iceland. In the evening, we will arrive in Reykjavik, where everyone will have free time and their program.

Today, we have a free or reserved day in case of a delay on the route. Anyone can go on a tour of the Golden Circle of Iceland, including a visit to Gullfoss waterfall, the largest active geyser - Strokkur, and an excursion to the Þingvellir National Park.

The tour is fascinating. You can see more of the fabulous Iceland. However, those who have had enough adventure can take a nice walk around Reykjavik.

Before going home, we will make a friendly breakfast, recall the trip's best moments, and arrange the next adventure together!