Wild 7-Day Highlands Hiking Tour of Laugavegur Trail with South Coast from Reykjavik

The second day of your hiking tour on the Laugavegur trail begins early with an Icelandic breakfast prepared by the whole group. After a night’s rest and a tasty meal, you’re now ready for another day of exciting adventure.

The first stop of the day is at the Hrafntinnusker desert. The volcanic black desert is bizarre yet beautiful, something you can always say about the land of fire and ice.

Soon after, you’ll reach the snow-capped Reykjafjoll mountains, where you can get a great view of the valley you’ll explore next. Then, as you slowly descend from the mountains, you’ll reach the Jokultungur valley. Although the valley isn’t as famous as the other stops on this hiking tour, the place is just as beautiful with its vibrant flora.

As you go deeper into the Jokultungur valley, you’ll notice gradual changes in the scenery. From vibrant colors, the valley will turn paler and darker.

With good weather permitting, you’ll reach the summit of Mt. Haskerdingur at 3385 feet (1032 meters) elevation. Otherwise, you’ll continue hiking to the summit of Jokultungur mountain. Both peaks offer an exceptional view of the whole Fjallabak Nature Reserve, from mountains of different colors and nearby Icelandic glaciers.

As you descend from the mountains and before reaching the lake, you’ll go over the Grashagakvisl river. The river serves as an oasis in an environment full of enormous snow-capped mountains and obsidian deserts.

Before the night approaches, you’ll reach the day’s final destination at Alftavatn lake. Although in a very remote location, the lake is a renowned birdwatching spot to see different species of waterfowl, birds, and whooper swans. This thriving birdlife on a lake surrounded by barren landscapes is a testament to how diversely beautiful Iceland is.

For the second day of the hiking tour, your group covered roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) of the Laugavegur trail. The day ends with a full dinner and peaceful sleep in a mountain hut along the banks of Alftavatn lake.

Day three begins where your day two ended. At Alftavatn lake, the small-group tour will prepare another Icelandic breakfast. By this time, you have already spent quite a bit of time with other hikers, so preparing meals and hiking will be extra fun moving forward.

Your day will cover slightly fewer hiking trails than the previous day, trekking an estimated 9.5 miles (15 kilometers), but the hike to Emstrur valley and Botnar is filled with distinctive volcanic formations.

Storasula mountain is the first attraction you’ll see on the third day of your Laugavegur hike tour in the Highlands of Iceland. Equally stunning mountains may surround it, but Storasula mountain is easy to spot due to its distinctive cone shape and emerald green surface.

Not far from here is the otherworldly beauty of the Maelifellssandur desert. The volcanic desert is a sight to behold with its jet-black sand and the glacial streams intersecting it in different directions.

But arguably, the most beautiful part of this view is the Maelifell volcano. This volcano is covered with grasses and stands lonely yet proudly at the center of the black desert. Seeing this whole image is more than awe-inspiring and is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you to remember.

Mount Maelifell used to be hidden under the mighty Myrdalsjokull glacier but is now entirely visible for you to marvel at any time.

Before retreating to a hut in Botnar, you’ll hike through to two more locations.

After seeing primarily barren lands the entire day, you’ll arrive at the small farming valley of Emstrur. Traditionally, this area is a grazing farm to raise sheep. It is now a common refuge for travelers traversing the Laugavegur trail.

The final stop of the day is at the Markarfljotsgljufur canyon. The canyon is 656 feet (200 meters) deep and is said to be formed by the Katla volcano’s massive eruption a few thousand years ago. Then the Markarfljot river that runs on it until today further carved it out.

On the fourth day of the small-group hiking tour, you’ll finally reach one of the Laugavegur trail’s highlights, Thorsmork valley. Before arriving there, you must journey 9.5 miles (15 kilometers) in the rugged region of the Icelandic Highlands.

The day begins with your small group preparing breakfast in the Botnar mountain hut.

After, as you go deeper into Iceland’s Highlands, the presence of the Myrdalsjokull glacier will be more noticeable. The gigantic glacier covering nearly 232 square miles (600 square kilometers) is Iceland’s fourth largest ice cap.

For most people, the glacier might be known as the location of the notorious Katla volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Iceland. On this Iceland hiking tour, you’ll have the best chance to see its immense beauty.

On your way to the Thorsmork valley, you’ll pass by a weirdly-shaped mountain called Mount Einhyrningur. It is often described as a unicorn-shaped mountain because of its protruding horn-like formation near the base.

The mountain, which stands at 2460 feet (750 meters), is a famous landmark for those traveling the Emstruleid mountain road.

The day’s hike is relatively easy compared to the previous days as you’ll walk mostly on flat lands. The Markarfljot river guides the Laugavegur trail on these plains.

After a short while, you’ll finally see a dense paradise of birch forest and lush vegetation of shrubs. This view signals that you have reached the Thorsmork valley.

Thorsmork Nature Reserve, also known as the Valley of Thor, is an oasis in the rough terrain of the Southern Highlands. The valley is also between Tindfjallajokull and Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcanoes. So you’ll get a good glimpse of these landscapes while there.

As you spend the night in a Thorsmork mountain hut, you’ll learn more about the myth surrounding Thor’s valley.

Day five of the seven-day tour begins on a high note as you get a better view of the Thorsmork valley. The viewing experience is further enhanced as you munch on another Icelandic breakfast your hiking tour group prepared.

For today’s 10 miles (16 kilometers) hiking activity, you’ll be witnessing up close why Iceland is a land of active geological activities.

You’ll spend a few hours hiking on the Fimmvorduhals pass, one of Iceland’s most popular hiking trails. This mountain pass is an excellent spot to see and take photos of the Myrdalsjokull glacier and Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcano.

The Fimmvorduhals hiking trail can be separately explored with a day tour, usually starting at the Skogafoss waterfall. But as part of a multi-day tour Laugavegur trek, your starting point is the Thorsmork Nature Reserve.

The highlight of your trek in the mountain pass is a view of the Magni and Modi craters. The two craters, named after the two sons of the Norse god Thor, are Iceland’s two youngest craters.

Created in 2010, when the infamous eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano happened, Magni and Modi craters prove how powerful nature is. They are a testament to how Iceland is one of the most active volcanic regions in the world. Today, the two craters offer an incredible viewing experience.

Apart from stunning views of craters, glaciers, and mountains, you’ll also see more diverse formations here. These excellent views include a frozen lava waterfall, a unique Icelandic formation you’ll only see in very few locations.

After spending the afternoon in amazement at these sceneries, you’ll head back to Thorsmork valley to have a great evening.

To make the most of your stay in the area, your hiking group will prepare a special dinner that might include grilled lamb meat. Once satisfied, you’ll sleep in a Thorsmork hut, still euphoric from the day’s adventure.

The sixth day of the Laugavegur hiking tour is your last day in the Highlands, but definitely not the least amazing.

After spending the last five days hiking on easy and rough terrains, the group might need a more easygoing adventure. So for this day, you can choose a more flexible itinerary.

Your first option is to explore more of Thorsmork valley’s hidden beauty. The few hours you previously spent around the area might not be enough to capture its magnificence. So you may have an entire day around the site.

The nature reserve features many hiking trails of different difficulty levels. You can even have trail running activities on specific courses here. Besides the Laugavegur trail and Fimmvorduhals pass, there is another renowned trekking area in the valley called the Thorsgata volcano trail.

Meanwhile, if you want a panoramic view of the whole Thorsmork Nature Reserve and its surrounding landscapes, you might hike up to the summit of Valahnukur mountain. This mountain sits at an elevation level of roughly 3280 feet (1000 meters), giving you the best spot to take photos and see the landscapes.

If you’re still up to more thrilling adventures, your other option is to visit Katla volcano and Eyjafjallajokull volcano. These glacier volcanoes are very close to the valley, and you can hike towards their surrounding area for a better view.

The day ends as you leave the Laugavegur trail and Thorsmork Nature Reserve, full of great photos and unforgettable memories. Your small-group hiking tour will proceed to the small town of Hella, where you will spend the night in a cozy hotel for tomorrow’s great adventure on the South Coast.

The last day of your seven-day tour is a bonus exploration of more Iceland attractions away from the Highlands of Iceland. This time, you have the best opportunity to visit South Coast’s most beautiful landscapes.

The first attraction you’ll see on this day is the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, one of Iceland’s most famous waterfalls. This waterfall is always included in South Coast tours because not only is it beautiful, but it is also close to Iceland’s ring road.

The Seljalandsfoss waterfall cascades beautifully from a drop of 200 feet (60 meters). Around its waters is a distinctive path that allows for sightseeing from a 360-degree view.

Just 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the waterfall is the Solheimajokull glacier, your second stop on the South Coast. This outlet glacier is part of Iceland’s fourth largest ice cap, the Myrdalsjokull glacier.

Solheimajokull glacier measures five miles (eight kilometers) long, just the perfect length for a thrilling glacier hiking adventure. But more than its size, the South Coast glacier has an impressive surface that is hard to find elsewhere.

As you arrive at the glacier’s base camp, your experienced tour guide will provide all the information and equipment you need for an unforgettable glacier hiking tour. While atop the icy wonders of Solheimajokull glacier, you’ll see its colorful formations, from crevasses to ridges and moulins.

After an hour of glacier hiking, the tour will have its last stop in one of Iceland’s most majestic waterfalls.

The Skogafoss waterfall is massive as it is beautiful, with a width of up to 82 feet (25 meters) cascading from a cliff of 197 feet (60 meters). If you’re visiting on a sunny day with luck on your side, you might even see a double rainbow shooting from its waters toward the sky.

The waterfall has view decks above and underneath. Some photos here will make the perfect opportunity to cap off your seven-day Highlands hiking tour of the Laugavegur trail with sightseeing on the South Coast.

The day ends as you return to Reykjavik with a lifetime of memories to cherish.