Icelandic masters with a trek

Tips for trips and routes in Iceland

Vindbelgjarfjall

a hike to an eye-catching hill by Lake Mývatn

Heljarkambur

one of the more difficult spots on the Fimmvörðuháls trek, which you can reach as a day trip from Þórsmörk and return via a different route each time

Kerlingarfjoll

a hiking area in the “Witch Mountains” geothermal region

Snæfellsjökull

the only glacier in Iceland you can hike on and probably not die. That doesn’t mean you should try it.

Hengifoss Neskaupstaður

a short hike through a rift to Hengifoss waterfall, but a different Hengifoss than the one you probably know..

Hengifoss

about a one-hour hike to the famous Hengifoss waterfall in East Iceland. On the way there is also a bonus waterfall, Lítlanesfoss

Hrútey í Blöndu

an interesting place where you can walk surrounded by almost continental nature

Walk around Húsey

a farm in remote East Iceland with many birds. Legend says seals also live here and even give birth to their young, but I’ve never seen them (I’ve been here twice)

Holmarfossar

a beautiful trip through wild nature around the glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum and the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon

Hvannargil

an alternative route of the Fimmvörðuháls trek from Þórsmörk

Northernmost lighthouse in Iceland

a place where during the summer solstice the sun only sets for a few minutes

Leyningsfoss

a waterfall in the north located in a forest. Unusual for Iceland.

Hatta

a very beautiful place accessible from the village of Vík í Mýrdal

Road to the end of the world

hard to describe this place; I wasn’t impressed and will probably never go again

Halldorsgil

gateway to the Icelandic highlands near road F208

Gigjokull trek

glacial tongue

Móði 2010

one of the newest peaks in Iceland formed during the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano

Magni 2010

one of the newest peaks in Iceland formed during the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano

Grænihryggur

one of the icons of the Icelandic highlands; every step (and there will be tens of thousands) is worth it

Páskahellir

a cave near the easternmost point of Iceland

Nauthúsafoss

you can reach the waterfall either through Nauthúsagil canyon or above it

Rifstangi

the northernmost point of mainland Iceland

Gatastakkur

an interesting rock formation and the coastal route there is beautiful

Efstifoss

the first in a long series of waterfalls on the Skógá river; reaching it from Skógafoss takes about 3 hours

Foss í Stakkholtsgjá

a waterfall in a rock fissure in Stakkholtsgjá canyon

Slaedufoss

an interesting waterfall on an alternative Fimmvörðuháls route

Stampar

a small hike to a minor crater on the Reykjanes peninsula

Stapavík

Steinn Esja

the viewpoint Steinn is at 565 meters above sea level, starting almost at sea level—it’s all up to you

Stórurð

a magical place with several routes; the shortest is about 5.5 km with 400 m elevation gain

Búrfell

no civilian cars allowed; hiking is about 5 km with 400 m elevation gain

Sveinstindur!

the hike to this iconic inland Iceland location takes about one hour

Syrfell

a short hike to a place almost nobody knows exists

Kristínartindar

the highest (accessible) peak in Skaftafell; about 10 km with 1100 m elevation gain

Djúpalónssandur

about a 500-meter walk to the beach

Valahnúkamöl

a fascinating coastal spot where the ocean seems to disappear between massive rocks; about 500 meters walk and usually empty

Svínafellsjökull

the old road to Svínafellsjökull is closed to vehicles; it’s about a 2 km walk

Stuðlagil

you can access the canyon from the west (about 350 stairs) or the east (about 1500 m walk plus exploring the canyon)

Rauðufossar

2 km along a sloped path from the parking area; the waterfall is roughly halfway to Rauðauga

Rauðauga!

5 km from the parking lot with 300 m elevation gain—you’ll find one of Iceland’s most mysterious places

Námafjall

the hike above the Hverir area takes about an hour with some steep sections

Múlagljúfur

about 2 km into nature; the new parking area adds a few hundred meters of flat walking

Mælifell

the hike to the summit is quite short, direct, and intense

Löðmundur

the peak is 5 km from the parking area with 500 m elevation gain

Leirhnjúkur

about a 20-minute flat walk from the parking area over easy terrain

Karl og Kerlingin

about 1500 meters from the parking area to these rock pillars, the “petrified trolls”

Sólheimajökull

the glacier tongue on the south coast is about a 25-minute walk from the parking lot

Strútslaug

a multi-hour hike through Icelandic highlands to this geothermal pool

Borholan

a geothermal pool about 20 minutes on foot from Kerlingarfjöll highland base

Kirkjan

a cave in the Hljóðaklettar rocks about a 30-minute walk from the parking area

Hafragilsfoss

you can reach the waterfall via the west bank of the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river; it is a demanding hike

Grundarfoss

about a 25-minute easy walk

Gjarfoss

a waterfall in Gjáin valley; about 15 minutes from the upper parking lot, including a river crossing

Eldgjá

you can drive into Eldgjá canyon and explore many trails on foot

Brennisteinsalda

an easier peak in Landmannalaugar; about one hour if you want

Bláhnjúkur

about 3 km from Landmannalaugar with 350 m elevation gain

Saxhóll

Hafrahvammagljúfur

Dynjandi

from the lower parking lot it’s about a 1 km hike up past six smaller waterfalls; if you’ve seen everything in Iceland, you can continue to the upper edge from road 60

Eldfell

a place formed in 1973; apparently you can still fry eggs on hot rocks here

Abandoned DC-3

it takes about 1.5 hours round trip to the plane; whether it’s worth it is up to you

Hverfjall

about a 1–1.5 hour walk up and around the crater

Surtshellir

there are countless surface trails; here you can plan a lava tunnel route—if you have the skills, knowledge, and equipment

Vestrahorn

you can walk around Vestrahorn; from the tunnel turn right onto the local road and head out—it takes about 2 hours to Stokksnes

Tungnaarfellsfoss

a small 30-minute detour from road F208 toward Landmannalaugar

Þríhyrningur

about 1.5 hours to the peaks from the parking area

Strútsfoss

about a 30-minute walk from the parking lot

Snæfell

a roughly 7-hour round-trip hike to Iceland’s highest mountain (bring crampons)

Lambafoss

a short detour from the eastern bank of Lagarfljót

Laki

the hike from the parking area takes about 30 minutes; the trail is about 1 km but with 200 m elevation gain

Krýsuvíkurberg

beautiful cliffs on the Reykjanes peninsula

Víti (Askja)

about 2.5 km from the parking lot to the geothermal crater lake

Grímsey

the island is about 12 km around, so you can try to walk it between ferry arrival and departure

Flogufoss

a short hike over mostly flat but unmarked terrain

Studlafoss

a waterfall on the so-called waterfall circuit, about 8 km long

Kirkjufoss

a waterfall on the same 8 km waterfall circuit

Faxi East

a waterfall on the same 8 km waterfall circuit

Drekafoss

a waterfall at the entrance of Drekagil canyon; about 20 minutes from the camp with some tricky terrain

Kirkja Dimmuborgir

one of the possible destinations in the Dimmuborgir area

Bunarfoss

a waterfall visible directly from the campsite near Ísafjörður; you can also hike further into the mountains along it

Búðaráfoss

a waterfall a few dozen minutes up the valley above Reyðarfjörður

Bolafjall

a hike on top of the mountain with views over Ísafjarðardjúp fjord and the Hornstrandir area

Hópsnes Grindavík

a 6 km walk around the Hópsnes peninsula, decorated with shipwrecks and structures

Ófærufoss

a waterfall in Eldgjá crater; about 45 minutes walking upstream from the parking area

Hlauptungufoss

a waterfall on one of the routes to Brúarfoss

Rauðisandur

the beach is about a 30-minute walk from the parking lot and is so large you can walk all day—just be careful to go at low tide, otherwise you may need to wade through seawater on the way back

Blátindur

a peak on Heimaey island

Stigafoss

about 20 minutes of slightly adventurous terrain from road F249, including small river crossings

Dynkur

from the east side it’s about another hour of walking to the waterfall

Vestdalsfossar

about 15 minutes uphill from the parking area; you can extend the hike for several kilometers above the waterfalls

Rauðibotn

about 20 minutes from the parking area to the crater rim, but expect plenty of walking around the area

Helgafell

a crater hike on Heimaey island

Haukadalur

the Geysir geothermal area offers many options for short walks and exploration

Heimaklettur

a steep climb right from the harbor on Heimaey; includes ladders in one section

Reynisfjall

a hike above Vík í Mýrdal with unusual views of Reynisfjara and the south coast; you’ll be there in about an hour

Reykjadalur

one of the most pleasant hikes in Iceland: about 3 km uphill from the parking lot to a geothermal river at the end

Rauðfeldsgjá

a rock fissure about 10 minutes uphill from the parking area; you can even enter the mountain itself

Seljavallalaug

about 10 minutes of fast walking from the parking lot to the Seljavallalaug pool; you can extend the hike further inland

Hjörleifshöfði

a former island near Vík í Mýrdal that you can reach in a few dozen minutes

Hekla

from the upper parking area it’s still a 3 km hike over difficult terrain; reaching the parking requires a proper Icelandic off-road vehicle—this is serious hiking