Mount Hekla and Landmannalaugar hike from Reykjavik, Iceland
Join a certified mountain leader for this unforgettably fun, scenic and unique 4-day hut-to-hut hiking tour of Mount Hekla and Landmannalaugar in southern Iceland. Explore the lunar-like landscape of Mount Hekla before hiking up to a caldera on Mount Loðmundur to enjoy stunning views.
Group
4 Days
Jul - Sep
High
Intermediate
Highlights
- Enjoy the stunning scenery of Mount Hekla and Landmannalaugar.
- Explore the lunar-like landscape of Mount Hekla.
- Climb up to a caldera on Mt Loðmundur and enjoy panoramic views from it.
Description
Situated in the remote heart of southern Iceland, heading to Mount Hekla and Landmannalaugar makes for an incredibly scenic and unique trekking experience.
Over the course of four days, we will hike through lush green rolling hills until we arrive at a truly moon-like landscape.
As we leave the former lava flows that are now covered in moss and Arctic birch, the landscape will transform until volcanic slag and black volcanic rock.
Due to the relatively recent eruptions of Mount Hekla, no one lives around here. In fact, the mountain earned the name "the doors of hell" from the inhabitants who braved this turbulent landscape in the fifteenth century.
After exploring the incredible cratered and dark landscape of Mount Hekla, we will turn away and head east toward Mount Loðmundur. As we leave Hekla, the landscape once again becomes lush and green.
We will pass through pastures and around a beautiful lake before arriving at the foot of Loðmundur.
The last step of our journey will be to climb up to Caldera de Hrafntinnusker, from which point we will enjoy immaculate views back into the valley through which we have spend the past two days hiking.
After getting our fill of the view, it will be time to return to the trailhead and transfer back to Reykjavik.
So what are you waiting for? Book now for this unforgettable 4-day hut-to-hut hiking tour through Mount Hekla and Landmannalaugar!
If you like the look of this trip then we think you may also enjoy our 6-day hut-to-hut trek from Egilsstaðir!
Price includes
- Accommodation included
- Guiding fee
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Transportation start and back
- Luggage transfer
Price details
- Please note that a minimum of 6 people is required for this trip to go ahead.
Itinerary
Day 1: Reykjavik - Mt Hekla farmland
After meeting up at the Reykjavik Central Bus station at 7:30 am, we will transfer to the trailhead. From here, we will hike across a grassland toward Mount Hekla.
Distance: 10 km/6 miles
Duration: 3 to 4 hours
Day 2: West side of Mt. Hekla – The doors of Hell
After crossing the Western Rangá river and passing over a series of hills, we will arrive at the moon-like landscape at the foot of Mount Hekla and spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the area.
Distance: 22 km/14 miles
Duration: 6 to 8 hours
Day 3: Valagjá – Mount Loðmundur
We will spend the day hiking away from Mount Hekla and toward Mount Loðmundur. As we go, the landscape will become increasingly green and we will cross verdant pasturelands and marshes.
Distance: 17 km/11 miles
Duration: 6 to 7 hours
Day 4: Walk to Landmannalaugar - Reykjavik
We will spend the day walking toward Mt Loðmundur, circumnavigating one of the lakes that sits at its foot before hiking up to Caldera de Hrafntinnusker, where we will get extraordinary views out over our surroundings. From here, we will begin descending back to the trailhead and then transfer back to Reykjavik.
Distance: 11 km/7 miles
Duration: 6 to 7 hours
Details
More info
Clothing:
Regular underwear. Synthetics are easier to wash and dry Synthetic thermal underwear Long-sleeved, synthetic or wool shirt Short-sleeved synthetic or cotton/synthetic T-shirts Medium-weight synthetic fleece sweater or jacket Full-length pants, quick-drying synthetic fabric Down jacket from mid-August to September (optional) Hiking shorts, quick-drying synthetic fabric Pile/fleece pants, ideal for around the camp Sun & rain hat Wool hat Gloves (wool or pile) Waterproofed shell gloves Medium weight synthetic socks Gore-Tex rain/wind parka Gore-Tex rain/wind pants Hiking boots, medium-weight, all leather, with padded ankle, good arch support, and a lug sole traction. Your hiking boots should be waterproof, well broken in, and suitable for rocky terrain or possibly snow. Comfortables shoes to wear when not hiking (optional) Teva-type sandals for river crossing. Absolutely recommended! Gaiters. Highly recommended.
Travel Accessories
Comfortable sleeping bag +10°C to –10°C which can be opened all the way Cotton sheet for hut’s mattress Pillow if you can’t sleep without one (optional) Swimsuit and towel for hot spring bathing and swimming pool 1-to-2 liters capacity unbreakable water bottle or thermos Hermetic sandwich box Hiking mug Small hermetic bag with zipper for your wallet and passport Small hermetic bag with zipper for your mobile phone Headlamp or small flashlight with spare batteries (from August only) Swiss Army-type pocket knife (Must be kept in duffle bag, not in hand luggage, when flying !) Toiletry kit—soap, toothbrush, and so on. Moisturizing lotion. (The air in Iceland is very dry) Sunglasses Eye shades. Highly recommended! Spare pair of prescription glasses, prescription sunglasses, or contact lenses (but not only lenses, as wind-blown dust can make them very uncomfortable) Sunscreen and lip protection (The sun in Iceland is much more intense than you probably imagine) Personal first aid kit Netting hood
Optional Travel Accessories
Hiking poles. Highly recommended Binoculars Repair kit with needle, thread, and safety pins Reading and writing material Your favorite snack food such as raisins or chocolate Protein supplements for vegetarian 1 or 2 good bottles of wine or a bottle of something stronger
Meeting point
Equipment you will need to bring
Water bottle
Backpack
Sunglasses
About the guide
Fjallabak
Tour Operator
Fjallabak is a small family-owned business that offers professional guiding services, born in Iceland over forty years ago. We are just as true today as ever to our traditions and values, while keeping a young and passionate spirit.
At Fjallabak, we pride ourselves on the top quality guiding services we provide, and make sure to take care of all the necessary details for a successful journey: group spirit, security, supplies and relations with the local population. Additionally, we plan and modify itineraries according to the group and conditions, taking special care to tailor them to our clients preferences and needs. All of our guides are cultivated, enthusiastic, and above all, experts in the area where they guide. Group safety is most important to us and our guides are fully trained in wilderness first aid and rescue procedures. Furthermore, our guides are usually accompanied by an assistant and a driver, who are also mountain experts and great sources of local knowledge. Either native or adopted Icelanders, we all speak English in addition to various other languages such as French, Italian, German and Japanese.
Fjallabak is also in close collaboration with specialized tour operators around the world in Australia, Canada, America, Great Britain, Scandinavia and Japan. In France and Switzerland, Fjallabak collaborates with mountain guides and naturalist guides and some specialized tour operators for quality expeditions and treks.
Additionally, we have carried out, organized and participated in several cultural events in France dedicated to Iceland. We have also participated in many magazines and articles, including television reports and cinema. Some of the media we have been featured in includes National Geographic, Geo magazine, France Inter, among others.
Our team is dedicated to just one aim: to ensure that each tour is successful, safe and an unforgettable experience for all!
Languages
| French | English
What people are saying about Explore-Share
Man
Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!
Maxine
Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.
Valeriya
You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.
Joshua
We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.
Cami
Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.
4.8
Read all our verified reviews
Join our newsletter!
Stay up-to-date on the best adventures.