Itinerary
This beautiful route, which is the most adventurous of our vehicle assisted treks, takes place in the eastern part of the ridge Öræfi. It goes through strange landscapes among the wildest in the Highlands, between the break of Eldgjá and the springs of the river Túngná in the center of the island, from the foot of Vatnajökull along the extraordinary turquoise lake Langisjór.
This beautiful strato-volcano (a volcanic edifice built over centuries through a series of volcanic eruptions) is still active and closely monitored by the volcanologists’ seismographs. We hike along the volcano from a reasonably safe distance in order to maintain safety and we stay informed about the relative volcanic activity.
This vehicle assisted trek takes place in areas which are only accessible on foot. Except wearing a medium bag (3-5 kg) for the day, all material, food, and luggage are transported by a 4WD vehicle driving on the few tortuous tracks that wander through the Highlands. For us and for our guides, the purpose of these exploration trekking is to recognize new routes rarely taken previously, to go further to improve our understanding of the Öræfi, and to maintain our enthusiasm.
Day 1
Reykjavík – Eldgjá break
Early morning rendezvous with your guide at your accommodation. Have your hiking clothes and daypack ready for trekking (A bag with clean clothes for the end of your trip can be stored in your Reykjavik accommodation or in our store in the village of Hella). Departure to Eldgjá with one of our company jeep or by a regular bus line on the road along the South Coast through Vík-í-Myrdal or by the Fjallabak Trail through Landmannalaugar.
Important. Please notice that in some circumstance, on starting day your guide may be already in Eldgjá where he will be waiting for your arrival. That means that you will travel alone this day on a regular bus to Eldgjá and that the lunch this day will be at your charge. You can buy sandwiches, fruits, snack and drinks to bring with you at the Reykjavik bus station, but also at the little coffee-shop in Landmannalaugar where the bus stop for two hours if you take the mountains bus or in the cafeteria of Vík-í-Myrdal gas station if you take the South Coast route. We will pick you up at your accommodation between 07:15 and 8:00 AM to bring you to your bus at the Reykjavik Central bus station.
5 hrs. drive – Hut
Day 2
Eldgjá – Öxnatindar
We walk again throughout the Eldgjá break, “throat of fire”, the biggest eruption break on our planet. Despite all these superlatives, tiny little landscapes are comfortable: springs, streams of clear water, small Zen gardens…We reach the heavy Skaftá and its powerful and worrisome waters. On the other side lies the endless lava of Laki, which is the largest lava emission of historical times (1783-1785).
Trekking: 5-6 hours – ca. 16 km (10 miles)
Alt. 330 to 450 m (1080 to 1480 feet)
Day 3
Skaftá – Sveinstindur
We reach Sveinstindur, the first peak of the divided chain of Fögrufjöll, with its conical black and green volcanoes. An easy ascent of Mount Sveinstindur, from where you can admire a fabulous panorama view. To the north and the mighty Vatnajökull the fabulous jade green narrow lake of Langisjór. At the South lie the strange lava fields of Laki, covered with green fluorescent moss, and partly flooded by the overflows of Skaftá.
Trekking: 5-6 hours – ca. 18 km (11 miles)
Alt. 450 to 600 m (1480 to 1970 feet)
Day 4
Langisjór and Fagrifjöll
Along Langisjór and up on easy hills we follow the narrow ridge of the Fagrifjöll. Their name means the beautiful mountains. We are moving on the narrow green and black backs of Fagrifjöll, sometimes on the shore of the lake, sometimes the easiest buttes.
Trekking: 7-8 hours – ca. 20 km (12 miles)
Alt. 600 to 600 m (1970 to 1970 feet)
Day 5
Grænafjallsgarður – Holaskjol
We leave Mount Sveinstindur and we head westwards on the extensive sand along a black and green valley bordered by the imposing palagonite alignments of Grænnafjallsgarður and Gréttir to reach first by walking, then with the help of our jeep the junction with the track of Northern Fjallabak
Trekking: 4-5 hours – ca. 10 km (6 miles)
Alt. 600 to 700 m (1970 to 2300 feet)
Day 6
Back to Reykjavik and civilization
We return to Reykjavik Central bus station either
1) with one of our larger vehicles along the South Coast via Vík-i-Myrdal and arrive around 5 pm.
Or,
2) with the regular Mountain bus via Landmannalaugar, and a late arrival in the capital around 7 pm, or even later if you decide to stop at Landmannalaugar for a few hours.
Currently, we can not specify in advance what route will be chosen to return to Reykjavik. But we will try to answer you before the trip if you need this information
Rates in 2019
Price in Icelandic Krona
Exchange rate varies- Extra charge per person for small groups:
- ISK 24,000/pp (ca. + € 200) for 5 participants
- ISK 36,000/pp (ca.+ € 300) for 4 participants
The International Airport is located outside of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city, in the southwest of the country. It is served by many international airlines, including some discount airlines such as Easyjet from countries all over Europe, Canada, and the United States.
A regular shuttle bus service, which is scheduled to meet each flight, transfers visitors to the city.
A regular bus will take you to the meeting point. Sometimes the guide will accompany you on the bus, sometimes he will already be at the starting point of the trek and await you there.
Return:
The regular Mountain bus (Dep.12:30) takes approximatively 7 hours to reach Reykjavik (Arr.19:35) via Landmannalaugar, with a 2 hours stopover (Arr.13:30/ Dep.15:30) – You have the option to extend this stopover in Landmannalauagar, by taking another bus later in the day at 17:30 or at 20:00.
The regular Mountain bus from Holaskjol (Dep.10:35) takes approximatively 9 hours to reach Reykjavik (Arr.19:35) via Eldgjá with 1:15h stopover (Arr.11:00/ Dep.12:15) and Landmannalaugar with a 2 hours stopover (Arr.13:30/ Dep.15:30) – You have the option to extend this stopover in Landmannalauagar by taking another bus later in the day at 17:30 or at 20:00.
- Flights to/from Iceland
- Transfers from/to airport
- Accommodation and meals in Reykjavík
- A taxi ride from your hotel to Reykjavik meeting point day 1
- A taxi ride from Reykjavik Central bus station to your hotel after returning from the trek
- Showers in the huts
- Sleeping Bag
- Drinks and other personal expenses
- Additional small group surcharge below 6 participants
You’ll need to bring comfortable and adequate clothing to protect you from cold and wet weather, such as polypropylene, Capilene, or pile. Wool and wool/synthetic blends are also suitable – though wool, if wet, dries slowly compared to synthetic fabrics. We discourage the use of cotton in wet conditions it dries very slowly. When camping, tents are provided. You will be responsible for bringing your mattress and sleeping bag.
When layering, the innermost layer should be long underwear. The middle layer can be a synthetic turtleneck or wool shirt, and pants. The outermost layer must be a breathable waterproof jacket such as a good quality Gore-Tex wind/rain parka and over-pants.
For quantities for each item listed, use your own judgment, based on the expected weather conditions and overall packing/weight restrictions for your luggage.
- 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-crossings. Absolutely recommended! Gaiters.
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
- Headlamp or small flashlight with spare batteries (from August only)
- Swiss Army-type pocket knife (Must be kept in a 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
- Sunglasses. 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
- Jul 18 – 23, 2019
- Jul 25 – 30, 2019
- Aug 4 – 9, 2019
- Aug 15 – 20, 2019
- Aug 22 – 27, 2019