(8/28/2019 – 9/4/2019)
Our first trip to Iceland was to hike the Laugavegur Trail. It was a short trip that included 4 days of hiking and additional stays in Reykjavik pre- and post-hike.
There would be another Iceland trip to drive the Ring Road.
Day 1: The Golden Circle
We arrived in Reykjavik in the early morning. After picking up our luggage and the rental car, we started today’s sightseeing of the Golden Circle. It was freezing in Reykjavik! I should have brought my winter hat! (I did pack my winter hat, but I decided against it at the last minute, because I want to reduce the weight of my luggage — a big mistake!) I ended up using my Buff as a hat to keep myself warm.
Our first stop was Þórufoss, a pretty waterfall. This is a Game of Thrones (GoT) site, where the dragon ate a goat. We did see some goats (or were they lamb?) grazing near the waterfall.
The next stop was the Þingvellir National Park. The park is situated between the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates. It was impressive to walk between high rock walls. This place also has a major significance to the Iceland history — it was where the first parliament was held near the Law Rock. We started from the American side, walking all the way to the Oxararfoss Waterfall.
Then we crossed to the European side and continued walking to the church and cemetery. Afterwards we detoured to Silfra to see groups of people snorkeling in a fissure between the two tectonic plates. The water was very clear there.
It was already around noon when we left Þingvellir, and we were hungry, so it’s time for lunch. We stopped at Efstidalur II, a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves, and had some delicious soup and sandwiches there. There was a stable, and I was able to take some nice photos of the famous Icelandic horses.
Since we have been to Yellowstone a couple of times, to us Geysir Geothermal Field wasn’t very impressive. Strokkur, a very active geyser, erupted about every four to five minutes, but it lasted only about a second each time! People all had their phones or cameras ready to be able to capture the eruptions.
Gullfoss Waterfall was very beautiful and very impressive. However, it was raining all the time during our visit there. I was able to take some decent photos, but I imagined that it would have been more gorgeous under the sun.
There were several other possible stops around the Golden Circle, but we ran out of time. So, we drove back to Reykjavik to check into tonight’s hotel, Galtafell, and then to drop off the rental car at the domestic airport nearby. Galtafell is within walking distance of the domestic airport, the main bus station, and the Reykjavik downtown area, which was very convenient for us.
It’s getting late. We only had time to visit Hallgrimskirkja Lutheran Church before having dinner.
Day 2: Reykjavik to Landmannalauger
We checked out shortly after 7 am this morning. BSI Bus Terminal was only a very short walk away. Our bus ride from BSI Bus Terminal to Landmannalauger was at 8 am. All the passengers on the bus were hikers.
The ride was long, and we only arrived at Landmannalauger around noon. There was a bathroom stop less than 2 hours from BSI terminal, where there’s a food mart for passengers to purchase lunch and snacks. We were well prepared, so we didn’t need anything extra. Many Laugavegur hikers started hiking right after arrival to reach Hrafntinnusker, which was 12 km away. Since we could not book spots at Hrafntinnusker Hut, we have decided to stay overnight at Landmannalauger Hut. There were many people staying at this hut. Some would only do short local hikes, while others planned to hike the entire Laugavegur Trail like we did.
We first checked into the hut, claimed two berths near the door, had a quick lunch, and were ready to explore the surroundings. Landmannlauger is famous for multicolored rhyolite hills in the area. We started with the Graenagil trail and then continued to climb the very colorful Brennisteinsalda. It wasn’t a difficult climb, and the view from the top was magnificent.
There was a natural hot spring (free of charge!) right by the Landmannlauger Hut. When we stopped by in the evening, the pool was full of tourists. Many people even brought wine and snacks (from Iceland Costco!) to enjoy while soaking in the hot spring.
Day 3: Landmannalauger to Alftavatn (24 km/15 mi)
Since we would have a very long day pushing all the way to Alftavatn, we had to start early today. All the huts on the Laugavegur Trail have quiet time between 11pm and 7am, and it was not possible to use the kitchen before 7am, so we could not start even earlier. The kitchen was full of people starting from 7am, and some travelers had very elaborated breakfast. After a simple breakfast of hot oatmeal and some bread, we started our hike around 8:15am.
The weather was cloudy when we started. The first part of the hike overlapped with yesterday’s local hike. Since we already saw the view yesterday, and we were carrying a 25-lb backpack today, we didn’t enjoy it so much this time. It started to rain a short while, and then it started to snow! We quickly put on all the necessary gear: backpack covers, rain jackets, rain pants, gloves and warm hats (or Buff).
The colorful scenery soon turned into a desolate field of black volcanic rocks and sand. We trudged on. Not too long after the Haalda Trail junction we saw a memorial dedicated to a young solo hiker perished on the trail during a blizzard many years ago. Even though the Laugavegur Trail is considered pretty safe and well-marked with posts, one still shouldn’t take the hike lightly.
We arrived at the Hrafntinnusker Hut around noon with howling winds and falling snow. I was kind of relieved that we didn’t need to stay at this desolate place overnight, even though it meant we had another 12 km to walk. The hut was primitive, and there were no showers. We used the pit toilets there and had some energy bars before pushing on.
The Hrafntinnusker Hut is situated at the highest point of the Laugavegur Trail. I mistakenly assumed that the hiking from there to Alftavatn would be an easy downhill walk, and I soon realized the mistake. This stretch of hike actually involved a lot of ups and downs and had turned out to be the most difficult part of the entire trail. We had to walk through several ice patches with gaping holes. The view was indeed magnificent. We would have enjoyed it more if we were not so exhausted.
We could see the Alftavatn Lake (“Swan Lake”) from the mountain around mid-afternoon. However, it would take us a couple more hours to reach there. In addition to the usual ups and downs, we had to go down a very long stretch of narrow trail and crossed a small creek to reach the Alftavatn Hut. We were the last to arrive and got the last two remaining berths in the hut. There was a new restaurant in Alftavatn. We saw people drinking beers (assuming purchased from the restaurant), but we didn’t visit the restaurant ourselves.
After a hot water show (5 minutes of hot water), we prepared our simple dinner of ramen. There was a guided group staying at the same hut. They had a very elaborated dinner with strawberry cheesecake for dessert! We were really jealous.
It was raining outside when we were ready to go to bed.
Day 4: Alftavatn to Emstrur (15 km/9 mi)
Fortunately, we had very nice weather today. The mountains looked splendid under a new coat of fresh snow. We heard 5 inches of new snow from yesterday!
Since we were exhausted from yesterday’s long hike, we didn’t start until past 9 o’clock. Today we would only walk 15 km (around 9 miles) to reach Emstrur. Compared with yesterday’s walk, this hike was shorter and much flatter. This was really great considering how tired we were.
The red-tipped posts marked the Laugavegur Trail from Landmannlauger were replaced by blue-tipped posts, but the markings were still very obvious and easy to follow. We reached the first river crossing about 1km from the previous hut. We changed into sandals at the riverbank and tied the boots to hang around the neck. Then people formed pairs to cross the river together. The water was mid-calf deep with freezing temperature and strong currents.
About another 1km after the river crossing, we reached the Hvanngil Hut, which was a convenient bathroom stop for us. Some people overnighted here instead of sleeping in the Alftavatn Hut. There would be another similar river crossing before noon.
Instead of multicolored rhyolite hills, we now saw moss-covered green hills around the trail with snowcapped mountains and glaciers far behind them. Dried sea campion was abundant around the trail, but we didn’t see much other vegetation.
Except for the two river crossings, the day of hiking was pretty uneventful. We reached the Emstrur Hut a bit after 3pm. There were 3 cabins here, and we were assigned to Cabin 3. Cabin 2 was completely taken by a guided tour group. Some hikers had already arrived, but Cabin 3 was still about half empty. We quickly grabbed 2 upper berths near the wall. Some young, energetic hikers went out to explore the surroundings, while most of us decided to take it easy and stayed inside the cabin to have some drinks or snacks, and to relax.
One major reason we chose to hike Laugavegur in late August/early September was because we hoped to have a glimpse of the illusive Northern Lights. Great minds think alike. Apparently, most of the fellow hikers had the same idea. We heard some experts mention that there’s 75% of the chance we would see the Northern Lights tonight. Cabin mates all agreed that whoever saw the lights would make an announcement to all.
It was around 10pm, and many of us were already in bed when a guy stormed into the cabin shouting: “I see the lights!” Everyone inside the cabin hurriedly put on warmer clothing and rushed out to see the phenomenon.
We could see the Northern Lights even though the sky was not completely dark. I already knew that the lights wouldn’t be bright green as we have seen in many commercial ads. Indeed, the lights were whitish pale green. It first started only in the north, but gradually we saw a dancing belt across the sky from south to north. Occasionally we also saw some reddish and purplish lights here and there. It’s the first Northern Lights sighting for most of us, and we were all extremely excited. I did try to capture the lights using my simple camera; however, the camera was inadequate, and the effects were not good. On the other hand, Rei’s Samsung cell phone captured the lights really well, better than what we actually saw with the naked eyes! We stayed outside for more than an hour watching the dancing lights. It was mesmerizing.
Day 5: Emstrur to Þorsmork/Thorsmork (15 km/9 mi)
Today we again had a sunny day. With sore shoulders and tired legs (but lighter backpacks), we started our final stretch to reach Þorsmork (or Thorsmork). Almost immediately we reached the Markarfljot Canyon. Two short wooden bridges set above the raging river underneath. After that, the scenery wasn’t too different from yesterday’s. The only highlight for us was the Unicorn Rock on the right-hand side of the trail.
There was a final river crossing to reach Þorsmork. The water was shallower but was still freezing cold. The scenery changed after we crossed the river. We were now in Thor’s realm and there was more vegetation. We even saw some small butterflies.
Shortly we arrived at a sign marking the end of the Laugavegur Trail (or the beginning, if you were hiking from south to north). There was still a short hike to reach the Langidalur Hut, where we arrived around 3:30pm.
The hut had 3 sections: west, south, and north. We were assigned to the south section, which was completely empty at the moment. We picked two bunk beds in a small room with a total of four bunk beds. No one claimed the other two bunks, and we ended up having a “private” small room (though without a door) for the two of us! Sweet!
The showers were empty too, so we could immediately take a shower (again, 500 Kr for 5 minutes of hot water) without waiting. More hikers started to arrive while we were having our early dinner. Not everyone would overnight here. Quite some hikers would take a bus ride to return to Reykjavik instead.
The night sky was as clear as yesterday’s sky, and there was no moon. We were hoping that we would be able to see the Northern Lights again tonight. No such luck. We gave up after about an hour of waiting and went directly to bed.
Day 6: Þorsmork/Thorsmork, back to Reykjavik
Our returning bus ride to Reykjavik was around 2pm, which gave us a chance to explore Þorsmork in the morning. We decided to hike Valahnuker, which was a small hill right by the Langidalur Hut. It wasn’t a difficult climb. We saw a flock of birds, the first since we hiked the Laugavegur Trail! The view from the top was spectacular! We could see both Myrdalsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull clearly!
Instead of taking the same trail back to Langidalur, we hiked another trail leading to Husadalur. This trail was more difficult, but the view was equally fantastic. We reached the Volcano Huts around 11am and decided to wait for the lunch buffet that started at 11:30am. The lady at the reception was very friendly. We asked her about the lodging options in Volcano Huts and found out that they offered better options than the Langudalur Hut but with similar pricing. We should have stayed here instead!
“Maybe next time,” said the nice lady.
The lunch buffet included two kinds of soups (lamb and vegetarian), salad, bread and butter. We thoroughly enjoyed the food, since this was the first “real” meal after several days of oatmeal, energy bars and ramen. There was even coffee and desserts!
It was an easy 30-minute walk back to Langidalur to pick up our backpacks and to catch the 2 o’clock bus back to Reykjavik. The bus drove on the Krossa riverbed, and even crossed several small streams — extra adventure for all of us! Bus passengers were all very busy taking photos.
We also passed several waterfalls, but the bus did not stop. It finally had a short stop at the Lava Center, which consisted of some exhibitions, a small cafe, a store, and (of course!) restrooms. We arrived at the BSI in Reykjavik around 6:45pm. We stayed at the same hotel, which was only a short walk from the BSI.
After checking in and leaving our backpacks in the room, we went out for more sightseeing and dinner. Museums were all closed by then. We walked to HARPA concert hall and the elegant Sun Voyager sculpture. Since it was already quite late, there weren’t a lot of tourists, and we were able to take some nice photos without a crowd.
We had the celebration dinner at Matarkjallarinn (“The Food Cellar”). We even ordered a bottle of white wine!
Day 7: Blue Lagoon, then Home
Our return flight home was in the evening. Today we would relax and enjoy the Blue Lagoon. It was drizzling, but we were not affected.
After checking out the hotel, we walked to the BSI to catch a bus to the Blue Lagoon. Blue Lagoon has been a very popular place for tourists, and it’s required to pre-book a time slot. We booked the 10am entry. Since most clients were tourists, there was even a luggage storage place (550 Kr per luggage).
After shower and changing, we went into the big opaque, light-blue thermos water. It was surely very relaxing! We soaked for about 2 hours.
There was a restaurant and a cafe. We had some sandwiches and coffee at the cafe before catching the 1:40pm bus to Keflavik International Airport. The airport offered many excellent options of souvenir shopping with reasonable prices (i.e., by the Icelandic standard). We loaded up with a lot of Icelandic candies to share with family and friends back home.
Practical Information
Lodging and Transportation
There are 3 options to hike the Laugavegur Trail:
- Book huts from FI (Ferðafélag Íslands; email: fi@fi.is) (about USD $300 per person for 4 huts), and book bus transportation (we used Reykjavik Excursions; about USD $120 per person round-trip). Carry own backpack and cook own food.
- Book a self-guided tour with luggage transportation and pay about double the cost.
- Book a guided tour with luggage transportation and all meals on the trail and pay about three times the cost.
If you want to DIY, you should book huts several months ahead. We booked in February. If you don’t want to do a thru-hike, you can stay at Landmannalauger and/or Porsmork for a couple days and do the day hikes there.
Hut Rules
All the huts we have stayed do not assign berths. People claimed their places after they checked in. Beds only have mats, and you need to bring your own sleeping bags. All the huts we stayed in were pretty warm. I brought a 3-season sleeping bag and felt too warm at night.
All huts have gas stoves, utensils and running water. There is usually a large pot of hot water for everyone to share. There is no need to carry extra water.
People are required to take off their hiking boots in the “mud room” after entering the hut. Indoor shoes or slippers are allowed.
All the huts we have stayed in have hot-water shower, which cost 500 Kr for 5 minutes of hot water. After paying, you will receive a piece of paper with barcode to scan inside the shower. You must bring your own soap, shampoo and towel.
There were no electrical outlets in any huts to charge batteries or cell phones. We brought a solar charger, but it didn’t work very well. (If you stay at the Volcano Huts or have a meal there, you will be able to use their outlets to charge.)
Food
Unless you join a guided tour with all meals included, you will have to carry your own food. We did not visit the restaurant in Alftavatn and therefore could not say what they’ve offered. Once you have arrived in Porsmork, there’s a very good restaurant in Volcano Huts.
We brought oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, bread and energy bars for lunch, and ramen and tea for dinner. We became very hungry at the end of the hike. Fortunately, it was only a short hike.
Packing
It is essential to have a pair of very high-quality, well broken-in, waterproof boots. I could not imagine how people could have hiked the Laugavegur Trail without good hiking poles; however, many people seemed to be able to manage it just fine.
You will definitely need rain gear (rain jacket, rain pants, backpack cover) and warm clothing for this trail. However, it is not necessary to carry too many sets of changing clothes (though you do want to have extra pairs of dry, clean socks to change into). We only showed every other days. Since there were never long lines waiting for the showers, I suspect most people skipped showering from time to time too. We also heard a young guy saying that he didn’t take any shower during the entire hike!
You also need to have a headlight for nighttime trip to the bathrooms, which were always in a different building.
Of course, you need to carry the usual stuff like first-aid kit and personal hygiene needs.
Most of the hikers we met carried Osprey backpacks. We used 50-65L Osprey backpacks to carry all of stuff.
Amy 'n Rei 