Get ready to dive into the wild wonderland of Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail on this women-only adventure! Imagine this: you’re trekking through untamed landscapes shaped by the fiery fury of volcanoes and the icy embrace of glaciers. Everywhere you look, there’s something straight out of a fairy tale. From rainbow mountains and pitch-black deserts to petrified lava fields and lush emerald valleys—every step unveils a new marvel. But your extraordinary guides aren’t just here to point out the obvious—they’ll lead you off the beaten path to discover hidden gems that’ll blow your mind. So grab your gear and let’s embark on an epic journey through Iceland’s natural wonders. This is more than just a hike in one of the globe’s premier hiking destinations—it’s a chance to connect with amazing women and unleash your inner adventurer!
Join your guide and take the public bus from the BSI bus terminal at 07:00. Enjoy a scenic drive along the mountain tracks that lead to Landmannalaugar, passing by the Hekla volcano and other volcanoes in the Dómadalur area. After arriving in Landmannalaugar around noon, have lunch with your group and head south into the mountains! The trail will take you past steaming hot springs, small gorges, and stunning yellow mountain ridges contrasting the blue skies. Hike for about 4 hours and reach the Hrafntinnusker mountain hut, were you will spend the first night of your adventure.
Distance: 12 km (7.5 mi)
Walking time: 4 – 5 hrs
Ascent: 470 m (1540 ft)
After a hearty breakfast at the hut, begin your second day with a descent down to the gullies of Jökultungur and witness the beauty of hundreds of steaming hot springs and mud pools. Soak up the fresh Iceland air and fascinating views to the south to the Álftavatn area, the Swan Lake, and the Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull glaciers. In the afternoon, arrive at Álftavatn hut where you will stay for the night. Relax with your group around the campfire and regain the energy for the next day.
Distance: 12 km (7.5 mi)
Walking time: 4 – 5 hrs
Descent: 490 m (1610 ft)
As you pass the foot of the green conic volcano of Stórasúla, prepare for unbelievable sights of the black deserts of Mælifellssandur. Hike towards another ancient and verdant volcano — the Hattfell — and enter the beautiful Emstrur region that serves as pastures over the summer. Before reaching your hut for the night, the Botnar hut, stop at the magnificent Markarfljót canyon. This hidden gem that cuts almost 200 m down into the rocks south of Hattfell is one of the most impressive and stunning canyons on Iceland but not visited by many. Use the photo ops and enjoy the spectacular views!
Distance: 16 km (10 mi)
Walking time: 6 – 7 hrs
Descent: 40 m (130 ft)
After a peaceful night at the hut, continue your adventure through the small valleys and gullies of Emstrur. Notice the great Mýrdalsjökull glacier that rises only a couple of kilometers away! After several hours of hiking through the Icelandinc wilderness and lush green valleys, descend into Þórsmörk’s (the woods of Thor) filled with arctic birch forests and colorful wildflowers. After arriving at the huts in Þórsmörk, enjoy your last night with your group and a barbecue!
Distance: 17 km (10.5 mi)
Walking time: 6 – 7 hrs
Descent: 300 m (985 ft)
Spend the morning of your last day in Þórsmörk, where you can choose to walk along one of numerous paths. Visit the Sönghellir cave (Song cave) famed for its acoustics or climb up the small mountain of Valahnúkur from where magnificent views can be enjoyed, before taking the afternoon bus to Reykjavík. You should arrive at Reykjavik BSI bus at 19:20. Say your last goodbyes to these unforgettable landscapes, enjoy the moment, and prepare for take-off!
What you get on this adventure:
All of the mountain huts are heated, some have electricity and some have hot water. They have bunk rooms with single and twin beds. Participants have to be prepared to share a bunk with other travelers from the group.
What’s not included:
Optional extras (have to be rented before the tour):
Meals will be prepared by all participants, guides and the team—make food and friends at the same time! Although the guide is usually the leader on the project this can go all ways.
Special dietary supplements, such as vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, gluten free or other supplements, can be accommodated at some extra cost. If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know upon booking.
Bring a water bottle that you can then fill with the tap water at the huts/campsites. Iceland’s water is perfectly safe to drink. There are also several streams along where people tend to get more water from!
For the Laugavegur Trail, you need to be able to hike for full days, carrying a daypack full of your gear. Each day you will hike between four and seven hours. On top of that, volcanic terrain can be challenging and the weather unforgiving. That said, if you are looking for adventure and up to the task of multiple days of full-day trekking, you’ll be rewarded immensely.
In terms of backpack weight, you will only need to carry a smaller day backpack with your lunch, water bottle, medication, sunglasses, river crossing shoes, rain gear, and other items or clothing you might need for the day.
The 6-day tour has extremely steep drop offs along the hiking trail and scrambling with the use of a chain is required both up and down. It is not for those with a fear of heights. Overall, the Laugavegur Trail is a challenging trek.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in warm clothes you can move in. Iceland is home to infamously unpredictable weather, so you need to be prepared with the right gear.
There is a limited space on the luggage trailer, so try to pack light out of consideration to other passengers on the tour and use a a waterproof duffel bag which is easier to store. If you have extra luggage that you would like to leave, we recommend storing luggage at the BSI Bus terminal (fees apply) or another luggage storage space in Reykjavik.
Group sizes and pricing
All-women classic Laugavegur Trail tours can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements
If your group has hikers under the age of 16, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
If you are an individual traveler, you are more than welcome to join the group. The guide will be adding travelers until the minimum group size to confirm the trip can be guaranteed. There are no supplements to individual travelers, as they will share a room.
All rates are based on current purchasing prices in Iceland. Your guides reserve the right to change prices without notice due to inflation, changes in oil prices, government taxes, or any other cost increases that are outside the guide’s control. Your guides will absorb an amount equivalent to 5% of the price. Amounts that exceed the 5% will be charged and clients will be entitled to cancel their booking with a full refund if the surcharge exceeds 10%. Eventual changes in rates will not be made with less than 4 weeks’ notice before departures or on bookings already made and confirmed.
Your guides reserve the right to alter tours and itineraries due to weather or road conditions. All programs can be changed or cancelled at any moment during the trip to assure the safety of the clients and staff. No responsibility is accepted for losses, expenses due to delays, changes of flights, or other services or because of strikes, accidents, sickness, damage, negligence, weather, war, changes in schedules, or other similar causes.
IMG does not assume responsibility for accidents or death that can be traced to the participant’s negligence, acts of third parties or exterior circumstances, such as weather, natural occurrences, war, or other similar causes.
To get to the Laugavegur Trail, most people fly into Keflavík International Airport (KEF) — about three and a half hours away from the trailhead. You can take a bus or a taxi to Reykjavik, where you’ll join your guides who will transport you to the trailhead.
The meeting location is BSI Bus terminal. After joining your guides, a scenic 3.5-hour drive is the only thing separating you from your hiking adventure!
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures on Laugavegur Trail, Iceland, please visit the official Government of Iceland and Official Information about Covid in Iceland websites.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
Iceland, the “Land of Fire and Ice”, has forever lived with volcanic activity. Minor and major eruptions have occurred every few years since the island was formed. Some of Iceland’s appeal, aside from sheer natural beauty, surely stems from this very fact.
However, every new eruption, such as the recent Reykjanes Peninsula fissure, will make some travelers, tourists, and adventurers uneasy, especially given the fact that sensationalist media is not immune to misinformation and speculation.
Since we work with a number of expert local guides in Iceland, we thought we’d share their input and fill you in on what’s actually going on.
First of all, air traffic has not been affected. Flights to and from Keflavík International Airport and Reykjavík Domestic Airport are operating as they always do.
Second, the effects of volcanic activity have been localized, with some roads closed, and all services in Iceland are operating as usual. Reykjavik, the capital, is around 40 km (25 miles) away from the volcanic fissure, and life there is as normal as ever.
And third, trips offered by 57hours are taking place much further away, and are thereby even less likely to be affected by the volcanic activity, being perfectly safe for adventurers. Naturally, the authorities (and guides) are monitoring the situation and doing everything possible to keep both local residents and visitors safe and well informed.
In case you have any additional questions or dilemmas, feel free to get in touch with either your guide or 57hours. For more information, please visit:
https://safetravel.is/
https://www.visiticeland.com/article/volcano-info
Or watch the video with Dr. Matthew Roberts from the Icelandic Meteorological Office explaining the recent volcanic activities in Iceland:
https://youtu.be/QA3-BXYuYrw?feature=shared
Deposits
You can secure one of the set dates with a 30% deposit upon booking. The remaining 70% of the trip price is to be paid 90 days prior to departure, at the latest.
Cancellations
Booking fees are non-refundable in all cases. During checkout, however, you can choose one of 57hours’ flexibility options:
Basic
Flexible
Super Flexible
Early Bird booking
Want to be the first one to know when we publish new dates or secure your spot well in advance? Select a future month that suits you best and lock in your Early Bird spot in time with just a 10% deposit.
As soon as our guides publish new tour dates, you’ll be the first one to know. We’ll hold your spot for 2 weeks until you choose the date that suits you best.
More about how Early Bird bookings work below:
All cancellations must be made by e-mail. You can read more about our Terms of service here.
