Included: An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area 3-day Icelandic Highlands tour Accommodation for 2 nights at huts All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), from lunch on Day 1 through lunch on Day 3 Pick-up and drop-off in Reykjavik Free WiFi on the bus Necessary safety equipment Add-ons (available to add at checkout): Equipment rental — hiking boots, waterproof jacket, waterproof pants, hiking poles, sleeping bag Special diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies) Not included: Flights to Iceland Sleeping bag Personal gear & clothing Anything not mentioned in the “Included” section above Insurance — recommended, available to add at checkout Guide gratuities — optional

How fit do I need to be?

To join this Icelandic Highlands tour, good fitness is required . You’ll be hiking for 3 days in a row, with the second day being the toughest—you’ll cover 15-18 km (9-11 mi) and gain up to 800 m (2,624 ft) , which should take 7-8 hours. Other days are shorter and easier, check out the itinerary for day-by-day distances and elevation changes. Want to see what else is there in the area? Discover more Iceland adventures here !

What do I need to bring?

Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring. Your guides offer some equipment rental —you can add it to your booking at checkout. Day pack large enough to carry everything you might need throughout the day (around a 25-40L bag) Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity) Travel sack for baggage transported between huts River crossing shoes (old sneakers or similar) Hiking poles — rental available Sleeping bag — rental available Hiking boots — rental available Waterproof pants — rental available Waterproof jacket — rental available Comfortable hiking clothes Swimsuit & towel Gaiters Thermal underwear Warm hat & gloves Spare clothes for layering Sunhat Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, tissues, etc.) Headlamp or flashlight Sunglasses Camera — optional (but recommended) Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

Group sizes and age requirements

Group sizes and pricing For this Icelandic Highlands tour , the usual client-to-guide ratio is 16 :1. It takes a minimum of 2 people for this tour to operate. The maximum group size is set at 16 participants . Icelandic Highlands tours can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements. Min. age requirements If you are older than 18, you’re good to go. Minors older than 10 may be permitted to join the Icelandic Highlands tour on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian. If your group has participants under the age of 18 , contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

Getting there and meeting location

The starting point of this Icelandic Highlands tour is Reykjavík . To get there, most people fly into Keflavík International Airport (KEF) . From there, you can take a bus, shuttle, or taxi to Reykjavík. It is recommended to arrive at least one day before the tour. If you’re flying in from the U.S. or will be landing early (4-6:30am), you should be able to join the tour, but some risks would follow (i.e., if the flight gets delayed) and could miss out on the tour. This is, therefore, not recommended! Accommodation for the night prior to the tour is at your arrangement. You will meet your guide at 7 am on Day 1 at one of the available pick-up spots. At checkout, you’ll be able to choose your preferred pick-up spot. Please note that it can take around 30 minutes to pick everyone up.

Safety measures and insurance

We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout. Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.

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REYKJAVIK | ICELAND

Hiking Hidden Iceland: 3-Day Highlands Tour

3 days | Moderate | 5.00

From $1,306 ()

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Three days, deep in the hidden Highlands of Landmannalaugar, Grænihryggur, & Háifoss—this is the hike we point to when time is short but curiosity runs high! We head straight into one of Iceland’s most surreal landscapes, walking past rainbow-colored mountains, lava fields, and steaming ground, with Grænihryggur’s emerald ridge as the star of the show. Nights are spent in simple mountain huts, mornings open and quiet. Along the way we visit thundering waterfalls like Háifoss, soak in natural hot springs, and feel Iceland under every step. If there’s one short trip that captures the wild heart of the country, this is it.

Adventure Highlights

Everything taken care of: Pick-up in Reykjavík, meals from day one to day three, mountain huts, safety gear, and a local guide—all included, so we just hike
Wild highlights, up close: Grænihryggur’s emerald ridge, Háifoss canyon, steaming geothermal valleys, lava fields, and some of the Highlands’ most striking waterfalls
Iceland, the slow way: Exploring on foot and staying in mountain huts lets us feel the landscape fully—quiet mornings, long views, and no rush anywhere

Duration

3 days

Season

June through September

Group size

Up to 16 people

The adventure, day by day

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Come join our Icelandic Highlands 3-day tour, an adventure built for travellers who want maximum Highlands magic with zero planning stress. We handle everything—transport from Reykjavík, meals, mountain hut stays, safety gear, and expert guiding—so the days flow easily from trail to hot spring. Hiking routes are carefully chosen to showcase the best of the region without rushing, leaving time to soak, explore, and enjoy the rhythm of the mountains. It’s a smooth, well-supported way to experience one of Iceland’s most surreal landscapes in just a few unforgettable days.

Day 1: Laugahringur loop & hot springs

We start early in Reykjavík and drive straight into the Icelandic Highlands, passing vast lava fields and enjoying views of Hekla, one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes. By midday, we arrive in Landmannalaugar, a geothermal oasis surrounded by vividly colored rhyolite mountains. After settling into our mountain huts and enjoying lunch, we head out on the Laugahringur loop. We cross the dark lava flows of Laugahraun, climb the steaming slopes of Brennisteinsalda, and descend into the green-hued Grænagil canyon, where the colors shift dramatically. In the afternoon, we return for a relaxing soak in the natural hot spring before dinner and a quiet evening in the huts.

Hiking: 4.5-6 km (2.8-3.7 mi), 2-3 hours
Elevation gain: 200-300 m (656-984 ft)
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Mountain hut

Day 2: Grænihryggur hike

After breakfast, we set out for the highlight of the trip, the Grænihryggur hike. A short drive brings us deeper into the Fjallabak Nature Reserve, where sweeping valleys, volcanic ridges, and striking color contrasts define the landscape. The trail leads across bright green slopes that glow against black sands and deep blue lakes, creating one of the most surreal scenes in the Highlands. We pause for a packed lunch surrounded by this otherworldly scenery before continuing our trek. Returning to Landmannalaugar in the afternoon, we reward ourselves with another soak in the hot springs followed by a hearty dinner at the huts.

Hiking: 15-18 km (9-11 mi), 7-8 hours
Elevation gain: 800 m (2,624 ft)
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Mountain hut

Day 3: Fjallabak Nature Reserve to Reykjavík

After breakfast, we pack up and begin the scenic journey back toward Reykjavík, stopping at several remarkable natural sites along the way. Our first stop is Ljótipollur crater, where deep red volcanic slopes surround a striking blue lake. We continue to Sigöldufoss, a series of turquoise waterfalls cascading over dark lava cliffs, and visit Háifoss, Iceland’s second-highest waterfall plunging into a dramatic canyon. A short hike takes us closer to the river for excellent views and a packed lunch. Before returning to the city, we explore the lush oasis of Gjáin, home to clear streams, mossy landscapes, and the twin falls of Hjálparfoss. We arrive in Reykjavík in the early evening.

Hiking: 4 km (2.5 mi), 1.5-2 hours
Elevation gain: 170 m (558 ft)
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch

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Lodging

Mountain huts

We’ll spend two nights in authentic Icelandic mountain huts, offering simple, dormitory-style lodging that’s part of the Highlands experience. Showers are available at each hut or campsite for a small fee (paid directly to the warden), and restrooms are equipped with toilet paper and hand soap. For personal items such as shampoo, towels, or basic toiletries, we’ll need to bring our own. There’s no Wi-Fi in the huts, though occasional 3G/4G signal can be found near some huts or along the trail—connection is limited and best not relied on.

A single occupancy room is not available. You will be staying at the huts, where you can expect dormitory-style lodging featuring single, double, and twin bunk beds—so be prepared to share a room, sometimes a bed, with your fellow travelers.

Adventure, packed to go

Hiking Hidden Iceland: 3-Day Highlands Tour

Adventure Brochure

Adventure brochure

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What others say about this adventure

5.00 (7 reviews)

Wei

Highly recommended this hiking tour. Have enough time to enjoy the fantastic landscapes of highland and not too tired. Our guide-Heiðdís (hope spell right 2025-08-08 tour) was kind and experienced, she took care of the whole group during the tour and cooked delicious meals for us. felt so luck to have her as our guide. Our group was blessed with mother nature to have 3 wonderful days in highland. I took some pictures of the hiking group. Hope sharing with them.

Pamela

An incredible three days of hiking in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. Our guide, Nik, was amazing , kind, professional, and incredibly supportive throughout. I highly recommend bringing hiking poles, as the trail has plenty of ups and downs and they really make a difference! Truly one of the best choices you can make if you’re looking for an unforgettable experience!!!

Stacey Bateman

Landmannalauger is a stunning place and the scenery lived up to expectations, glad i went for the three day trip rather than just one. The hikes were good day hikes, 4-8 hrs 6-13km with decent elevation and conditions were quite windy so probably more suited to people with some hiking experience but ultra fitness is not required. Our guide clearly loves this place and was interesting, accommodating and an excellent cook! Fish stew, roast lamb on the BBQ and porridge for breakfast! Altogether amazing three days and highlight of my Iceland trip.

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Wei

Pamela

Stacey Bateman

Helen L

Landmannalaugar is a must-see for hikers of all ability levels. What a fantastic tour! The skilled bus driver made sure we arrived safely after traversing some ‘4WD’ roads, including several water crossings. The hut we stayed in was well appointed, and our tour guide (Vjeran) was extremely professional. He was knowledgeable about the area (and Iceland in general), took into account the different ability levels of the group members, was fun to be with, had great and interesting stories and can cook a mean leg of lamb on the BBQ. The three hikes we did were absolutely amazing, with diverse scenery and fantastic view points. This trip definitely exceeded expectations.

Global Traveller

Absolute highlight of our holiday! 3 days in one of the most stunning places on earth. We were promptly picked up from Reykjavik and once at Landmannalaugar, our guide Throstur introduced himself and settled us into the hut (which is clean and cosy -definitely bring good ear plugs). Throstur was the best guide, helpful and friendly and engaging. He gave us plenty of information on what to expect for each hike, therefore making it easy for us to decide what to wear and bring. On the hikes we had plenty of rest stops and opportunities to take photos. We had a fantastic little group, everyone was friendly and mucked in with preparing food and cleaning up etc. We enjoyed the thermal pool after a long hike and even though there were plenty of people, it didn’t feel too crowded. We also enjoyed the Mountain Mall and got some beers to go with Throstur’s expertly bbq-ed lamb on evening 2. I can highly recommended Throstur, we had the most amazing few days.

Tanya Sipling

3 days in Landmannalaugar – highly recommended! Our tour was the 3 days Highlights of Landmannalaugar, our guide was Throstur and there were 8 of us in total. We spent 3 days in one of the most stunning places on earth with a great guide who was helpful, funny and engaging. On every hike we had plenty of rest stops and opportunities to take photos, each hike was discussed and described so we could make the right decisions on what to wear and bring for the day and everyone helped either making dinner or did the cleaning up and putting away. The thermal pool was a great bonus after a long hike. The hut was ok, clean and cosy and the facilities are close by and cleaned regularly. The Mountain Mall was a great addition to Throstur’s bbq lamb (which was done to perfection). I cannot praise the tour, company and guide enough. Highly recommended.

Joshua B

This was an incredible and rewarding experience. Our guide, Deyan was wonderful and thoughtful. He went above and beyond to make sure that everyone was comfortable with the terrain and prepared for the hike. His expertise really showed and set the bar extremely high for the rest of our trip. The landscape in Landmannalaugar is not to be missed and even better when viewed from a mountain peak. A truly worthwhile (at times challenging!) hike.

Things to know

Included:
- - An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  - 3-day Icelandic Highlands tour
  - Accommodation for 2 nights at huts
  - All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), from lunch on Day 1 through lunch on Day 3
  - Pick-up and drop-off in Reykjavik
  - Free WiFi on the bus
  - Necessary safety equipment
Add-ons (available to add at checkout):
- - Equipment rental — hiking boots, waterproof jacket, waterproof pants, hiking poles, sleeping bag
  - Special diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies)
Not included:
- - Flights to Iceland
  - Sleeping bag
  - Personal gear & clothing
  - Anything not mentioned in the “Included” section above
  - Insurance — recommended, available to add at checkout
  - Guide gratuities — optional
To join this Icelandic Highlands tour, good fitness is required. You’ll be hiking for 3 days in a row, with the second day being the toughest—you’ll cover 15-18 km (9-11 mi) and gain up to 800 m (2,624 ft), which should take 7-8 hours. Other days are shorter and easier, check out the itinerary for day-by-day distances and elevation changes.

Want to see what else is there in the area? Discover more Iceland adventures here!
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring. Your guides offer some equipment rental—you can add it to your booking at checkout.
- - Day pack large enough to carry everything you might need throughout the day (around a 25-40L bag)
  - Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity)
  - Travel sack for baggage transported between huts
  - River crossing shoes (old sneakers or similar)
  - Hiking poles — rental available
  - Sleeping bag — rental available
  - Hiking boots — rental available
  - Waterproof pants — rental available
  - Waterproof jacket — rental available
  - Comfortable hiking clothes
  - Swimsuit & towel
  - Gaiters
  - Thermal underwear
  - Warm hat & gloves
  - Spare clothes for layering
  - Sunhat
  - Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, tissues, etc.)
  - Headlamp or flashlight
  - Sunglasses
  - Camera — optional (but recommended)
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

Got everything you need? Grab your gear through Active Junky and earn cash back on top outdoor brands — plus a $10 bonus on your first $25+ purchase. Shop now at Active Junky!
Group sizes and pricing
- - For this Icelandic Highlands tour, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 16:1.
  - It takes a minimum of 2 people for this tour to operate. The maximum group size is set at 16 participants.
Icelandic Highlands tours can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements
- - If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  - Minors older than 10 may be permitted to join the Icelandic Highlands tour on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
A single occupancy room is not available on this Icelandic Highlands tour. You will be staying at the huts, where you can expect dormitory-style lodging featuring single, double, and twin bunk beds—so be prepared to share a room, sometimes a bed, with your fellow travelers.
The starting point of this Icelandic Highlands tour is Reykjavík. To get there, most people fly into Keflavík International Airport (KEF). From there, you can take a bus, shuttle, or taxi to Reykjavík.

It is recommended to arrive at least one day before the tour. If you’re flying in from the U.S. or will be landing early (4-6:30am), you should be able to join the tour, but some risks would follow (i.e., if the flight gets delayed) and could miss out on the tour. This is, therefore, not recommended! Accommodation for the night prior to the tour is at your arrangement.

You will meet your guide at 7 am on Day 1 at one of the available pick-up spots. At checkout, you’ll be able to choose your preferred pick-up spot. Please note that it can take around 30 minutes to pick everyone up.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.

Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Deposits

Secure your spot with a 30% deposit upon booking! The remaining 70% of the trip price must be paid 90 days prior to departure at the latest. If booking within 90 days of departure, the full amount is required at the time of booking.

Cancellations

Booking fees are non-refundable after a 48-hour grace period. During checkout, however, you can choose one of 57hours’ flexibility options—Basic, Flexible, or Super Flexible. Depending on which one you choose, a different cancellation policy will apply to your booking.

Basic
- - If cancelled within 48 hours of booking, a full refund will be issued.
  - If cancelled 90 or more days before departure, a 70% refund of the total trip price will be issued.
  - If cancelled within 89 days of departure, no refund will be issued.
Flexible
- - If cancelled within 48 hours of booking, a full refund will be issued.
  - If cancelled 90 or more days before departure, a full refund of the total trip price will be issued.
  - If cancelled 60-89 days before departure, a 50% refund of the total trip price will be issued.
  - If cancelled within 59 days of departure, no refund will be issued.
Super Flexible
- - If cancelled within 48 hours of booking, a full refund will be issued.
  - If cancelled 60 or more days before departure, a full refund of the total trip price will be issued.
  - If cancelled within 59 days of departure, a 50% refund of the total trip price will be issued.

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