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Iceland Hiking Retreat: 5-Day Mindful Highlands Trek
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Redpoint travel protection
Weather shifts, flights cancel. Core and Premium include Redpoint travel protection to cover you when they do. Standard follows 57hours' booking policy. See full coverage
Every booking, whichever you pick
Cancel within 48h of booking 100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason) 70% refund
Full coverage details
Basic Standard terms Most popular Core protection Recommended Premium protection
Cancel within 48h of booking
100% refund 100% refund 100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason)
70% refund 70% refund 75% refund
Cancel any time (Covered reason)
75% refund 100% refund
Cancel any time (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Cancel under 60 days (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Travel: canceled flights, lost baggage, delays
Up to $1,000 p.p. Up to $1,000 p.p.
Rescue, evacuation, and medical coverage
Up to $100,000 p.p. Up to $100,000 p.p.
Basic Standard terms
Cancel within 48h of booking
100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason)
70% refund
Cancel any time (Covered reason)
Cancel any time (Any or no reason)
Cancel under 60 days (Any or no reason)
Travel: canceled flights, lost baggage, delays
Rescue, evacuation, and medical coverage
Most popular Core protection
Cancel within 48h of booking
100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason)
70% refund
Cancel any time (Covered reason)
75% refund
Cancel any time (Any or no reason)
Cancel under 60 days (Any or no reason)
Travel: canceled flights, lost baggage, delays
Up to $1,000 p.p.
Rescue, evacuation, and medical coverage
Up to $100,000 p.p.
Recommended Premium protection
Cancel within 48h of booking
100% refund
Cancel 60+ days before departure (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Cancel any time (Covered reason)
100% refund
Cancel any time (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Cancel under 60 days (Any or no reason)
75% refund
Travel: canceled flights, lost baggage, delays
Up to $1,000 p.p.
Rescue, evacuation, and medical coverage
Up to $100,000 p.p.
Cancellation policy

The percentages in the table above are of the full trip price, not of what you’ve paid at the time of booking.

Cancellations made within 48 hours of booking receive a full refund on all plans, including booking fees and insurance. After the 48-hour window, your refund depends on your selected protection plan and when you cancel. Core and Premium plans extend your cancellation rights beyond the Standard policy:

  • With Core, a covered reason gets you 75% of your trip cost back — even the day before you go.
  • With Premium, a covered reason gets you 100% of your trip cost back — and any other reason gets you 75%, right up to the day you leave.
What counts as a covered reason
  • Sudden illness or injury — yours, a travel companion’s, or an immediate family member’s, confirmed by a doctor
  • Death of a traveler or an immediate family member
  • A natural disaster affecting your destination or your departure point
  • A government travel advisory against travel to your destination

Changing your mind isn’t a covered reason. Premium is the only plan that covers that. Documentation is required for all insurance claims.

Everything the travel insurance covers

Both plans include travel insurance through Redpoint Travel Protection. Core insures 75% of your trip cost; Premium insures 100%.

Maximum per person:

  • Trip cancellation — up to 100% of your trip cost
  • Cancel for any reason — up to 75% of your trip cost (Premium only)
  • Trip interruption — 150% of the trip cost limit
  • Trip delay — $200 a day, $1,000 max
  • Itinerary change — $250
  • Single occupancy supplement — up to 100% of trip cost
  • Missed connection — $1,000
  • Travel inconvenience — $250 each, $750 max
  • Pet return — $1,000 per pet
  • Baggage and personal effects — $2,500, max $300 an item
  • Baggage delay — $600, after 12 hours
  • Baggage delivery — $100 per trip
  • Emergency medical expenses — $100,000
  • Medical evacuation and repatriation — up to $1,000,000

These are maximums. What a claim actually pays depends on what you can document and on the policy’s exclusions — pre-existing conditions and undeclared activities among them. We’ll send the full policy wording with your confirmation.

Reserve deposit (30%) $0
Second Payment Amount: $0
Iceland Hiking Retreat: 5-Day Mindful Highlands Trek
Itinerary
Iceland Hiking Retreat: 5-Day Mindful Highlands Trek
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Number of travelers
1 Person
  • Iceland Hiking Retreat: 5-Day Mindful Highlands Trek
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  • This 5-day guided hiking retreat takes you deep into Iceland's southern Highlands, starting with a day among the colorful peaks and hot springs of Landmannalaugar. From there, you follow the little-traveled Strútstigur route from Hólaskjól to Álftavötn, Strútskali, and Hvanngil. Days mix moderate trail time, up to 21 km (13 mi), with slower, mindful practices like quiet hiking, sit-spots, and journaling. You'll spend four nights in simple mountain huts with shared dorms. All meals from dinner on Day 1 to lunch on Day 5 are included, and they're mostly vegetarian and vegan. Luggage is transferred between huts, so you only carry a daypack, and transport from Reykjavík and back is covered.

    • We meet at 6:30 am at the BSÍ bus terminal in Reykjavík and take the highland bus to Landmannalaugar in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve. We spend the day on its many shorter trails, crossing the thick Laugahraun lava field or summiting Brennisteinsalda or Bláhnúkur, some of Iceland’s most colorful mountains, and soaking in the natural thermal pool. It’s a gentle threshold between the world we’ve left behind and the journey ahead. In the late afternoon, we’re driven deeper into the Highlands to the Hólaskjól Highland Center, where we spend the night and share our first dinner together.

      Meals: Dinner
      Accommodation: Mountain hut
      Hiking distance: 5–10 km (3–6 mi), depending on trails chosen
      Elevation gain: Varies by trails chosen

      hikers icelandic higlands

    • We follow the Huldufoss waterfall and the Syðri Ófæra river to Álftavötn lake. It’s a quiet, slow day, with plenty of time to take in the landscape, sit-spot practices, and breaks along the way. We’ll cross several rivers, our first encounters with Iceland’s cold waters, and these crossings quickly become a practice of their own, bringing us straight into the present moment. Álftavötn sits within a canyon, giving our group the perfect space to settle into our practices and into each other’s company.

      Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
      Accommodation: Mountain hut
      Hiking distance: 7 km (4.3 mi)
      Elevation gain: 119 m (390 ft)

      river iceland lush

    • Today is a full day of hiking across the Highlands on little-used trails, through ever-changing landscapes of rhyolite mountains, hot springs, and green valleys. The terrain is hilly in places, but we mostly walk through flat valleys. There’s one short river crossing, where we’ll use our trekking poles and wading shoes, and we stop to recharge at the remote geothermal pool of Strútslaug. By the end of the day, we arrive at the Strútskali hut, our home for the next two nights.

      Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
      Accommodation: Mountain hut
      Hiking distance: 21 km (13 mi)
      Elevation gain: 775 m (2,543 ft)

      Volcano hiking in Iceland

    • We spend the day immersed in the landscapes around the hut. Depending on the weather, you can summit Strútur, hike to the iconic Mælifell, or head toward Torfajökull, a glacier-capped rhyolite volcano. If you’d rather slow down, you’re free to stay back and relax at the hut. In the evening, we gather for a festive dinner to celebrate our last night together in the Highlands.

      Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
      Accommodation: Mountain hut
      Hiking distance: Up to 13 km (8 mi), optional
      Elevation gain: 425 m (1,394 ft), optional

      strutur hiking

    • On our final day, we cross the glacial sand deserts and wetlands below Mýrdalsjökull, taking in the vast, desolate beauty of the Highlands as we pass through parts of the great Mælifellssandur. Toward the end, the group can split in two: one hikes over a mountain peak, while the other continues across the plains. We finish at the Hvanngil hut on the Laugavegur trail, where our bus picks us up for the drive back to Reykjavík, arriving in the evening. If you’d like to keep going, you can continue on your own to Þórsmörk, so just let us know beforehand.

      Meals: Breakfast, lunch
      Hiking distance: 13 km (8 mi)
      Elevation gain: 169 m (554 ft)

      lush highlands of iceland

    • Included:

        • An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area
        • 5-day Iceland hiking retreat
        • Accommodation for 4 nights in mountain huts
        • All meals from dinner on Day 1 to lunch on Day 5
        • Transport from Reykjavík to the trailhead and back
        • Luggage transfer between huts

      Not included:

        • Flights to and from Iceland
        • Transportation to the meeting point (BSÍ bus terminal Reykjavik)
        • Snacks between meals
        • Sleeping bag
        • Hiking poles
        • Showers in the huts (payable on site)
        • Anything not mentioned in the “Included” section above
        • Insurance — recommended, available to add at checkout
        • Guide gratuities — optional

    • This retreat requires a good level of fitness. Expect hiking up to 8 hours and 21 km (13 mi) per day, with up to 775 m (2,540 ft) of elevation.

      The terrain in the Icelandic Highlands can include volcanic landscapes, rocky trails, and occasional river crossings. Weather conditions can change quickly, so participants should be comfortable spending long days outdoors with a daypack.

      It’s recommended to prepare for the trip by doing practice day hikes before the tour while carrying a 7–10 kg (15–22 lb) backpack. Luggage transfers between huts are included in this trip.

      Want to see what else is there in the area? Discover more Iceland hiking tours here!

    • Clothing and footwear:

        • Layered clothing (base layer, insulating mid-layer, waterproof outer layer)
        • Hat and gloves
        • Buff or neck gaiter
        • Extra dry clothes
        • Moisture-wicking socks
        • Sturdy waterproof hiking boots
        • River crossing shoes (lightweight sneakers or sandals)

      Gear:

        • Daypack (20–40 L)
        • Extra bag for transported luggage (waterproof preferred)
        • Trekking poles (recommended)
        • Sleeping bag
        • Water bottle or hydration pack
        • Headlamp or torch
        • Snacks
        • Sunglasses and sunscreen
        • Toiletries and towel
        • Camera
        • Notebook for journaling
        • Earplugs (optional) 

      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 Iceland hiking retreat, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 8:1. 
        • It takes a minimum of 8 people for this tour to operate. The maximum group size is set at 14 participants.

      An Iceland hiking retreat 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 younger than 18 may be permitted to join the Iceland hiking retreat 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 Iceland hiking retreat because you’ll be staying at huts which feature dormitory-style lodging.

    • The starting point of your Iceland hiking retreat is Reykjavik. To get there, most people fly into Keflavík International Airport (KEF). From there, you can take a shuttle service or a taxi to reach the BSÍ bus terminal in Reykjavik.

      You will meet your guides at 6:30 am at the BSÍ Bus Terminal in Reykjavík on Day 1.

    • 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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