The Laugavegur Trail is located in southern Iceland and over a pleasant four-day hike, exhibits everything Iceland is essentially famous for. Beginning in the highlands. full of hot springs and geysers, passing through endless lava fields and glaciers, it ends in the renowned valley at Porsmork filled with spikey mountains and volcanos.
Quick Facts
- Distance: 55km/34mi
- Time needed: 4 days (recommended)
- Highest point: 1059 metres
- Lowest point: 40 metres
- Total elevation gain: 539 metres
- Best time to hike: June-August
- Permits: None, although wildcamping is not permitted other than at huts.
- Difficulty: Moderate – difficult
Highlights
- Well marked path
- Extremely contrasting natural landscapes
- Useful huts with friendly, helpful wardens
- A great hike for first-timers
- Wide open views the entire way
- Completely wild with no signs of civilisation anywhere
- Many additional short walks at each location
Lowlights
- Sharing the trail with a lot of other people, especially in July and August
- Short days of walking
- Weather can be unpredictable
Best time to hike
Its a balancing act between avoiding the busiest times versus lucking out on the good weather. The huts open mid June and close again in early September so the summer hiking season is short. Best weather is almost guaranteed in July and the first half of August but after that, Iceland becomes victim to the changing seasons and ocean currents. In early June ground temperatures can be cold, rivers high, and much of the snow is yet to melt which isn’t ideal if you are inexperienced with snow. I went in late August when rivers were low, and luckily a gap in bad weather meant I avoided rain every day but one, and there were no gales.
If I was to go again, I would plan for the start of July to hopefully avoid crowds and give the weather a chance to stabilise/warm up. Regardless, its been known to become windy and wet at any time during summer, and the best thing to do when you arrive is ask the hut warden for advice on the forecast for the day.
How long does it take?
The official Laugavegur Trail is a suggested four day hike, however these days are more like half days on the trail which is why it is an excellent option for your fist long-distance hike. The trail could easily be completed in two days but I didn’t want to rush my time on it (and it was my first hike). Fimmvordhals mountain pass is a popular 1-2 day extension to the Laugavegur Trail which continues to Skogar near the coast. Being my first long distance hike, I was wrecked by the end but Fimmvordhals looks spectacular and I would make this a priority if I could go again by preparing with other mountains.
Difficulty
The trail is wide and well marked the entire way. The technicality is minimal as most of the terrain is crossing lava fields, volcanic sands and stony valleys and ridges. There are a few places where the trail is briefly very steep and rocky. River crossings are hardest especially at the beginning of summer when rivers are deepest because of melting snow, or after a lot of rain. Late August I didn’t find them challenging as none came above my knees. Weather can be unpredictable but if you are well prepared with suitable clothing and a strong tent, it shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Hut wardens are there to advise of the forecast for day or night and will not let anyone hike in terrible conditions.
Elevation
The most amount of height gained in a day is 490 metres as the trail passes up over the highlands from Landmannalaugar to Hrafntinnusker. The next day, to Alftnavatn, most of it is descended again, and continues to descend to almost sea level in Porsmork. The constant descent is one reason why the tourist association recommends hiking the trail North to South bound (SOBO). Along the trail there are magnificent vistas which pop out of nowhere from behind a small peak standing in the way.
Weather
It is no surprise that Tourism Iceland advise to prepare for every kind of weather when hiking in Iceland. I took a satellite tracking device with me after I read that some hikers once died on a mountain crossing not far from a hut because weather worsened, fog descended and they became lost. When the sun comes out, however it can become very warm quickly and I had a sun hat on hand. I also carried a pair of sunglasses and a Buff for the lava field crossing between Alftnavatn and Emstrur (which is many, many kilometres) because when the wind picks up, it whips volcanic sand in your face.
Because I was camping along the trail, I took a tent I knew would be able to stand up to all conditions, including wind, which was my biggest fear since the wardens can cancel hiking during a day forecasted with strong winds. Not to mention, during the night I certainly wanted to sleep!
Budget
The cost of hiking Laugavegur is not a lot if you bring all your food, carry your pack, and camp (which I did). To stay in a campsite (where no reservation is required) costs around 12-15 euro. Transport to and from the trail heads is around 30 euro, and if you want to use the shower its a 5er. Entry into the huts is only permitted to those staying there however if your gear is wet, it is possible to access a drying room in there although I don’t know the price. The huts also sell food, albeit it pricey.
Transportation to and from Trailheads
The only way to the trail head is by bus, and there are two bus companies (Reykjavik Tours and Trex) that operate transfers between Reykjavik, Landmannalaugar and Porsmork throughout the hiking season. Bus tickets must be pre-purchased and in advance to your journeys, an email must be sent to the company indicating your travelling plans. The system sounds unnecessary and complicated – especially for just one passenger – but the whole transport system in Iceland follows this method and after becoming familiar and seeing its efficiency, it is a very clever way to reduce/increase services on demand in a most environmentally friendly way.
The companies are still flexible, however and the drivers do their best to accommodate unplanned passengers. I found it slightly difficult when booking my pickup from Porskmork: there’s three different huts within a 50 minute drive of each other. It turned out my booking was made for Basar hut but I stayed at Langidular and this confused the driver – but he still let me on the bus!
Food and water
There is plenty of clear, fresh glacial water along the entire trail with many opportunities to refill. The tourist association claims the water in Iceland is so clean that you don’t have to filter it. So I didn’t. Being a four day hike, I carried all my food – including water, snacks, meals and coffee – in one haul, but every hut sells dehydrated meals, snacks, sweets and drinks. In Alftnavatn and Porsmork (Volcano Huts) you can dine in a restaurant.
Insects
There was no issues with any insects (crawling or flying) while I was there, and in some places the campsite was beside a lake or stream. Neither did I have any problems with pests eating through my things to get at food.
Backpacking gear
When choosing what to bring on a hike, the most important things to keep in mind are (1) weight, (2) whether you have something suitable for every condition anticipated, and (3) you have just what you need – no more, no less. Keeping the weight down can be expensive but it really makes a difference to how much you enjoy yourself. Main weight saving items are tent, sleeping bag, and spare clothing items (you might need less than you think). Here are some of the items I chose and why. The full Lighterpack list can be found here.
Tent. Luxe Hexpeak v4a trekking pole fly and SOL bivi to protect my sleeping bag from dampness. This tent is bombproof and can stand to any weather I’ve thrown at it. The fly itself it around 600g but the downside is that to have a fully storm-proof pitch, there are 16 pegging points which add to the overall weight of the shelter significantly. The upside is that there is a brilliant amount of space inside for chilling.
Backpack. I used the Sierra Design Flex Capacitor as my total gear load came to nearly 60 litres. The pack itself is lightweight (1.1kg) and carries all weights very well. My initial load came in at around 14kg, 2kg of which being food and 1kg, water. Inside I used a pack liner so I didn’t have to take it off to install a rain cover.
Sleeping bag. I wanted to take my quilt which has a comfort limit of 0°C but I was worried I may not be warm enough in late August when summer is already on the way out in Iceland, so I opted for the Rab Ascent 900 (-10°) which isn’t the lightest on the market but with Pertex Quantum and hydrophobic treated down, it came with a nearly bombproof reassurance that I will be warm and dry.
Sleeping pad. I’d recently bought a Thermarest NeoAir Xlite but didn’t have a lot of practise with it so I took a Thermarest NeoAir All Season – even though it was loosing about 30-40% of air overnight. It was also a little heavier but hey, the devil you know is better than the one you don’t.
Footwear. I wore a pair of The North Face Hedgehog mid boots with Sealskinz waterproof socks because Futurelight fabric leaks quite a lot. I’d never walked that far in the boots before so I discovered after a few days where I got blisters and treated them with plasters. Despite carrying a fairly heavy load, I found them supportive and would wear something similar again (currently on the Salomon Ultra 4 mid). For camp, I carried a pair of Crocs which I also used for river crossings. They were excellent for helping my feet to breathe and relax every afternoon.
Cook system. I opted for my most lightweight cooking set up as I only needed to boil water. I took 500ml of Methylated Spirits to use in my Trangia burner and a 550ml GSI Outdoors Bottlecup to boil it all up in.
OUTDOORSY GIRL 
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