Landscapes of the Volcanic Highlands

DAY 1 | PARIS / REYKJAVIK

Flight to Reykjavik on a regular flight. Transfer by regular bus to downtown Reykjavik. Arrival at Hotel Klettur. Check-in to your standard room. Dinner on your own. Overnight stay.

DAY 2 | REYKJAVIK / HVANNGIL / MÆLIFELLSSANDUR

1.5 hours of driving – 1.5 hours on a track – approx. 5 hours of hiking – approx. 15 km – Altitude 550 m > 563 m

Meet your guide early in the morning at 7:30 AM at Reykjavik’s central bus station (BSI) in hiking gear, with your main travel bag packed and your backpack on your shoulder (don’t forget your hiking sandals for the first river crossing). Depart for a three-hour drive through the southern plains, then along the Fjallabak south track, which slowly climbs into the highlands through pastures and moss-covered lava fields. Here you can admire the alignment of mountain ranges, all perfectly parallel and aligned in the same direction: the direction of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that crosses Iceland from north to south. In favorable weather, you can see three large ice caps: Mýrdalsjökull, Eyjafjallajökull, and Tíndafjallajökull. Arrive in Hvanngil early in the afternoon.

DAY 3 | CROSSING MÆLIFELLSSANDUR

Approx. 5 hours of hiking – approx. 15 km – Altitude 550 m > 563 m

Exiting the Hvanngil hills, we suddenly emerge onto the strange flatness of the black sand Mælifellssandur, bordered by the imposing Myrdalsjökull ice cap. On the other side of the sand, we cross stands the perfect, solitary cone of Mælifell, covered in fluorescent moss, like a telluric Mont Saint Michel. To the east of this small desert, we reach the shelter of the hills at the foot of Torfajökull, where the beautiful and warm Strútur hut is located.

DAY 4 | HÓLMSÁRLÓN / STRÚTUR

Hiking for 6-8 hours – approx. 19 km – Altitude 563 m > 563 m

We progress along the shores of the long, narrow lake Hólmsárlón. At the “red bottoms” site, we reach the extraordinary turquoise lake Hólmsárlón and the waterfalls at the end of the lake that plunge into a red crater. Unforgettable bath at the end of the world in a hot spring.

DAY 5 | STRÚTUR / ALFTAVÖN

Hiking for 7-8 hours – approx. 22 km – Altitude 563 m > 444 m

Walking along the Eldgjá fissure, “fire gorge,” the largest eruptive fissure on the planet’s surface, now covered in moss and crossed by clear streams. During the six-year eruption (A.D. 934-940), lava gushed from several vents over a length of 75 km (47 miles). The lava from this fissure covered 781 square km (302 square miles) of the southern country. Fortunately, massive eruptions like those of Eldgjá and Laki are very rare; otherwise, life would likely not be possible on Earth. Although the hazards posed by lava flows and volcanic gases have significant impacts on humanity, they are still tiny compared to what our great blue planet is capable of. The gentle landscape of the “swan lake hook,” where we stop, almost makes you forget that this country is the result of repeated cataclysms.

DAY 6 | ALFTAVÖTN / HÓLASKJÓL

Hiking for 2-3 hours – approx. 8 km – Altitude 444 m > 329 m

Short hike along an old Eldgjá lava flow, covered in moss and traversed by a beautiful clear stream (which we will ford twice). We return to the Fjallabak North track, left seven days earlier, at the edge of the inhabited lands of the Skaftafellssýsla district, bordering the enormous petrified lava river of Laki, where the muddy Skaftá glacial river rushes and meanders.

DAY 7 | HÓLASKJÓL

Rest day to appreciate the beautiful landscape of Hólaskjól.

DAY 8 | HÓLASKJÓL / ÖXATINDAR

Hiking for 5-6 hours – approx. 16 km – Altitude 329 m > 450 m

Day along the Eldgjá fissure, “fire gorge,” the largest eruptive fissure on the planet’s surface. Despite all these superlatives, the tiny landscapes are comfortably at ease here, with springs, clear streams, and a small zen garden. We reach the powerful muddy waters of the Skaftá. On the other bank, the endless lavas of Laki, which is the largest lava flow in recorded history (1783-1785), spread out.

DAY 9 | SKAFTÁ / SVEINSTINDUR

Hiking for 6-7 hours – approx. 18 km – Altitude 450 m > 600 m

We reach Sveinstindur, the first cone of the jagged Fagrifjöll chain with black and green conical volcanoes. Easy ascent of Mount Sveinstindur from which you can admire a fabulous 360° panorama. To the south stretch the strange lava fields of Laki, covered in fluorescent green moss and partly flooded by the overflows of the Skaftá. To the north, the majestic and narrow turquoise lake Langisjór stretches for dozens of kilometers, bordered by the Fagrifjöll chain towards the massive ice of the immense Vatnajökull.

DAY 10 | LANGISJÓR AND THE FAGRIFJÖLL

Hiking for 7-8 hours – approx. 20 km – Altitude 600 m > 600 m

A full day along Langisjór at the foot and on the narrow Fagrifjöll chain. Their name means “beautiful mountains.” Given the sobriety of the Icelandic language, they must be to deserve such a name. We progress on the narrow green and black spine of Fagrifjöll, sometimes along the lake shore, sometimes on the easiest hills, admiring to the south the partly flooded lava expanses of Laki and the incredible jade green of the lake set in its black ash and fluorescent green moss case.

DAY 11 | GRÆNAFJALLSGARÐUR / LANDMANNALAUGAR / REYKJAVIK

Hiking for 2-3 hours – approx. 10 km – 240 km of track and road

We head west along a black and green rift valley bordered by imposing palagonite alignments of Grænnafjallsgarður and Gréttir to first reach the Fjallabak North track on foot, then with the help of our jeep. Either we return via the south coast or via Landmannalaugar, where we stop for a short walk of 2 or 3 hours. Late arrival in the capital around 8 PM. Currently, it is not possible to specify in advance which route will be chosen to return to Reykjavik. However, we will try to inform you before the trip if you need this information.

Arrival in Reykjavik. Free transfer to Hotel Klettur. Check-in to your standard room. Dinner on your own. Overnight stay.

DAY 12 | REYKJAVIK / PARIS

Breakfast. Transfer by regular bus to Reykjavik international airport. Flight to Paris on a regular flight.

Enf of our services

Travel Dates for 2023:
July 8 to 19, 2023
August 4 to 16, 2023