The Challenge

On this 5-day trek through Iceland's spectacular volcanic landscape you will hike through mountain gorges, between vast glaciers, over frozen lava fields and around mysterious caves! Highlights will include climbing to the top of the 1666m Eyjafjallajökull (the volcano that caused aviation havoc in 2010) and hopefully spotting the Northern Lights in the valley of Þórsmörk. After the trek, enjoy some free time in Reykjavik, perhaps taking a visit to the famous Blue Lagoon thermal baths to soothe your muscles from the trekking!

Itinerary

Day 1 (Sat): London - Reykjavik
Fly from London to Reykjavik and transfer to a central hotel for the night.

Day 2 (Sun 24 Feb) Reyjavik – Seljalandsfoss - Þórsmörk
In the morning we transfer to Þórsmörk in 4WD trucks. We drive though the agricultural area of the south with spectacular views across to the glaciers and Hekla Volcano. Once we leave the vehicles, we commence our trek through a mountain gorge leading to the mountain hut where we spend our first night in the wilds! Walking approx. 2-4 hours.

Day 3 (Mon): Þórsmörk
The valley of Þórsmörk lies between three glaciers and is sheltered by the famous Eyjafjallajökull, which erupted in spring 2010 and had a huge influence on the air traffic in Europe. Today we have an entire day to explore the area with its little forests, mountains, caves and strange formations which remind the hikers of elves and trolls. We return to our hut where we spend another night. Walking approx. 5-6 hours.

Day 4 (Tue): Fimmvörðuhals
Today we take our equipment and food for the next two days and start our climb up Fimmvörðuháls. We follow a small path along a ridge, pass over the "cat back" (kattahryggur) and walk up to Morinsheiði, before climbing up to the new craters of an earlier eruption, just before the big eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. We then have to cross the new lavafield, which might be under snow, before we finally reach the hut at Fimmvörðuháls. Here we settle in for the next two nights. From this area we can get beautiful views across to the South coast and to the mountains of the North. If we are lucky we might see the Northern lights, if you haven´t already seen them in Þórsmörk!(Depending on the snow conditions we will use snowshoes). Walking approx. 6-8 hours. (going up approx 900m, 10km)

Day 5 (Wed): Eyjafjallajökull
Today we climb to the top of Eyjafjallajökull (eyja=island, fjalla=mountain, jökull = glacier) which is at 1,666m. As our hut is at 1,100m it is a climb of a little bit more that 560m. We walk more or less all the way on the glacier, although the ground will be snowy rather than icy. We get actually to the new crater which came into being in 2010 in the famous eruption. We enjoy stunning views over the neighbouring glaciers, Myrdalsjökull and Tindfjallajökull, the black sand coast and the mountains as well as over to the Vestman islands. We return the same way back to our hut. (Depending on the snow conditions we will use snowshoes) Walking approx. 5-7 hours (ascent and descend 560m, 17km)

Day 6 (Thu): Fimmvörðuháls-Skógar-Reykjavik
Today we walk down from the mountain hut to Skógar. From there we follow the track until we reach a bridge to cross the Skógá, from where we follow the river down the mountain. We will pass many waterfalls, the last of which is the highest one at 60m, the well known Skógafoss. From here the bus takes us back to Reykjavik for a final night. Walking approx. 5 hours (descend 1100m, 12km)

Day 7 (Fri): Reykjavik
A free day to explore the sights of Reykjavik, or perhaps indulge in a dip at the famous Blue Lagoon thermal baths (payable locally). Farewell dinner in town tonight.

Day 8 (Sat): Reykjavik - London
Return to the airport for the return flight to London.

N.B. This itinerary may change due to unusual weather patterns, wildlife movements, the ability of the group and so on. We will do our best to keep to the set itinerary however we cannot be held responsible for changes that might occur outside of our control. In all such circumstances your guide and tour leader will have the final say in the interest of the health and safety of the group.