Hike Iceland
Hike Iceland custom itinerary — 8 day multi-day hiking tour through Iceland by Juniper Tours. Covers Reykjavik (2 nights, Hallgrimskirkja, Harpa), the Blue Lagoon on arrival, then the Laugavegur trail from Landmannalaugar to Thorsmork (34.2 miles over 3 hiking days through rhyolite mountains in every color from rust to mint, obsidian lava fields, steaming geothermal vents, glacial river crossings, black sand deserts, and the green moss-covered valleys of Thorsmork), followed by the Fimmvorduhals Pass from Thorsmork to Skogar (15.5 miles between the Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull glaciers, past the 2010 eruption craters Magni and Modi, descending past 26 waterfalls to Skogafoss). Mountain hut accommodation on the trail (Icelandic Touring Association huts at Hrafntinnusker, Alftavatn, and Emstrur), private transfers to and from trailheads, 4-star hotels in Reykjavik. Summer only (late June to mid-September). For fit, experienced hikers comfortable with 9.3-15.5 miles days on uneven volcanic terrain with river crossings. Designed by Juniper Tours’ Iceland specialist Taryn Harrison (25 years experience, CMSC certified, primary Iceland specialist). IATAN accredited (22-787413). 4.9 stars from hundreds of verified Google reviews. Custom Iceland hiking itineraries from $2,500 per person. Sample itinerary — all trips custom designed by our top travel specialists.
Sample Itinerary · Iceland
Hike Iceland
Landmannalaugar · Laugavegur · Thorsmork · Fimmvorduhals
Duration
8 Days · 7 Nights
Accommodations
Mixed: Hotels + Trail Huts
Transport
Private Transfers + Hiking
Best For
Hiking · Adventure · Fitness
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← All Iceland Itineraries
8 Days · 7 Nights
4-Star+ Accommodations
Private Driver-Guide Throughout
Daily Breakfast Included
Sample — Fully Customisable
This is a sample itinerary — for inspiration only. Every Juniper trip is designed from scratch around you. Many clients travel a very similar route — if this resonates, book a free consultation and a specialist will build something just like it (or better) specifically for your travel style, dates, and group.
1
Day One
Arrive in Iceland — Blue Lagoon on the Way
Keflavik · Reykjavik
Welcome to Iceland. Your private driver meets you at Keflavik International Airport (KEF) with the Blue Lagoon built into the arrival: 20 minutes from the airport, pre-booked entry with private cabana, a soak in the milky-blue geothermal water. By late afternoon, the transfer to Reykjavik and your hotel in the 101 postal code.
Check in, unwind, first Icelandic dinner at a specialist-flagged restaurant. Early night — the trail starts on Day 3 and you want rested legs.
Private airport transfer
Blue Lagoon pre-booked
Arrive Reykjavik
Overnight: Reykjavik
2
Day Two
Reykjavik City Day
Reykjavik
A full day exploring Reykjavik before the hiking begins. Private walking tour covering Hallgrimskirkja (the 243-foot church with the elevator to the tower), the Sun Voyager sculpture, the Old Harbor, and Harpa Concert Hall. Afternoon: Perlan observation deck, gear check at the outdoor shops on Laugavegur (the main shopping street shares its name with the trail, not a coincidence).
Evening: final city dinner. Your specialist reviews the trail logistics with you — hut check-in procedures, gear-transfer arrangements if booked, and the weather forecast for the next four hiking days.
Private Reykjavik walking tour
Hallgrimskirkja & Harpa
Trail gear check
Overnight: Reykjavik
3
Day Three
Transfer to Landmannalaugar — Acclimatisation Hike
Landmannalaugar
Morning: your specialist has arranged a modified 4×4 transfer from Reykjavik to Landmannalaugar — roughly 3.5 hours on the F208 highland road with river crossings. The landscape transitions from green farmland to volcanic highland over the drive. Arrive at the Landmannalaugar camp and mountain hut by early afternoon.
Afternoon: an acclimatisation hike around the Landmannalaugar valley — the Brennisteinsalda loop (2-3 hours, moderate) through the rhyolite mountains, or a shorter walk to the Laugahraun obsidian lava field. Evening: soak in the natural hot spring where a geothermal stream meets a cold river, surrounded by the multi-colored mountains. Mountain hut dinner. Trail briefing from the hut warden.
4×4 highland transfer
Acclimatisation hike
Natural hot spring soak
Overnight: Landmannalaugar hut
4
Day Four
Laugavegur Day 1 — Landmannalaugar to Hrafntinnusker
Laugavegur Trail
The trail begins. Day 1 covers approximately 7.5 miles from Landmannalaugar to the Hrafntinnusker hut, climbing 1,542 feet through the rhyolite highlands. The terrain is extraordinary — steaming geothermal vents alongside the path, obsidian fields, snow patches (in early season you may cross several using the trail markers), and the colors of the rhyolite mountains shifting from rust-red to mint-green to sulphur-yellow.
Hrafntinnusker sits at 3,609 feet, the highest point on the trail, with views back across the Landmannalaugar valley and forward into the interior. The hut is basic (sleeping-bag bunks, shared kitchen, no shower). Expect 4-5 hours of hiking at a moderate pace. The altitude and the terrain make this day feel longer than the distance suggests.
7.5 miles · 470m ascent
Rhyolite & geothermal vents
Hrafntinnusker hut 1,100m
Overnight: Hrafntinnusker hut
5
Day Five
Laugavegur Day 2 — Hrafntinnusker to Alftavatn
Laugavegur Trail
The most dramatic day of the trail. The 7.5 miles from Hrafntinnusker to Alftavatn descends 1,640 feet through a sequence of landscapes that changes every hour — from the high-altitude geothermal field down through the Jokultungur area (where the glacier meets the highland), past the ice-blue lakes, and into the green Alftavatn valley.
The river crossings begin on this day — typically two, knee-deep in glacial water at 3-4°C. The technique is simple (river shoes on, hiking boots in the pack, trekking poles for balance, face upstream, move steadily) but the cold is a genuine shock the first time. Alftavatn hut sits beside a lake in a green valley that feels improbably lush after the volcanic desert above. The hut has a warm shower (geothermal). Expect 5-6 hours of hiking.
7.5 miles · 500m descent
Glacial river crossings
Alftavatn hut · warm shower
Overnight: Alftavatn hut
6
Day Six
Laugavegur Day 3 — Alftavatn to Thorsmork via Emstrur
Laugavegur Trail · Thorsmork
The longest hiking day — approximately 14.3 miles from Alftavatn to Thorsmork, passing through the Emstrur (Botnar) area. Most hikers split this into two stages with a lunch stop at the Emstrur hut (roughly 9.3 miles from Alftavatn). The terrain transitions from the green Alftavatn valley through black sand desert, across the deepest river crossing on the trail (the Innri-Emstrua, which can be thigh-deep in high-melt conditions), and into the canyon-and-gorge country approaching Thorsmork.
Thorsmork (‘Thor’s wood’) is a valley sheltered between three glaciers — Eyjafjallajokull, Myrdalsjokull, and Tindfjallajokull — and covered in birch forest and moss. After three days of volcanic desert, the green is almost disorienting. The Volcano Huts or Basar hut in Thorsmork are a step up from the trail huts: proper beds, hot showers, a small restaurant. Expect 7-9 hours of hiking.
14.3 miles · longest day
Emstrur canyon country
Thorsmork valley
Overnight: Thorsmork hut
7
Day Seven
Fimmvorduhals Pass — Thorsmork to Skogar
Fimmvorduhals · Skogar
The crown of the trip. The Fimmvorduhals Pass is 15.5 miles from Thorsmork to Skogar, crossing the highland pass between the Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull glaciers at approximately 3,609 feet. The ascent from Thorsmork climbs through birch forest, then above the treeline into the highland pass where the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption created two new craters — named Magni and Modi after Thor’s sons. The lava is still warm to the touch in places.
The descent to Skogar is one of the most dramatic in Iceland — the trail drops from the pass through a sequence of 26 waterfalls, each bigger than the last, until you arrive at Skogafoss itself (197 feet, one of the most famous waterfalls in the country) at the bottom. Your private driver meets you at Skogafoss. Transfer to a South Coast hotel for a proper bed, a hot shower, and a celebratory dinner. Expect 8-10 hours of hiking.
15.5 miles · Fimmvorduhals Pass
2010 eruption craters Magni & Modi
26-waterfall descent to Skogafoss
Overnight: South Coast hotel
8
Day Eight
South Coast Highlights + Depart
Reynisfjara · Keflavik
A final morning with an optional South Coast stop — Reynisfjara black sand beach (30 minutes from your hotel) with its basalt columns and sea stacks, or Seljalandsfoss (the waterfall you can walk behind) if you didn’t stop yesterday. Your private driver then takes the 2.5-hour Ring Road run back to Keflavik International Airport for your departure flight.
Five days on the trail is enough to feel the change — most Laugavegur hikers leave at a different internal pace than they arrived at. Your Juniper specialist remains reachable throughout departure day. Safe travels home.
Optional Reynisfjara stop
Private airport transfer
App support throughout
Love this itinerary? Make it yours.
This is a sample luxury custom route — a starting point, not a fixed package. Many clients travel something very close to this, customized for their travel style, group, and dates. Book a free consultation and a specialist will build from here.
Accommodations
Boutique hotels, charming B&Bs, or historic castle stays — chosen based on your preferences and travel style.
Transportation
Private driver-guide, self-drive rental, or a mix of both — all transfers confirmed before you travel.
Experiences
Pre-arranged tours and activities built around your interests — entrance tickets sorted, no queuing.
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Activities on this itinerary
Your specialist pre-arranges the right luxury experiences based on your interests and travel style. These are the custom experience types available on this route — specific choices are made with you, not for you.
Landmannalaugar Hot SpringNatural geothermal · trailhead soak
Brennisteinsalda Rhyolite HikeAcclimatisation · most colorful mountain
Laugavegur Trail Day 17.5 miles · rhyolite · geothermal vents
Laugavegur Trail Day 27.5 miles · glacier country · river crossings
Laugavegur Trail Day 314.3 miles · Emstrur canyon · Thorsmork arrival
Fimmvorduhals Pass15.5 miles · 1,100m · between two glaciers
Magni & Modi Eruption Craters2010 new lava · still warm
26-Waterfall Descent to SkogafossFimmvorduhals south side
Glacial River CrossingsKnee-deep · 3-4°C · trekking poles
Thorsmork ValleyThor’s wood · birch forest · 3 glaciers
Laugahraun Obsidian Lava Field1477 eruption · volcanic glass
Blue Lagoon Pre-Booked EntryArrival day · flight recovery
Activities are selected and pre-booked with your specialist based on your interests — not all activities are included in every trip version. Availability varies by season.
The people who will design your Iceland trip
You work directly with a specialist who knows the Laugavegur trail and Iceland’s hiking logistics — not a call center or booking agent. Every consultation is with someone who has been there, has driven the South Coast in both summer and aurora-season winter, knows which waterfall has the quietest morning light and which Reykjavik restaurant actually delivers on the reputation.
Iceland · Ireland · Scotland · UK
Taryn Harrison
Juniper Tours’ most tenured specialist with 25 years of experience designing Iceland itineraries across every season. CMSC certified and a former Peace Corps volunteer. Taryn knows which South Coast hotel has the best geothermal hot pot for aurora-watching, which Golden Circle day-order avoids the coach-tour peaks at Gullfoss, and which booking needs to be made six months out or it won’t happen.
25 Yrs
CMSC
Iceland Specialist
Book a Consultation
About this itinerary
Good fitness is genuinely required. The Laugavegur trail covers 34.2 miles over 3 hiking days (approximately 9.3-12.4 miles per day), with daily hiking time of 6 to 8 hours on uneven terrain including lava fields, river crossings (sometimes knee-deep, cold), steep snow patches in early season, and loose volcanic scree. The Fimmvorduhals Pass on Day 7 adds 15.5 miles with 3,281 feet of elevation change. If you can comfortably hike 12.4 miles on uneven terrain with a day pack over 6-7 hours, you are ready for this trail. Your specialist will discuss fitness honestly during the consultation; this is not a trip where enthusiasm substitutes for preparation.
The Laugavegur huts are operated by the Icelandic Touring Association (Ferdafelag Islands) and are functional rather than comfortable. Each hut has bunk-bed dormitory rooms (sleeping-bag accommodation — bring your own or rent one), a shared kitchen with gas stoves, a shared toilet, and sometimes a basic shower (cold water at some huts, warm at others depending on geothermal availability). There is no electricity at some huts and no phone signal at any of them. Your specialist arranges the hut bookings well in advance (they fill by February for peak July dates) and can also arrange the guided-group option which includes a support vehicle carrying gear between huts, reducing what you carry to a day pack.
The Laugavegur trail is typically open from late June to mid-September, depending on snowmelt conditions. The huts open on specific dates set by the Icelandic Touring Association, usually around June 20-25 and closing around September 10-15. July through mid-August is peak season — the longest daylight hours (nearly 24 hours of light), the warmest temperatures, and the river crossings at their shallowest. Early and late season (late June, September) can have snow patches on the higher sections and colder river crossings but significantly fewer hikers. Your specialist monitors trail conditions and advises on the optimal window.
Essential gear: broken-in waterproof hiking boots (not trail runners — the river crossings and volcanic rock require ankle support and sole protection), full waterproof outer layer (jacket and pants — it will rain), warm mid-layers (fleece or merino), thermal base layers, gaiters for river crossings, trekking poles (strongly recommended for the river fords and scree descents), a sleeping bag rated to 0°C (or rent one at the trailhead), and a day pack if using the gear-transfer option. Bring river-crossing shoes (old trainers or neoprene sandals) — the glacial rivers are 2-5°C and bare feet on volcanic rock is not safe. Your specialist sends a detailed trail-specific packing list with the final itinerary.
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“We worked with Taryn to go to Iceland. Taryn planned an amazing trip for us, and everything went seamlessly! We would definitely work with Taryn and Juniper Tours again.”
Rebekah S. · Iceland Hiking Tour · Verified Google Review
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