Trekking in Iceland: Journey to the centre of the earth

Stuart Blackadder    trekkingholidays     glacier, Iceland, Icelandic, Journey to the centre of the earth, trekking, trekking holidays, Trekking in Iceland

Iceland is one of the most geologically exciting locations in the world. With glacial rivers, active volcanoes and enormous mountains, it also offers exciting hiking opportunities. You can expect to find yourself far from civilization on most hikes due to the sparseness of Iceland’s population. This helps create an enormously personal connection with the epic landscapes, one that you will treasure forever.

Trekking in Iceland Photos: Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson

You will have heard rumours about Iceland’s challengingly low temperatures – well it’s in the name – but if you choose to hike in the summer months, you will find the thermometer displaying comfortable daytime averages of 13C.

If you’re tempted to try trekking in Iceland, just be sure to have the appropriate camping gear for some chilly nights! Here’s 10 routes for you to plot.

Hvannadalshnjukur

The highest peak of the island, Hvannadalshnjukur offers incredible panoramas of Iceland’s south-eastern Vatnajokull National Park. Like much of the island, this is a volcanic region, and is not so far from the troublesome volcanoes that spread havoc throughout Europe’s airports in April 2010. This area is also part of the largest glacier in Europe. The hike itself is about 14-miles long, which will take most of the day. There is no actual climbing involved, but the terrain will prove challenging, and crevasse and glacier equipment are a necessity. At over 2,000 metres high, the rewards of this hike are exquisite.

Eyjafjallajkull

If the name rings a bell, it’s probably because it was responsible for ruining your holiday in 2010. Don’t begrudge this pretty volcano though, embrace it, and take a closer look. You will start at sea level at the base of the mountain, and climb the relatively steep slopes to the glacier. The glacier itself is also extensive and tricky. But don’t let this put you off; you will value the effort you put in as the tremendous views of almost half of Iceland reveal themselves to you. Certain hiking companies also offer the incredible experience of skiing down the mountain once you have made the hike!

Jawdropping and flightstopping! Photos/ Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson

Skaftafell

Skaftafell is a national park, south of the Vatnajokull glacier. The park includes four peaks piercing the sky at heights ranging from 1756 to 1875m. The hikes around this area can get particularly challenging, demanding you take more heavy-duty alpine equipment.  Hikers must be physically fit in order to attempt this hike, which usually takes around 14 hours. Once ascended, you will discover more Icelandic visual treats, including the black sands greeting the North Atlantic along the southern coast, and of course, the mighty Vatnajokull glacier.

Thorsmork

Named after the famed Norse God Thor, Thorsmork is an area of outstanding beauty in the southern part of the island. Only accessible by modified 4×4 vehicles, you will feel like you are being let into an Icelandic secret. This is the theatre of those Icelandic sagas that the people of the country were raised on. You will be provided with crampons and the necessary glacier gear so that you can explore the region more thoroughly, visiting huge bodies of frozen water and passing waterfalls in an eerie state of icy immobility.

Hekla

Don’t let the fact that Hekla is Iceland’s second most active volcano put you off; this is an extraordinary location for a hiking expedition. Located in the south-west of the country, Hekla rises almost 1,500 metres into the cool Icelandic sky. From the top, hikers are rewarded with immense views across the island, with Reykjavik Bay and Vatnajokull glacier visible on a clear day. The nickname ‘Gateway to Hell’ seems to have stuck since penned during the Middle-Ages, and the lava fields met on the ascent are a reminder of the hellish potential of this awesome monolith.

Hengill

Only 40 km from Reykjavik, this accessible mountain is suited to hikers with limited experience. Geothermal springs are found in abundance in this area, and you’ll discover untouched, steaming rivers in which to bathe your aching muscles. You will also come across beautiful wild flowers and bubbling, boiling mud springs spewing out smelly gunge. The terrain is exciting and interesting, and exclusive to Iceland. The route only takes about five hours, and is a great opportunity for those staying in Reykjavik to get a taste of the famous Icelandic countryside.

Aurora Borealis over Iceland: Photos/ Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson

Snaffelsjokull

Snaffelsjokull is located on the Snaffelsnes Peninsula, a beautiful part of Iceland stretching off into the Atlantic on the west side of the island. The Volcano is surrounded by quaint towns, the likes of which you won’t have seen before. Volcanic debris litters the landscape, sharp shards of rock reminiscent of apocalyptic landscapes. This is the location where Jules Verne’s hero descends in his novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth. The 1450 m high peak offers views of the northern Westfjord Peninsula, as well as the humbling Atlantic Ocean and, if you are lucky, the shores of Greenland afar.

Latrabjarg

In the north-west reaches of Iceland, in the Westfjords region of the country, you will come across the westernmost part of Europe. The spot is inhabited by millions of seabirds which gather on the biggest seabird cliff in the North Atlantic at the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. The hike will take you past countless waterfalls thundering down hillsides, as well as past the breathtaking wildlife and flora of the region. Trekking in Iceland you can expect to see wildlife, well here you’ll get to spot plenty of puffins, as well as the arctic fox and sea eagle. Make sure to visit during the summer months, as the area is unreachable during the winter!

Grimsey

Noted for being situated right on the Arctic Circle, the island of Grimsey is a spectacular experience.  Although this is not a challenging hike, the climate ensures that a complete circumnavigation of the 5.3 sq Km will be hard enough. You can identify Grimsey’s sixty different species of seabird dwelling on the bordering cliffs and admire the reclusive life of the island’s inhabitants. Visitors can obtain a certificate to prove that they have crossed into the polar region of our planet. A ferry operates between Akureyri and Grimsey three days a week, carrying a steady flow of visitors attracted by Grimsey’s Arctic allure.

Seythisfjordur

Located on the easternmost part of the country, Seythisfjordur is a charming town hidden away in a gorgeous, mountainous fjord.  Hikers can voyage further east along the fjord in a relaxed hike that takes you over rivers, past waterfalls, and along the side of glorious mountains. At the end of the peninsula, you will come across sheer cliff-faces populated with thousands of puffins and other seabirds, as well as Skalanes Nature Reserve, where Eider Ducks are bred for particularly luxurious duvets! The scenery around this location is quintessentially Icelandic, and as the wind rustles your hair, nothing but contentedness can overcome you.

Trekking - and snapping - in Iceland

The ten destinations listed above have been ordered to suit a trekking in Iceland itinerary beginning at the Vatnajokull glacier, and travelling clockwise around the island.

Whilst you may find it more practical to work your way around the hikes from the convenient starting point of Reykjavik, the itinerary given offers the most challenging hikes first, followed by more unique Icelandic adventures that would suit everybody; from the weary traveller to the inexperienced and sanguine. Each hike will provide you with tremendous views of the stunning countryside, and make an impression that will not fade.

About the author

Stuart Blackadder wrote one article on this blog.

'Not all those who wander are lost.' Tolkien

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