Experience · Iceland

The Laugavegur trail

Iceland's greatest walk runs 55 kilometres from the steaming rhyolite hills of Landmannalaugar — mountains in shades of mustard, rust and mint — to the birch valley of Þórsmörk, past obsidian fields, black deserts and a couple of bracing river wades.

Best forWalkers & hikers · Adventure seekers · Photographers
In October2°C · 14 rainy days
Ideal stay4–5 nights
Approx. flying time~8h 50m from Los Angeles

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Happens around Landmannalaugar, Iceland — nearest airport Reykjavík (KEF), about 173km away.

CurrencyISKIcelandic króna
LanguageIcelandic
Local time10:341h behind the UK
PlugsType C / FBring an adapter
Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
Dialling code+354

The experience

Iceland's best-known walk runs 55 kilometres from the rhyolite hills of Landmannalaugar, streaked mustard, rust and green, to the birch woods of Thorsmork. In between come obsidian fields, black sand deserts, steaming ground, snow patches that last all summer and a couple of unbridged rivers to wade. Huts break the route into four days, and the landscape changes character completely between one and the next.

The season is short, roughly mid-July to early September, when the buses run and the huts are staffed. Beds book out by midwinter, so plan early or carry a tent, and a guided group is the simpler option. Many walkers add the extension over Fimmvorduhals to Skogar. Weather here turns to horizontal rain and near-freezing wind in any month of the year.

Ideal stay: 4–5 nights
The vibe: Raw, coloured, weather-beaten

From our guides

Four days hut-to-hut is the standard; the huts book out by midwinter, so plan early or join a guided group. The season is short and sweet: mid-July to early September. Start with a soak in Landmannalaugar's natural hot spring.

Featured in Ten treks for your first big summit or base camp

Make a trip of it

Landmannalaugar hot spring

A natural warm pool at the trailhead, fed by geothermal water, and the standard soak either before setting off or on the way home.
Hrafntinnusker

The high camp at around 1,000 metres, among obsidian, snowfields and steam vents. It is reliably the coldest night of the route.
Alftavatn

A lake set in green hills below the highlands, reached after a long descent and the first of the serious river crossings.
The Emstrur desert

Black sand and ash plains cut by the Markarfljot canyon, the bleakest and most striking section of the whole walk.
Thorsmork

A sheltered valley of birch scrub between glaciers, where the route ends and the Fimmvorduhals extension to Skogar begins.

Getting there

Fly to
Reykjavík (KEF)

Nearest airport to Landmannalaugar, about 173km away as the crow flies.
Then
To Reykjavík

Almost everyone lands at Keflavík (KEF), about 45 minutes by bus or car into Reykjavík; the small city airport (RKV) handles domestic flights only. Reykjavík is where you sort huts, food and the highland bus.
On the ground
Getting around

Highland buses run to Landmannalaugar in around four hours in summer, crossing unbridged rivers on the way, and return from Þórsmörk at the far end. The trail itself is 55 kilometres over four days between mountain huts, which book out by midwinter.

Public transport: Seasonal highland buses serve both trailheads from mid-June to early September; ordinary hire cars cannot make the crossing.

Flights

Los Angeles Landmannalaugar, Iceland

Flying from

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Roughly 8h 50m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

Check dates and prices

Pick your departure date, then your return.

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Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about -4°C in December to 12°C in July. Wettest in January, with rain on about 19 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

October2° · rain 14 daysCold and often wet.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to base yourself

Hut bunks and campsites on the trail, guesthouses and apartments in Reykjavik and the south-coast towns. No hotels anywhere near the route itself and nothing to buy en route.

Best base overall
Reykjavík

Where the buses to Landmannalaugar leave and where you shop for the gas and food you cannot buy on the trail. Two hours of rough road from the start, so allow a full day.
Find stays in Reykjavík
Best value
Hella or Hvolsvöllur

Small south-coast towns on the road in, with guesthouses at a fraction of Reykjavik prices and shorter bus rides. Little to do in the evening beyond one restaurant.
Find stays in Hella or Hvolsvöllur
Closest to the sights
The mountain huts at Hrafntinnusker, Álftavatn and Emstrur

Bunks on the trail itself, with a warden and a cooking area. Dormitories are cramped and they are booked out almost the day they open.
Find stays in The mountain huts at Hrafntinnusker, Álftavatn and Emstrur
Quietest
Þórsmörk

The birch valley at the finish, with huts and a campsite, worth a night before the bus out. Getting there needs a river-fording vehicle, so it is not a casual visit.
Find stays in Þórsmörk

Worth knowing before you book: Hut places go on sale in winter and sell within days, so plan early or take a tent. Book the Landmannalaugar bus and a Reykjavik luggage store at the same time.

Search everything else in Reykjavík by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

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Good to know

Season: The route is generally walkable from mid-July to early September. Outside that the huts close, the buses stop and snow covers the path.
Book ahead: Hut beds are released the winter before and sell out quickly. Camping beside the huts needs no reservation but does carry a fee.
River crossings: Several rivers are unbridged and thigh-deep at worst. Carry crossing shoes, unclip your pack straps and face upstream as you wade.
Weather: Conditions change fast, including snow in August. Full waterproofs, warm layers and a checked forecast are not optional here.
Getting there: Highland buses reach Landmannalaugar and Thorsmork in season only, and both routes ford rivers that ordinary hire cars cannot.