Iceland – Laugavegurinn Trail

[Brianna Schlaeger]

Hello! Backpacking newb here. I'm starting to plan, with my friend, a trip to Iceland next year in late August. I'm more of a "fly by the seat of my pants" sort of gal, so I'm in need of some guidance. My friend is a better planner and much more knowledgeable than I when it comes to camping, hiking, safety, etc. But I'm learning :) So I've decided to reach out to you folks for some advice and suggestions!

Has anyone ever backpacked in Iceland? More specifically, on the Laugavegurinn Trail? We will be staying in a tent, rather than the huts that are offered.
The plan is to stay in Iceland for 2-3 weeks; any other suggestions for must-see landmarks, museums, bars, etc.? We will most definitely hit up Reykjavik for a couple days.

I'm aware that the weather can be unpredictable with high winds and rain.. any gear necessities we should not hit the trail without? (I already have the tent; Eureka Alpenlite 2XT.. pretty heavy, I know, but with the weight distributed between the two of us, it should suffice…)

Skál!

Bri

[Link .]

You might like to read these
Andrew Skurka's Iceland Traverse & Laugavegur with BASIC INFO,GEAR & SUPPLIES,PLANNING INFO & RESOURCES and WRITINGS, PHOTOS & VIDEOS

Mark Larson's Iceland: The Laugavegur, September 2008 Trip Report

Wim Depondt's Iceland: off trail along the Skeiðarár glacier Trip Report

[Brianna Schlaeger]

Thank you!! This is extremely helpful information!

[David Thomas]

I was in Iceland a year ago and imagine returning to do a backpacking trip. Things that I noticed:

Bicyclists were having a tough time with high winds and horizontal rains. I'd rather plan to hike and be more sure of my progress. Ponchos looked very ineffective in high winds. You definitely want clothes that "dry as you wear them". A sturdy tent would be a good thing.

We went caving near Reykjavik on our own, just using headlamps (lava-tube caves are pretty tame) which I would recommend over using a tour company.

On the urban stuff: airbnb.com worked really well for us. Half the price of a hotel, in a real house, (in our case, next to a community pool). Being 1 mile from Reykjavik center was nice. Sleep in a quiet neighborhood, but an easy walk into town. The "Lego Church" (you'll know it when you see it) was interesting on the inside and I really enjoyed hearing the Icelandic chorus practicing (it sound like dwarves and hobbits singing, to my ears).

If you're going to drink anything on the island, buy it at the airport duty-free shop. Just follow all the flight crews as you go through customs.

All food is expensive in Iceland, so I'd bring at least the dry food with you. The Bonus stores (with the pink pig logo) are much cheaper than the smaller stores in the city center.

We didn't go to the Penis Museum, but the maritime museum by the Harbor was nice. We enjoyed an evening performance at the performing arts center of readings of Icelandic sagas. There were symphonies and an Icelandic humor show as well.

The Blue Lagoon is interesting and all, and very high-end, but mostly you'll be floating around in the hot water with other tourists. The community pools are also geo-thermally heated and really cheap.

Driving was easy. Wide roads, low speeds, polite drivers. Much easier than Continental Europe. If you leave the paved roads behind, you need to watch the weather and road conditions closely. They have about 11 levels of "Bad road", seemingly from "needs repaving" to "sheep path" indicated by signs and warnings. As in other countries, "MapsWithMe" worked well on my phone and on my iPad and contained all the roads down to the smallest little street in the country on my device, so no phone signal or wifi was needed (load the map before you leave).

[David Thomas]

Cave entrance:

Inside:

We went back to the church for a concert. They have the biggest organ in the North Atlantic:

But of course, this museum thinks THEY have the biggest organ in the North Atlantic:

[Wim Depondt]

I see my name has been mentioned :-)

My number one tip is to get the Cicerone trekking guidebook, written by Paddy Dillon (AFAIK the only English guidebook on trekking in Iceland). Can be purchased as an ebook on cicerone.co.uk.

For non-trekking information, the Lonely Planet of Iceland is sufficient. Also purchasable as an ebook on the lonelyplanet.com.

My number two tip is to walk the Laugavegurinn as late as possible in August (or even better, first half of September). The trail is justifiable one of the great walks worldwide and thus very popular during summer months. Expect Lord of the Ring type landscape.

Third, do not start at Landmanallaugar, but at Rjupnavellir, thus extending the Laugavegurinn by 2,5 to 3 days. You will meet very few hikers along this extension (or none at all). This extention is way marked (white sticks planted in the ground). Rjupnavellir is along the REK-Landmannalaugar bus line. It is possible to walk from Rjupnavellir to Skogar in +/- one week.
Gpx file: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=933072

Public transportation options: bsi.is is the site to start with (BSI is the long distance bus station in REK), providing information about bus routes, timetables and ticket prices.
Oh, there is no need to purchase tickets online: a seat will always be guaranteed.
From the BSI station, it is possible to send (food)parcels to mountain huts served by bus services (e.g. Landmannalaugar), making UL backpacking possible. One can also send parcels to the national park HQ of Skaftafell, although a small holding fee will be charged. I suppose sending parcels to hotels or guest house will not be problem, providing they are along a bus route and perhaps also providing prior arrangements are made with the hotel manager in question.
If you plan to drive, a high clearance 4×4 is strongly recommended: a lot of roads in the interior of Iceland involve fording (big) rivers (… and not always with succes).

Other world class trekking areas: the ‘Askja Trail’ (apparantely used by Nasa astronauts in preparation of the Apollo missions. Yep, it does look like the moon) and the ‘Grænalón trail’. But there are plenty more areas I still have to visit. I have been told the Westfjords are also very rewarding, providing one is experienced (much of it is off trail and – depending of the choosen route – involves low tide walking along the coastal cliffs).

Grænalón trail is a hidden gem in Iceland. It is not waymarked & off trail, full of variety and easily accessible from REK. One will probably not see a sole, except for the Skaftafell part (day hikers).

The ‘Grænalón trail’ thus includes Skaftafell, which reminds me a lot of Torres del Paine. It also includes a spectacular 10k+ glacier grossing (make sure you have a gps + gpx-route as you might find yourselves in a desert of ice if it fogs up while crossing the glacier).
A rope is normally not necessary as the glacier is normally ‘aper’ (= not covered with snow), but do bring (micro)crampons & walking sticks as it might make jumping over glacial rivers and small crevasse much safer (there are small rivers ON the glacier – you might find yourself in big trouble when slipping in one of these rivers without decent pointy traction).
Getting off and on the glacier might involve zigzagging along big crevasses, but nothing an experienced and careful backpacker can manage.
Gpx-files can be found online, but – as mentioned in a previous post – be aware that crossing the Nupsa river might be problematic to cross, forcing you to backtrack and look for alternatives (read: keep some spare days). The same counts for the area around the Grænalón lake (quicksand).
A taster (or spoiler :-)

Wim

[Brianna Schlaeger]

You guys are the best! Thank you!

[Walter Carrington]

You should keep track of the active erupting volcanoes.
Bárðarbunga is erupting and causing very high pollution levels, sometimes even as far away as Reykjavik.
This writer had her breathing affected near Reykjavik by gases from Bárðarbunga:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/17/1337434/-B-r-arbunga-I-Am-An-Idiot
Her posts at that website are very informative about these eruptions.

Probably by your trip this will be over, but best to keep informed.

As a tourist for a few days, I thought it would be an amazing place to hike.

[Author]

Posts