The Laugavegur trail crosses 55 kilometres of the Icelandic highlands from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, through some of the strangest and most beautiful walking country in Europe: rhyolite mountains streaked in rust and green, obsidian lava fields, steaming geothermal vents, black-sand deserts, and glacier-fed rivers that you cross on foot. It is consistently ranked among the world’s great multi-day hikes, and it is logistically straightforward — if you book the huts in time.
This guide covers the route, how to get to the trailheads, hut and campsite bookings, costs, the season, and the safety realities of Icelandic highland weather.
The route
The trail runs north to south — Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk — which is the direction almost everyone walks it, and the direction the hut system is set up for. The classic itinerary is four days and three nights: Landmannalaugar to Hrafntinnusker (about 12 km), on to Álftavatn (about 12 km, net descent), across the Mælifellssandur black-sand desert to Emstrur (about 15 to 16 km), and finally to Þórsmörk (about 15 km). Fast hikers do it in two to three days; some take five or six.
The high point is around 1,000 to 1,100 metres near Hrafntinnusker — modest by Alpine standards, but the weather makes it feel much bigger. Hut and campsite stops sit at Landmannalaugar, Hrafntinnusker, Álftavatn, Hvanngil and Emstrur (Botnar), then Þórsmörk.
Many walkers add the Fimmvörðuháls extension from Þórsmörk to Skógar — about 25 kilometres and one extra day — which crosses the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption site and finishes at the Skógafoss waterfall. It is a superb add-on if your schedule allows.
Getting there
Landmannalaugar sits at the end of F-roads — gravel mountain roads with unbridged river crossings that are only open in summer and require a proper 4×4. Almost everyone reaches the trailhead by highland bus from Reykjavík: the buses (Reykjavík Excursions and TREX are the main operators) take about four and a half hours via Hella, Selfoss or Leirubakki, with early-morning departures around 6:30 to 7:00. Return buses leave Þórsmörk in the afternoon.
Self-driving the F-roads is possible with the right vehicle and experience, but the bus is simpler, cheaper for solo walkers and the standard choice.
Huts, campsites and booking
The huts are run by FÍ, the Icelandic Touring Association, and booked at fi.is. Since 2025, huts must be reserved online in advance — walk-ins are no longer accepted — and peak-season dates sell out months ahead, so book as early as you possibly can. Hut accommodation is dorm-style ‘sleeping-bag accommodation’: you get a mattress and bring your own sleeping bag.
Campsites sit beside each hut and do not need advance reservation — you pay on arrival — but they fill in peak season, and you need a genuinely storm-proof tent. Wild camping is banned: you must use the designated campsites at the hut locations. The huts sell only basic supplies at high prices, so the universal advice is to carry all your food from Reykjavík supermarkets before the bus.
Best time to go
The practical season is roughly late June to early or mid September — for example around 25 June to 15 September — when the huts are staffed, the buses run and the F-roads are open. Outside these dates the highlands are effectively a winter mountaineering environment.
Late July to mid August brings the most stable conditions and the biggest crowds. Late June can still have snow on the high passes and high meltwater in the rivers. Early September trades a few closing huts for fewer people, autumn colour, and a real chance of northern lights.
What it costs
Prices move year to year, so treat these as a planning range from recent seasons and confirm before you go. Hut dorm nights have been running around ISK 15,000 to 17,000 per night in recent reports. Camping is roughly ISK 2,500 to 3,400 per person per night. Round-trip bus transfers from Reykjavík are in the region of ISK 25,000. Showers at the huts cost roughly ISK 500 to 1,100. Food, carried from Reykjavík, is the one cost you fully control.
Safety: respect the weather
Icelandic highland weather is violently changeable — rain, wind, fog and even snow are possible on any day of the season. Check vedur.is, the Icelandic Met Office forecast, every morning, and take the hut wardens’ advice seriously: after heavy rain, river crossings can become unfordable and the wardens will tell you so.
There are several unbridged river crossings on the route, with the deepest and fastest reported on the Álftavatn to Emstrur stage, including a cable-assisted crossing and a wide, shallow one near Þórsmörk. Unclip your hip belt and sternum strap before crossing, wear the shoes you can afford to soak, and never cross alone in spate conditions.
The geothermal areas — steaming vents, hot springs, mud pools — are spectacular and fragile: stay strictly on the marked paths. The trail itself is well signposted with blue and red markers, but fog can hide them completely, so carry offline maps or a GPS. There is no resupply between Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk, so whatever you carry in is what you eat.
Arjun Mehta is the pen name behind Mountains Bliss — practical mountain-travel guides with routes, costs, seasons and safety notes, researched from real trekker discussions and cross-checked before publishing. No sponsored posts, ever.
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