The Laugavegur Trail is the most incredible backpacking trip I’ve completed.
I started my day by taking the bus from Reykjavik to Landmannalaugar, navigating dirt roads and crossing rivers along the way. The trailhead was at a campground and a hot spring and more amenities. I took a quick dip in the hotspring but I couldn’t stop for long because I had a long day.
The hot spring at Landmannalaugar. Hot water on the right was mixing with cool water on the left, so you could pick your temperature by moving around.
The trail started at a lava field with well-defined hiking trails, it was a pretty touristy spot, but hard not to stop and take a few pictures. I climbed up to a small bump that seemed to be the high point for all of the volcanic rock in the lava field.
The edge of the lava field, steam was rising from geothermal pockets for the whole first day of the trip.
More steam and volcanic rock.
Looking back at the jagged lava field.
The high point where the day hikers turned around.
After a while, I reached the high point of the trip, elevation wise. It was still rolling hills, with pockets of steam and bubbling geysers.
After around 12km I reached the first hut and campground. I chose to double up the first two days, so I would be skipping this campground. It was a little colder and the potential for precipitation would have made the upcoming descent unpleasant.
The terrain beyond the first campground remained similar, flat sections with streams cutting small valleys into the landscape.
Rising steam.
First campground
Another small climb
Looking back
After a few more hills, I came over a crest and was greeted with the view of the next two days of my trip. I was starting to feel ready to be at camp, but I was absolutely floored by the view. I stayed for maybe an hour just taking it all in. It was the most incredible view from any trip I’ve ever taken, no other backpacking trip or peak has compared to this.
I took dozens of pictures but none of these truly capture it.
Coming over a crest to the most incredible view.
I wanted to get a panorama of the view, but it doesn’t do it justice.
My campground for the night, next to the lake.
I would be camping this trip, but the huts seemed quite nice. There was also a park ranger who sold baked goods and fresh caught fish. I was most surprised to learn that this campground also had a bar.
My second day proceeded though the black and green landscape, crossing several rivers. I went barefoot, but sandals would have been nice.
I would have loved to climb some of the hills on my second day, but I would never leave the trail in a pristine landscape like this. Fortunately, there were no other footprints off trail, but I did come across old tire tracks that very clearly left a lasting impact.
Hattafell
Finally, I started the descent to the campground. It wasn’t going to be windy or rainy, so I chose to put my tent in the windiest, but most aesthetic spot.
The next morning was my final day of the trip. Unlike the day before, I made a point of getting out of camp quickly. I like being alone on the trail and leading the pack is an easy way to achieve that. I also had a bus I needed to catch.
After leaving the black-and-green landscape from the day before, everything was becoming ab it more green and grassy, but it was still quite a while until I found my first tree. I hadn’t realized that there were no trees or shrubs along the trail until that moment.
I will be finishing shortly before the glacier. You can do an optional extra day by climbing over the pass, past the glaciers, and down to Skogar. The downside is that there’s no simple bus to catch back to Reykjavik.
I made it to my final river crossing at Thorsmork, but I had plenty of time left before my bus, so I decided to tack on a bit more extra elevation because I knew there were some incredible views in this area.
This view was worth the extra 500m gain. It would have been smart to leave my pack at the bottom.
I then descended to the final campground where they again had a touristy hut with drinks and lunch, which was a nice change of pace from my dehydrated meals. The bus back to Reykjavik was similar to the bus in, river crossings and rocky roads.
The pacing of this trip was incredibly interesting, each day had its own distinct landscape and feel. Doing the trip over 3 days was a great way to do it, I didn’t feel rushed, but 4 days would have been a bit too leisurely. I would have loved to climb up and over to Skogar, but even if that was my plan, the trail was washed out the day before and impassible.
