Iceland
Hiking the Laugavegur
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 15 September 2024
Updated on 15 September 2024
Why should a 4-day trip be a road trip? Before our Wacky Wheels adventure in September, I decided to go for a trip on foot: the famous Laugavegur track in Iceland.
The odd thing of this trip is that the entire route is known at the start, even before solving a single puzzle. Basically the only puzzle there was, was following the blue GPS arrow on your mobile screen. And as if that could be too hard a challenge, at each junction the organizers had even put clear signs, pointing exactly in the direction you need to go.
Where this puzzle-with-free-clues part was a bit disappointing, they had made up for it by putting mesmerising views along the way. It was like walking for days through Game-of-Thrones scenery. “Behind the Wall”, but without Wildlings.
You may start to think that a clearly posted route without Wildlings is too simple, well, there is one particular challenge introduced multiple times along the route: bridges. Or better the complete lack of it. You arrive at a vividly streaming river and the trail just bumps into it and continues at the other side. And to make it worse they poor glacier-cold ice-water into these rivers.
Despite all I can truly say it has been one of my best hiking trips ever. Being taken away from wifi, roads, cars, electricity, a bed, showers, supermarkets, trash bins and television, your life changes a bit. Just you and those magnificent surroundings.
- 12 July: flight to Reykjavik
- 13 July morning: bus to Landmannalaugar
- 13 July afternoon: hike to Hrafntinnusker mountain hut (10.3 km)
- 14 July: hike to Álftavatn mountain hut (11.3km)
- 15 July: hike to Emstrur mountain hut (16.2 km)
- 16 July: hike to Langidalur (Þórsmörk) mountain hut (16.2km)
- 17 July*: hike to Skógar via the Fimmvörðuháls mountain pass (27 km) and hitchhiking back to Reykjavik
Route details:
* I loved it so much, so I attached a fifth day which turned out to be a killer with its 27 km and 1000 meter altitude difference.
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Traveled route: Reykjavik, Landmannalaugar, Hrafntinnusker, Alftavatn, Botnar, Skagfjördsskáli, Þórsmörk, Skógafoss, Thorufoss, Oxarárfoss, Thingvellir National Park, Faxi, Strokkur, Gullfoss Waterfall, Seljalandsfoss, Dyrhólaey, Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, Magnúsarfoss, Skaftafell, Jokulsárlón, Vesturhorn, Fossaldafoss, Hengifoss, Fardagafoss, Rjúkandi, Dettifoss, Hverir, Myvatn and Laxá, Goðafoss, Stykkishólmur, Kirkjufell, Rif, Snæfellsjökull
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