The Laugavegur Trail — Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk

The Ferðafélag Íslands huts at Hrafntinnusker, Álftavatn and Emstrur are the route’s backbone, and FÍ has historically opened the next summer’s reservations in autumn — July and August beds are often gone by spring. Book the moment your dates firm up, or carry a tent and use the marked campsites beside each hut, which haven’t required reservations.

If Álftavatn is full — or you simply prefer small — the Hvanngil hut and campsite sit about an hour further along the trail in a sheltered hollow, and stay noticeably calmer on windy nights. Splitting the stage there also trims the long Emstrur day. Same booking system, same season.

Several fords are unbridged; the Þröngá on the final day into Þórsmörk is the biggest. Glacier-fed rivers run lowest in the morning and rise with the day’s melt, so plan crossings early. Carry sandals or wading shoes, unbuckle your pack’s hip belt, and never cross alone in high water — wait or team up.

Icelandic highland weather can shut the trail even in July, and fog on the obsidian plateau erases visibility fast. Log your route with SafeTravel, Iceland’s official travel-plan service, check the forecast at the hut each morning, and treat the wardens’ advice as final — they have seen every version of this weather. A storm day spent at a hut beats every alternative.

The trail effectively opens when the huts are staffed and closes when they shut. Snow can linger on the high obsidian plateau even into July, so early-season walkers should expect snowfields around Hrafntinnusker.

Seasonal highland buses run Reykjavík–Landmannalaugar and back out of Þórsmörk — operators such as Trex and Reykjavik Excursions have historically served both ends; there is no road link for normal cars. Book both legs when you book the huts, and treat the last bus out of Þórsmörk as a hard deadline.

The weather does the grading on this trail. Full waterproofs, warm layers, gloves and a hat belong in the pack in every month it’s open — Hrafntinnusker at ~1,050 m is often the coldest, windiest night of the trek.

Landmannalaugar’s natural hot springs sit right by the trailhead. Arrive on an early bus and soak before you set out — after that first climb to Hrafntinnusker, you’ll understand why locals linger there.

From Þórsmörk the trail can continue one more huge day over the Fimmvörðuháls pass to Skógar, squeezing between the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull ice caps past craters left by the 2010 eruption, and finishing beside the Skógafoss waterfall. It turns a great trek into a complete one — and buses run from Skógar back to Reykjavík too.

There is nothing to buy between Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk: no villages, no cafés, and the huts are not food shops. Pack every breakfast, dinner and snack for the full crossing, plus a spare day’s food for weather delays. The good news: hut guests get fully equipped shared kitchens, and clear side-streams along the way are generally fine to drink — skip the bottled-water weight.