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Hike Vörðuhnúkur Skalli-Landmannalaugar

Landmannalaugar, Iceland

5.0/5
based on 1 reviews

Details

Distance

9.3 miles

Elevation Gain

2290 ft

Route Type

Loop

Description

Added by Luca Tombolini

Amazing 6 to 8 hours trekking on a round trip in between rhyolite volcanic hills. Astonishing landscape. Free hot pools at basecamp.

On official map of the base camp this is trek n6 http://www.landmannalaugar.inf... , as you can see there are shorter versions combined with few other paths. You start at an elevation of 574m to climb up to 952m and then back. With a total distance of 15 km of uninterrupted great views around, when the weather is willing. There might be some snow here and there on trail; if a lot, crampons are recommended as some passages are risky. I did it in August, as summer is the only time when it's not blocked by snow and i had to wait and check weather forecasts for 6 days to finally have a moderate sunny day. I saw people taking the trail even when it's foggy but there's no point doing so if you wanna see something around you. While you wait for a clear weather window you can camp at campsite, not free, and use their toilets. All around is WET, so be prepared to soggy a lot; most comfortable solution is a 4x4 camper van. Temperatures are cold, close to 0 celsius at night roughly 8 to 15 in the day. Free natural thermal pools are close by so that's how you can warm up. There's a mini market with basics but bring a lot of yours.

To arrive there: there's a bus, you can book a tour or you can arrive with your own or rented car. The road that arrives from the west is longer but has no significant rivers crossings so i've seen few people with normal cars doing that even if i wouldn't recommend doing so. The recovery if something goes wrong is crazy expensive. Do not attempt the road from the east because there are many and serious river crossings. 4x4 rental is very expensive, but it's the best way to see inner Iceland in general. You might wanna consider, if you live in Europe and you have a 4x4, to come with your own car with a ferry from Denmark. I did so, and I slept in the car and managed to see Iceland for a month with a fifth of a standard budget. 

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Hike Vörðuhnúkur Skalli-Landmannalaugar Reviews

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