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Fimmvörðuháls Day Hike24.900 kr · 10–12 hDescending into Þórsmörk
Hikes

Fimmvörðuháls Day Hike

25 km from Skógafoss over the 2010 lava to Þórsmörk. The best day hike in Iceland, full stop.

Challenging⏱ 10–12 h👥 Max 10📅 Jul – Aug🎂 Age 16+

The short version

  • 26 waterfalls, a pass between two glaciers, the still-warm 2010 eruption craters
  • 25 km and 1,000 m of climb — a proper day
  • Transport from Reykjavík and back from Þórsmörk included

What you'll do

Fimmvörðuháls is the pass between the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers, and the trail over it is the one hike everyone who visits Iceland in summer should do. You start at the top of Skógafoss and follow the river up past waterfall after waterfall, cross a high plateau with snowfields, walk over the lava that erupted in 2010 (still warm in places), and then drop steeply into the green amphitheatre of Þórsmörk.

It's long. You need fitness and some stubbornness, and a weather window — we run it only on decent forecasts, July and August. The reward is absurd: glaciers left and right, a new volcano under your feet, birch woods at the bottom.

The day, roughly

  1. 06:00 Bus from Reykjavík
  2. 08:30 Skógafoss. Up the stairs, go.
  3. 11:00 The waterfall section ends, the plateau begins
  4. 13:00 Magni and Móði — the 2010 craters. Lunch, warm hands on the ground
  5. 15:00 Heljarkambur ridge, the steep descent with a chain
  6. 17:30 Þórsmörk. Sit down.
  7. 18:30 Highland bus to Reykjavík, arriving ~21:30

Included

  • Guide
  • Bus Reykjavík → Skógar and Þórsmörk → Reykjavík
  • Microspikes if there's snow on the pass

Bring

  • Boots, broken in
  • Full waterproofs, warm layers, gloves, hat
  • 2 L water, lunch and lots of snacks
  • Trekking poles if you like your knees

Good to know

Level4 / 5 · Challenging
Duration10–12 h
GroupMax 10
SeasonJul – Aug
Min. age16+
Meeting pointBSÍ bus terminal, Reykjavík · 06:00
Effort
Long day, 20 km+ or 1,000 m of climb. Fit and stubborn.

Where we meet

ReykjavíkReykjavík

BSÍ bus terminal, Reykjavík · 06:00

Pick-up in Reykjavík included — we'll confirm your hotel or our office on Laugavegur.

Photos

Questions

How hard, really?

Level 4. 25 km, 1,000 m up, 800 m down, 10 hours. If you regularly hike long days you'll love it; if your longest hike is 10 km, train first or do Esja and Landmannalaugar.

What if the weather turns?

We cancel the night before on a bad forecast — full refund or free rebooking. On the pass, the guide can turn the group back to Skógar.

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