Southern Iceland: the Laugavegur and a group trip, Kraig Adams's way

What I did

My Iceland trip began with an overnight flight from Denver to Reykjavík. I hung out in Reykjavík after the red-eye, got a hotel, and gathered supplies and snacks. I bought a hiking pass from Reykjavik Excursions, which is like a round-trip bus ticket from the trailheads, for $107. They've got a whole schedule, so you can pick and choose where you go from. I think it's the cheapest and easiest option. Before I got on the bus I bought my cooking fuel at the gas station right next to the BSÍ bus terminal. The bus left at 7 a.m. and took about three hours up into the highlands. My recording starts at the Landmannalaugar hut at 10:48 a.m.

Your options for 2027

Reykjavik Excursions Highland Bus (sold on icelandia.com, 2026 timetable). To Landmannalaugar: BSÍ 7:00, arriving 11:30, June 13 to September 20. Back from Skógar: 10:15, with a long wait at Hvolsvöllur (11:15 to 17:40), reaching BSÍ at 19:30. Other lines run to Þórsmörk (Húsadalur, Langidalur and Básar) from June 1. "From" prices in 2026: 12,999 ISK to Landmannalaugar, 10,499 ISK to Þórsmörk, 8,999 ISK to Skógar, one way. The round-trip hiking pass I used wasn't listed in September 2026.

Trex (trex.is) also runs to Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk from Reykjavík City Hall (not BSÍ), with a hikers' bus pass. In September 2026 its site already showed 2027 dates (Landmannalaugar June 18 to September 3, 2027) and two different pass prices, so check it.

Strætó, the public bus (route 52 since January 2026). Summer 2026: Mjódd in Reykjavík 14:21 to Skógar 16:30; back from Skógar 17:45, reaching Mjódd 19:59. The winter timetable from August 24, 2026 is a few minutes different (Mjódd 14:18; Skógar 17:55 to Mjódd 20:08), so check the 2027 summer times. It runs only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays: no bus on Mondays, Wednesdays or Saturdays. If you finish at Skógar on a Saturday, there's no public bus that evening and the Reykjavik Excursions bus has left at 10:15, so plan a night in Skógar. 7,200 ISK Mjódd to Skógar, 4,800 ISK to Hvolsvöllur; pay on board by card or cash.

By road. Reykjavík to Landmannalaugar is 182 km, the last 52 on gravel mountain roads open only part of the summer; Reykjavík to Skógar is 154 km, all paved. Parking at Landmannalaugar costs 1,500 ISK and must be booked ahead for arrivals between 9:00 and 16:00 from June 20 to September 13 (2026).

What I paid

My records for this trip are what I said in the film, two receipts I photographed, and one menu board. Prices are 2022.

Doing it yourself, at 2027 prices

Camping at the FÍ huts costs 3,600 ISK a person a night in 2027, plus 1,100 ISK for a shower. A hut bed is 18,000 ISK, so four hut nights in the 5-day version (Hrafntinnusker to Þórsmörk) come to 72,000 ISK, about $600. The meal and bus prices that follow are 2026's. A dinner buffet at the Volcano Huts is 5,500 ISK and breakfast 3,200 ISK. The one-way highland bus is from 12,999 ISK to Landmannalaugar and from 8,999 ISK back from Skógar. At the Central Bank's rate in September 2026, 1 US dollar was about 120 ISK.

Where to sleep

The camping rules

Camp only at the huts. The Laugavegur from Landmannalaugar crosses the Fjallabak nature reserve, where overnight stays are only allowed in huts and at designated campsites, and FÍ asks everyone to camp only in the campgrounds. SafeTravel says the same for the whole Laugavegur: wild camping isn't allowed there. On Fimmvörðuháls there's no campsite; FÍ says camping by Baldvinsskáli is possible but challenging and not an option in bad weather.

Campers pay per person and use the campsite's toilets, water and outdoor tables. FÍ campers don't get the hut kitchens; there are cooking shelters or tents for campers at Landmannalaugar, Hrafntinnusker, Emstrur and Þórsmörk. Carry your trash out from Hrafntinnusker, Emstrur and Baldvinsskáli.

The FÍ huts on the Laugavegur

FÍ (Ferðafélag Íslands, the Iceland Touring Association) runs the huts from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk and Baldvinsskáli on the pass. 2027 prices, valid May 1, 2027 to April 30, 2028: a bed 18,000 ISK a night (9,000 for FÍ members), camping 3,600 ISK a person (1,800), a shower 1,100 ISK (800). The 2026 prices (17,000 ISK a bed, 3,400 ISK camping) apply until April 30, 2027. Book and pay online at fi.is. FÍ only books the huts north to south, Emstrur only as part of a package, and it refunds 75% up to 56 days ahead and nothing within 20 days. All the huts are heated; there's no electricity for charging and no Wi-Fi. The huts take cash and cards, but the card machines can fail when the connection drops, so carry some cash.

The heights are FÍ's official figures; my GPS puts Hrafntinnusker at about 1,025 m (see Day 1). FÍ's average open season is about June 25 to mid September for the high huts; Þórsmörk opens in May. Before June 20 or after September 15 there may be no running water and only dry toilets. FÍ's office: +354 568 2533, fi@fi.is.

Langidalur in 2027. FÍ planned to start rebuilding the Skagfjörðsskáli hut in Langidalur on September 12, 2026, with the new hut to open on June 17, 2027. The 73 beds and the small shop FÍ lists are the old hut. Before you book, ask FÍ whether beds and the campsite are open on your dates, especially before mid June 2027.

Þórsmörk: the Volcano Huts and Básar

Volcano Huts, Húsadalur (end of my Day 2). Where I camped on night 2. It's a private place with a restaurant, a campsite, mountain huts, cabins and glamping tents, a sauna and a small geothermal pool. Very nice, lots of food: I had the dinner and breakfast buffets and they were fantastic. It's busy. Open April 1 to October 31. You don't book the campsite unless you're a group of ten or more; you pay at reception, and the price includes showers, the sauna and the pool. Its website doesn't publish the camping price. Published restaurant prices: dinner buffet 5,500 ISK (18:00 to 21:00), breakfast 3,200 ISK (08:00 to 10:00), soup lunch buffet 3,250 ISK. +354 419 4000, volcanotrails.com.

Básar (Útivist, across the Krossá from Langidalur, at the foot of the Fimmvörðuháls trail). 2026: hut bed 16,800 ISK, camping 2,500 ISK plus 400 ISK lodging tax, a shower 1,000 ISK. Camping June to September, no booking needed. Warden +354 563 0114, utivist.is.

On Fimmvörðuháls

• Fimmvörðuskáli (Útivist, near the top of the pass, 1,086 m by Útivist). 16 beds. 2026: 15,300 ISK July 1 to August 15, 12,900 ISK otherwise. Open June 15 to August 31. No water supply: rainwater from the roof or melted snow, so bring water. +354 893 4910 in summer.
• Baldvinsskáli (FÍ, the small A-frame on the south side, 900 m by FÍ). 16 beds, 18,000 ISK (2027). No fresh water; bring enough. Latrine. 823 3399. This is where I stopped for my ramen snack.

In Skógar

Skógar has hotels, guesthouses and a campsite by the falls. I had dinner at Hótel Skógafoss (+354 487 8780, hotelskogafoss.is), right at the foot of the waterfall, then walked over to another hotel in the village for the night. The campsite's operator and 2026 prices weren't on any official site I could find in September 2026.

What I ate. I bought snacks and supplies in Reykjavík and cooking fuel at the gas station next to the BSÍ bus terminal, and carried a small gas stove. Day 1: a late lunch at Álftavatn (soup, coffee and bread), then my own dinner at Hvanngil. Day 2: ramen I cooked at Emstrur, then the dinner buffet at the Volcano Huts. Day 3: the breakfast buffet at the Volcano Huts, a ramen snack at Baldvinsskáli, and dinner at Hótel Skógafoss.

Buying food. All the FÍ huts sell some snacks, at least chocolate. At Álftavatn a small restaurant serves soup at lunch and a dinner (its 2027 dates weren't announced in September 2026). The Volcano Huts in Þórsmörk have a restaurant. The old Langidalur hut had a small shop; ask FÍ whether the new one does. Landmannalaugar's shop in old buses wasn't online in September 2026, so don't count on it. On Fimmvörðuháls there's nothing to buy.

Water. FÍ says the tap water at all its Laugavegur huts is safe to drink. There's no water on the whole Fimmvörðuháls pass: Fimmvörðuskáli has only rainwater and snowmelt, and Baldvinsskáli none. On the south side the Skógá bridge, about 8 km up from Skógafoss, is a good place to fill up. Leave Þórsmörk with enough for the climb.

Gear for this route

Packing list for the hut version

• A rain jacket and rain pants, a warm layer, a hat and gloves: wind, rain and hail are normal, even in July
• Shoes you can wade rivers in, or sandals for the crossings, and a small towel
• Trekking poles for the rivers and the snow
• A sleeping bag, for the huts or your tent
• About 2 liters of water capacity, more for Fimmvörðuháls
• Cash in ISK and a card
• Offline maps, the GPX files and a power bank: there's no charging at the FÍ huts

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I camped at the huts and cooked some of my own meals in July 2022. I didn't list my kit for this trip, and the gear list I linked in the film isn't in the description any more, so here's what the film and my photos show, what I'd take now, and what I filmed with.

What I carried in 2022

Brands only where the film names them, so most of these have no link.

• Pack: my Hyperlite pack
• Tent: a small green NEMO tent. I stayed in my tent the whole time on the trail, which saves money.
• Stove: a small gas stove. My own dinner at Hvanngil and ramen at Emstrur.
• Shoes: trail runners. There were so many water crossings, and I kept my shoes on.
• Camp shoes: blue and orange camp shoes
• Layers: a dark rain jacket, an orange insulated jacket and a beanie

What I'd take now

For the camping version or the huts, from my current kit.

Hiking

• Pack: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 2400 (Hyperlite). Room for a tent and food between the huts.
• Tent: NEMO Hornet Elite OSMO 1P (Amazon). Camp only at the huts and designated campsites.
• Sleeping bag: Hyperlite Mountain Gear 20° Quilt (Hyperlite). You need one for the huts or your tent.
• Sleeping pad: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT (Amazon)
• Stove: Jetboil Stash (Amazon). I bought fuel at the gas station next to the BSÍ bus terminal.
• Rain shell: Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket (Arc’teryx). Wind, rain and hail are normal, even in July.
• Puffy: Arc’teryx Cerium Hoody (Arc’teryx). The wind can be relentless, mixed with rain and sometimes snow.
• Beanie: PATH Projects Hoyt Merino Beanie (PATH Projects)
• Gloves: Unigear Touchscreen Liner Gloves (Amazon)
• Poles: Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Z Poles (Amazon). For the river crossings and the snow.
• Camp shoes: Crocs Classic Clog (Amazon). For the huts and camp.
• Water: Katadyn BeFree AC · 1L (Amazon). Tap water at the FÍ huts is safe, but there's none on the Fimmvörðuháls pass: carry about 2 liters.

Filmmaking

• Power bank: Nitecore NB20000 (Amazon). There's no charging at the FÍ huts.

Other

• Navigation: AllTrails+ (AllTrails, 30% off). Load my GPX files and download offline maps before you get on the bus. Offline maps need the paid plan.
• Phone data: Airalo eSIM (Airalo, $3 off). Data in Reykjavík. Don't count on a signal between the huts.

Filming kit

What I filmed this trip with in 2022. My setup is much smaller now (below). Read the drone rules in Weather and safety before you bring one: they're banned in summer around Landmannalaugar and all year at Skógafoss.

• Camera: Sony a7S III (Amazon)
• Lens: a Sony 16-35mm f/4
• Mic: Rode VideoMic GO II (Amazon)
• Tripod: a tripod. Greetings from lovely Mordor: my camera setup on the lava.
• Drone: my DJI drone

What I film with now

Since September 2026 I film with a smaller setup: the Pocket 4 and the Mic 3 on the trail, and the Mini 5 Pro in the air.

• Camera: DJI Osmo Pocket 4 (Amazon)
• Mic: DJI Mic 3 · 1 TX + 1 RX (Amazon). It pairs with the Pocket 4.
• Drone: DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon)
• Tripod: SmallRig Carbon Fiber Tripod (Amazon)

Book huts or campsites ahead: FÍ expects confirmed bookings before you start

The season. FÍ says the Laugavegur is open on average from June 25 to September 15, and that July and August are the most reliable. The road into Landmannalaugar opens on average around June 20. In 2026 FÍ declared the trail open on July 2, with considerable snow between Landmannalaugar and Álftavatn. The highland buses ran from June 13 to September 20 in 2026. FÍ gives early July to early September as the best time for Fimmvörðuháls.

What I got. I went in mid July. Day 1 was cloudy, with snow on the high section and the sun coming out in the late afternoon after Álftavatn. Day 2 was clear and sunny. On Day 3 cloud and fog rolled in over the pass and cleared on the way down to Skógar. I had great weather overall. Iceland at this time of year is light all the time, so you have to go to sleep with the sun out.

Snow. I had to walk in snow a lot: on the high section around Hrafntinnusker on Day 1 and on the pass on Day 3. FÍ says the first two stages can be snow-covered in early summer, with snow-filled ravines and thin snow bridges between Hrafntinnusker and Álftavatn, and the pass is often snow-covered well into summer.

Forecast. Don't go out there if the forecast says it's going to rain the whole time. It's not going to be fun. Wait for a window.

The river crossings

The Laugavegur has several unbridged rivers. FÍ says at least three have to be waded; they're cold, and they rise quickly with rain. On Day 3 the Krossá and the Skógá have footbridges. On my line (from my GPS and OpenStreetMap, with FÍ's list of which ones have bridges):

There were so many water crossings, and I kept my shoes on. The first thing on Day 2 was a cold crossing right after breaking camp.

How to cross (SafeTravel and FÍ): only cross if you're sure; ask the hut wardens about the rivers ahead; rivers are often lower in the morning; wear shoes or sandals, not bare feet; loosen all your pack straps; look for the wide, braided parts, where the current is weaker; cross in twos or threes with arms linked; and after heavy rain, wait.

Weather and safety

Fimmvörðuháls in 2026. On August 25, 2026, FÍ, Útivist and the Dagrenning rescue team from Hvolsvöllur warned that glacier retreat had opened ravines and crevasses, collapsed snow bridges and exposed steep scree between Baldvinsskáli and Fimmvörðuskáli, that the trail was impassable in places, and advised people not to hike the pass. On September 2, 2026, FÍ published a detour: follow the better-marked "blue" route between Baldvinsskáli and the Skógá bridge, and bypass the damaged section by the ridge past Fimmvörðuskáli. Its stakes carry small numbered plates with known GPS positions, so rescuers can find you. I found no all-clear. Check fi.is and utivist.is before you go.

Forecasts. Use vedur.is, the Icelandic Met Office, and check it every day, even twice a day. FÍ gives summer temperatures on the trail of 5 to 14 °C by day and 0 to 10 °C at night, and says wind over 10 to 12 m/s makes hiking hard. Hut wardens may tell you to stay in the hut in bad weather. Listen to them.

Emergencies. Call 112. Iceland is phasing out 2G and 3G, so SafeTravel also gives a backup number, +354 599 0112. From a satellite phone, 112 Iceland says to call +354 809 0112. The 112 Iceland app sends your location to the emergency centre, and in the highlands a text often gets through when a call won't. Leave a travel plan at safetravel.is. Search and rescue in Iceland is run by volunteers (ICE-SAR); get travel insurance that covers rescue.

Hypothermia. SafeTravel says it's quite common in Iceland in summer. Wet and wind are the danger. Keep dry layers in a bag, eat, and turn back or stop at a hut early.

Drones. Drones are banned in the Fjallabak nature reserve (Landmannalaugar) from June 15 to September 15 without a permit, and since May 2026 permits there are only issued for commercial work. At Skógafoss drones are banned all year; permits are only for commercial work. Elsewhere the EU rules apply: registration, under 120 m, in sight, never over crowds.

The steep and exposed places

None of it needs a rope, but these spots need care:

• The snowfields past Hrafntinnusker (Day 1): snow-filled ravines with thin snow bridges early in the season, and fog.
• The descent to the Grashagakvísl (Day 1): about 1,200 ft (370 m) down in 2.4 miles on loose ground.
• The unbridged rivers (Days 1 and 2): see The river crossings.
• Kattarhryggir and Heljarkambur (Day 3): narrow ridges with drops on both sides; Heljarkambur has a chain handhold.
• The pass (Day 3): snow, fog and strong wind, and in 2026 new ravines and crevasses between the huts.
• The Skógá gorge (Day 3): the path runs along the edge of steep drops above the waterfalls.

How hard is it? I think it's not that bad. It's pretty low altitude, so you don't have to worry about altitude sickness, and it's not technical: you just have to do the miles. The river crossings are probably the most difficult part, and they might overwhelm some shorter people. I had water up to my waist at one point, and it's cold. The weather is the other thing. The wind can be relentless, mixed with rain and sometimes snow and hail, and I was hearing stories that a bunch of people got hypothermia a couple of days before I hiked. Pick a good forecast window.

How many days? I did it in three: two days on the Laugavegur and one over Fimmvörðuháls, about 20 miles each. The usual pace is four days on the Laugavegur and one or two more for Fimmvörðuháls. See Other ways to do it.

Where do you sleep? At the huts. I stayed in my tent the whole time on the trail, which saves money, but you still have to pay to camp. You can camp at pretty much any of the hut areas. You can't camp anywhere else: the Laugavegur runs through protected land where overnight stays are only allowed in huts and at designated campsites. See Where to sleep.

Do I need to book? In 2022 I didn't book the campsites ahead; there are no bookings in my records. For 2027, book. FÍ says hikers are expected to have confirmed hut or campsite bookings before they start, and it only books the huts north to south.

Which direction? North to south, from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, like me. It's downhill overall, and it's the direction FÍ books the huts.

Is it marked? Yes, it's a well-trodden trail with marker stakes, which you can see in my photos and the film. In fog and on the snowfields the stakes are what you go by, so carry the GPX files too.

Do I need spikes for the snow? I didn't. Lots of snow at higher elevations, but still no spikes necessary, in mid July 2022. Early in the season there's more (see When to go).

Is there water? At every hut on the Laugavegur, and FÍ says the tap water is safe to drink. On Fimmvörðuháls there's no water for the whole glacial pass area. Fill up before the climb.

Is it expensive? Iceland is expensive in general, and this hike doesn't escape that. Any time you buy food it's more expensive than even in New York City. In 2027 an FÍ hut bed is 18,000 ISK a night (about $150) and a campsite 3,600 ISK. See What I paid.

Phone signal? Patchy. FÍ says coverage can be unstable on the trail and you may have to find a hilltop. Álftavatn has a connection; at Emstrur it's on the hill above the huts.

Can I fly a drone? Not in summer in the Fjallabak nature reserve around Landmannalaugar (June 15 to September 15), and not at Skógafoss at any time of year, unless you have a permit, and since 2026 permits are only for commercial work. See Weather and safety.

I walked it in three long days with a tent. These versions are for people who want a hut every night or shorter days. I didn't walk them this way; the distances come from my own GPS on the same trail, with FÍ's figures beside them.

A hut every night: 5 days

Day 5 is long. Split it at Baldvinsskáli (10.6 miles from the Volcano Huts) or Fimmvörðuskáli for a sixth day, or leave out Fimmvörðuháls and take the bus from Þórsmörk. FÍ says most hikers spend five nights on the trail. Remember FÍ books its huts north to south, Emstrur only in a package.

Shorter trips

• The Laugavegur alone, 4 days: days 1 to 4 above, then the highland bus home from Þórsmörk.
• Fimmvörðuháls alone, 1 or 2 days: the bus to Skógar or Þórsmörk and over the pass, with a night at Baldvinsskáli or Fimmvörðuskáli if you want to split it. Check the 2026 warning first.
• A day at Þórsmörk: Valahnúkur from the Volcano Huts or Langidalur. Everyone should do that.

Before you go, check these

These change every year. Everything else in this guide stays the same.

The trail

• Whether Fimmvörðuháls is open, and which route FÍ and Útivist mark over the pass (the 2026 warning and detour)
• When FÍ declares the Laugavegur open (2026: July 2) and how much snow is left
• River levels: ask the wardens each evening

Where you sleep

• FÍ hut and campsite bookings and prices (2027: 18,000 ISK a bed, 3,600 ISK camping, from May 1, 2027)
• Whether the new Langidalur hut in Þórsmörk is open (planned for June 17, 2027)
• Volcano Huts and Básar seasons and prices; Fimmvörðuskáli's season (2026: June 15 to August 31)

Getting there and around

• Highland bus timetables and prices (Reykjavik Excursions / Icelandia, Trex), and whether a round-trip hiking pass is sold
• Strætó route 52 to Skógar: its days (2026: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays only) and times
• Landmannalaugar parking booking, if you drive

Weather and your stuff

• The vedur.is forecast every evening, and a travel plan at safetravel.is
• Offline files on your phone, some ISK in cash, travel insurance that covers rescue