Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
you can see them, but blanketed by snow they'll be
invisible, so use a hiking pole to test the path ahead.
Another hazard is
river crossings
, which you'll have
to make on various trails all over the country. River
levels are at their lowest first thing in the morning,
and rise through the day as the sun melts the glacial
ice and snow that feed into them. When looking for
a crossing point, remember the river will be
shallowest at its widest point; before crossing, make
sure that your backpack straps are loose so that you
can ditch it in a hurry if necessary. Face into the
current as you cross and be prepared to give up if
the water gets above your thighs. Never attempt a
crossing alone, and remember that some rivers have
no safe fords at all if you're on foot - you'll have to
hitch across in a vehicle.
riverside trails around nearby
Jökulsárgljúfur
National Park
, which features some awesome
canyon scenery. Over in the east, the best of the
hikes take in the highland moors and glaciated
fringes of the massive Vatnajökull ice cap: at
Snæfell
, a peak inland from Egilsstaðir;
Lónsöræfi
reserve
near Höfn; and
Skaftafell National Park
,
another riotously popular camping spot on
Vatnajökull's southern edge.
Icelandic hiking organizations
For advance information on popular hiking areas
such as Þórsmörk or Landmannalaugar, or simply if
you want to sign up for an organized hike, Iceland
has two
hiking organizations
. Both run guided
treks of a couple of days' duration to a week or
longer - though groups can be very large - and
maintain various mountain huts in reserves and the
Interior where you can book a bunk.
Ferðafélag Íslands
(Touring Club of Iceland) Mörkin 6, IS-108
Reykjavík
T
568 2533,
W
fi.is
Útivist
Hallaveigarstigur 1, IS-101 Reykjavík
T
561 4330,
W
utivist.is
When and where to hike
The
best months
for hiking are June through to
August, when the weather is relatively warm,
wildflowers are in bloom, and the wildlife is out
and about - though even then the Interior and
higher ground elsewhere can get snowbound at
short notice. Outside the prime time, weather is
very problematic and you might not be able to
reach the area you want to explore, let alone hike
around it.
One of the beauties of Iceland is that you can
walk just about anywhere, assuming you can cope
with local conditions, though there are, of course,
some highlights. Close to Reykjavík, the
Reykjanes
Peninsula
offers extended treks across imposingly
desolate lava rubble; there are some short, easy
hikes along steaming valleys near
Hveragerði
,
while trails at
Þingvellir
include historic sites and
an introduction to rift valley geology. Further east,
Laugavegur
is an exceptional four-day trail; and
Þórsmörk
is one of the most popular hiking spots
in the country, a wooded, elevated valley
surrounded by glaciers and mountain peaks with a
well-trodden network of paths.
Along the west coast, the
Snæfellsnes
Peninsula
is notoriously damp but peaks with the
ice-bound summit of Snæfellsjökull, the dormant
volcano used as a fictional gateway into the centre
of the earth by writer Jules Verne. Further north
there's
Hornstrandir
, the wildest and most
isolated extremity of the West Fjords, a region of
twisted coastlines, sheer cliffs and rugged hill
walks. Those after an easier time should head to
Mývatn
, the shallow northeastern lake where you
can make simple day-hikes to extinct craters,
billowing mud-pits, and still steaming lava flows;
longer but also relatively easy are the well-marked
Horseriding
Horses
came to Iceland with the first settlers, and,
due to a tenth-century ban on their further import,
have remained true to their original stocky Scandi-
navian breed. Always used for
riding
, horses also
had a religious place in Viking times and were often
dedicated or sacrificed to the pagan gods; with the
advent of Christianity, eating horse meat was
banned, being seen as a sign of paganism.
Nowadays, horses are used for the autumn livestock
round-up, and for recreational purposes.
Icelandic horses are sturdy, even-tempered
creatures which, in addition to the usual walk, trot,
gallop and canter, can move smoothly across rough
ground using the gliding
tölt
gait. The biggest
breeding centres are in the country's south, but
horses are available for
hire
from farms all over
Iceland, for anything from an hour in the saddle to
two-week-long treks across the Interior.
Places to
hire horses
are given throughout the guide, but to
organize something in advance, contact Íshestar
(
W
ishestar.is) or Eldhestar (
W
eldhestar.is), which
run treks of all lengths and experience levels right
across the country.
Snow and action sports
Snow sports
- which in Iceland are not just
practised in winter - have, surprisingly, only
