Tour Overview
Duration
6 days
Walking distance
69 km
Difficulty
Moderate
Accommodation
Sleeping bag - cabins
Group size
Min 5 persons
Group size
Max 12 persons
Minimum age
14 years
Season
Summer
Starting point
Hólaskjól Highland Center
Departure
13:00
Pick up
Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Drop off
Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Tour departures dates
23. July 2024
31. July 2024
Price from
Tour description
Guided and supported trekking tour from the magnificent lake Langisjór alongside the Skaftá river through the Eldgjá canyon to Hólaskjól Highland Center. In Hólaskjól explorers can hop off the tour after a 3-days trek along this beautiful trail. Trekkers might also be willing to continue the trek from Hólaskjól Highland Center to Lake Álftavatn and Strútslaug, the natural geothermal hot spring where trekkers can relax in natural hot pot before we continue to the Strútur hut where the trek ends, and the group will be picked up by 4×4 truck.
The trek is offered as:
- Eldgjá Trek Part 1. The first part of the trek from lake Langisjór to Hólaskjól Highland Center. This is a four-day tour. Total trekking is 40 km. With three days as active trekking days.
- Eldgjá Trek Part 2. The second part of the trek from Hólaskjól Highland Center to Strútur. This is a three-day tour. Total trekking is 28 km. With two days as active trekking days
- Eldgjá Trek full tour. The first part and the second part are combined as one tour from lake Langisjór through Hólakjól Highland Center to Strútur. This is a six-day tour. Total trekking is 68 km. 6 days 5 days with trekking.
Hólaskjól Highland Center
Hólaskjól Highland Center serves as basecamp for the Eldgjá Trek. The tour starts in Hólaskjól Highland Center. Hikers will travel to Hólaskjól by their own volition. The road leading to Hólaskjól is clear for any type of car even though it is F road for the last 20 km. It is possible to book a pickup from the village Kirkjubæjarklaustur.
Included:
- Transfer from Hólaskjól Highland Center to the starting point of the trek.
- Transfer from the ending points of the trek to Hólaskjól Highland Center.
- Professional guide
The trek is supported. All luggage is transported between huts and the trekkers travel light during the day. - All food and lunch pack for the day
- Accommodation in mountain cabins.
The tour is “served tour” with guide, food, transport of luggage between huts, accommodation in cabins or tents by choice. Transfer from Hólaskjól in 4×4 truck to starting point and back from ending point. Pickup and drop of in Kirkjubæjarklaustur is available.
What you can expect to see and experience
Lake Langisjór, Sveinstindur, Laki lava field, Eldgjá Lava field, Skaftrá river, Vatnajökull glacier, Highlands of Iceland from top of Sveinstindur peak, Uxatindar, Skælingar, Eldgjá fissure, Ófærufoss The waterfall with no name, Álftavötn (svan lake) Hólmsá, Ófæra, Svartahnúksfjöll and Strútslaug the geothermal area
Tour briefing
Included
- Transfer from Hólaskjól to the starting point of the trek.
- Personal experienced guide
- Support for the tour. All luggage is transported between
- Breakfast and dinner in cabins
- Food pack for the day
Not Included
- Pick up
- Drop off
- Soft drinks
- Alcohol beverages
What to bring
- Thermal underwear
- At least two sets of shirts
- Wool or fleece thermal mid layer
- Waterproof and breathable pants and jacket
- Warn beanie
- Gloves
- 3 pairs of hiking socks
- Sleeping bag
- Pillow
- Sport shoes - to wear when not hiking
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen & aftersun
- Travel sack for your baggage that is transported between cabins
- Day-back pack 25 - 40L
- Wading shoes for crossing rivers
- Health supplies and precription medicine
- Water bottle 1-2L
- Towel
- Swimming gear
itenery
The tour starts in Hólaskjól Highland Center. Trekkers will travel to Hólaskjól by their own volition. The road leading to Hólaskjól is clear for any type of car even though it is F road for the last 20 km. It is possible to book a pickup from the village Kirkjubæjarklaustur.
Parking space is available Hólaskjól Highland Center for travelers and hikers to park during the time of hiking.
From Hólaskjól Higland Center hikers will travel with a 4×4 bus fit for the rough highland roads from Hólaskjól to lake Langisjór and the mountain Sveinstindur. The hike begins by hiking to the top of Sveinstindur. The view from the top is spectacular. The view stretches over the breath-taking valleys and mountains given to us by Mother Nature. The hike continues from Sveinstindur to a cabin by the river Skaftá where the first night will be spent. The day’s hike will be around 4-5 hours long. The starting destination at the bottom of Sveinstindur is around 600 meters above sea level and the top is 1090 meters. The elevation is therefore 5-600 meters.
Langisjór is a large lake southwest of the glacier Vatnajökull. The lake is 27 square kilometers, 20km long and 2km wide, at its widest. The altitude is 662m above sea level. East of Langisjór is the mountain range Fögrufjöll in which many rock formations lead into the water and into the fjords and bays. By the southern end of the lake is Sveinstindur, a mountain named after Sveinn Pálsson, a physician and naturalist from the town of Vík. Sveinstindur is 1092m above sea level. The hike is relatively easy and hikers with little to no experience can get to the top with an increase of 400m in altitude. The view from the top is unique, it is said that in case the weather is good enough, a person should be able to see a view that stretches a quarter over Iceland. From the glacier Öræfajökull in the east, to Hellisheiði and the two galciers Langjökull and Hofsjökull in the west. The view stretches over all Langisjór additionally, an unforgettable sight to see. To the right of the lake is the mountain range Fögrufjöll with numerous lagoons between heights and peaks. East of Fögrufjöll runs the glacier river Skaftá, which has historically crashed with catastrophic floods. The floods originate in Skaftárkatlar, which is close to the glacier Vatnajökull. From the east of Skaftá, one can see the crater Lakagígar, where the lava from Skaftá flooded in the lowlands in 1783 – the third largest lava flow on earth since the last Ice Age.
Langisjór, one of Europe’s most beautiful and pristine highland lakes, is tucked in between the beautiful Tungnárfjöll and Fögrufjöll Mountains at the western edge of Vatnajökull Glacier. Measuring 20 km long and 2 km wide in some places, the lake is 27sq km and 75m at its deepest and lies some 640m above sea level. The view around the lake is magnificent and at the southern end of the lake stands Sveinstindur (1090 m) which is considered by many to be one of the best views of the panorama of the surrounding area. Views over Lakagígar, Skaftáreldahraun, Öræfajökul and Hekla are possible in clear weather.
The day’s trek is around 5 km long.
Active trekking time is 4 – 5 hours



Day two starts off by a walk alongside the river Skaftá and by the valley Hvanngil and mountain Uxatindur. The second day’s hike can be expected to be around 18km in a fabulously colorful landscape. The views are a momentous part of the trip and are unforgettable. The hike’s destination for day two is Skælingar, where the most adventurous hikers will be able to bathe in a cold mere. In Skælingar there is an old cabin that one’s belonged to the farmers in this part of Iceland. One of many such cabins in Iceland that were used in the autumn in the sheep round-up, when farmers collected sheep from the Highland. One such place is the wonderful world of unusual lava formation at Skælingar. A place where everything is calm and quiet but a place that looks strange and exotic. In Skælingar there are many amazing lava formations from Skaftáreldar that are beautiful scenery. The day’s trek is around 18 km long.



This day starts with a trek to the mountain Gjátindur from the top of which a magnificent view of Iceland can be seen. From Gjátindur is a good view over the Eldgjá fissure wich is a 70 km long canyon. The trail continues down Gjátindur into the lava canyon and to the infamous waterfall Ófærufoss – a popular destination for a lunch break before continuing the trail to Hólaskjól Highland Center. The group will have barbecue dinner in the evening and spend the night in a cabin in Hólaskjól. The day’s trek is around 18 km long.
The trail begins in Hólaskjól Highland Center. From there hikers start the tour after lunch as we hike along the river Syðri Ófæra. We will observe a breathtaking waterfall, that doesn’t have any name, as we travel along the side of the river on our way to the shepherd hut in Álftavötn where we will have dinner and overnight accommodation.
Álftavötn is stunningly beautiful, fountains stream out from the lava fields and into the clear lake Álftavötn where vegetation reaches the water. There you can also find a natural Stonebridge that goes over the river Syðri-Ófæra.
Active hiking time is 3 – 4 hours
Hiking distance is 7 km



From Álftavötn we continue our exploration as we go off the beaten path. The path is unmarked and not visible and far from all roads. Álftavötn is a wide valley loaded with lakes and rivers. Álftavötn means “Swan lakes” It is common to see birds there like swans and other birds depending on the time of the year we go through the area. We will hike through the Eldgjá fissure and alongside with the vast Svartahnúksfjöll “black mountains” on our way to Strútslaug, that lies south of the glacier Torfajökull. Strútslaug is an active geothermal area and there the explorers can relax in fully natural geothermal hot spring. There are no dressing rooms there and we don’t expect to meet other trekkers in this remote area that is not accessible by roads or tracks either. From Strútslaug is 1,5-hour hike to the Strútur hut where we overnight the last day of the trek. We will have a barbecue in the evening. Hiking distance 21,8 km Active hiking time is 7 -8 hours.
We will be picked up in Strútur hut by 4×4 vehicle. We drive mountain track from Strútur via Mælifellssand where we can look at the green mountain Mælifell on our way to our base camp in Hólaskjól Highland Center.
We will be picked up in Strútur hut after breakfast. We will travel with our 4×4 highland bus to Hólaskjól Highland Center where our tour ends. We will enjoy different landscape as we travel back on the black Mælisfellssand with the black sand around us green hills in the background and good view on the magnificent glacier Mýrdalsjökull where the volcano Katla is resting. We will have the opportunity to look at mountain Mælifell.
We end in Hólaskjól Highland Center where some of the hikers might have stored their cars. For travelers without a car, it is possible to book transfer to the village Kirkjubæjarklaustur or Vík.