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North and Central Iceland
Offered by Fjallabak Trekking

moderate day hikes

The Trip

This overland journey in the northeast and central Iceland explores the remarkable diversity of the country and captures the highlights of the land of ice and fire. Some beautiful hikes will give us the opportunity to view volcanoes as Gjastykki and Askja, endless lava fields of Odadahraun. We will also discover powerful waterfalls of Godafoss or Detifoss, the moors, green meadows, colorful farms, narrow deep fjords and little fishing villages, observe whales and feel the immensity of the Arctic Ocean.

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Itinerary

Day 1: Drive north on the ring road to Akureyri the “capital” of North-Iceland. Visit the beautiful city situated by the deep fjord of Eyjafjördur. After a visit of the ancient turf farm of Laufás and a stop at the Godafoss waterfall, we reach lake Myvatn in the afternoon.

Day 2: The day is spent visiting the lake shore (wonderful bird watching until the middle of July) and the great volcanic system; volcanic and geothermal activity have created spectrums of color and weird lava and rock formations as Kálfaströnd or Skútustadir pseudocrater with its astonishing natural symmetry; the bubbling mud pool of Námaskard and Leirhnjúkur surrounded by the smoking lava field and the active Krafla fissure which last erupted in 1984.

Day 3: The Skjálfanda bay is dominated by the magnificent snow covered mountains of Kinn. From Hùsavik we board an a large vessel for an unforgettable whale-watching cruise. Minke whales, white beaked dolphins and porpoises have been seen on nearly every cruise and from time to time a blue whale, a humpback or a group of killer whales. Overnight at Ásbyrgi we stay at the “rock sanctuary” that was masterfully shaped by nature.

Day 4: The river Jökulsá á Fjöllum falls into a deep canyon in the National Park of Jökulsárgljúfur. This waterfall, Dettifoss, is the most powerful in Europe. We cross the dramatic immense Ódádahraun desert to reach Mount Herdubreid and the Askja Caldera.

Day 5: Our walk takes us to the central lake of the caldera. The landscape seems like another planet. For the adventurous it is possible to take a soak in a naturally warm bathing spot in a crater called Víti “Hell”.

Day 6: By the difficult trail of Gæsavatnaleid, and through the dramatic landscape we follow near the huge ice cap of Vatnajökull until we reach Nyjadalur, which is the geographical center of Iceland.

Day 7: A full day driving takes us through the vast central plateau of Sprengisandur Desert to reach South Iceland. We arrive in Reykjavik in the evening.

Note: Itinerary is subject to be reversed or slightly modified without prior notice. Bird watching (ducks) at lake Myvatn is most interesting in June and until the middle of July.