Best Icelandic Highlands: Landmannalaugar, Askja, Þórsmörk, Laugavegur Trek, F-Roads and Interior Iceland Deep Volcanic Heritage Tour Destinations

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Best Icelandic Highlands: Landmannalaugar, Askja, Þórsmörk, Laugavegur Trek, F-Roads and Interior Iceland Deep Volcanic Heritage Tour Destinations (Vatnajökull National Park UNESCO 2019, Þingvellir UNESCO 2004)

TL;DR

I have been planning Iceland trips for friends since 2018, and I will say this bluntly: the Ring Road is the appetizer, the Highlands are the main course. Iceland Highlands cover roughly 40,000 km², which is about 75 percent of the country's 103,000 km² landmass, and almost none of it is permanently inhabited. The interior is locked behind snow for nine months of the year. F-roads, the gravel mountain tracks marked with an F prefix on the map, open only between early July and mid-September depending on snowmelt, and once they close you cannot legally drive them even in a tank.

Landmannalaugar sits at roughly 600 m altitude inside the Fjallabak Nature Reserve, where rhyolite mountains streak brown, yellow, green, blue and pink within a single 2-hour walk. Over 100 hot springs simmer here, and the public bathing pool sits at 36 to 40°C and costs USD 0. The hut is USD 70 per night, camping USD 20. From here begins the Laugavegur Trail, a 55 km, 4-day point-to-point trek to Þórsmörk that I rate as the single best multi-day hike I have done outside Patagonia.

Askja Caldera, 50 km² in size, formed during the 1875 supereruption that drove a wave of Icelandic emigration to North America. Its Víti crater lake, 60 m by 100 m, sits at 27°C and you can swim it for USD 0 if your nerves hold. Apollo 14 and 17 astronauts trained on Askja's lava fields between 1965 and 1967 because the terrain matched the lunar surface they expected to walk.

Þórsmörk, the "Forest of Thor," sits where three glaciers meet: Mýrdalsjökull (596 km²), Eyjafjallajökull (100 km²) whose 2010 eruption grounded European air traffic for 6 days, and Tindfjallajökull. The Krossá river crossings here change depth daily.

Costs are honest, not cheap. A 7-day Highland trip runs USD 2,400 to 3,600 per person, a 10-day grand loop USD 3,200 to 5,000, and a 14-day Ring Road plus Highlands combo USD 4,500 to 7,000. Card payment works everywhere, ISK runs around 140 to the USD as of mid-2026, and Schengen gives most travelers 90 visa-free days.

Plan a 7-10 day Iceland Highlands trip July-Sept only.

Why Iceland Highlands matter

I have walked rim trails in Patagonia, climbed scoria slopes in New Zealand and crossed black-sand deserts in Namibia, and I still rank the Icelandic interior as the most singular volcanic landscape on Earth. The reason is geological coincidence. Iceland straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart at roughly 2 cm per year, and it also sits over a hotspot mantle plume. That double mechanism produced 130 volcanoes, 30 of them active, and a Highlands plateau averaging 400 to 800 m altitude that has stayed too cold, too windy and too lava-scarred for permanent settlement across 1,150 years of Icelandic history.

Landmannalaugar's rhyolite is the headline. Rhyolite forms when silica-rich magma cools slowly underground, and iron, sulfur and copper oxides streak the rock in colors no postcard captures honestly. I have stood on Brennisteinsalda (855 m) at 9 pm in July with the sun still high, and the surrounding ridges looked painted. From the same trailhead you begin the Laugavegur, 55 km of trail that crosses obsidian fields, ice-cold rivers, the Mælifellssandur black-sand desert and arrives at the birch woods of Þórsmörk. Four huts (Hrafntinnusker, Álftavatn, Botnar, Þórsmörk) sit roughly every 12-15 km.

Askja Caldera is the other reason serious travelers come here. The 1875 eruption ejected so much tephra that east Iceland farms went bankrupt and a fifth of the population emigrated. Today you can drive F88 and F910, ford four rivers (one of them, Lindaá, sometimes axle-deep), then walk 2.5 km to the Víti crater rim and descend the loose scoria to bathe. Þórsmörk closes the loop with a forest valley nobody expects in Iceland.

Highlands cover roughly 40,000 km², about 75 percent of the country.
F-roads are 4WD-mandatory, gravel-damage insurance essential, average daily rental USD 180-280.
Open season is approximately July 1 to mid-September; exact dates posted at road.is.
Midnight sun runs roughly May 20 to July 25, civil twilight only in June.
Laugavegur huts (USD 70/night) book out 4-6 months ahead; camping (USD 20) takes overflow.
Vatnajökull National Park covers 14,141 km² and earned UNESCO listing in 2019.
Hekla volcano (1,491 m) last erupted in 2000, status updated weekly by IMO.

Background

Norse settlers arrived on the coasts around 874 AD, and the Icelandic Commonwealth ran the country between 930 and 1262 from the Þingvellir parliament site. The interior was a different matter. Sagas describe outlaws like Fjalla-Eyvindur living in Highland caves through the 18th century, and otherwise the plateau remained empty. Winters dropped to -25°C, summers stayed cool and short, and the lava fields and glacial outwash plains refused agriculture. Travelers crossing Sprengisandur or Kjölur to reach the north did so in summer caravans, and many died.

Modern Highland access began in the 1950s when the Public Roads Administration cut the first F-roads as summer-only tracks. Tourism followed slowly. The Ferðafélag Íslands (Iceland Touring Association, founded 1927) built the early huts. By the 1960s Landmannalaugar's first proper hut received summer hikers, and the Laugavegur trail was published as a recommended route in 1979. Vatnajökull National Park was created in 2008, consolidating earlier reserves, and added a US-style ranger system. UNESCO inscribed the park in 2019 for its combined volcanic and glacial heritage.

Then came the eruption cycle that put Iceland back on every travel map. Eyjafjallajökull erupted in April 2010 and the ash cloud grounded European air traffic for 6 days, costing airlines an estimated USD 1.7 billion. Bárðarbunga's Holuhraun fissure ran from August 2014 to February 2015 and produced 1.4 km³ of lava, the largest Icelandic eruption since 1783. Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanes Peninsula erupted in March 2021 after 800 years of dormancy, drawing 350,000 visitors in 6 months. The Sundhnúkur fissure system on Reykjanes then erupted 7 times between December 2023 and mid-2024, prompting the evacuation of Grindavík. None of these events shut the Highlands directly, but they reshaped infrastructure spending and pushed insurance premiums higher.

874 AD: Ingólfr Arnarson founds Reykjavík; coasts settled within 60 years.
1875: Askja supereruption ejects 2 km³ of tephra; emigration wave to Manitoba and Dakotas.
1927: Ferðafélag Íslands founded; first Highland huts built shortly after.
1950s: First proper F-roads cut for summer-only Highland access.
1965-1967: NASA Apollo astronauts train at Askja for lunar geology.
2008: Vatnajökull National Park established (14,141 km²).
2010: Eyjafjallajökull eruption grounds European aviation for 6 days.
2019: Vatnajökull receives UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Tier 1 destinations

Landmannalaugar Rhyolite Mountains and Hot Springs

I rolled into Landmannalaugar at 4 pm on a July afternoon after 4 hours and 35 minutes of driving from Reykjavík, the last hour of it on F208 with two unbridged river crossings that came up to the door sills of the Land Rover Defender I had rented for USD 240 per day. The hut warden, a 22-year-old geology student from Akureyri, checked my booking on paper because there is no mobile signal here. The bunk cost USD 70 and the camping field next door cost USD 20. The hot pool sits 80 m from the hut along a wooden boardwalk and costs nothing, and that combination of price and quality is unrepeatable anywhere else I have traveled.

Landmannalaugar sits at roughly 600 m altitude inside the 470 km² Fjallabak Nature Reserve, established 1979. The rhyolite peaks formed about 70,000 years ago when subglacial silica-rich eruptions cooled under the ice cap. Iron oxides give the brown and red bands, sulfur the yellow, copper the green, and obsidian the black streaks. The classic acclimatization walk climbs Brennisteinsalda at 855 m, takes 2 hours round-trip, and crosses an active solfatara field where you can smell hydrogen sulfide at 80 m distance. The second walk runs up Bláhnúkur at 943 m, the "Blue Peak," and takes 2.5 hours with 350 m of ascent on loose scoria.

The natural hot pool merges a hot spring (about 42°C at source) with a cold river (8°C), giving a bathing temperature that sits comfortably between 36 and 40°C depending on where you stand. I soaked for 50 minutes at 11 pm under the late twilight of mid-July, and the only other people in the pool were a Belgian couple who had walked the Laugavegur in the opposite direction.

Access runs only from approximately July 1 to mid-September. F208 from the south is the most direct route, 200 km east of Reykjavík at 4 to 5 hours, with 2 to 3 fords. F26 Sprengisandur from the north is for experienced drivers only. The Reykjavík Excursions Highland Bus runs daily in season, USD 95 one-way, and takes 4 hours. Daily car-park fee is USD 8, and the hut warden enforces 11 pm quiet hours strictly.

Laugavegur Trail and Northern Þórsmörk

I started the Laugavegur on a Wednesday morning with 3 days of food, a sleeping bag liner, and a forecast that promised rain on day 2 and 3. The trail runs 55 km from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, drops a net 600 m of altitude, and crosses four distinct ecological zones in 4 days. I rate it the world's best 4-day trek, ahead of the Tour du Mont Blanc and the W in Torres del Paine, because no other trail packs this much geological variety into so short a distance.

Day 1 climbs 470 m over 12 km to Hrafntinnusker at 1,050 m altitude. The trail crosses an obsidian field where black volcanic glass crunches under boots, and the hut sits in a snowfield that often persists into August. I arrived in 5 hours and 10 minutes, paid USD 70 for the bunk (booked 5 months ahead through Ferðafélag Íslands), and watched the warden chip ice off the water tap. Day 2 descends 490 m over 12 km to Álftavatn lake at 560 m, with one cold river ford. Day 3 runs 15 km across the Mælifellssandur black-sand desert to Emstrur (Botnar) at 480 m. Day 4 finishes 16 km through canyons and birch woods to Þórsmörk at 290 m.

All four huts cost USD 70 per night and require booking 4 to 6 months in advance. Camping fields adjacent to each hut cost USD 20 and rarely fill. The Krossá river crossing at the Þórsmörk end can be done by wading (cold and chest-deep in heavy melt) or by a free shuttle bus that operates on a fixed schedule.

Þórsmörk itself is the "Forest of Thor," a glacial valley wedged between Mýrdalsjökull, Eyjafjallajökull and Tindfjallajökull. Three huts operate there: Volcano Huts (USD 80 to 200), Skagfjörðsskáli at Langidalur (USD 70), and Básar (USD 70). Birch woods cover the valley floor, and arctic fox sightings are common at dawn.

Askja Caldera, Víti and the Surrounding Lava Fields

Askja is the trip I tell people to do once they have already done Landmannalaugar. The 50 km² caldera collapsed during the 1875 supereruption that ejected 2 km³ of tephra and triggered the emigration of nearly a fifth of Iceland's population to Manitoba and the Dakotas over the next 25 years. The drive from Akureyri takes 13 hours round-trip on F88 and F910, and includes the Lindaá river ford which I have seen come up axle-deep on a Toyota Hilux. Most travelers skip the self-drive and take a Super Jeep tour from Akureyri for USD 240 to 380 per person, departing 7 am, returning 9 pm.

The walk from the Vikraborgir parking area to the Víti crater rim runs 2.5 km one-way over loose pumice, climbs 100 m, and takes 45 minutes. Víti, which means "Hell" in Old Norse, is a 60 m by 100 m maar crater filled with milky blue water at roughly 27°C. The descent to the water runs 60 m down a steep clay slope, slippery in rain, and the bath itself costs USD 0. I changed in a small wooden shed at the rim, swam for 12 minutes (the smell of sulfur is intense), and warmed up by walking back to the parking area.

NASA selected the Askja lava fields as a training ground for Apollo 14 and 17 astronauts between 1965 and 1967 because the basaltic rubble matched expected lunar surfaces. The Drekagil canyon near the Dreki hut shows the basalt columns and ash layers the geologists used. The Dreki hut itself costs USD 75 and books out by June each year.

The 2014-15 Bárðarbunga-Holuhraun eruption added a fresh lava field 30 km north of Askja, which you can now walk across via marked trails. Combine the Askja day with the Herðubreið viewpoint, the Möðrudalur farm coffee stop (USD 6 for a slice of rúgbrauð with smoked lamb), and the long F88 return.

Þórsmörk and the Eyjafjallajökull 2010 Legacy

I returned to Þórsmörk by road the following summer, this time driving in from Hvolsvöllur on Route 249 which becomes the F249. The road crosses the Krossá river 7 times depending on the year's channel, and the river depth changes daily with glacial melt. I waited 40 minutes at one ford in late afternoon because the depth had risen 25 cm since morning, then crossed at 9 pm when meltwater slowed.

Þórsmörk sits in a valley ringed by three glaciers. Mýrdalsjökull, 596 km² and Iceland's fourth-largest ice cap, covers the Katla volcano which last erupted in 1918 and is overdue. Eyjafjallajökull, 100 km², capped the 2010 eruption that grounded European air traffic for 6 days; the ash cloud reached 9 km altitude and contained enough particulate matter to abrade jet turbine blades. Tindfjallajökull, much smaller at 19 km², sits east of the valley. From the Valahnúkur summit (458 m, a 1-hour walk from the Volcano Huts), all three are visible on a clear day.

Volcano Huts charges USD 80 for dorm beds, USD 110 for private rooms with shared bath, and USD 200 for cabin doubles. The restaurant serves lamb soup (kjötsúpa) at USD 22 per bowl and a buffet dinner at USD 48. The valley operates roughly July through mid-September; outside that window the F-road closes and only super-jeep tours reach it.

The Fimmvörðuháls Pass connects Þórsmörk to Skógar over a 1,100 m altitude saddle between Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. The walk is 25 km, takes 8 to 10 hours, and passes the 2010 eruption craters Magni and Móði which are still warm to the touch in places. The trail ends at Skógafoss waterfall, 60 m high, where regular buses run to Reykjavík (USD 45, 2.5 hours).

Sprengisandur Highlands, Aldeyjarfoss and Hveravellir

Sprengisandur is the Iceland I came back for the second time. F26 runs roughly 200 km north-south across the central plateau between the Tungnafellsjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers, with Vatnajökull visible to the east on clear days. The road averages 500 to 800 m altitude, has zero settlements, and crosses several substantial rivers including the Nýidalur fords. Average crossing time south to north is 8 to 10 hours, and I rented a Toyota Land Cruiser at USD 280 per day specifically because no compact rental will survive this road.

Aldeyjarfoss sits near the northern end of F26, where the Skjálfandafljót river drops 20 m through a colonnade of hexagonal basalt columns. The columns formed when basalt cooled under pressure roughly 8,000 years ago, contracting into the geometrically perfect shapes that Iceland is famous for. The viewing area sits 30 m from the falls, and a steep 80 m clay path descends to the river edge for closer photographs. Park entry is free, and a vault toilet sits at the trailhead.

Hveravellir, on the Kjölur route F35 to the west, is a 14 km² geothermal field at 650 m altitude with an active hut (USD 75 per night), a natural bathing pool at 38°C (USD 8 entry, towel USD 4), and viewpoints across to the Eiríksjökull glacier (1,675 m altitude). The site has been used by travelers since at least the 13th century, when the saga character Fjalla-Eyvindur reportedly hid here as an outlaw. The hut runs hot showers (USD 5 for 5 minutes) and a small kiosk selling soup and waffles.

A 4WD with high clearance is essential on both F26 and F35; rental contracts forbid compact cars and most insurance excludes river damage. Driving these routes in a passenger car will cost you the full vehicle value plus a USD 5,000 fine. Plan 2 to 3 days for a Sprengisandur traverse with stops, and budget USD 600 for fuel because the diesel jerry cans you carry from Reykjavík cost real money.

Tier 2 destinations

Kerlingarfjöll Highlands, a rhyolite massif at 800 to 1,477 m altitude near F347, runs a summer ski resort, geothermal valleys at Hveradalir, and a USD 95 per night mountain lodge.
Veiðivötn lake region, 50+ lakes in a 1477 AD fissure system, offers fly-fishing permits at USD 45 per day and remote campsites accessed by F228, 4WD only.
Hekla volcano, 1,491 m, accessible from Landmannalaugar via F-road F225, last erupted 2000 with 4 to 5 known historical centuries-long cycles; a 6-hour summit hike runs from the eastern shoulder.
Kverkfjöll ice caves at the northern edge of Vatnajökull, USD 280 guided day tour from Egilsstaðir or Mývatn, July to mid-August only as caves are unstable later.
Hrafnabjargafoss waterfall on the Skjálfandafljót, a 27 m double drop with full basalt-column walls, accessed via a 2 km gravel spur off F26 about 8 km south of Aldeyjarfoss.

Cost comparison

Item	Budget USD	Mid USD	Premium USD	Notes (ISK at 140/USD)
4WD rental per day	180	240	320	Defender or Land Cruiser, gravel + ash insurance included
Hut bed (Laugavegur)	60	70	80	Ferðafélag Íslands; book 4-6 months ahead
Campsite	18	22	28	Per person; showers extra
Highland bus one-way	70	95	120	Reykjavík Excursions or Trex
Day tour Askja	240	320	400	Super jeep, 13 hours, lunch separate
Multi-day guided Laugavegur	1,100	1,500	2,200	4-6 days, huts and meals included
Fuel for 10-day Highland loop	320	420	540	Diesel cheaper, gas widely available
Dinner restaurant	28	48	75	Lamb soup baseline at 22
Beer 0.5 L	11	14	18	Brennivín shot 9-14
7-day Highlands total per person	2,400	3,000	3,600	Excludes flights
10-day grand loop per person	3,200	4,100	5,000	Includes Askja
14-day Ring Road + Highlands	4,500	5,700	7,000	Most comprehensive option

How to plan it

Fly into Keflavík International (KEF), 50 km southwest of Reykjavík, on direct routes from New York (5h 30m), London (3h 10m), Frankfurt (3h 40m) or Toronto (5h 50m). Icelandair, Play and several legacy carriers serve KEF year-round. For a Highland-focused trip, a one-way fly-in to KEF and fly-out from Akureyri (AEY) via a domestic connection saves 8 hours of driving. Egilsstaðir (EGS) in the east is the third option, useful for an Askja-first itinerary, with daily Icelandair flights from Reykjavík at USD 95-150 each way.

Organized tours are the right call for first-time Highland visitors. A Super Jeep day trip to Landmannalaugar costs USD 180 to 240, a full Askja day USD 240 to 400, and a guided 4-day Laugavegur with huts and meals USD 1,100 to 2,200. If self-driving, rent a high-clearance 4WD; Land Rover Defender, Toyota Hilux, or Land Cruiser are the realistic minimums for F-roads. Insurance must include gravel-protection, sand-and-ash (SAAP), and river-crossing clauses; the last is rare and often excluded entirely, meaning a fording mistake is on you for the full vehicle value.

F-roads open approximately July 1 and close mid-September, with exact dates posted daily at road.is. The Highlands sit snow-locked from October through June. Hekla, Askja and Bárðarbunga have eruption status updates at en.vedur.is (Icelandic Met Office); check weekly. Weather changes hourly in summer; pack waterproof layered clothing rated for 0°C overnight even in July.

English is universal; the Icelandic króna (ISK) trades at roughly 140 to the USD as of mid-2026. Card payment works everywhere including remote huts via Starlink terminals. Withdrawing cash is mostly unnecessary, though USD 50 in small bills helps for occasional honor-box payments at trailhead toilets.

Schengen Area rules apply: most North American, EU, UK, Australian, NZ and Japanese passports get 90 visa-free days. Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa via the Danish, German or other Schengen consulate, processed in 15 working days and costing roughly USD 90.

Advance hut booking is mandatory for the Laugavegur. Ferðafélag Íslands opens reservations in October for the following summer, and all four trail huts (Hrafntinnusker, Álftavatn, Botnar, Þórsmörk-Skagfjörðsskáli) sell out within 6 weeks for peak July dates. Camping fields require no reservation but cost USD 20 per night per person.

FAQ

Are F-roads really 4WD-only and is the insurance that important?

Yes, on both counts. F-roads are gravel mountain tracks with river fords, ruts that bottom out compact cars, and pumice surfaces that destroy paint and tires. Iceland's rental contracts forbid compact and 2WD vehicles on F-roads, and if you drive one anyway the rental company will charge the full vehicle value plus a USD 5,000 penalty discovered on return. The two insurance add-ons you must take are gravel-protection (GP, around USD 12 per day) and sand-and-ash (SAAP, around USD 18 per day). River-crossing damage is almost universally excluded, meaning if you ford and drown the engine, you owe USD 30,000 or more. Reading the river before crossing matters: walk it first if possible, time the deepest crossings before 11 am when melt is lowest, and turn back if water reaches above the door sills.

How far ahead do I need to book the Laugavegur huts?

Six months minimum for July dates. Ferðafélag Íslands opens reservations for the following summer in early October, and the popular Hrafntinnusker hut sells the entire 26-bunk capacity for peak July weekends within 3 days of opening. Álftavatn, Botnar and Þórsmörk follow within 2 weeks. If you cannot book all four, plan to camp at the missing nights (USD 20 per person, no reservation needed) and carry a 3-season tent rated for 60 km/h winds. Outside peak July dates, late August into early September has more flexible availability, weather is colder but stable, and the trail thins out considerably.

Has the 2023-2024 Sundhnúkur Reykjanes eruption affected Highland travel?

Not directly. The Sundhnúkur fissure system erupted 7 times between December 2023 and the end of 2024, all on the Reykjanes Peninsula about 10 km from KEF airport. The Highlands are 100 to 200 km away and were never affected by lava flows or ash. KEF stayed open throughout except for short closures totaling under 18 hours across all 7 events. The Blue Lagoon closed several times and partially relocated operations, and the town of Grindavík was evacuated permanently. None of this touches Landmannalaugar, Askja, Þórsmörk or Sprengisandur planning. The Icelandic Met Office monitors all volcanoes at en.vedur.is.

How fast does Highland weather actually change?

Hourly is the honest answer. I have started a Brennisteinsalda hike in 18°C sunshine and reached the summit 60 minutes later in horizontal sleet at 3°C. Wind shifts from 10 to 70 km/h within a couple of hours when a frontal system passes. Visibility on the Laugavegur day 1 ridge can drop from 20 km to 30 m in 90 minutes. The standard kit list reflects this: waterproof shell jacket and pants rated to 20,000 mm hydrostatic head, insulated mid-layer, gloves, wool hat, and gaiters. Check vedur.is morning and evening, watch the western horizon for incoming weather, and never start a multi-day trek without a 48-hour forecast confirmed.

Can I see Aurora Borealis in the Highlands during F-road season?

Only at the tail end of the season. F-roads open July through mid-September, but July nights have no real darkness because of the midnight sun (latitude 64-66°N, true astronomical night does not return until early August). From mid-August onward, nights darken enough to see auroras when KP index is 4 or above. By early September, Highland huts at Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk and Hveravellir give some of the darkest skies in Europe, and the Aurora forecast at en.vedur.is/aurora drives decisions. For dedicated aurora trips, late September through March is the right window, but Highland roads are closed by then; you would base on the south coast or near Akureyri.

What about food in the Highlands, can I buy supplies inside?

Mostly no. Landmannalaugar has a small kiosk inside a converted school bus selling sandwiches at USD 14, instant noodles at USD 6, and beer at USD 11 per can, open July through August. Þórsmörk's Volcano Huts has a proper restaurant and small shop. Hveravellir's hut sells soup, coffee and waffles. Everywhere else, including the entire Laugavegur trail, you carry all food. The standard 4-day Laugavegur food load runs 4 to 5 kg per person; dehydrated meals at Reykjavík outdoor shops cost USD 12 to 18 per portion. Bonus and Krónan supermarkets in Reykjavík and Hvolsvöllur stock cheaper rye crackers, peanut butter, hard cheese and dried lamb at half the price of trailhead kiosks.

Is solo trekking the Laugavegur safe?

Yes for experienced hikers with proper kit and a satellite communicator, no for beginners. The trail is marked, well-trafficked in July (you will see 30 to 60 other walkers per day), and huts have wardens. The genuine risks are weather (a whiteout on the Hrafntinnusker ridge has killed multiple hikers historically), river crossings (the Þröngá in particular can rise unexpectedly), and hypothermia from cotton clothing soaked through. I carry a Garmin inReach Mini 2 (USD 400 plus USD 15/month subscription) and check in at every hut. Search and rescue is staffed by ICE-SAR volunteers, who responded to 1,800 incidents nationwide in 2024.

What is the realistic minimum budget for an Iceland Highlands trip?

USD 2,400 per person for 7 days, excluding flights. That assumes camping every night (USD 20), the Highland bus instead of a rental (USD 95 each way), self-catering from Reykjavík supermarkets (USD 18 per day food), one Super Jeep day tour (USD 240 for Landmannalaugar), and a 3-night Reykjavík hostel at start and end (USD 65 per night). Pushing below this means hitchhiking F-roads (legal but slow), couchsurfing in Reykjavík, and skipping all tours, and you would still spend USD 1,800. Iceland is not a budget destination; it is a destination where the value comes from access to landscapes that cost nothing once you are there.

Icelandic phrases and cultural notes

A handful of Icelandic phrases earn smiles from hut wardens and bus drivers. Halló (HAL-loh) is hello. Takk (tahk) is thanks; takk fyrir is thank you with feeling. Já (yow) is yes, nei (nay) is no. Skál (skowl) is the toast you raise over a glass of brennivín or Einstök beer. Hvar er klósettið? (kvar air KLO-set-thith) asks where the toilet is, which matters in huts where the answer is sometimes "270 m, second wooden shed past the obsidian field."

The lopapeysa is the traditional Icelandic wool sweater with a yoked color pattern around the shoulders, knitted from the dual-coat fleece of Icelandic sheep that combines a coarse outer layer (tog) and a fine inner layer (þel). Authentic handmade sweaters cost USD 180 to 280 at the Handknitting Association on Skólavörðustígur in Reykjavík; machine-knit versions at duty-free run USD 110.

Hákarl is fermented Greenland shark, traditionally buried in gravel for 6 to 12 weeks then air-dried for 4 to 5 months. The ammonia-heavy flavor makes Anthony Bourdain's "worst thing I ever ate" quote understandable, but I have grown to enjoy small cubes paired with a shot of brennivín, the caraway-flavored Icelandic schnapps known as Black Death. Kjötsúpa, the lamb soup served in nearly every Highland hut and roadside cafe, is the food I miss most when I leave the country; it costs USD 18 to 24 per bowl and runs to lamb, root vegetables, rice and herbs in a clear broth.

Hot spring etiquette is universal and strictly enforced. Wash thoroughly naked in the indoor showers before entering any pool, geothermal lagoon or hot tub. Posters in every changing room diagram the body parts that must be washed (head, armpits, groin, feet) and Icelanders will correct you politely but firmly if you skip this step. Swimsuits go on after washing. Bringing your own towel saves the USD 4 to 8 rental.

Pre-trip prep

Most Western passports including US, Canada, UK, Australia, NZ, and Japan enter Schengen visa-free for 90 days in any 180-day period. Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa from the Danish consulate (or another Schengen country's, but I recommend Denmark for Iceland) at USD 90 fee, processed in 15 working days. Apply 4 to 6 weeks before travel and submit confirmed hut bookings and 4WD rental as part of the application.

Electricity is 220 V, 50 Hz with Type C and F sockets, same as continental Europe. A USB-C charger plus a single Europlug adapter covers everything. Phone coverage on the Ring Road is excellent but spotty to nonexistent in the Highlands; Síminn and Vodafone are the main carriers with prepaid SIMs at USD 25 for 10 GB / 30 days from KEF airport kiosks or downtown shops. For Highland emergencies, a Garmin inReach Mini 2 satellite communicator is the right tool, USD 400 device plus USD 15 per month subscription.

4WD rental in July through mid-September runs USD 180 to 320 per day for a Defender, Hilux or Land Cruiser class vehicle. Always include gravel-protection (GP) and sand-and-ash (SAAP) insurance. Reserve 3 to 6 months ahead for peak July dates; agencies like Lotus Car Rental, Blue Car Rental and SADcars specialize in Highland-capable vehicles.

Layered waterproof clothing is essential, not optional. The kit list I carry: waterproof shell jacket and pants (20,000 mm minimum hydrostatic head), insulated synthetic or down mid-layer, fleece, merino base layers, wool hat, gloves, gaiters, sturdy waterproof boots already broken in. Highland huts cost USD 70 to 100 per bunk and require booking 4 to 6 months ahead through Ferðafélag Íslands (fi.is) or Útivist.

Three recommended trips

7-day Reykjavík plus Landmannalaugar plus Þórsmörk plus Laugavegur

Day 1 fly into KEF, transfer to Reykjavík (Flybus USD 35, 45 minutes), one night downtown. Day 2 to 5, the Laugavegur Trail with huts at Hrafntinnusker, Álftavatn, Botnar, Þórsmörk; either guided package USD 1,500 to 2,200 inclusive of food or self-supported with own gear and pre-booked huts. Day 6 from Þórsmörk back to Reykjavík via Highland bus and one final night in Reykjavík including the Sky Lagoon at USD 75 for the 7-step ritual. Day 7 KEF departure. Total budget USD 2,400 to 3,600 per person excluding flights. Best month is mid-July to mid-August.

10-day grand Highlands including Askja plus Sprengisandur

Day 1 KEF arrival and Reykjavík night. Day 2 pick up 4WD and drive to Landmannalaugar via F208, hut night. Day 3 to 5, three-day Laugavegur to Þórsmörk with Krossá shuttle out. Day 6 drive Hvolsvöllur to Hveravellir via F35 Kjölur, hut night with hot pool bath. Day 7 traverse Sprengisandur F26 north to Mývatn, 10 hours with Aldeyjarfoss stop. Day 8 Mývatn to Askja Super Jeep tour USD 320 including Víti bath and Holuhraun lava field. Day 9 drive Mývatn to Akureyri, fly back to Reykjavík (USD 95). Day 10 KEF departure. Total budget USD 3,200 to 5,000 per person. Best month is late July through mid-August.

14-day comprehensive Iceland Ring Road plus Highlands

Day 1 to 2 Reykjavík and Reykjanes Peninsula including Krýsuvík geothermal and Gunnuhver. Day 3 to 4 Golden Circle plus south coast to Vík including Þingvellir UNESCO, Gullfoss and Geysir. Day 5 to 8 Highland Laugavegur as Trip 1 above. Day 9 Vík east to Höfn via Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon (USD 95 boat tour) and Diamond Beach. Day 10 Höfn to Egilsstaðir via the eastern fjords. Day 11 Mývatn area including Dimmuborgir, Hverir mud pots and Námafjall. Day 12 Askja day tour USD 320. Day 13 north coast via Akureyri, Goðafoss waterfall and Borgarvirki. Day 14 return south to KEF via Snæfellsnes Peninsula or direct. Total budget USD 4,500 to 7,000 per person. Best month is July with optional late-September extension for early auroras and Highland closure.

Related guides

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Best multi-day treks in the world Patagonia Iceland Nepal
Best UNESCO sites Europe natural and cultural heritage

External references

Icelandic Met Office volcano and aurora monitoring at en.vedur.is
Vatnajökull National Park official site at vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is
Ferðafélag Íslands Highland hut reservations at fi.is
Iceland Road and Coastal Administration F-road status at road.is
UNESCO World Heritage listing Vatnajökull National Park 2019 at whc.unesco.org

Last updated 2026-05-11

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