Reykjavík: Landmannalaugar Hike and the Valley of Tears

GYG

Reykjavík: Landmannalaugar Hike and the Valley of Tears

★ 4.8(361 reviews)

• Pickup from your hotel
• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 11 hours

from $189

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

An Eleven-Hour Crossing into the Highlands

This tour leaves Reykjavik and heads southeast, first along the coast through Vík í Mýrdal, then turning inland toward Landmannalaugar. The full circuit takes eleven hours, which makes it a long day rather than a short excursion. You will be picked up from your hotel in Reykjavik, so the day starts at your door and ends there too. The destination, Landmannalaugar, sits in the interior highlands, an area that is only reachable for a few months each year. The route itself is part of the experience, since the highland roads cross black deserts and glacial rivers. The guide speaks English and leads the group on foot once you arrive. This is a hiking tour, not a sightseeing drive, so the walking is the point of the day. It suits travellers who want to see the highlands properly without committing to a multi-day trek. The eleven-hour length includes the return journey, so the time actually spent on the trail is a portion of that total. You will need to be comfortable with a full day away from the city.

Photographs from the operator Glaciers and Waterfalls ehf. They show the listing, not your day.

What the Price Covers and What It Does Not

The entry price starts at 189 USD, which ranks this among the cheaper options in its category. That price includes hotel pickup from Reykjavik and the services of a local guide who speaks English. The operator is explicit that food is not part of the deal, so you should plan to bring your own lunch and snacks for the day. There are no admission fees or parking charges at any of the stops on the itinerary, so you will not be asked to pay anything at a gate or a trailhead. The one cost that could arise is if you choose to stay overnight at Landmannalaugar, where the mountain hut charges 17,000 ISK per adult per night. That fee is only relevant if you extend your visit beyond the day tour, since the standard itinerary returns to Reykjavik the same evening. The operator offers free cancellation, though the deadline for that is not something you can rely on being flexible. In short, the headline price covers transport, guiding, and the walk itself. Your own food is the main additional expense, and the hut fee only applies if you decide to stay longer.

What the Rating Actually Tells You

The tour holds a 4.8 score, which is strong, but the more telling number is the 361 reviews behind it. That volume puts this listing second out of 28 highland tours in its category by number of reviews, which means the score is not based on a handful of opinions. A rating built on that many responses is a reliable indicator of what most travellers experience. The rank by score is not the whole story, since the catalogue orders its category by strength of evidence rather than by the height of the score alone. Even so, a 4.8 with this many votes is a solid result. It suggests that the guide, the route, and the logistics generally work as described. There is always the chance that a few negative experiences are buried in the count, but the consistency across such a large sample is hard to dismiss. If you are comparing tours, this one stands out because so many people have taken it and rated it well. The neighbouring Landmannalaugar and Háifoss tour also scores 4.8, but from fewer reviews, so this one gives you a wider base of opinion to trust.

When the Season and the Clock Matter

The highland roads to Landmannalaugar only open once the snow clears, which in practice means the tour runs in the warmer months. The temperature chart above shows Reykjavik averages, and the highlands run cooler than the city, so the window is narrower than the coastal figures suggest. From June through August, the average high in Reykjavik sits between 13 and 15 degrees Celsius, and those are the months when the interior is most likely to be accessible. May and September are possible, but the average highs of 10 and 11 degrees mean the ground can still hold snow or turn to mud. The tour takes eleven hours, so you will be out from mid-morning to early evening. The daylight hours are long in midsummer, which gives you plenty of time for the hike even with the drive in and out. In September, the days shorten noticeably, so the schedule tightens. The time of day matters less than the season here. You are not chasing a sunset or a specific light. You are simply trying to fit a long drive and a hike into the available daylight, and the summer months give you the most room to do that comfortably.

At the Trailhead and on the Route

The tour begins with the hotel pickup in Reykjavik, and the drive south passes through Vík í Mýrdal before turning inland. Vík is a coastal village, and the stop there is brief, a chance to stretch your legs before the long ascent into the highlands. The road to Landmannalaugar is rough, crossing gravel and fording streams, so the vehicle you are in is built for that terrain. Once you arrive, the guide leads the hike through the area known for its rhyolite mountains, which come in shades of orange, red, and yellow. The walking is on marked paths, but the terrain is uneven and can be rocky. The weather in the highlands changes quickly, and rain or wind can move in even on a clear morning. The guide makes the call on how far the group goes based on conditions. There are no staffed facilities at the trailhead in the sense of a visitor centre with set hours. The mountain hut at Landmannalaugar exists for overnight stays, and that is where the 17,000 ISK fee applies. For the day visitor, the arrival is straightforward. You get out, you walk, and you get back in the vehicle when the hike is done.

Who Should Take This Tour and Who Should Not

This tour suits hikers who want a genuine highland experience without carrying camping gear or planning their own logistics. The hotel pickup and the guide remove the hardest parts of reaching Landmannalaugar, which is a remote place to reach independently. The eleven-hour day is long, so it suits travellers who are comfortable with early starts and a full schedule. It is not for anyone who wants a gentle scenic drive with short photo stops. The walking is the core of the day, and the terrain demands a reasonable level of fitness. If you prefer a shorter version with less walking, the Landmannalaugar Highland Hike and Hot Springs tour runs between 5 and 14 hours and starts from 193 USD, which gives you more flexibility on length. That alternative also includes the hot springs, which this tour does not mention. If soaking in geothermal water is part of what you want from a highland visit, that other tour is the better match. This one is for the walk itself, for covering ground on foot and seeing the mountains up close rather than from a bus window.

GYG

Reykjavík: Landmannalaugar Hike and the Valley of Tears

Dates, remaining places and the current version of what is included are at the operator. This page reflects the state of the catalogue, not the state of this morning.

from $189

Ansehen