Reykjavík: Landmannalaugar & Valley of Tears in 4x4 Super

GYG

Reykjavík: Landmannalaugar & Valley of Tears in 4x4 Super

★ 4.7(3 reviews)

• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 11 hours

from $305

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

An 11-hour run into the highlands by 4x4

This tour leaves Reykjavik and heads southeast toward the interior, with stops that include the black-sand coastline around Vík í Mýrdal before turning inland to Landmannalaugar and the Valley of Tears. The full loop runs about 11 hours, which makes it a long day built around a 4x4 Super vehicle, the kind of modified bus that can handle the mountain roads and river crossings that lead into the highlands. The tour is led by a guide who works in English, and the operator, Glaciers and Waterfalls ehf, runs it from Reykjavik as the departure point. The price starts at 305 USD. This is a tour for travellers who want the highland landscape but prefer to cover the distance in a purpose-built vehicle rather than on foot, since the walking sections are framed by the driving time between Reykjavik and the interior.

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 of 305 USD covers the 4x4 transport, the guide, and the itinerary as described. Food is not included in that figure, so meals and snacks are something you arrange yourself before setting out or bring along for the day. The operator offers free cancellation, so you can book with that option in mind. No fees apply at the places on the route, so there is no separate charge for parking or entry at the stops themselves. The one cost that could arise on the ground is the hut fee at Landmannalaugar, which is set at 17,000 ISK per adult per night. That only matters if you are staying overnight in the mountain hut rather than returning to Reykjavik the same day. For the standard day tour, the price you see is the price you plan around.

A score with too little behind it

The tour carries a rating of 4.7 out of 5, which looks strong on its own. The problem is the number of ratings behind it: only three people have reviewed this tour. That is a very thin base, and the score should be read with that in mind. Three reviews can shift a rating quickly, so the 4.7 tells you more about the small sample than about the consistency of the experience. In its category of highland tours, which holds 28 listings, this tour ranks 15th by the number of reviews. That places it in the lower half of the category for evidence, even though the score itself is high. The neighbouring tours with similar itineraries have hundreds of reviews behind them, which gives their scores far more weight. If the rating matters to you, this is a case where the absence of volume is the real information.

Season and time of day for a long highland day

Reykjavik's temperatures peak in July at about 15 degrees Celsius, with June and August close behind at 13 and 14 degrees. The tour runs 11 hours, which means a full day spent partly in the vehicle and partly outside at the stops. In the summer months, the long daylight helps, since the highland sections can be reached and crossed while the light holds. May and September are cooler, with highs around 10 and 11 degrees, and the interior will be colder than the capital, so the season matters more here than for a city-based tour. The winter months, from November through February, see highs around 3 to 5 degrees and limited daylight, which makes an 11-hour highland route impractical. The practical window for this tour is the warmer half of the year, and within that window the earlier start of the day gives you the best chance of clear conditions on the mountain roads.

What arrival looks like on the route

The tour begins in Reykjavik, where you meet the 4x4 Super vehicle. From there the route heads south and east, with the village of Vík í Mýrdal as one of the named stops along the way. The vehicle is the key piece of equipment here, since the highland roads to Landmannalaugar are rough gravel tracks that cross rivers and require the raised clearance and heavy-duty tyres of a Super 4x4. At Landmannalaugar, the landscape opens into rhyolite mountains and geothermal areas, and the walking is on natural paths rather than maintained trails. The Valley of Tears, which sits along the route, is a hiking section that follows the terrain as it is. The guide leads the group, so the pace and the route on the ground are set by the conditions and the group's ability. The weather in the highlands can change quickly, and the guide makes the call on whether a section is safe to continue.

Who this tour fits and who should look elsewhere

This tour suits travellers who want to see Landmannalaugar and the Valley of Tears without arranging their own highland transport, since the 4x4 and the guide handle the difficult access. It works for those who are comfortable with a long day and with walking on uneven natural ground at the stops. It is less suited to anyone who wants a hiking-focused day, because the 11 hours include substantial driving time between Reykjavik and the interior. If hiking is the priority, the Landmannalaugar Highland Hike and Hot Springs tour, which runs 5 to 14 hours and starts at 193 USD, offers a longer on-foot component with a similar destination. That alternative has 713 reviews behind its 4.7 rating, which makes it a better-evidenced choice. For a shorter day with a similar price point, the Landmannalaugar Hike and the Valley of Tears at 11 hours and from 189 USD covers the same valley with more walking time. This tour is the right pick when the 4x4 experience and the covered distance are part of the appeal.

GYG

Reykjavík: Landmannalaugar & Valley of Tears in 4x4 Super

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 $305

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