As I’m writing this, travel remains a thing of the past, unless you’re willing to quarantine or take a nasty test of course. However I’m very confident that in the near future, we’ll all be exploring again. Oh how I long to do a trip that’s entirely COVID-proof. And what better trip than go on a hiking trip to Iceland!
My past trips to Iceland
Having been to Iceland twice, once in summer and once in winter, these two trips top the list of my all-time favorite holidays. On both occasions when I visited Iceland, I rented a Land Rover Defender. This allowed me to tackle every mountain road and every river crossing with ease. I drove to Landmannalaugar and all the way to Thorsmork, and tried out some of the lesser known F-roads that the interior of Iceland has to offer. The memories I made there will last a lifetime. Read all about my adventures in Iceland here.
The Laugavegur Trail
If I had the chance to go back to Iceland, I’d do so in a heartbeat. Because there’s still one thing that’s still on my bucket list since I first read about it on the Travelbase website: The Laugavegur Trail. An adventurous hike, from Landmannalaugar to Thorsmork, through Iceland’s challenging nature. Iceland as a whole is considered one of the prettiest countries in the world. And this multi-day trek is regarded as one of the most beautiful walking routes on the entire globe.
I recommend you check out Travelbase, a company with headquarters in Gent, Brussels and Amsterdam, that is specialized in adventurous trips all around the planet. Their mission is to focus on the experience of the journey rather than the destination. Although having Thorsmork as your destination does sound very appealing!
The Iceland Trail day by day
After the first day in Reykjavik you’ll head to Landmannalaugar by bus together with the other Travelbase adventurers. There the adventure really begins! To get in the mood, you’ll hike to Ljotipollur, an iconic volcanic crater. At the end of the day you can chill out in the well-known hot springs of Landmannalaugar. The next days along the Laugavegur Trail you’ll hike from shelter to shelter, coming across a diverse palette of landscapes. You’ll see volcanoes, you’ll bathe in a hot spring and you’ll sleep under the midnight sun (if you can sleep at all, with so much excitement…and light!).
The hike will take you along from the colored mountains of Landmannalaugar to Hrafntinnusker, the highest point of the trail and also the place where you’ll set up camp. From there you’ll head down and come across glaciers, cross rivers and see pitch-black lava fields. At the end of the week, eventually the landscapes will change into a forest-like atmosphere with lush greens, so you know you have reached Thorsmork. Before being taken back to Reykjavik, there’s still a stop at the impressive Seljalandsfoss, one of the most iconic waterfalls of Iceland!
How does it work?
What’s so unique about this trek in the heart of Iceland is that the area between Landmannalaugar and Thorsmork can only be reached on foot, so there’s no way you can drive up or come across other tourists that didn’t hike there on their own. You’ll be sleeping in tents at basecamps where sanitary facilities are available.
You’ll be joined on the trail by a small group of other adventurers and along the way you can always count on an experienced guide from Travelbase. If you want you can even venture out and do some parts on your own. Each hiker is given a GPS and a mapped trail book, so you should be able to hit the hiking trails independently. Although staying together is much more fun! In the summer of 2021, there are multiple departures from Brussels, Paris or Amsterdam and the base price is 490 euros without flights or 885 with flights included. A real bang for your buck!
I hope I’ve convinced you to do The Iceland Trail by Travelbase. Honestly, I might just have convinced myself even more writing this article… Or if Iceland isn’t your thing, you might wanna have a look at some of the other cool trips they’re providing, such as The Canoe Trip in Sweden, or The TukTuk Trip in Sri Lanka. Check out all other Travelbase adventures here!