Explore some of the island´s wildest tracks by bike, hike a stretch of the most popular hiking trail in the country and join us for some amazing adventures along the way.
Trip difficulty: 3+ out of 5. Challenging
Seven day biking and hiking tour in the southern highlands of Iceland. See the famous Golden Circle with the famous Geysir hot springs, tectonic plates and golden waterfalls before venturing into the central Highlands of Iceland. Explore some of the islands most remote mountain tracks by mountain bike and ride along black deserts, contrasted by towering, brilliantly green volcanoes and the white coats of numerous glaciers. Camp at remote mountain lakes, bathe in natural hot springs and experience the serenity that can only be found out in pure, unfiltered nature. Along the way you will also hike a stretch of the most popular hiking trail in the country.
Rough Itinerary:
Day 1: Reykjavík City – Golden Circle Sight Seeing - Langisjór Highland Lake.
Day 2: Biking: Langisjór Highland Lake - Áltavötn Oasis.
Day 3: BIking: Álftavötn Oasis - Strútur Hot Springs
Day 4: Biking: Strútur Hot Springs - Álftavatn Hut.
Day 5: Hiking: Álftavatn Hut - Laugavegur Track – Landmannalaugar Highland Paradise..
Day 6: Biking & Hiking: Landmannalaugar – Dómadalur Valley – Hekla Volcano View – Reykjavík City. Last day with you guide, fare well dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 7: Free day in Reykjavík. Choose to either relax in Reykjavík and visit the Blue Lagoon, go snorkeling between the continents or sea kayaking on the North Atlantic. Discuss and book your choice with your guide on Day 6.
Price per person: 179.990 ISK
Bike rental if you don´t bring your own: 20.000 ISK per person.
Accommodation in the highlands in tents with two persons sharing a tent. Upgrade to huts is available.
Included in price: Guiding, transfer from/to Reykjavík by bus, jeep transfer for food, transfer of equipment between campsites, food for 6 days (except dinner on the last day), tents & cooking gear.
Not included: Bike, helmet, gloves etc.
Biking: Mountain biking, cross country or XC biking. For relatively experienced bikers and people in good physical condition. The tour can easily be done on a hard tail bike as many of our participants prefer and that is the bike we include in the price. But if you have your own light XC full suspension bike with 110 - 140 mm travel feel free to bring that to Iceland.
If you bring your own bike the before you pack your bike it should be tuned and in good working condition. We strongly recommend you have your bike checked out by a respectable bike shop prior to departure. Have your bike tuned up and any worn-out parts replaced. Our guides carry tools and a supply of spare parts suitable for use on most bikes. If your bike has special features or specifications, then you must supply your own parts and tools.
Trails and terrain: Mostly on the back roads of the highlands, rough jeep tracks, many unclear and unmarked but with next to no traffic of vehicles. Most of these tracks get no maintenance and are not designed for biking, neither are the sheep trails used occasionally.
Guaranteed departures 2012:
13th July
24th August
Minimum: 6 persons. Maximum: 12 persons.
Age limit: 14 years.
Bring with you: Click here to see the equipment list.
Sleeping bag and mattress can be rented from us if you let us know in advance.
Gear rental: You can rent a sleeping bag from us for 1.500 ISK per day and a mattress for 1.000 ISK per day. You can rent both for 12.000 ISK for the whole trip. Please let us know in advance if you need to rent the gear.
Day 1
Your adventures begins with a pick-up from your accommodation in Reykjavík at 08:00. Our first stop of the day is the Þingvellir National Park where we will se first hand the separation of the tectonic plates of Americ and Europe and visit the site of the world´s oldest parliament. Then we visit the Geysir hot springs with its spouting geothermal geysers before walking down to the queen of Icelandic waterfalls, Gullfoss. After lunch we drive to Langisjór highland lake with some sightseeing stops on the way. Overnight in the Sveinstindur mountain hut at the southern end of the lake. An optional evening walk to Sveinstindur peak, offering on clear days an unforgettable view of the Fjallabak highlands and Vatnajökull, Europe's biggest glacier.
Day 2
Biking distance: 52 km
Start biking from Langisjór lake in the morning. We will be biking on some winding mountain tracks with Vatnajökull glacier behind us, watching over us as we start our journey into the wild. Our track is a remote mountain road that is guarded by volcanoes and dotted by little lakes in the vast highland plateau and desert. We will overnight in Álftavötn hut, located in one of the very few oasis of the Icelandic highlands.
Day 3
Biking distance: 33 km
Today we will head towards Strútur in the highlands north of Mýrdalsjökull glacier, where the volcano Katla lies dormant. Strútur mountain and the cozy hut close by are well known landmarks of the highlands. Now we are about to enter the true arctic desert, the landscape becomes more rough than before and the terrain turns into pitch black volcanic ash, colored occasionally by brilliantly green mountains, rising up from the dunes. In the afternoon we´ll leave the bikes behind for a few hours and hike to Strútslaug, a natural hot pool hidden deep in the mountains, there we can unwind with only nature for company. We will surely deserve it.
Day 4
Biking distance: 32 km
Today we continue making our way through the desert and take in the moonlike landscape of Mælifellssandur highland desert, sharply contrasted with the white flanks of Mýrdalsjökull Glacier and green hills of the Fjallabak mountains. Solitude, peace and quite will follow us on this seldom travelled mountain road. Overnight in the popular Álftavatn hut which is a part of the famous Laugavegur hiking trail.
Day 5 (Hiking day)
Hiking distance: 24 km
The day starts with a crooked path up Jökultungur steep slope. After our heroic ascent we’ll head north towards Hrafntinnusker at an altidude over 1000 m.a.s.l. The landscape now starts to change once again and we’ll be seeing more evidence of geothermal activity as the colors of the landscape turn lighter. On the other side of Hrafntinnusker we will start descending towards Landmannalaugar. Finally we will cross the Laugahraun lava field which will lead us towards the highland paradise which is our destination of the day.
Day 6
Biking distance: 48 km
Today we will relax in Landmannalaugar in the morning and then bike out of this beautiful highland oasis. We´ll bike on a rugged gravel road and after a while hopefully get a good view of Hekla volcano, the second most active one in Iceland. We will end our bike journey at the end of Dómadalur valley. From there we will drive to Reykjavík. Arrival in Reykjavík will be around 17:00. Farewell dinner at 20:00 and local restaurant.
Day 7
Free day to explore Reykjavík City, go shopping or visit some of the numerous museums in the city. Also visit the Blue Lagoon or one of the local swimming pools. If you are up for adventure you guide can book you on some of the greatest activity tours Iceland has to offer, make sure you discuss your options on day 6. The include going snorkeling between the continents, river rafting on a glacier river or sea kayaking on the North Atlantic ocean.
Disclaimer:
All mountain biking and hiking trips are undertaken on the responsibility of its participants. Arctic Adventures does not assume any responsibility for accidents which are caused by its customers or can be traced to their own actions. Participants may have to sign a waiver before undertaking all trips stating that they realize that all outdoor activities carry an inherit risk.