8 Days of Exploring and Hiking in the north of Vatnajökull National Park
Trip difficulty: 3 out of 5 possible. Rated: Challenging
Eight days of hiking, adventure and exploration on the edge of the Arctic. From Egilstaðir in the East of Iceland to the Vatnajökull glacier to Mývatn lake, Dettifoss waterfall, Ásbyrgi National Park, Akureyri town and beyond. This is a full service jeep assisted hiking and camping tour in the wild places north of Vatnajökull and the lush tame places of the sweet north of Iceland. Includes flight from Reykjavik to Egilsstaðir and from Akureyri back to Reykjavík. Discover the mesmerizing, pure nature of Iceland´s wild highlands north of Vatnajökull glacier in the biggest national park in Europe. Fly to Egilsstaðir town in Iceland´s east and travel in a modified super truck to Snæfell, the highest mountain in Iceland outside of the glaciers. Then explore the northern flanks of Europe´s biggest glacier in Kverkfjöll before visiting the Askja Lake and the Víti Crader. After three days of hiking in the highlands we descent down to the Mývatn Lake with is psuedo craders and rich birdlife. There we spend two adventure filled days, visiting the ice filled Lofthellir cave and relaxing in famous geothermal lagoon. Dettifoss Waterfall with its thunderous curtain of murky water is our next stop and just beyond there we start our final hike. 20 kilometers or so later we will be in lush Ásbyrgi area with its magnificent horse shoe cliffs and powerfull Jökulsá á Fjöllum glacier river.
Our last two days are spent in the warm embrace of the small towns of the North. We go whale watching from Húsavík (and maybe visit the only Phallus Museum in the world) and discover the amazing local cusine and farming culture of Eyjafjörður Fjord and Hrísey Island on an unforgettable gourmet trip.
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Price 2012: 289.990 ISK per person. Minimum 6 people.
Guaranteed departures 27th July and 10th August 2012.
Private departures available up on request.
Details:
Duration: 8 days, 7 nights.
Included in price: Flight to Egilsstaðir from Reykjavík, flight from Akureyri to Reykjavík, guiding, jeep transfer for food, transfer of equipment between campsites, food for 8 days (except breakfast on day 1 and dinner on day 8), tents and cooking gear.
Minimum 6 persons. Maximum 12 person per guide.
Age limit: 12 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. We can book accommodation for
your nights in Reykjavík before and after the trip.
Rough itinerary:
Day 1: Reykjavik to Egilsstaðir to Snæfell Mountain.
Day 2: Snæfell Mountain to Kverkfjöll and Vatnajökull glacier.
Day 3: Kverkfjöll to Drekagil, Askja Lake and Víti Crater.
Day 4: Askja Lake to Mýtvatn Lake.
Day 5: Mývatn Lake to Lofthellir Cave to Mývatn.
Day 6: Mývatn Lake to Dettifoss Waterfall to Ásbyrgi National Park.
Day 7: Ásbyrgi to Húsavík fishing village.
Day 8: Húsavík fishing village to Akureyri Town and Hrísey Island.
Detailed itinerary:
Day 1: Reykjavik – Egilsstaðir - Snæfell Mountain.
Flight from Reykjavík to Egilsstaðir: 1 hour
Driving distance: 94 km
A flight from Reykjavík airport til Egilsstaðir at 09:15. A pick up at Egilsstaðir airport. Our destination for the next few days is the wild highlands of Iceland. Our first stop will be at Snæfell (1833m), the highest mountain in Iceland outside the glaciers. It´s located in the East Icelandic Highlands, only about 20 kilometers from the northern edge of Vatnajökull glacier, the biggest glacier in Europe. We will hike to the top of the mountain and hopefully get an amazing view of the area. If we´re lucky we might even catch a glimps of reindeer, roaming around.
Day 2: Snæfell Mountain - Kverkfjöll by Vatnajökull glacier.
Driving distance: 158 km
From Snæfell we head even closer to Vatnajökull glacier. Our next stop is Kverkfjöll, at the northern edge of the white giant. This is an amazing place where the interaction of ice and geothermal heat makes magic. This area was very inaccessible until recently since two massive glacier rivers flow from outlet glaciers on both sides of the Kverkfjöll area. This part of Iceland is one of the most remote areas in Europe, a moonlike desert with amazing contrast between black volcanic ash, scarse green vegetation and white glaciers. We will go for a hike to explore one of the most powerful geothermal areas in Iceland.
Day 3: Kverkfjöll - Askja
Driving distance: 66 km
Today we´ll head to Askja caldera. This is a very deserted highland area with a moonlike landscape. The biggest eruption in Askja in historical times was in 1875. During that catastrophe, Askja lake, the deepest one in Iceland and Víti crater were formed. The bravest of the bunch might find the curage to bathe in Víti crater which has some luke warm sulfur smelling water in it. A good view of Herðubreið mountain, the queen of Icelandic mountains. This is a magical place that does not leave any visitor untouched.
Day 4: Askja - Mýtvatn Lake
Driving Distance: 125 km
From Askja we will start making our way towards the North coast. We will exit the rugged highlands, following the banks of Jökulsá á Fjöllum, the most powerful glacier river in Iceland, running from Vatnajökull glacier. Every green area on the way will look like an oasis in this massive desert and Mývatn lake and its surroundings will be incredibly lush and rich of vegetation compared to the barren highlands of the last few days. Mývatn is famous for its pseudo craters, geothermal heat, rich birdlife and natural beauty. We will visit Námafjall geothermal area in the afternoon. Overnight at a campsite by the lake.
Day 5: Mývatn Lake - Lofthellir Cave – Mývatn Lake
We will spend the whole day in the Mývatn area, exploring the wonders of this beautiful place. We will start the day by exploring the weird world of ice and darkness in Lofthellir cave, which hosts the greatest natural ice sculptures currently known in an Icelandic lava cave. After about 30 minutes walk across a lava field, we reach the Lofthellir lava cave. At least one hour is spent inside the cave, observing this unbelievable natural phenomenon. After visiting this icy underworld we´ll head to the Nature Baths of Mývatn to warm up and relax. The lagoon itself is a man-made construction, its bottom is covered by sand and gravel. The characteristics of the water are unique in many ways. It contains a large amount of minerals, is alkaline and well suited for bathing. Due to its chemical composition, undesired bacteria and vegetation do not thrive in the lagoon making chloride or any other disinfectant redundant.
Day 6: Mývatn Lake – Ásbyrgi
Driving Distance: 85 km
Today we will head further north to Ásbyrgi, undoubtably one of the pearls of Icelandic nature. Along the way we will stop at Dettifoss Waterfall. It is the most powerful one in Iceland, about 45 meters high and over 100 meters wide. Standing nex to this water, pounding into the void makes all living creatures feel very small and vulnerable. From Dettifoss we´ll head to Ásbyrgi, a remnant of a massive flash flood in Jökulsá á Fjöllum. It is an ambitheater surrounded with up to 100 meters high rock walls. The nordic mithology states that this is were Sleipnir, the horse of Óðinn put down it´s foot in the past and formed this strange place. Overnight at the campsite in Ásbyrgi.
Day 7: Ásbyrgi - Húsavík fishing village
Driving Distance: 64 km
We are slowly starting to make our way to civilisation as we head to the North Coast to the fishing village of Húsavík. We will spend the day exploring the village and go on a whale watching trip in Skjálfandaflói bay.
Day 8: Húsavík fishing village - Akureyri Town and Hrísey Island - Reykjavík
Driving Distance: 100 km
Flight from Akureyri to Reykjavík: Approx. 1 hour
Today we head from Húsavík village to Akureyri town, the biggest establishment in North Iceland, located in Eyjafjörður fjord, surrounded with beautiful mountains. We will get to know Akureyri and its surrounding on a gourmet tour and discover the very best of local North Icelandic production. We will meet enthusiastic local food producers, farmers, fishermen and brewers where they will share their gastronomic knowledge with you and we can taste the products.All the producers we visit are small family firms and with some the knowledge has travelled from generation to generation to generation. A flight from Akureyri to Reykjavík in the evening.
Disclaimer:
All 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 there 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.