Discover The Best Hikes and Photography locations in Iceland. Iceland has it all. Beautiful trails through glaciers, volcanoes, natural thermal pools and amazing landscapes.
Sure, the Iceland Ring Road road Trip is now a modern classic. You will discover many beautiful locations along the way just by following the road.
I’ve done it myself three times in the past, and each time I discovered new points of interest I had missed on previous visits.
However, the best way to Explore the pristine Icelandic nature is to wear a pair of hiking boots, take a camera, and head off to the trails.
While some of the best trails are directly accessible from the Ring Road, the best Photohikes Iceland offers are undoubtedly those in the Highlands.
Hiking in Landmannalaugar
Hiking trails in the Highlands are usually easy to follow and visible. In places like Landmannalaugar and Thorsmork, each path is marked with a different color. This allows you to identify each trail and detour along the way easily, should you wish to do so.
Make no mistake, though! If you plan to venture into the Highlands, You should also be well-prepared and equipped. Familiarising with some basic safety rules is essential:
Also, if you plan to eat dehydrated food on your hiking/camping trips, make sure you pack some in your bag before leaving for Iceland. It is almost impossible to find it outside the Reykjavik area or along the ring road.
The highlands will be completely inaccessible all year round except during Summer. The end of June to early September should be your target dates if you plan to hike anywhere in the Highlands. This, however, varies year by year, depending on snowmelt and road conditions. You can check the road conditions on road.is, and the average f-roads opening times here.
In terms of transportation, renting a car or a camper van will be the best choice for a hiker. You will need a 4WD vehicle allowed for F-roads to drive on tracks that have no river crossing. Check with the rental agency before booking. F-roads with river crossing is something I do not recommend unless youare very experienced at it. Some rental agencies have large 4WD vehicles on offer, but keep in mind the insurance does not cover water damage.
I can definitely recommend two companies here:
These are my two favorite companies in each respective rental area, which I why I am happy to recommend both here. If you also like this blog, booking through them is a great way to support it. I’ll get a small commission fee at no additional cost, so you can essentially support the running costs of this blog for free too. If you do, you have all my gratitude!
Lastly, keep in mind off-road driving is prohibited in Iceland. You can only drive on F-roads.
If you don’t drive yourself or prefer to be based in Reykjavik, several travel agencies will offer day trips to the most popular hiking locations.
Hiking/hikers bus passes are also available from a couple of agencies:
I have only used bus services once to go to Thorsmork, and I was pretty happy with this option.
If the car you rented is unsuitable for F-roads, both companies also stop at Hella or Hvolsvöllur, where you can leave the car and take the bus.
Ready to go? Here you can discover some of Iceland’s Best Hiking and Photography locations.
Click on a thumbnail to read on!
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |