Highlands Iceland 2024

We filled the Duster with diesel in Hella, just after 8:00am and drove north on farm roads, then the F26 before turning off onto the F225 in the direction of the Hekla volcano. Hekla has a history of violent eruptions, many with little warning, We pulled up to a small car park and walked up the Rauðaskál volcano crater (2.5km lolipop track). We met a few other people at the beginning and end of the walk, but we mostly had the place to ourselves.  We were heading for Landmannalaugar and could have continued directly from Rauðaskál but we weren't sure about the river crossings so we took the safer northern route.

We drove back on the F26 and then turned east on the F208.  We picked up more traffic along the way and stopped for a 2km return walk to Sigöldugljúfur waterfalls. The deeper into the mountains we went, the more interesting the scenery got. We made a quick stop at the green lake of Hnausapollur. A short walk up to the rim of the Stútur crater was rewarding, especially in the thick moss landscape. We had to drive through a creek to reach Landmannalaugar campground. The setting was beautiful but the campground was a barren, rocky field. We paid the camping fees and set up our tent. We wandered around the area and used the kitchen shelter to prepare dinner in. We met a couple from Germany who we kept bumping into at through our time in the highlands.

In the evening, I went for a walk up a nearby ridge for views of the lava field and to the east. The sun came out and it lit up some of the unique landscape.

We had mainly sunny conditions for our full day in  Landmannalaugar. We followed the beginning of the Laugavegur trail around the southern edge of the lava field to steam vents  and then turned north, up a hill for fabulous views. Continuing north we crossed the Námskvísl creek and then got up onto a ridge and followed it east. Eventually, we dropped off the ridge and returned to the campground for a total a seriously beautiful hike of 13kmwith 600m of ascent. With almost every step, our jaws dropped at the scenery accented by different colours and snow patches.

We had time for the soak in the natural hot springs that afternoon. In the evening, I went for a further walk to the east. The sun didn't come out in the evening to light it all up.

 The weather forecast indicated an incoming storm with rain and high winds to hit further north so we opted to retreat to  the south near the Golden Circle. We retraced our route into Landmannalaugar, stopping at Stútur crater  a second time. We drove through blowing sand to the F26 and stopped in at Hjálparfoss before reaching the Gullfoss waterfalls. We were back on the Golden Circle with plenty of other tourists. We also stopped at the Geysir hot springs but the geyser was affected by the high winds and as a result,  the spout did not reach full height. We stayed not far from the Geysir at the Réttabunga campground. It featured a nice sheltered tenting area, comfortable old common kitchen and a hot tub. 

The weather had much improved the following day. The geyser was reaching its normal lofty heights as we drove by it. We drove the #35 north. Although it is marked as F25 on many maps, it has lost its "F" designation and is now considered a 2WD road. We were up on the central Iceland plateau with mountains and icecaps  in all directions. Gýgjarfoss waterfall was a quick stop on the F347. We drove past the Kerlingarfjöll hotel and camp around 9:00am and pressed on along the frozen road.  Clouds started to lift and we parked at the Hveradalir Thermal Area.  

We went for a 5km walk through the geothermal area. It was slow going as we were constantly stopping to look at our other worldly, photogenic surroundings. Later we drove over to the Snækollur parking lot and walked up a hillside for views of the peaks and icecap. Finally, we drove back down to the Kerlingarfjöll  campground and set up camp. We checked out the nearby hotel and had chocolate waffles (free for guests on their Year 1 anniversary). After dinner, I went for a walk above the campground.  Overall, we thought it was a terrific experience and we enjoyed the Spring conditions at the thermal area (snow patches).

The party was over and it was time to return to Keflavik. The further south we drove, the windier it got. We drove down the Blafjoll road to do a walk in the volcanic peak area, but the winds started to blow the car around. We got out of the car and had difficulty standing up in the wind, so we carried on to Keflavik. Along the way, we fueled up at Costco and then we checked into our last lodging. We talked to the owner who also rented campers. She told us about the early June storm and that some of her clients had abandoned their vehicle up north and flown out, so she had to drive up to retrieve the vehicle later. 

Our carrier, Westjet, was experiencing labour strife and we weren't sure about our flight home. However, we were collected on time. Our connecting flight from Calgary to Vancouver Island was cancelled so we were left without airline support at YYC. We sorted it all out the following day. We weren't very happy with the airline but we later received compensation for the cancelled flight.