Þórsmörk
The highlands of Iceland have been the source of awe and wonder for many, locals and tourists alike.
There have been many discussions regarding the accessibility to the highlands, accommodations and such.
In this blog, I will share more about Þórsmörk, one of the gems of the Icelandic highlands.
Þórsmörk
Accessibility
Getting to Þórsmörk can range from a piece of cake to a nightmare. Nobody should go to the highlands unprepared. Understanding the weather and road conditions before heading into the highlands is necessary.
Access to Þórsmörk is usually possible year round but not all places are accessible during winter.
There is only one main road to go into Þórsmörk. From Seljalandsfoss, follow road 249 which will lead to F249, which has some rivers. If you stay on F249, there are not really big rivers so most 4×4 should be able to manage during the summer. The winter is a different story. Regular 4×4 can probably go a small distance but depending on the snow and road conditions, the chances of getting stuck are very high. I do not recommend attempting this drive in the winter.
F249 takes you all the way to Básar and this is where you will find Básar campsite and the Fimmvörðuháls North Trailhead.
Just before Stakkholtsgjá Canyon, there is a road – Froad Húsadalur, which goes to the Volcano Hut and Laugavegur South Trailhead. This road requires crossing a significantly deep river so only XL 4x4s are allowed on this road. Do not attempt this river in a Duster. Several buses have drowned in this river so no Duster will survive this river. Park your car and use the walking bridge if you need to go over to the other side of the river.
If you want to save yourself all the trouble of driving these tricky roads, you always have the option to use the highland bus or private super jeep tour.
The highland shuttle bus is operated by Trex. You can choose to board the bus from either Reykjavik, Hella or Hvolsvöllur.
The private super jeep tour gives you the freedom to design the day as you wish and a professional local guide to show you around, tell you stories and allow you to make the best of the day without the stress of driving.
Accommodation
Accommodations in the highland is scarce. At Þórsmörk, there are several options for accommodation – Volcano Hut, mountain cabin or camping.
The Volcano Hut offers several different kinds of accommodation. The most popular will be glamping – glamorous camping. Glamping is probably the next thing in Iceland. The huge tents can house a full-size bed, some furniture and even has radiator. It is almost like a hotel room just without the private bathroom.
There is also the option of cabin rooms with shared bathrooms, sleeping bag accommodation and cottages. You can find more information here.
The Iceland Travel Association runs a cabin in Þórsmörk that sleeps 75 people. You will just need to bring your own sleeping bag. There is a shared kitchen facility, shower, bathroom and dining area. Pre-booking is mandatory due to overwhelming demand. You can find more information here.
The other option is to bring your own tent (or campervan) and camp. There are several campsites at Þórsmörk. The campsite at Básar is huge. There is also a campsite by the cabin operated by the Iceland Travel Association. There is also a campsite at the Volcano Hut.
Activities
Hiking
Þórsmörk is a hikers’ paradise. There are so many hiking trails everywhere. Easy trails, medium trails, difficult trails, short trails, long trails, the entire spectrum. It will take more than a week to hike all the trails in this immediate area. You can find this information at the information centre at Básar.
The easiest trail that most people take at Þórsmörk is the Strákagil trail. It is about 4km and takes about 2 hours. It is a loop trail, marked with green trail markers.
Of course, there is also the famous Fimmvörðuháls Trail that goes from Þórsmörk to Skogafoss, taking about 9 hours if you hike it in one go.
Photography
On top of hiking, photography is probably the next best thing to do at Þórsmörk. The landscape is so surreal. Every bend can bring you a view of a totally different world. The perspective from the ground and that from above can be so totally different, it is simply just wow, wow and wow. You can never spend too many days in Þórsmörk, it is always not enough. Every different weather brings different colours and moods to the landscape.
For more information on photography tours to Þórsmörk, email hello@marinatravel.is.
