Iceland 2023: Iceland Laugavegur Trek for Women 60+

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Iceland 2023: Iceland Laugavegur Trek for Women 60+
Reykjavík, Iceland
Jul 23 - 29, 2023
Green Edventures Eco Tours & Expeditions image
Green Edventures Eco Tours & Expeditions
$3,495
Deposit: $695

About your trip

Iceland Women’s Hiking Adventure Tour is a 40-mile thru-hike from the hot springs of Landmannalauger to the lush green forests of Thorsmork in the highlands of southern Iceland! You may never be able to pronounce the name, but the adventure will be unforgettable.


Our Women’s Iceland Thru Hiking Adventure Tour Laugavegur Trek is a 40 mile hike over 5 days (plus pre/post hike lodging) from the hot springs of  Landmannalaugar, across extreme environments of the southern highlands, to the forested valley of  Þórsmörk (thorsmork).  


Women ages 60ish and older are invited to join our team as we trek across the beautiful souther highlands in Iceland. 


The landscape is so varied and other worldly, you just might think you were on another planet.

Traverse rainbow, rhyolite mountains down into steaming geothermal areas that give way to bubbling mud pools surrounded by vibrant green lime colored moss. Trek through valleys of obsidian (Dragon Glass to all you Game of Thrones fans), and walk over snow, ford glacial rivers, and across an expansive lava sand desert on our Women’s Iceland Thru Hiking Adventure Tour.

Be rewarded with the feeling of accomplishment on our Iceland Women’s Hiking Adventure Tour, knowing that you achieved your goal each day! Celebrate and laugh with your adventure buddies as you sit around the table at night sharing homemade meals, and your stories at the end of each day on our Iceland Women’s Hiking Adventure Tour.


Oh, friend….there will be stories on this epic Women’s Iceland Thru Hiking Adventure Tour!


All of the planning has been done for you. This trip is fully supported with pre-trip preparation and a detailed packing list. Carry only a day pack with personal gear. Hot breakfast and dinners are prepared at mountain huts each night. Luggage is transferred between huts for you. The trail  is challenging, but not impossible or technical. All you need for are to invest in a few pieces of good personal gear such as: gortex rain jacket and pants, trekking poles, hiking boots, back pack, non-cotton base layers.


Who should sign up for our Women’s Iceland Thru Hiking Adventure Tour?

You must love hiking and you must be confident that you can get yourself from point A to point B each day on your own two feet. This trip is open to women who do not have any experience thru-hiking. Some mountain hiking experience carrying a backpack is required in various weather conditions, and you must be an active person, willing to prepare your body for the experience.


We walk 6-7 hours per day, or about 7-10 miles. Maximum elevation is 3,400 ft and is covered within the first two days of hiking. The third day is rolling with short, steep climbs. The final stretch is mostly flat with little elevation gain. The fifth day is hiking the trails around Thorsmork. The trails are foot paths with loose gravel, rocks, sand, mud, and possibly snow.. Total accumulative elevation for the hike is 6000ft over 5 days.




Ready for adventure!

This is a challenging trip but not impossible. The varied terrain (loose gravel, dirt, mud, snow) steep ascents and decents, combined with the varied weather make this hike moderate to strenuous for most. 


Recommended for those that are physically active and have some experience with hiking at least 5 hours in mountainous terrain with a backpack. 

Zoom Informational Meeting

Informational Meeting Replay


We hosted an informational presentation about this trip. The recording can be found HERE

Where do we stay?

2 night in a 3-Star Hotel in Reykjavik 

4 nights in mountain huts! These huts are dormitory style and small. The huts can accommodate up to 50 people (depending on the hut) with 10- 16 people per dorm room, wing, or cabin. There will be travelers from all over the world staying at the huts as well as people camping outside the hut. 


Beds are limited and participants will have to share a mattress with another participant. There could be men and women not in our group sharing our room.

Supplemental Information

There are many more details about the trek. Click here for the packing list and supplmental information. 


Trip Leader Info:

This trip is being led by a local Icelandic guide and Green Edventures Trip Leader, Cynthia. Learn more about Cynthia Here.

Pricing

Early Bird Price: $3495
April 15th $3595
Deposit: $695


Price does not include airfare, two dinners, and gratuity. 


Service Fees & Payment Methods

Green Edventures does not charge a service fee. We use a third party merchant service called WeTravel and they use the credit card processor Stripe. 


Credit Card

WeTravel will add a service fee to the total amount of your trip if you pay with a credit card. Credit Cards fees: 2.9% (Amex: 3.9%). This is a bank fee not Green Edventures. 


ACH / Checking Account 

If you set up your payment method to be withdrawn from your checking account there are no fees. 


You can change your payment method at any time in your WeTravel Account. 


What's included

Local Guide

5 days

Tour Leader

7 days

Bus Transfer

Public transport to Landmannalaugar and from Þórsmörk

Most meals

Meals breakfast day 2 to lunch day 6, and breakfast day 7.

Reykjavik Lodging

Pre/Post Trip Lodging in twin double rooms (2 nights)

Mountain Huts

4 nights, dormitory style

Luggage Transfer

between mountain huts throughout the trek

Airport Transfer Day 7

Reykjavik - KEF

Entrance to Blue Lagoon

Day 7

What's not included

Airfare

Airport Transfer

Day 1: KEF - Reykjavik

Some Meals

Day 1 and Day 6 (dinner),

Sleeping Bag

Rental available

Trekking Poles

Gratuities

$200

Personal Expenses

Showers at huts, snacks, souvenirs

Travel Insurance

COVID testing

if required.

Day 1

Day 1 image

Welcome to Iceland - Explore Reykjavik

 Arrival at Keflavik airport anytime that is most convenient and economical for you. Transfer to Reykjavik is not included but we will help participants arrange transportation. Spend the day walking around Reykjavik and visit museums. 


Pre-hike meeting and orientation.


Dinner in town (not included). Overnight at Reykavik. 


Note: Once the trip is confirmed, an option pre-tour add on will be offered to visit some of the waterfalls and sites of the South Coast. Last year, the cost was approximately $400 per person and included an extra night's stay in Reykjavik.

Day 2

Day 2 image

Bus transport to Landmannalaugar. Afternoon trek to Hrafntinnusker.

 

We drive eastwards from Reykjavik, crossing the high moorland of Hellisheiði and passing south of the steaming volcano, Hengill. We also pass the greenhouses of Hveragerði village. East of Þjórsá river, we head inland and cross to the north of Mount Hekla, one of Iceland's most infamous volcanoes, which last erupted as recently as February 2000. We now enter the black Dómadalur (Valley of Doom), which is a gateway to Fjallabak Nature Reserve. The Nature Reserve is a huge mountainous wilderness that is constantly built up by ongoing volcanic activity and eroded by glaciers, rivers and wind. 


Reaching Landmannalaugar we have lunch, after which we start out by crossing the 500-year-old Laugahraun lava flow that is still giving heat to Landmannalaugar hot springs. Climbing steadily past numerous sulphur vents, we top a succession of rolling rhyolite hills before descending to the steaming hot springs of Stórihver. As we get higher, the better we can understand the forces of nature. Up on the plateau, steam rises in all directions from unseen vents and we reach our accommodation at Hrafntinnusker mountain hut in the late afternoon. 


Distance:12km (7.5miles) Active walking time: 4-5 hours Ascent: 470m 

Day 3

Day 3 image

Trek via canyon system to lake of Álftavatn (Swan Lake).

 The idea that there is always some logic to landscape is proved to be false today, as we head south into the canyon complex to the south of Hrafntinnusker. Descending into the gorges of Jökultungur, we come across steaming hot springs and mud pools. The route winds southwards, crossing old snow patches and climbing ridges where we have views across dark volcanic plains towards lake Álftavatn and the Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull glaciers. Crossing the southern edge of the Torfajökull Massif, we descend a long slope towards the black sands and palagonite ridges around Lake Álftavatn (Swan Lake). Arriving at the lake, one of the most beautiful locations on our route, we check in at the Álftavatn mountain hut. 

Distance: 12km (7.5 miles) Active walking time: 4-5 hours Descent: 490 m (1610 ') GPS for the hut N 63°51.470 -W 19°13.640 

Day 4

Day 4 image

River crossing and Black sand plains to Emstrur

 Today there are several rivers to cross, as we head southwards and towards Myrdalsjokull Icecap. Some of these glacial streams and rivers are bridged, but others need to be forded. After a long, but gentle climb, we descend to the green oasis of Hvanngil, where there is a mountain hut. We continue our walk, crossing another couple of rivers, to reach the surreal 5- kilometer-wide, black sand plain of Mælifellssandur, beneath the conical peak of Stórasúla. Heading now towards Hattfell, another ancient volcano, we reach the Emstrur region where farmers used to graze their sheep in summer. Before arriving at the Botnar Mountain Hut (our accommodation for the night) we visit the magnificent Markarfljót canyon which is cut almost 200 meters down into the rocks south of Hattfell. Distance: 16km (10 miles) Active walking time: 6-7 hours Descent: 40 m (130 ') 

Day 5

Day 5 image

Trek the Markarfljót Canyons to the spectacular Þórsmörk Valle

 The first challenge today is to cross the bridge across Emstrur River. Having overcome this obstacle, we trek through the magnificent Markarfljót Canyon, which was carved out by thundering floods, caused by volcanic eruptions under the ice cap. The effects of erosional forces are visible at every step on this trek and nowhere more obvious than in the Þórsmörk Valley. For the first time on our trek, we enter a green and well- vegetated valley, which becomes more luxuriant the closer we get to Þórsmörk. The last part of the hike is through thick birch forest, where even the lava ridges are covered with scrubby trees and the lovely arctic flowers that bloom for a few weeks each summer. Þórsmörk means Þór's forest and it is not hard to see why this area should be considered to belong to a norse god. It is out of this world! The valley is guarded on all sides by tremendous, fast-flowing rivers and steep glacier-clad mountains. It is one of the most beautiful spots in Iceland and the favorite weekend retreat of many of Reykjavik's hikers. We overnight at one of the Þórsmörk’s huts. 

Distance: 17km (10.5 miles) Active walking time: 6-7 hours. Descent: 300 m (985 ') 

Day 6

Day 6 image

Morning at Þórsmörk, then return drive to Reykjavik.

 We spend the morning in Þórsmörk, with the option to take it easy and rest or to walk one of the numerous trails. One option is to visit Sönghellir Cave (Song Cave) or to hike up to the viewpoint of Valahnjúkur, from where we can see over the icecaps of Mýrdalsjökull (1460m) and Eyjafjallajökull (1666m). We catch the bus back to BSI bus Station in Reykjavik at 14.10. Arriving at approximately 18:45. We will walk to the guest house together and decide on a time to go out for dinner in Reykjavik.

Distance: 5-10 km (3-6 mi) Active walking time: 2-5 hrs

Day 7

Day 7 image

Blue Lagoon & Airport Transfer

Group transfer to Keflavik airport for a return flight.  On the way we will stop at the Blue Lagoon to have a relaxing 2-hour bath its spa-like milky hot water. Considered one of the 25 wonders of the world, the geothermal water originates 6,000 feet below the surface, where freshwater and seawater combine at extreme temperatures. It is then harnessed via drilling holes at a nearby geothermal power plant, Svartsengi, to create electricity and hot water for nearby communities. On its way to the surface, the water picks up silica and minerals, before emerging at a soothing 38°C (100°F). Perfect for a relaxing and re-energizing bath. (B) 

Location

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1. Reykjavík, Iceland

Reykjavík, Iceland

About your organizer

Fun, active, and educational nature-based group eco-adventures for people to connect with wild places and animals in extraordinary environments. Specializing in women's adventure travel groups, and teacher-led student groups. Inquire about private departures and co-ed trips.

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