The hiking trail leading to Grænihryggur in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve is probably one of Iceland’s most impressive hiking trails. The Grænihryggur hiking tour that I purchased from Fjallhalla adventures in early July started early in the morning. We drove from Reykjavik, past the huts at Landmannalaugar, where we reached the drop-off point near the Halldórsgil ravine.
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Grænihryggur is the perfect hiking experience
This hike was just the kind of hiking experience that I love. You get up early, a bus takes you to the starting point. It takes about 8 hours to hike the 17KM (10.5 miles) to the ultimate goal of Grænihryggur ridge. The hiking trail has stunning views, and I was lucky to meet great new people on the way. There were interesting conversations, the pace was moderate, and there was plenty of time to take everything in. Then there is the grand finale of the otherworldly destination you have been waiting for. You get to wade freezingly cold streams, so bragging rights are yours by right. The bus takes you back home, you hit the shower, and you fall asleep in your own cosy bed, feeling physically tired but mentally refreshed.
Majestic beauty of the Torfajökull glacier area
We entered the ravine, where things immediately got very hot. Fortunately (!) it was cloudy, so it was bearable. We found ourselves loved and adored by the local midges. Thankfully, they were not the stinging kind.
When we reached higher ground out of the ravine, we were blessed with a cool breeze that blew our winged ‘friends’ away. When we looked back, the impressive Kirkjufell mountain formed a perfect background to our view. We crossed the Sveingsgil ravine and continued our way towards the magnificent Torfajökull area. The Fjallabak Nature Reserve contains the geothermal area of Landmannalaugar, which is the other end of the Laugavegur hiking trail. The Torfajökull area includes no less than five other geothermal areas. It is a protected area, and the majestic beauty and variety of the landscape there cannot be overstated.
The best view for lunch
We stopped for a lunch break on a slope of a hill. I climbed a short distance to the top, and I was rewarded with a masterpiece of a panorama. Multi-coloured rhyolite mountains, ridges, and hills with the blindingly white Torfajökull in the background. Glacial rivers and streams cut their way through the landscape. You can spend a day in the area, just marvelling at how the swirling colours of the sculptures of nature interact with everchanging sunlight and clouds.
Cold shock
Nature does not give its joys easily. You have to wade through ice-cold streams to get to Grænihryggur, and our hike took us right back through those streams. The first time we waded through a stream, it was shockingly cold, but the stream was shallow. I used old sneakers as wading shoes, and they did the job. Another essential piece of luggage for dealing with streams is a small towel. Also, make sure you have dry and warm woollen socks handy.
Finding frustrated ladies in the middle of the Icelandic highlands
When we had almost reached Grænihryggur, fog swooped in, right in the direction Grænihryggur was. We were concerned that we would not be able to see our ultimate goal from this vantage point. Then there was a strange episode. We met three women waiting on this ridge right opposite Grænihryggur. They did not look happy. It was not because of the clouds obscuring Grænihryggur. They were part of another group from a different tour company. Their tour guide had given them an ultimatum: be really fast when you go to Grænihryggur and keep up with the group or wait on the ridge opposite Grænihryggur. No way to treat your paying customers if you ask me.
After few minutes of commiserating with the frustrated ladies, the cloud cover lifted and saw Grænihryggur in its full glory. It is worth noting that you should never step on Grænihryggur. It is fragile and needs to be protected.
We took our time to admire to view the stunning view. Then we proceeded to reach Grænihryggur proper. Our guides stressed that there is a strict rule that nobody goes on top of the ridge. You can look at it, but you can’t step on it.
Do what the guide tells you
Immediately, before you reach Grænihryggur, there is a deeper creek with much more substantial current. Our guides made sure everybody got safely across. The trick is to link hands, head slightly upstream, with the most experienced person taking on the current. I was surprised how quickly I got used to the stingingly cold water.
Our guide was strict about the group crossing the stream, rather than using a snow bridge that covered it and led straight to the ridge. Our bus driver had gone ahead of the group and used that snow bridge to get across. He returned and boasted that the snow bridge could support a bulldozer. We were impressed. But as our guide pointed out, snow bridges are often unreliable. Falling through a thick layer of snow to end up in a shockingly cold glacial meltwater is not a recipe for long and happy life. So listen to your guide that is responsible for you on the hike, rather than the bus driver who is not.
Reaching Grænihryggur
Our ultimate destination was the cyan-green rhyolite ridge Grænihryggur. When you reach it, your jaw drops. This colour should not be in nature. It looks alien, but when you consider it, the ridge fits its location perfectly. We spent a full hour photographing it. Some considered taking green stones from it as a souvenir but thought better of it. The weird green stones of Grænihryggur do not make sense anywhere else.
Fjallabak nature reserve. I shall be back.
