Joining organized hiking groups is my hack for exploring Iceland with minimal hassle. So when my cousin invited me to join his hiking group for a three-day hiking tour around Landmannahellir in the Icelandic nature reserve of Fjallabak. I did not think twice. Breakfast, dinner, a bus ride up to the highlands, and bunk at the huts at Landmannahellir with hiking trips to new places. What can a guy ask for more? The plan was simple, on the first day, we would hike from Landmannahellir to Mt. Löðmundur (try to say that after four beers!); on the second day, it was about either hiking to Grænihryggur or hiking around Mt. Skalli from Landmannalaugar. On the third day, we would explore the natural wonders of Rauðauga and Rauðfossar.
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The most overhyped cave in Iceland
Landmannahellir is some 28 kilometers away from the well-known Landmannalaugar and is the perfect base for hiking trips in this beautiful nature reserve. Landmannahellir has basic huts with all amenities; gas stoves, running water, and even showers. In the Icelandic highlands, these luxuries cannot be taken for granted.
The name Landmannahellir is derived from a small cave that used to be a much-used shelter for travelers back in the day. The cave is wholly uninteresting, but its size and usefulness have reached legendary status in modern times. There is a claim that this hole in a hillside could have housed 70 horses. When you see the cave, you will find that statement laughably ridiculous. It may well house 70 horses, but only if they are canned and neatly stacked!
Heading up to Mt. Löðmundur
To reach Mt. Löðmundur, we followed a marked hiking path up to the mountain. The trail up to the 1.100 meters high Mt. Löðmundur is 4.9KM (2.5 miles). It took us about 2.5 hours to reach the top and return to Landmannahellir.
The wind was blowing hard against us on the way up, and there was one steep incline that some people thought was too demanding. So some turned back.
But most of us soldiered on, and after we had ascended the steep slope, the way up was easy. When we finally reached the peak, the view was just stunning.
From Mt. Löðmundur, you get an idea of lake Löðmundarvatn, the infamous volcano Mt. Hekla, and Hofsjökull glacier is visible with the Kerlingarfjöll mountain range, where you will find the wonderful Hveradalir. Þörsmörk is visible to the south.
Keeping my eyes on Mt. Hekla
The cold wind pushed hard at the top, so you did not want to spend too much time up there. The sheer drop was a little too much for comfort for most people. On the way back, I could not take my eyes off the majesty of Mt. Hekla. The volcano is long overdue for an eruption. I would not be surprised if that will be a big eruption with broad-ranging consequences for its neighborhood.
Page-turning crime-thriller beats small bunk blues
We were comfortably tired when we returned to the huts. Since I had to share a small bunk with my cousin, it took a long time for me to get to sleep. Luckily, I had a page-turning crime thriller by Lilja Sigurðardóttir downloaded to my iPad. So instead of twisting and turning, I had this great book to read. Reading helped me to get to sleep eventually. I needed the rest. The next day we would hike 20KM (12.5 miles) from Landmannalaugar around Mt. Skalli. More on that later.
