Winter Adventure in the Icelandic Highlands
Discover the basics of Nordic skiing before setting off to explore the remote volcanic landscapes and geothermal wonders of Landmannalaugar
What's Included?
Small Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 12 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
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What's it like?
Learn how to explore and navigate snow-covered landscapes using Nordic skis, before embarking on a unique adventure deep into the Icelandic highlands
Glide through otherwordly volcanic scenes from your mountain hut base, seeing the terrain shift from snow-filled gorges and canyons to craters and lava fields
Soak in geo-thermal hot springs, a stone's throw from your mountain hut and keep a lookout for the spectacular northern lights
Key Information
Day 1
Reykjavik
Head to Iceland’s capital Reykjavik. After checking into your guesthouse, set off and explore the city. There is a huge array of quaint bars, cafes, art museums and churches.
Day 2
Introduction to Nordic skiing and soak up Reykjavik
Skiing
Today is your adventure ski school! You'll head to a ski area, a short drive outside Reykjavik, for a training session on Nordic skiing. Your trainer will teach you how to steer, brake and keep your balance while moving across the snow. Expect plenty of fun and laughter as you get used to your new mode of transport, while learning everything you'll need to take with you into the highlands tomorrow. Later on, you'll have some free time to explore Reykjavik and soak up the last bits of civilisation that you'll see for a few days.
Day 3
Head for the highlands
Driving
Skiing
An early start today as you jump into a 4x4 for the spectacular journey deep into Iceland's interior. After 3 hours of winding roads through remote lava fields and snowcapped hills, the dirt road comes to an end. With your mountain hut base still 23 km away, you'll continue the journey on skis. Ski through lava fields and up over the Hnausar pass, rewarding you with a long, gradual and easy descent to the lake Frostastaðavatn and on to your mountain hut base in the heart of Landmannalaugar. After your epic journey to the base, you can celebrate with a dip in the thermal pools and spend the evening looking out for the northern lights.
Day 4
Explore Ljótipollur crater
Skiing
Wake up in the otherworldly, snow-covered volcanic landscape and spend the day exploring Ljótipollur: an enormous crater, made by a series of enormous eruptions more than 600 years ago. Home to an impressive lake and steep, rocky walls of black and red - you'll get a glimpse of these deep colours through the blanket of snow. Your loop continues on to the mountain Kirkjufell, before heading back to the hut for a well-earned drink and another evening of thermal bathing and night sky displays.
Day 5
Stórihver hot springs and the ice caves of Hrafntinnusker
Skiing
After a big mountain hut breakfast, you'll get your ski gear on ready for a light ascent through the hills of Brennisteinsalda, passing a series of steam vents on the brow of the hill to reach the hot springs of Stórihver. Here, the serene and silent landscape is split by a bewildering roar. The noise comes from a vast opening that sends out huge plumes of vapour. Sadly there is no bathing at the Stórihver hot springs, as the water is boiling hot. If the weather allows, you'll continue further on skis to the ice caves of Hrafntinnusker, arcing around the mountain to reach a small hut at an altitude of almost 1100m. From there, enjoy another easy descent back to your base for - you guessed it - hot spring baths and the celestial disco overhead.
Day 6
Ski and 4x4 back to Reykjavik
Skiing
Driving
Say goodbye to the Landmannalaugar hut as you strap on your skis for the final time, heading north through the lava fields of Dómadalur towards lake Eskihlíðarvatn. From there you'll make it back to the road at Sigalda, where a 4x4 is waiting to take you back to Reykjavík. You'll arrive back at the capital in the late afternoon, ready for a celebratory beer or two.
Day 7
Goodbye Iceland
Time to bid Iceland farewell as you are picked up at your accommodation for the short trip to Keflavik Airport, in time for your onward flight.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Keflavik Airport
Flexible - arrive any time on Day 1
Ends
Keflavik Airport
Flexible - depart any time on Day 7
Transfers
Your host will pick you up on arrival on Day 1 and transfer you to your accommodation in Reykjavik. On the last day of the trip, your host will transfer you back to Keflavik Airport in time for your onward flight.
Travel options
There are regular flights to Iceland from airports across the UK, Europe and North America
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3 – Day 5
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 6
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 7
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
All meals are included during your time in Landmannalaugar, while in Reykjavik your breakfasts are included, leaving you to explore the cafes and restaurants for lunch and dinner.
Breakfasts will be porridge, muesli, bread, jam, cheese, ham, plus tea and coffee. For packed lunches, you'll make sandwiches from various ingredients, including Icelandic flatbread, pâté, salami, cheese, peanut butter, and smoked salmon. Snack items include biscuits, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, fruits, and energy bars. We recommend you pack a lunch box to avoid having squashed sandwiches each day in your backpack! Evening meals at the mountain hut are prepared by the guide with some help from the group. You can expect dishes such as vegetable soups, Atlantic wolffish in a creamy sauce with rice and vegetables, pasta carbonara with bread and salad, grilled lamb, potatoes, vegetables and corn. Desserts can be things like chocolate cake or fresh fruit with Icelandic yoghurt.
Vegans and vegetarians can be accommodated on this trip. Please let your host know in advance.
What is the accommodation like?
Landmanallaugur
In Landmanallaugur you’ll stay in a classic Icelandic mountain hut in mixed, dormitory-style accommodation. The hut has basic amenities, such as furnaces for heating and gas stoves for cooking, and the surrounding scenery is nothing short of epic. There is a thermal pool a few moment's walk from the hut and you'll often be able to view the northern lights from the hut at this time of year.
Reykjavik
The last night of your trip will be in Reykjavik at Hotel Leifur Eiríksson, an authentic heritage building set right in the center of Reykjavík. The hotel is on Skólavörðustígur; one of the most sought-after streets in the city and dotted with various galleries and designer shops. Across the street from the hotel is the iconic church and Reykjavík's most famous landmark, Hallgrímskirkja. Breakfast is included here on your final day of the trip.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space in Reykjavik, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability). Private rooms are not available at the mountain hut.
We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
Which pieces of kit are included in the trip cost?
- Nordic skis
- Skins
- Ski poles
- Ski boots
What do I need to bring?
Bags
- Main overnight bag
- Smaller daypack (20-30 litres)
- Waterproof liners
Clothes
- Hooded mountain jacket - windproof, ideally waterproof and breathable
- Mountain trousers - windproof, ideally waterproof and breathable
- Good-quality down jacket
- Breathable wicking layers
- Fleece jacket or similar
- Good quality thermal baselayers for extreme cold. Wool is best, especially merino
- Balaclava, face mask or buff for protection against cold & wind
- Thick & warm hat x 2
- Pair of windproof mittens
- Pair of warm woollen mittens (to be used underneath the wind mittens)
- Pair of warm, thick gloves (with fingers)
- Snow/ski goggles
- Underwear
- Thermal mountain socks with heavy insulation
- Swimwear (for thermal pools)
- Something to sleep in while in Reykjavik
- Sturdy footwear for when moving around close to the hut
- Sandals/jelly shoes for the thermal pools
Sleeping
- Sleeping bag, season 3-4
Other
- Sunglasses
- Eyemask
- Thermos flask/bottle
- Padlock for left luggage
- Universal travel plug adapter
- Power bank or solar charger
- Spare camera batteries
- Passports (and visas)
- Travel Insurance documents
- Earplugs
- Energy bars and snacks
- Suncream
- Personal first-aid kit (including blister treatment)
- Personal items (biodegradable toiletries, sanitary wear etc)
- Quick-dry towel
- Alcohol hand-gel
- Reusable water bottle x1 litre (two if you have room)
- Biodegradable wet-wipes
- Energy bars and snacks
No optional extras are available for this trip.
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 126kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
For up to date advice on the entry requirements related to COVID-19, have a read of the UK Foreign Office pages here.
The skis you will use are Nordic backcountry skis, the original skis used for winter travel in Scandinavia. They are comfortable for long days of walking: stable and wide; with comfy, warm and sturdy boots. Using Nordic skis is a wonderful way to get out into the wild in winter and experience vast empty landscapes - and of course a huge amount of snow!
Nordic skis and boots are much lighter and less bulky than their normal, downhill equivalents and the heel is 'free'. The light equipment and free-heel allow skiers to stretch forwards and forward glide on skis, even when going uphill or traversing flat land (when you are essentially hiking with skis on). You can choose your effort level just like walking versus jogging or running. You will learn the ropes before the expedition - balance can take a bit of mastering, as well as getting down any small descents you'll encounter. Your guide will ensure you are comfortable on your skis before heading out on the expedition. Previous skiing experience won't make a huge amount of difference as this is an entirely different way to move across snow in the winter.
Landmannalaugar, roughly translated as 'The People's Pools', is a huge area of natural beauty in the heart of the Fjallabak Nature Reserve in Iceland's southern highlands. During summertime, Landmannalaugur is one of Iceland's most popular places for hiking - our Trek the Laugavegur Trail trip runs right through this region. Visiting here in winter is an incomparable experience; the landscape looks totally different and the visitor numbers are minuscule compared to the summer months, making for a surreal and magical time to visit this part of Iceland. The region's famous thermal pools are even more of a treat in winter time, sit in blissfully warm water with heavy snow a stone's throw away.
There are four centrally located places in Reykjavik where you can store luggage. Speak to your host about the options, or you can pre-book here. Your main luggage will be taken to the mountain hut in Landmanallaugur which is your base for 3 nights, so you'll only need to carry a day pack on each day of skiing.
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.
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