Four Day Backpack Tour - Canyons and lava fields.

This first leg of the Iceland traverse takes us from the lowlands of Ásbyrgi through the entire national park of Jökulsárgljúfur, known for its great canyon and the natural pearls Hljóðaklettar and Dettifoss, through the extraordinary lava fields and craters of the Krafla volcano and finally to the famous lake Mývatn. The bountiful vegetation of the canyon stands in sharp contrast to the barren moon-like environment of the lava field rendering this backpack tour through wild country one of the more interesting Iceland has to offer.

Departure:
Dates for 2013 to be announced

Backpacking: Four days
Walk per day: 6-8 hours
Total walking distance: 63 km. (39 miles)
Altitude: 150-800 m. (490-2615 feet)
Maximum Ascent: 300 m. (9850 feet)

Groups: 4 to 12 participants.

Equipment List

Included : Guide for 4 days, food for 4 days (from lunch day 1 to lunch day 4), cooking gear, tents and camping fee.
Note : The tour ends at Mývatn.
Meeting Point : Ásbyrgi
Available upon request: Accommodation in Reykjavík before and after the tour  - please contact us for more information.

Please note: when travelling from/to Reykjavík extra travel days are needed before and after the trekking tour, e.g.:
01.07: Early flight: Reykjavik to Akureyri; Bus: Akureyri to Ásbyrgi.
05.07: Bus: Mývatn to Akureyri; Afternoon flight: Akureyri to Reykjavík.

Day 1: Our trek starts in front of the information center of the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park situated in an old horseshoe-shaped canyon called Ásbyrgi. We scramble up on the edge of the canyon and follow it until we reach a point which gives us a full view of it. Our heathen ancestors, the Vikings, believed that Odin's (the chief of the old gods) eight legged horse tripped somewhere above Iceland and had to put one of his eight legs down on earth, leaving the hoofmark for generations to admire. We continue crossing a moor until we reach the namesake of the park, the canyon Jökulsárgljúfur, where the river Jökulsá growls at the bottom. Following the canyon we pass the Rauðhólar crater row, with their intensive red and black scoria colors, and the extraordinary echo cliffs Hljóðaklettar, before we reach our campsite at Vesturdalur valley.
Distance: 12-14km (7.5-9mi)    Walking time: 5-7hrs

Day 2: We continue following the canyon passing the turned-to-stone Giants Karl and Kerling and the fresh water sources Hólmatungur, before we plunge into the canyon itself and follow the river for a while. This rather unknown part of the park many consider as its highlight, despite the magnificent waterfall Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful, that awaits us in the end of the day.
Distance: 18-20km (11-12.5mi)    Walking time: 7-8hrs

Day 3:  Now that we have reached the end of the canyon which terminates at the Dettifoss waterfall, we leave the river and cross rocky plains and heathery plateau until we reach the beautiful mountain lake Elífsvötn. At its farther end we find one of the cozier places in Icelandic wilderness to camp.
Distance: 14-16km (8.5-10mi)    Walking time: 7-9hrs

Day 4: A long day and waterless awaits us, but the effort is worth it. During one the strangest and most moon-like day of the trip we cross the most recent, black lava field of the Krafla volcano, through red craters, melted stone and muddy hot-springs, until we arrive in the little village of Reykjahlíð at the border of the famous lake Mývatn.
Distance: 20-25km (12.5-15.5mi)    Walking time: 8-10hrs

Departure Date	Availability