Iceland walking vacations travel guide

The ‘huldufólk’, or ‘hidden people’ play an important role in Iceland’s mythological history and, for many historians, they very much represent the innate Icelandic tie with the natural environment. In the past, they were about fearing the power of volcanoes, avalanches, earthquakes and the sea, and somehow personifying this power. When you go on a walking vacation in Iceland, you explore landscapes that are so remote that you can only stay in mountain huts or go wild camping, and you start to get a feeling of how these wild places must have felt hundreds of years ago.


No wonder Star Wars was shot here. When you go hiking and wild camping out in Iceland’s highlands or alongside dramatic fjords, you definitely feel the force.![]()

How stories evolved, and how people had to believe in magic. Most unbelievably, after negotiating crowds of tourists in and around Reykjavik, you will wake up somewhere glorious like Westfjords and ask yourself, where are all the people? Because you can walk for days and hardly meet a soul. The answer is, of course – they are hidden.
Read our Iceland walking guide for more details.
Read our Iceland walking guide for more details.
Our Iceland walking Vacations
Laugavegur Trail trekking vacation in Iceland
Few trekking routes can match the striking vistas on offer here
From
US $3999 to US $4349
7 days
ex flights
Iceland hike and ride vacation
Hiking and riding in the breathtaking Icelandic Highlands
From
£2419
6 days
ex flights
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Best time to go on an Iceland walking vacation

While the crowds were packing into Reykjavik for the Summer Solstice Festival, we were circumnavigating the island on foot. Plodding peacefully through paradise.![]()

Most walking vacations take place between June and August as the weather is better for staying in remote hiking huts or wild camping. Temperatures vary from north to south. In Fjallabak Nature Reserve, for example, the average temperature is 1°C, but can be between 5-14 °C in July and August. So, no matter what time of year, layer up. June and July are the months of the midnight sun, which may sound wonderful but expect a few nights of troubled sleep as your body adjusts.
Iceland Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
-3
2
105
FEB
-2
3
100
MAR
-1
3
105
APR
1
6
80
MAY
4
10
75
JUN
7
13
70
JUL
10
14
67
AUG
8
13
86
SEP
4
11
94
OCT
3
8
119
NOV
-1
4
110
DEC
-2
2
105
Our top Iceland walking Vacation
Laugavegur Trail trekking vacation in Iceland
Few trekking routes can match the striking vistas on offer here
From
US $3999 to US $4349
7 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2023: 2 Jul, 23 Jul, 13 Aug
2024: 7 Jul, 21 Jul, 11 Aug
2023: 2 Jul, 23 Jul, 13 Aug
2024: 7 Jul, 21 Jul, 11 Aug
Travel Team
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