The Fimmvorduhals hike is without a doubt one of the most popular amongst both locals and travelers alike and has been for centuries. Hike between the world famous Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcano and  Myrdalsjokull glacier, mountains, lava fields, historic sites, waterfalls, the newly formed volcanic craters Magni and Modi (from the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption) and stunning nature in the Icelandic highlands. If it sounds like a lot that’s because it is. Quite simply scenery that is out of this world.

This hike will take you from the iconic Skogafoss waterfall to Thorsmork (named after Thor the God of Thunder) through 25 km of the most powerful and moving landscape Iceland has to offer.

The name Fimmvörðuháls can be broken down into the two words: ‘Fimm’ meaning five and ‘vörður’ meaning cairns. Icelanders used to mark paths by piling rocks in these so-called cairns. This is how they could tell that they were going in the right direction! Therefore, the name Fimmvörðuháls tells you about the 5 cairns you need to keep an eye out for in order to ensure you’re also headed in the right direction.  Icelanders always put a new rock into the cairn every time we pass as a way to say thank you to the others that helped us as well as to help the ones that will hike after us, by making the cairn even more visible.

Camping is available in Thorsmork at the end of the hike but not included in the trip. In Thorsmork, which is itself an untouched paradise, we love having a big BBQ and reflect together on our challenging but amazing day.