ICELAND - The Southern Highlands
The best hiking trails between Landmannalaugar and Skógar
Contents
5 Trekking routes
Hellismannaleið (Rjúpnavellir - Landmannalaugar)
Laugavegur (Landmannalaugar - Þórsmörk)
Fimmvörðuháls (Þórsmörk - Skógar)
Sveinstindur - Hólaskjól
Strútsstígur (Hólaskjól - Hvanngil)
5 Day-walks at Landmannalaugar
3 Day-walks in Þórsmörk and Goðaland
Several short trips
more than 300 km of hiking routes
more than 200 waypoints for GPS
8 8 double pages with detailed hiking maps (1:50.000)
7 single pages with detailed hiking maps (1:50.000)
32 colour photographs
Format: 12 x 21 cm, 103 pages
Printed:on waterproof paper
Publisher: Uwe Grunewald; 1st. edition ( 2014)
Language: English
ISBN: 978 3981 5254 10
Price (in Germany): 14,90 €
Iceland is unique. It is currently the largest volcanic island on Earth, and its landscape continues to be determined by the forces of nature to this day. But these natural forces have also formed an incredible natural environment, which you only can experience intensively as a hiker. One of the most scenic hiking areas is the Southern Highlands, which was the reason for publishing a special book about it. The present hiking guidebook describes both known and little-known hiking routes through the Southern Highlands, in which it contains 5 trekking routes, 8 day-walks and several short side trips. This hiking area extends from Hekla volcano in the west to Lake Langisjór in the east. The glacial river Tungnaá represents a natural boundary in the north, while two glaciated volcanic massifs of Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull rise in the south.
Those who set out to explore this area on foot and with a backpack will find a diverse landscape. You will pass volcanic craters and lava fields, dark basalt cliffs and coloured rhyolite mountains, spectacular waterfalls and idyllic birch groves. You will see white glaciers and black outwash plains, cold rivers and hot springs, blue lakes and green moss surfaces. You will walk through wide valleys and deep gorges, steep mountain ridges and flat plains and you will enjoy amazing panoramic views from the summits.
The uniqueness and diversity of the region is already highlighted by the fact that it includes the two best-known nature reserves in Iceland, Fjallabak and Þórsmörk, where it is worthwhile to stay for several days and to do some full-day or half-day walks. Those wishing to explore the Southern Highlands on multi-day treks can choose from hikes between 2 to 4 days. Hikers with more time can combine and extend these hikes to long-distance tours of up to 11 days.
Iceland, being so full of natural attractions, makes it impossible to do all the hikes on your first visit. But those who enjoyed their first journey and who get infected with the Iceland virus, they will certainly come back to explore some more.