Thorsmork is a mountain ridge in Iceland which was named after the Norse Thunder God Thor. It is situated in the south of Iceland between the glaciers Tindfjallajokull and Eyjafjallajokull. In the valley, the river Krossa winds between the mountains. Thorsmork is popular amongst hikers as a lot of different trails are possible both short hikes as well as longer treks.
We will start our drive east from Reykjavík over Hellisheidi heath. We will drive pass the town Hveragerdi and go towards the town Hvolsvollur where we will stop for lunch and coffee break. We will stop at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall which cascades from ancient sea cliffs over 60 meters down to a shallow pool. It is possible to take a walk behind the cascade of the waterfall to enjoy the beautiful scenery from there.
On our way to Thorsmork, we stop by Lonid, which used to be a beautiful little glacial lake where the outlet glacier Gigjokull descended from Eyjafjallajokull. It disappeared in the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 as glacial water gushed down. Instead of a nice little glacial lake, we can now only see the remains of it after this enormous flooding.
When we arrive in Thorsmork you will have free time to spend how you wish. There are plenty of options for short hikes, such as the narrow and spectacular river bed of Stakkholtsgja Canyon as well as the summits of surrounding peaks, with rewarding views. We will spend the night here in cozy sleeping bag accommodation in the Básar Chalet. In winter we will look out for the northern lights after dark. In the evening your guide will prepare dinner for you.
After breakfast, you can choose whether you wish to use the time until lunch to do some more hiking in this wonderful valley or to just relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. After lunch, we will start our drive back. We will stop at Nautholagil, a narrow canyon with a healthy stream of water flowing down it. If you scramble up along the edge here you will have to wade the rest of the way to the end of the canyon where you will find a beautiful waterfall.
Then we will drive to Skogar, where we will see the magnificent Skogafoss Waterfall which cascades around 65 meters down from the ancient sea cliffs. At Skogar we will find two museums, a communal museum established in 1949 and a transportation museum, both are interesting museums to visit.
From Skogar we drive through Myrdalur where we can enjoy a view of the glacier of Myrdalsjokull, the fourth largest glacier in Iceland. Under it lies the central volcanic system of Katla, within which the last eruption occurred on October 12th, 1918. Southwest of the Myrdalsjokull lies the creeping glacier of Solheimajokull where we will put on the crampons and go for a hike on the glacier. This is a safe and easy glacier walk up onto the ice field with an experienced mountain guide, where a wonderland of ice sculptures, ridges, and deep crevasses await your discovery.
After the glacier hike, we will drive back to Reykjavik where we will drop you off at your hotel in time for dinner.
