Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [256]
Petrol isn’t available here. There are two rivers – the one 500m from the hut may be difficult to cross (even for a 4WD). Ask locally for advice on conditions.
Although there aren’t any hiking tracks per se, the hiking is great. Soft options include strolling up the relatively lush Nýidalur valley or wandering up the 150m-high hill east of the huts for a wide view across the desert expanses. A more challenging day hike will take you up to the colourful pass at Vonarskarð, a broad, 1000m-high saddle between Vatnajökull, Tungnafellsjökull and the green Ógöngur hills. This route also passes some active geothermal fields.
Þórisvatn
Before water was diverted from Kaldakvísl into Þórisvatn from the Tungnaá hydroelectric scheme in southwest Iceland, it had a surface area of only 70 sq km. Now it’s Iceland’s second-largest lake at 82 sq km. It lies 11km northeast of the junction between Rte F26 and the Fjallabak route.
Hrauneyjar
Somewhat unexpectedly, in the bleakest position imaginable (west of Þórisvatn in the Hrauneyjar region), you’ll find a guest house and shiny new hotel – the only one in the highlands! Hrauneyjar Highland Centre & Hótel Highland ( 487 7782; www.hrauneyjar.is, www.hotelhighland.is;guest house sb s/d €50/61, s/d bathroom €99/111, hotel s/d from €174/215; guest house year-round, hotel mid-Jun–mid-Sep; ) lies at the crossroads of the Sprengisandur route (F26) and the F208 to Landmannalaugar, so it’s very handy for lots of highland attractions. The simple guest-house rooms have shared bathrooms. If you want luxuries – comfy rooms, a restaurant, a sauna…and a helicopter pad – head for the hotel, 1.4km away.
Staff can arrange excursions to sites of interest, including the beautiful Dynkur waterfall, which is a worthwhile 4WD excursion about 20km north.
Petrol and diesel are available.
Veiðivötn
This beautiful area just northeast of Landmannalaugar is an entanglement of small desert lakes in a volcanic basin, a continuation of the same fissure that produced Laugahraun in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve. This is a wonderful place for wandering, and you can spend quite a lot of time following 4WD tracks that wind across the tephra sands between the numerous lakes. On the hill to the northeast is a view disc pointing out the various lakes and peaks.
Veiðivötn lies 27km off the southern end of the Sprengisandur road south of Þórisvatn, via the F228 4WD road. Access from Landmannalaugar is thwarted by the substantial river Tungnaá, so you’ll need private transport to get to Veiðivötn. At Tjaldvatn, below Miðmorgunsalda (650m), is a campsite with huts.
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ÖSKJULEIÐ ROUTE (ASKJA WAY)
The Öskjuleið route runs across the highlands to Herðubreið, the Icelanders’ beloved ‘Queen of Mountains’; and to the desert’s most popular marvel, the immense Askja caldera. The usual access road is Rte F88, which leaves the Ring Road 32km east of Mývatn, but Askja is also accessible further east from Rte F910.
For much of the way it’s a flat journey, following the western bank of the Jökulsá á Fjöllum, meandering across tephra wasteland and winding circuitously through rough, tyre-abusing sections of the aptly named 5000-sq-km lava flow Ódáðahraun (Evil Deeds Lava).
If you are following Rte F88 you will encounter two river crossings. There are detailed signs at the river’s edge explaining the proper method of fording the river. Along Rte 910 you’ll be crossing the glacial rivers by bridge before encountering two clean river crossings. The water here does not swell in summer (unlike many other rivers in the highlands) and these crossings are smaller than the ones along Rte F88.
After a long journey through the lava- and flood-battered plains, things perk up at the lovely oasis of Herðubreiðarlindir, at the foot of Herðubreið. The route then wanders westwards through dunes and lava flows past