Fimmvörðuhals is a beautiful two-day hiking trail in southern Iceland. In many ways, it is even more attractive than its famous “neighbor” – the Laugavegur trail. Sections of this trail are also worth seeing as part of a typical car tour.
Course and profile of the Fimmvorduhals trail
The Fimmvorduhals trail takes its name from the pass through which it passes. It is a high mountain pass between the peaks of two glacier-covered volcanoes. The larger of the two is Mýrdalsjökull, and the smaller, but more famous, is Eyjafjallajökull (the same one that halted air traffic over Europe for several weeks with its 2010 eruption). The Fimmvorduhals Pass divides the trail into two, relatively equal parts – north and south.
Map: the course and profile of the Fimmvorduhals trail (compiled on the basis of maps.cz)
The northern part of the Fimmvorduhals trail connects the pass with the Thorsmork region and ends (or begins) at the Basar Hut campground. Strictly speaking, this part of the trail does not pass through Thorsmork itself, but through a region called Godaland (isl. Goðaland), which lies south of Thorsmork. However, in common tourist shorthand, Godaland is simply the southern part of Thorsmork, and the division into two regions is due to historical rather than geographic/natural reasons. The southern part of the trail connects the Fimmvörðuhals pass with the village of Skogar, located on Road 1, about 155 km (96 mi) east of Reykjavik and 35 km (22 mi) west of Vik. This part of the trail mostly follows the valley of the Skoga River, with more than a dozen beautiful waterfalls, the famous Skogafoss leading the way.
Fimmvorduhals – profile (maps.cz)
The entire Fimmvorduhals trail from the Skogar campsite to Basar Hut is 24 km (15 mi) with 1,100 m (3,600 ft) of elevation gain, or as many as 35 effort kilometers (33 if you go in the opposite direction – from Basar to Skogar; one effort kilometer is 1 km / 0.6 mi on the flat or 100 m / 330 ft of climbing). At the same time, the profile of the route gives your legs no rest, because whichever side you start from, you first go practically all the way uphill, and then all the way down.
Nominally, therefore, this is a route for 10 to 12 hours – after all, you also have to eat at some point, and stop occasionally at a nice view. On the other hand, a day in Iceland in summer lasts up to 20 hours, so many people walk this trail “in one go” – they start really early in the morning and finish toward evening. The fastest ones are (supposedly) able to walk south to Skogar in time for the 3 p.m. bus…
Baldvinsskali hut and campsite
However, for most people it is a better idea to split the route in half and stay overnight at the pass. You can then choose between the Fimmvorduskali hut and the Baldvinsskali hut and campsite. Both huts are very close to each other and practically on the pass itself. Even at a slow pace of about 3 effort kilometers per hour, you will still get there before nightfall. We’ve devoted separate detailed articles to both huts (linked above), and you’ll find highlights about them later in this article. It took our family about 7 hours to climb (in great weather) from Skogar to Baldvinsskáli (plus an hour to see Skogafoss), and as much as 8 hours to walk from Baldvinsskáli to Basar Hut (though that included a stop for breakfast at Fimmvorduskali, which I highly recommend in general). From this perspective, crossing the entire Fimmvorduhals trail in under 10 hours is really quite a feat.
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What to see on the Fimmvorduhals trail
Fimmvorduhals is an extremely scenic trail. Walking from the south, we start with more than a dozen smaller and larger waterfalls on the Skoga River. Some of them can easily rival even the largest and most famous, Skogafoss, where this trail begins. This “day of waterfalls” is certainly a huge advantage of the trail and the reason why it is really worth hiking.
The walk to the last of the waterfalls along the trail (there are as many as 20 in total) and back is almost 15 km / 9 mi (20 effort kilometers), so unless you walk very fast, this is a 5- to 7-hour round trip. Continuing north, we reach the Fimmvorduhals Pass, which is quite high for Iceland. Its 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) above sea level is hugely impressive, as the mountains around the pass rise straight from the nearby ocean (in a straight line it is only about 15 km / 9 mi away). So the difference in height between the Skogar campsite and the pass is very nearly a full 1,000 m (3,300 ft) of ascent.
View toward Skogar and the Atlantic
From the pass – in good weather – there are beautiful views in all directions. The most interesting sights from here are the summit of Eyjafjallajokull and the Skogar valley itself. Finally, north of the pass, in the Godaland region, we can feast our eyes on the peaks, valleys and canyons of Godaland and Thorsmork. These are by far the most beautiful views of the Krossá valley and the surrounding mountains.
Panorama of Thorsmork from the Fimmvorduhals trail
The views of Thorsmork from the more famous and popular Laugavegur trail cannot “compete” at all with those from Fimmvorduhals. You can also find attractive panoramas of Thorsmork at the top of Valahnukur and on the trails around Tindfjoll, but the views from the northern part of the Fimmvorduhals trail are the best (for more on the most interesting trails in Thorsmork and Godaland, see the articles on the campsites from which these trails start: Basar Hut and Langidalur).
In addition to beautiful panoramas of glacier-covered mountains, you will also see the Magni and Modi (isl. Móði) craters in this part of the trail. They are named after Thor’s sons, and the craters themselves were formed and spewed lava between March 20 and April 13, 2010, during the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull mentioned above.
In the lower / farther part of the trail, two beautiful canyons – Hvannargil and Strakagil – are of particular interest. The Fimmvorduhals trail does NOT pass through them, but you can turn off the red trail to Hvannargil, and from the Basar Hut campsite you can take a separate trail to Strakagil.
How to get to the Fimmvorduhals trail
Both the northern and southern ends of the Fimmvorduhals trail are relatively easy to get to. Unfortunately, getting back from Skogar is a bit more difficult.
Getting to/from Skogar
Bus to Thorsmork (and Skogar) at BSI Station
You can get to Skogar (the southern end of the trail) either by car or by bus from Reykjavik. The bus TO Skogar is well timed, as it leaves Reykjavik first thing in the morning (Laugardalur campground: 6:30 a.m., BSI station: 7:00 a.m.) and arrives in Skogar at 9:45 a.m., just in time to hit the trail. Unfortunately, the return trip is served only by the same bus. As a result, it leaves Skogar quite early – at 10:15 a.m. according to the schedule – and, to make matters worse, it has a 6-hour break in Hvolsvollur, so it doesn’t reach Reykjavik until 7:30 p.m. (BSI) or 8 p.m. (Laugardalur campground). So the return takes a full day, and the stop in Hvolsvollur is really hard to use for anything interesting.
One sure saving grace here is the public buses – Straeto. Line 51 (to/from Hofn) leaves Skogar for Reykjavik at 4:25 p.m. and arrives as early as 6:45 p.m. (on Saturdays and Sundays: 3:07 p.m. → 5:24 p.m.), but it:
- goes neither to BSI nor to the campground, but to Mjódd station (eastern Reykjavik);
- requires a transfer in Selfoss (although it’s a very quick transfer);
- cannot be booked in advance (there are usually seats, but unfortunately not always).
For the record: line 51 TO Skogar runs in the middle of the day. It leaves Mjódd station at 11:30 a.m. and arrives in Skogar (according to the schedule) at 1:42 p.m. This ride also requires a quick transfer at the Selfoss-N1 stop. So from a tourist’s perspective, it probably only makes sense if your plane lands at Keflavik late enough to miss the aforementioned morning buses, but early enough to catch the 11:30 one from Mjodd station. Setting off on the trail at 1:42 p.m. doesn’t make much sense – it’s probably better to leave it for the next morning. Instead, you can use the remaining half day to hike to the nearby Kvernufoss waterfall or hitchhike to the DC-3 wreck or Seljavallalaug pool.
Getting to/from Thorsmork
Bus in Thorsmork
You can also get to Thorsmork (including the start of the trail – to Basar Hut) by bus directly from Reykjavik, or by car on your own. Buses leave Reykjavik at 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (from BSI station to all 3 campsites in Thorsmork) and at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. from the city center (City Hall stop, Vonarstraeti 4; these buses do not enter Volcano Huts). All of these 4 buses also stop at Laugardalur campground in Reykjavik at 6:30 a.m., 7:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Return buses leave around 2:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. The exact times depend on which campground you want to go from. The times listed are for Langidalur campground. For departure times from Basar Hut and Volcano Huts, see the articles about those campsites.
You can also get to Basar Hut in your own car, but it’s essential to have a 4×4 (more on this in the article about Basar Hut).
Driving between Thorsmork and Skogar
Unfortunately, at present (2023) there is only one direct connection between Thorsmork and Skogar: a Southcoast Adventures bus leaving Basar Hut at 8:30 p.m. and arriving in Skogar at 10:00 p.m. If you want to leave your car in Skogar, walk the entire Fimmvorduhals trail and get back to your car in the evening, this is your only option, other than hitchhiking. It is much easier to plan a Fimmvorduhals trip directly from Reykjavik or from Hvolsvöllur (about 110 km / 70 mi east of Reykjavik). From there, several buses (mentioned above) go to and from Skogar and Thorsmork every morning and evening.
Accommodation on the Fimmvorduhals trail
At both ends and in the middle of the Fimmvorduhals trail, there are several places to stay.
Accommodation at the southern end of the trail
Skogar campsite
On the south side, in Skogar, there is a campground as well as a hotel and several guesthouses: Guesthouse Skogafoss, Guesthouse Kverna, Fosstún Guesthouse and Hotel Skoga by EJ.
The Skogar campsite is not one of the best. It’s really just a separate section of the parking lot below Skogafoss with small, basic restrooms. The camping area can also get waterlogged. The guesthouses mentioned are relatively good, but quite expensive. The Skogafoss area is so popular that it is better not to stay overnight here.
Accommodation at the northern end of the trail
On the northern side, in Thorsmork, the Fimmvorduhals trail formally ends and begins at Basar Hut campground. This is certainly the best “base camp” for the trail and also the first campsite at the end of it. However, there are also the Langidalur and Volcano Huts campsites nearby. All three places are close to each other, all offer hut accommodation and each has a campsite.
Basar Hut can be reached by car (though not every car – see the Basar Hut article), and this is also where you will meet the most Icelandic families. Volcano Huts, on the other hand, offers the highest standard (sauna, restaurant, store, electricity, unlimited showers), while Langidalur is the smallest and most geared toward serious hikers – mainly people heading to or returning from the Laugavegur trail. You will find a detailed description of each of these places in the linked articles.
Accommodation in the middle of the trail
Fimmvorduhals – as we mentioned at the beginning of the article – is quite a long trail if you want to hike it all at once, in one day. Fortunately, you don’t have to.
Fimmvorduskali against the backdrop of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano
On the pass itself, almost perfectly in the middle of the route, lies the Fimmvorduskali hut (isl. Fimmvörðuskáli, 1,031 m / 3,383 ft above sea level), which also goes by the English name Fimmvorduhals Hut. Slightly lower, on the south side of the pass (about 1.5 km / 1 mi to the south and 130 m / 430 ft lower), is the second hut: Baldvinsskáli (896 m / 2,940 ft above sea level). Both huts on the pass offer accommodation (Fimmvorduskali from 12,900 ISK, about $110, and Baldvinsskáli 18,000 ISK, about $150 per person; Útivist 2026 and FÍ 2027 price lists), and in both you have to book well in advance.
Neither hut has electricity, showers or trash cans (with few exceptions). The toilets are so-called “dry toilets” – basically outhouses. There is no running water in the huts, but water is provided in canisters for cooking and washing. Fimmvorduskali does “not always” have water, and the nearest stream is about 100 m (330 ft) below.
Baldvinsskali hut
Fimmvorduskali is certainly much nicer (from the outside) and better located. On the other hand, at Baldvinsskáli you can pitch a tent, which is much cheaper (3,600 ISK, or about $30 per person in the 2027 season) and does not require a reservation, although conditions are truly spartan (the ground is very uneven and windy, with no dining shelter). This hut also runs a mini-shop.
You can read more about the conditions and prices at both places (as well as shops, toilets, etc.) in the linked articles about the two huts.
Hazards on the Fimmvorduhals trail
The Fimmvorduhals trail is not only beautiful, but also safe and comfortable. There are no streams to ford that would force you to take off your shoes (unless shortly after heavy rain), and usually the biggest challenge is the wind.
Most of the time, the wind only makes you put on a hat and gloves, and in return keeps you nicely cool even on the steepest sections. However, if a storm is sweeping through Iceland, you can expect very strong, even hurricane-force winds on the pass itself.
Summer snow near Modi
It can also snow at any time, although from mid-June to mid-August it is rather rare. In the highest parts of the trail, snow also lies in various hollows, basins and crags all year round, but at least from mid-June to mid-August walking on it does not require crampons. The snow is soft and heavily melted – much like the summer snow you find in other high mountains. There are a few steep passages on the trail – mainly the southern approach to the pass and the climb to the plateau from the Thorsmork side – but they are not dangerous. Trekking poles will help, of course, but you can manage without them.
Chains
Chains on the trail
The first place that calls for extra caution is the descent/ascent on the scree about 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the pass and directly south of where the more southerly red trail departs to the west (there are two red trails departing west from Fimmvorduhals in this region…). Coming from Thorsmork, it lies between the first and second plateaus.
It is indeed a very steep section with a lot of exposure, but it is also very short and protected by ropes and chains. Admittedly, the rock and scree here are quite slippery, and the chains themselves, unfortunately, do not stick to the rock with every catch, but a fit hiker will get past it in a dozen seconds or so. Unfortunately, this spot is “within range” of day trips from Thorsmork, and older people and those not used to chains get through this section very slowly and often with considerable fear. So a kind of mountain “traffic jam” can form here.
Cat’s back
The Cat’s Spine
The second place requiring attention is the very end of the trail, just before Basar Hut – or, for those heading south, the beginning of the trail, just after the first short climb. This section is called Kattarhryggir (in English usually the Cat’s Spine; literally: cat’s backs). The trail here runs exactly along a narrow ridge, with a lot of exposure on both sides. In good, dry weather, it’s just a narrow path with beautiful views (although you can’t really admire them, as you constantly have to watch your feet). In rainy weather or just after heavy rain, however, you have to be very, very careful here not to slip, because a fall down the slope would certainly end badly.
What to add to a trip to Fimmvorduhals
The Fimmvorduhals trail is often treated as an “add-on” to the longer, neighboring Laugavegur trail. And it does work well in this role (more: Laugavegur – Iceland’s most beautiful trail). It is also really worth combining it with 1 or 2 days on the trails in Thorsmork and Godaland (more about them in the articles on Basar Hut and Langidalur). Such an extra day (or two) also gives you valuable flexibility in planning the main route if the weather breaks. On the Skogar side, in addition to the famous Skogafoss itself, it’s worth setting aside some time to see the Kvernufoss waterfall. It’s a very nice waterfall, and you can read more about it in the article Skogafoss – a spectacular waterfall on the south coast. You can also try to get (hitchhike?) to the DC-3 wreck east of Skogar and/or to the Seljavallalaug pool west of Skogar.