OUR GUIDE TO CAMPING ON THE LAUGAVEGUR TRAIL.
When we set off to walk the Laugavegur Trail in early June, it was the very start of the hiking season. Snow still lingered on the high ground, the rivers ran fast with meltwater, and each evening brought the familiar routine of pitching our little tent in whatever weather Iceland threw at us that day.
While most people walk the Laugavegur from hut to hut, camping is a brilliant option if you’re happy to carry your gear, want to keep costs down, and don’t mind a bit of wild weather. That said, it’s not quite as simple as just rocking up with a tent and hoping for the best.
In this guide, I’ve shared everything we learnt from camping on the Laugavegur trail – what the campsites are like, what kind of gear you really need, and all the little details we wish we’d known before we set off.
Campsites on the Laugavegur Trail
Many people walk the Laugavegur trail as a hut to hut trek. But, you can also camp along the way. Each hut has a corresponding camping space.
In total, there are eight camp grounds on the Laugavegur, including one in Landmannalaugar (the start for most trekkers) and three in Þórsmörk (the end.)
Tip – the campsite at Hrafntinnusker is tat the highest altitude on the Laugaveur. Even in summer, there can be snow on the ground. Or it may even be snowing! Depending on your disposition (how hardy you are), you can either consider booking a hut (one night will cost around 9,000 ISK.) Or walking day one and two in one day – for experienced and fit hikers only.
Do you need to book the Laugavegur campsites?
You do not need to book the camping spaces. Just turn up, pitch and then pay the Ranger.
Cost of camping on the Laugavegur
In Iceland in general and on the Laugavegur, campsites charge per person rather than per pitch. On average, we paid 3000-3200 ISK per person to camp. At time of writing, this equates to around £17-20 or $25-26.
The most expensive campsite is the Volcano Huts site at Þórsmörk, which costs around 3400-3900 ISK per person. But, it’s worth noting that this includes free hot water showers!
In total, someone walking over four days and camping could expect to pay around £130/$180 for accommodation. Not bad for Iceland!
Tip – you don’t need cash. All camping sites accept card payment.
Campsite facilities
Each campsite on the Laugavegur is slightly different and I’ve set out the facilities at each below. It’s important to note that the vast majority (the exception being Volcano Huts) do not have charging points or WiFi.
Each site also has a Ranger or Warden (with the exception of Volcano Huts which is a private accommodation) and a small shop. Water is found at all sites, as well as toilets and sinks for washing up.
| Site | Showers | Indoor camping shelter | Wind shelter for pitches | Other |
| Landmannalaugar | Yes (fee) | Yes (tent for campers to cook/ socialise) | No | Hot springs (free) Mountain Mall Garbage disposal |
| Hrafntinnusker | No | Yes | No | |
| Álftavatn | Yes (fee) | No | No | Restaurant Garbage disposal |
| Hvanngil | Yes (fee) | No | Yes (rocks) | Garbage disposal |
| Emstrur | Yes (fee) | No | Yes (valley) | |
| Þórsmörk (Volcano Huts) | Yes (hot water/ free) | No | Yes (trees) | Sauna (free). Charging points & WiFi. Restaurant/ bar |
| Þórsmörk (Skagfjörðsskáli) | Yes (fee) | No | Yes (valley) | |
| Þórsmörk (Basar) | Yes (fee) | No | Yes (valley) | Restaurant |
What type of tent is required for the Laugavegur trail
Given the weather conditions and altitude of the Laugavegur trail, we recommend a four season tent which has the ability to remain standing in windy conditions. It’s worth noting that the campsites on the trail have varying degrees of wind protection (more info below).
It goes without saying that a tent needs to be lightweight. Carrying a heavy tent on the trail will slow you down.
My personal tip, is to select a tent which offers some kind of porch space/ entrance. We frequently found that we would be boiling water for breakfast or cooking supper in our tent, and clearly that’s easier to do in a porch with good ventilation.
Our tent – for this trip, we selected the Vango F10 Xenon UL 2. We picked this particular tent because it offers enough space for two people, four season protection, it stands up well to wind and is only 1.6kg (trail weight.)
Things to consider before camping on the Laugavegur trail
Below is a bit of a random collection of hints, tips and tricks. Things that we learnt through camping in Iceland generally, and more specifically on the Laugavegur trail.
1/ Tent pegs
We had camped in Iceland for two weeks before walking the Laugavegur and had been lulled into a false sense of security with regard to pegging into nice soft grassy pitches. The campsites on the Laugavegur do not offer such luxuries – the ground is hard.
I would recommend giving some thought to packing specialised tent pegs for hard ground. We spotted a few sensible campers using these and they definitely looked like the smart ones!
2/ Practice pitching
This may sound a little silly, but practice pitching your tent. If it’s a new purchase for the route, be sure that you know how to pitch it, and can do so quickly in cold, wet and windy weather.
3/ Weather
As a general rule for travelling to Iceland, be prepared for all weather. It’s possible you will have warm clear, days, but it’s also likely you will experience wind, rain and snow.
Pick equipment ad clothing for this and mentally prepare yourself!
4/ Quick dry clothing
With the exception of Landmannalaugar campsite, there are no indoor drying facilities on the rest of the route. For this reason, as well as general comfort, it’s important to ensure that you have quick dry clothing.
If you get lucky, there will be clear weather outside so you can hang clothing to dry outdoors. But, if less lucky, you’ll want to be able to dry items inside the tent if needed.
5/ Food and supplies
Generally, you will need to carry your food supplies for the entire trail. Each campsite has a few things for sale – trek meals, snickers bars, beers (!). But expect to pay over the odds, roughly 3 times what you would in a supermarket in Iceland. I’d drecommend avoiding these purchases if you can!
Campers are not able to access the kitchen facilities in huts, so you will need a stove and cooking equipment. As well as food that can be quickly and easily cooked. Often there is no indoor shelter for campers, so you’ll want to think about meals you can make inside your tent if needed.
Tip – water is available in all campsites. We chose meals that could easily be made with cold or hot water – trek meals, protein shakes and porridge.
6/ Washing up
Washing up facilities on the route are basic. Expect cold water taps only. I will never forget the feeling of washing dishes with ice cold water until my hands turned bright red.
A couple of campsites had washing up liquid, but most don’t. So, you can either pack a small travel sized liquid, or choose food that doesn’t create too much mess.
7/ Rain protection
It goes without saying that you will want to avoid getting your camping gear and personal belongings wet on the trail.
Be sure to pack a backpack cover, if your bag isn’t waterproof. And, consider wrapping particularly precious items in waterproofing (e.g. your sleeping bag.)
You can go to town with a fancy solution if you like, but my simple one is to wrap items inside my bag with bin bag sacks. Easy, affordable and effective.
8/ Socialising
If socialising on the trail is important to you, I would think carefully about choosing to camp. An alternative, would be to stay in the huts on the Laugavegur.
We stayed in one hut and it was a wonderful chance to chat to people on the route in a warm and cosy setting. Conversely, we found that campers kept themselves to themselves and most were found inside their tents of an evening.
It’s entirely possible that this is weather dependent. In high summer, with good weather, I can imagine that tent campers would emerge from their cocoons and become social butterflies. There are often picnic tables and outdoor spaces to spend time in. But, when the weather is bad, realistically campers will be zipping themselves in!
9/ Entertainment
Linked to the last point, consider how you will entertain yourself in the evening. There are no options to charge phones or battery packs, so you might be limited when it comes to electronic devices. That said, we found a bit of joy in listening to audio books.
I meet a few people who brought Kindles to read books – any sort of e-reader with a long battery life would be ideal for bookworms. Or, if you’re travelling with a partner of friends, maybe pack a small game.
10/ Wind direction and pitching
This may be another tip that just seems like stating the obvious. Make sure you know the wind direction (current and projected night time direction) before pitching your tent. This helps to avoid damage to your tent from wind. If you don’t have a weather app on your phone, ask the Ranger at the campsite.
11/ Warm clothing and sleepwear
I cannot express how cold the nights on the Laugavegur can be, even in summer. My “go to” sleepwear quickly became a combination of a base layer, mid layer, jacket and thermal leggings. I’d feel lucky if I could go without the jacket.
If you feel the cold, think about warm layers that you can sleep in. Choose your airbed/ camping pad carefully to ensure you have something that insulates from the ground temperature. Pack a decent four season sleeping bag. And finally, if you really want to to go all out – consider taking an insulating ground sheet.
Remember, there is a possibility that you’ll be camping on snow, at least for the first night.
12/ Sleep mask
Iceland is of course known as the land of the midnight sun. Throughout the summer, you can expect pretty much full daylight 24 hours a day. Be sure to pack an ear mask, or something you can pull over your eyes (a hat for example).
13/ Dirt
I know that many people won’t be bothered by this at all, but for me, I really prefer to keep the inner of my tent as clean as possible when camping. The Laugavegur presents quite a unique challenge, in that the ground is often not grassy, but instead covered with volcanic stone/ dirt, which can very easily be transferred from the porch of your tent (on bags or shoes) into the tent.
One tip I have is to either consider a small groundsheet for your porch, or, use our DIY method – a bin bag (trash bag for Americans.) After a few days of camping, we quickly realised that a simple plastic bag spread on the floor (a carpet if you will) in our porch made it easier to transition from outside to the inner, without bringing in dirt.
Laugavegur Guide Book
Looking for a little more information? You can find our ebook in our shop. It includes 60+ pages of useful information about planning and preparing for the trail. As well as daily stages and route guides. The book also sets out how you can extend the Laugavegur to create a 9 day trek in Iceland’s Highlands.
Written by Emma
Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.
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