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Volcanic-highland photography, aurora windows and glacier edges
- Icelandic
- English
4.9(88)from ₹9,500 / day
Þórsmörk
A valley ringed by three glaciers, reachable only by river-crossing bus. Ash, moss and braided meltwater.
- Altitude
- 340 m
- Terrain
- Glacial valley, volcanic
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Region
- Suðurland, Iceland
Þórsmörk — Thor's Wood — sits between the Tindfjallajökull, Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers. The shelter they provide creates a microclimate noticeably warmer and calmer than the exposed plain outside, which is why there is birch woodland here at all.
The only road in crosses the Krossá, a braided glacial river that changes course through the day as meltwater rises. This is why standard rental cars are both uninsured and genuinely unsafe on it, and why almost everyone arrives on the highland bus.
The valley is the southern end of the Laugavegur trail and the northern end of Fimmvörðuháls, the route that passes between the two 2010 eruption craters, Magni and Móði. The ground near them was still warm years afterwards.
Highlights
- Valahnúkur viewpoint over the braided Krossá river plain
- Fimmvörðuháls pass between the Magni and Móði eruption craters
- Stakkholtsgjá canyon and its hidden waterfall
- Northern terminus of the Laugavegur trail
- Birch woodland surviving in a glacier-sheltered microclimate
Common questions
Can you drive to Þórsmörk in a normal rental car?
No. The F249 requires crossing the Krossá river, which changes depth and course through the day. Standard rental insurance is void on river crossings and cars are lost there every summer. Take the scheduled highland bus.
When is Þórsmörk accessible?
Roughly late June to early September, when the highland roads open and river levels are manageable. Exact dates shift each year with snowmelt.
How hard is the Fimmvörðuháls hike?
About 25 km with 1,000 m of ascent, typically 8–10 hours in one push or split with a hut overnight. It is not technical, but weather at the pass changes fast and the route is fully exposed.