Iceland Hike up to Brattháls peak, Laugavegur

The way up to Brattháls Peak and down to the valley offers a spectacular colorful views in the Icelandic Highlands. The surrounding mountains, valleys, and volcanic terrain make it a particularly strong spot for wide landscape compositions.

If you’re staying overnight at Álftavatn, Brattháls Peak is a great little side quest to add to your Laugavegur adventure. It takes you away from the main trail for a while and rewards the extra effort with a completely different perspective over Álftavatn and the surrounding highlands—especially beautiful around sunset or in changing Icelandic weather.

Place a person in the landscape for scale or more depth in the picture. A Tele-zoom lens helps to compromise the framing.

If you’re staying overnight at Álftavatn, Brattháls Peak is a great little side quest. The roughly 5.5 km round trip takes around 1.5–2 hours and is moderate, with a short but steady climb to the ridge. The trail is partly unmarked, but the panoramic views over Álftavatn and the surrounding highlands make the extra effort well worth it, especially in the evening.

For the Laugavegur hike, taking a Highland bus to Landmannalaugar is usually the most practical option. The trail is a one-way route of around 55 km, starting in Landmannalaugar and ending in Þórsmörk, so you don't have to worry about getting your car back to the starting point. Several seasonal bus services connect Reykjavík with Landmannalaugar, and buses can also take you back from Þórsmörk after finishing the hike.

For Laugavegur specifically, I’d recommend the bus: because the trail is not a loop, driving there means you would need to arrange transport back to your car in Landmannalaugar. The bus makes the logistics much easier. Get dropped off at the trailhead, hike all the way to Þórsmörk, and take a bus back from the other end.

Please check the booking page https://www.fi.is/en/mountain-huts/camping and reserve your hat or camp-spot with your own tent in advance.

Conditions can be very challenging and different each day. Please be well prepared and check our equipment before.