Winter in Landmannalaugar: A Winter Hiking Iceland Expedition Recap

There’s the trips that take you somewhere easy and beautiful. And then there’s trips that take you somewhere few people on Earth will ever go, in conditions even fewer would dare venture into, to access a far more daring adventure.

Our Winter in Landmannalaugar hiking expeditions are the latter.
Most travellers know Landmannalaugar as the “jewel of the Icelandic Highlands”, the starting point for the world-famous Laugavegur trail, renowned for its vibrant multi-coloured rhyolite mountains, steaming geothermal hot springs, and dramatic volcanic landscapes. In the summer months, the trails are well-worn and highly populated. In winter, Landmannalaugar is silent, raw, vast, and (almost) entirely to ourselves.

This is our trip recap of our 2026 Winter in Landmannalaugar expedition, a 5-day journey into one of Iceland’s most remote and wild winter landscapes, in its most raw and uncompromising season.

The first thing to understand about our Winter in Landmannalaugar expeditions is that getting there is sometimes the toughest part of the expedition… This ain’t no scenic drive… It’s often an outright mission.
We met our group of hearty travellers early in the morning at the Amarok Adventures Basecamp in downtown Reykjavik for our full trip briefing and gear check. Essential tools like snowshoes, trekking poles, and microspikes were distributed to the group for the days ahead. Then we boarded our transport vehicle with Siggi, our driver, for what would become one of the most memorable legs of the journey before we’d even set foot in the snow in the Highlands. 

From Reykjavík, we rode to Hella, where our regular Sprinter van was swapped for something much better suited to tackle the rest of the journey — a 49-inch superjeep-modified Sprinter, accompanied by a secondary vehicle with 54-inch tires. 
From this point on, the roads ceased to be roads in any familiar sense.

The snowy highland tracks took us through increasingly remote and wild terrain to the Hrauneyjar Highland Center (the last fuel stop before the wilderness swallowed the road entirely). A brief detour to the Sigöldugljúfur canyon for photos and a pit stop offered the first glimpse of what extraordinary winter landscape lay ahead.
What’s typically a 4-hour summer drive from Reykjavík stretched to an epic 11 or 12 hours, and not a single hour felt like we were casually cruising.

We reached the Hnausapollur crater at golden hour, with the light changing the landscape to all shades of amber, before reaching Frostastaðavatn Lake as the last light of the day faded into darkness. Then came the final and most demanding stretch of the drive — crossing the Stútur Caldera in deep snow, threading our way through lava fields, crossing rivers, navigating by headlights until the hut finally appeared in the darkness.
Inside the hut, we had warm salmon stew. Outside the hut, a bustling, blizzardy, wild winter landscape draped in a blanket of snow.

We woke up to a crisp winter sun for our first full hiking day of the trip. 
After a warm breakfast, we strapped on our snowshoes and set out into the Laugahraun lava fields, a place that already feels surreal in summer, but felt like we were on an entirely different planet in winter. The field is an epic maze of ancient petrified lava formations, and in winter, snow bridges form over its hollows, so you really need to focus on where you step, which keeps the adventure interesting.

From Laugahraun, we made our ascent of Brennisteinsalda, moving slowly and deliberately through the snow, mindful of the terrain and the potential for avalanches as we picked our line for the ascent. We were rewarded at the top with sweeping views of the Highlands in every direction. A still, white world as far as the eye could see.

Our objective for the day was to reach Hrafntinnusker, the first mountain hut along the famous Laugavegur trail south of Landmannalaugar. After many hours of navigating through the snow, we made it as far as Stórihver before the conditions told us it was time to turn back. Ice crept underfoot, and temperatures were dropping toward -18°C. In winter (and any season really), knowing when it’s time to turn around is just as important as knowing when it’s time to push forward.

The return route looped around behind the hut, winding through the lava field maze we’d come to know and love for its natural beauty and its labyrinth of frozen stone and snow.
Back at the hut, some of the group made their way to the nearby geothermal hot springs, a common ritual for those who have experienced our Hidden Trails hiking expedition in summer. 

Albert, for his part, found his boots had frozen so completely solid that they had fused to his hiking socks! Not to mention snow had completely buried the BBQ, so Albert had to grab his probe and shovel and perform an emergency BBQ evacuation all before dinner time. Safe to say, the hot springs weren’t in the cards for him that day. 

That night, we feasted on a traditional Icelandic dinner: lamb with green peas, red cabbage, and roasted vegetables. Then, before bed, the guides rigged a rope line between the hut and the toilet, a small but telling sign of what the forecast had in store. The group went to sleep as the winds began to rise…

Overnight, an orange weather alert came into effect in the Highlands. Winds up to 162 km/h barreled across the landscape while heavy snowfall ensued. Roads closed across the whole country. People were stranded even in the towns and cities in the South.
The guide line strung to the toilet the night before proved essential immediately after a round of morning coffees. The 35-metre walk from hut to outhouse became like a mini polar expedition in its own right with complete whiteout conditions. Without that rope, losing your bearings in the short distance between the two structures would have been easy to do. Shovels were required just to dig out the toilet entrance!

Rather than hunker down inside the hut to wait it out, we geared up and went outside to embrace the storm. 
Our only plan for the day: build an epic snow cave. The guides explained how a properly built snow cave can double as an emergency shelter, and what conditions and snowpack you need to make a sturdy one. We found a suitable site against the side of the hut and got to work. With frozen beards, frozen hair, foggy and frozen goggles, everyone layered up to the max and belly laughed through the building process. The worse the conditions got, the more the group leaned into the adventure.

We had Shakshuka for lunch back inside the hut, exactly the warm and spicy dish we needed to refuel and warm ourselves from the inside out. Later that afternoon, while some of the group returned to the hot springs for a soak before dinner, a few of us ventured out for an evening walk into Brandsgill Canyon.

To step outside in the heart of a wild Icelandic winter storm, surrounded by swirling snow and wind in a landscape untouched by all but the most adventurous, is to experience the true magic of the Highlands. There’s a rare exhilaration that comes with braving the elements, you feel both vulnerable and alive, all while witnessing a raw and beautiful world that few will ever see firsthand.

The day ended with rice, duck, and warm vegetables, and a briefing from the guides on the plan for the following morning, weather permitting, of course.

The Highlands giveth, and the Highlands taketh. And sometimes, the Highlands giveth again, right after they’ve taken everything.
We woke to conditions that felt like we were on an entirely different trip from the day before. Clear skies. Sunshine. No wind. Complete and utter silence across the landscape. The snow from the storm the day before had transformed the landscape into something even more pristine and remote, every surface smooth and white, the volcanic formations softened into snow sculpture.

We laced up our snowshoes and set out for a morning mission to the Stútur Caldera and Frostastaðavatn Lake, the same rugged terrain we’d crossed in the dark on arrival, now transformed and glowing under an Arctic winter sun. Moving through the lava fields to the rhythm of our own footsteps, the only sounds were the satisfying crunch of snow and the occasional hushed conversation among the group. We felt a deep sense of privilege to be here, aware that few ever have the chance to witness the Highlands so picturesque in winter. 
Back at the hut for lunch, word came from our drivers: the post-storm road conditions were making their travels difficult. They were on their way but would be delayed. The news gave us one last reason to return to the hot springs for an afternoon soak in the geothermal pools, steam rising into the cold air around us.

By evening, the weather was shifting again and the wind began to build. The drivers sent word that they were still delayed, so our guides made the call: get a good sleep and be ready for whatever comes at us tomorrow…

Morning came. Still no drivers.
Then, a message: “We are 5km away. We had to spend the night in the cars!”
Our two vehicles had been just 5 kilometres from the hut, but were held back by the deep snow and poor visibility that wasn’t worth the risk to push through in the dark.
They arrived laughing, asking for coffee and breakfast, completely unbothered by having spent a night in the field in a Highlands winter storm. This is the calibre of resilient people who work for the Amarok Adventures team.

We loaded the trucks, closed up the hut, and said our goodbyes to five extraordinary days in the Icelandic wilderness.
On the drive back, the roads slowly came back to life, and the two drivers turned the slow trek home into a turtle race, trying to outmanoeuvre each other at 1 km/h, calling out across the radios, daring each other forward until one of them got stuck. The group watched from inside the vehicles, laughing as much as they had in the storm building snow caves. 
We arrived in Reykjavík late in the evening, said our goodbyes to the group, and exchanged the long kind of hugs that only happen at the end of a trip like this. Barely an hour later, another big winter storm rolled in from the coast.
The Highlands had let us go this time, but just barely.

What makes a winter expedition to Landmannalaugar different from the summer experience?

In summer, Landmannalaugar draws thousands of hikers on the famous Laugavegur trail. The huts are full, the routes are well-worn, and the landscape, while still spectacular, is rarely experienced in solitude. In winter, the roads to the Highlands are often closed to conventional vehicles, the huts are typically empty, and the only people in this landscape are the ones who planned specifically to be there. The terrain, the wildlife, and the entire atmosphere of the place shifts into something a little more raw and immersive in winter conditions.

How do you get to Landmannalaugar in the winter?

We use serious off-road, customized vehicles and experienced Iceland drivers. The standard Highland roads are usually impassable in winter conditions. Amarok Adventures works with specialist drivers operating modified superjeep vehicles on oversized tires built for deep snow and difficult off-road terrain. Even with the right equipment, the journey from Reykjavík can take 11 to 12 hours depending on conditions (like it did this year), but the drive itself is part of the expedition.

What kind of weather should you expect?

Whatever the Iceland winter decides to give you. Winter in the Highlands can deliver stunning, clear, windless days with brilliant sun reflecting off snow-covered lava fields for miles, and it can deliver orange-level storm alerts with winds exceeding 160 km/h. Often within 24 hours of each other. The ability to adapt, wait, and find value in whatever conditions arise is central to the experience. A full packing list for this expedition is provided at time of booking. 

Is this expedition suitable for beginners?

This is a genuine wilderness expedition in demanding winter conditions. Guests should be physically fit, comfortable in cold weather, and open to the unpredictability of backcountry travel. No technical mountaineering experience is required, but previous hiking experience in challenging conditions is a strong advantage. Amarok Adventures provides full gear briefings, snowshoes, trekking poles, and microspikes, and our guides are with the group throughout the entire journey.

What happens if the weather is too severe to travel?

You wait, and you make the most of it. As Day 3 of this year’s expedition demonstrated, a storm day in the Highlands can be one of the most memorable days of the entire trip. Building snow caves, exploring in whiteout conditions with proper guidance, soaking in geothermal hot springs while snow piles up around you outside – we always do what we can to make the most of our time in Landmannalaugar.

What are the mountain hut accommodations like?

The mountain huts in the Iceland Highlands are simple, cozy, and built for true adventure. You’ll share close quarters with your group, melting snow for drinking water and gathering around to cook hearty communal meals, and the food that always tastes amazing after a day in the wild. There’s no luxury here, but there’s everything you need: warmth, shelter, group camaraderie, and the unique satisfaction that comes from living simply and working together as a team.

Why choose a small group expedition for this trip?

Small groups are the secret to a truly special Highlands experience. With fewer people, you get more time to connect with your fellow adventurers, to the guides, and to the landscape itself. Decisions happen quickly, the group moves quietly and flexibly through this sensitive environment, and you can fully embrace whatever the Highlands offer. The result is a trip that feels much more personal and immersive.

Interested in experiencing Landmannalaugar in winter for yourself? Get in touch with Amarok Adventures to learn about upcoming expeditions.