Getting to Þórsmörk

What are the ways to get to Þórsmörk?

Four: the summer Highland Bus, a super jeep tour, a hike in over Laugavegur or Fimmvörðuháls, or a private modified 4x4. A normal rental car is not one of them.

Side by side:

Can you drive a rental car to Þórsmörk?

No. Rental contracts forbid crossing Krossá, and rental insurance in Iceland does not cover water or river damage, whatever 4x4 you rent.

Even the big rental companies say it plainly. Hertz Iceland warns that "standard rental insurance doesnt cover water damages" and calls Krossá "a highly unpredictable, fast-flowing glacial river". Blue Car Rental tells renters that damage from water or river crossings is not covered by any of its insurance.

The fords before Krossá are the trap people underestimate. Steinsholtsá and Hvanná move with the weather too, and a stalled engine in a glacial river can cost more than a week of tours. A Midgard guest put it simply: the jeeps "are way bigger than they look in the pictures [...] so don't be fooled into thinking you can do it in your rental car."

How does the Highland Bus to Þórsmörk work?

It leaves Reykjavík BSÍ at 07:00, stops in Selfoss, Hella and Hvolsvöllur, and reaches Húsadalur at 10:30, Langidalur at 11:00 and Básar at 11:15. From €77 one way.

The Highland Bus runs from 1 June to 20 September 2026, with returns until 24 September and an extra afternoon departure from 20 June to 30 August. The trip takes about five hours from Reykjavík. Buses back leave Þórsmörk between 15:00 and 20:15, so a long day trip on foot works.

• Baggage: 2,000 ISK per item to the huts, one bag up to 10 kg plus a sleeping bag.
• Age: the listing sets a minimum age of 6; the bus has no child seats.
• No guide: it is a scheduled bus. You plan the walks yourself.
• Second operator: Trex also runs a summer bus to Básar and Langidalur.

Want the trails with someone who knows them? The Midgard hike day rides in by super jeep, then walks three to five hours, May to October.

★ 4.9 · 7 hours · from $320

Explore the Þórsmörk hike day → Tour details

Where do the super jeep tours start?

The two best-reviewed shared days start in the south: Midgard Base Camp at Dufþaksbraut 14 in Hvolsvöllur, and Southcoast Adventure's Brú base camp on road 249.

Midgard starts at its base camp in Hvolsvöllur; hotel and Reykjavík pickup are both listed as excluded on Viator. For Southcoast Adventure, turn off Route 1 towards Seljalandsfoss and follow road 249 for about 7 km to the sign at Brú. The listing shows a 10:00 start.

Not every super jeep is an open-top monster. One Southcoast Adventure guest wrote: "We expected an open jeep and it was like a van that could cross streams." Both work in the rivers; just know which one you booked. From Reykjavík, Gravel Travel collects from 32 pickup points at 9:00.

Can you get to the base camps by public bus?

To Hvolsvöllur, yes: since 1 January 2026, take Strætó route 51 from Reykjavík to Selfoss and change to route 53 for Hvolsvöllur. Brú on road 249 has no bus.

Strætó split its countryside network on 1 January 2026: route 51 now runs Reykjavík to Selfoss, route 52 runs Reykjavík to Höfn four days a week, and route 53 runs Selfoss to Landeyjahöfn and Hvolsvöllur, with more trips between Hvolsvöllur and Selfoss than before. Change at N1 Selfoss, FSU or the Town Hall stop.

With a night in Hvolsvöllur, Midgard's hotel pickup does the rest. The Brú camp is 7 km up road 249 from the Ring Road, so for the Southcoast Adventure day you need a car or a taxi. The Hvolsvöllur bus post walks through the connections.

Can you drive part of the way and walk in?

Not with a rental car. The fords before Krossá already break rental terms, and the Krossá footbridge only sits in place in summer.

Some guides suggest parking before Krossá and crossing on foot. Each summer a movable footbridge is placed over Krossá between Básar and Langidalur. The catch is the road to it: you would still drive through Steinsholtsá and Hvanná, which no rental insurance covers.

Never wade Krossá on foot. It runs fast and grey with glacier silt, and you cannot see the bottom. If you are in a private, properly modified jeep, check umferdin.is for F249 status first.

Can you hike into Þórsmörk?

Yes, two famous trails end here: the four-day Laugavegur from Landmannalaugar (55 km) and the Fimmvörðuháls pass from Skógar (24 to 26 km).

The Laugavegur finishes in Þórsmörk after about four days and huts that need booking months ahead. Fimmvörðuháls climbs about 1,000 m from Skógafoss, crosses between Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull past the 2010 craters, and drops to Básar in 8 to 12 hours. Most hikers then ride the Highland Bus out.

Both are mid-June to early September routes for fit, equipped walkers. Details in the hiking trails guide.

What is the best way to get to Þórsmörk for you?

With a car on the south coast: drive to Hvolsvöllur and join a super jeep. Without a car: the Highland Bus in summer, the Reykjavík pickup day the rest of the year.

• Self-drive road trip: Midgard's super jeep from Hvolsvöllur, or Southcoast Adventure with lunch from Brú.
• Based in Reykjavík, no car: the 4x4 day from Reykjavík, or a private jeep for a group. More in the Reykjavík day trip guide.
• Hikers on a budget: the Highland Bus, June to September.
• Winter: super jeep only. See Þórsmörk in winter.

The simplest way in for drivers: park at Midgard in Hvolsvöllur and let a guide take the rivers. Seven hours, max 14 guests.

★ 4.9 · 7 hours · from $320

Explore the Midgard super jeep day → Tour details

Frequently asked questions