Þórsmörk

The last river before Þórsmörk is the one that eats rental cars. Krossá is wide, fast and grey with glacier silt, its depth changes by the hour, and every summer someone tries it in the wrong vehicle. The highland bus just rolls through it. That's the first lesson of the Valley of Thor: getting there is part of the trip.

Þórsmörk, usually spelled Thorsmork in English, is a valley in the southern highlands of Iceland, sheltered between three glaciers: Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull and Tindfjallajökull. It's named after the god Thor, and it's surprisingly green for somewhere so remote, with birch woods, mossy ridges and braided glacial rivers across a wide gravel floor. It's also where two of Iceland's best-known hikes end: the Laugavegur trail from Landmannalaugar and the Fimmvörðuháls pass from Skógar.

How to get to Þórsmörk

The only road in is F249, which leaves Route 1 near Seljalandsfoss and turns into a rough track with a series of unbridged river crossings. Steinsholtsá and Krossá are the ones with the worst reputations. Standard rental cars aren't allowed on F-roads, and most rental agreements don't cover river damage even on 4x4s. We've seen what a stalled engine in Krossá looks like. Don't be that car.

Your realistic options are a scheduled highland bus from Reykjavík, which takes around four hours, or a super jeep tour with a driver who crosses these rivers every week. In summer a footbridge over Krossá links the Langidalur and Básar areas for hikers.

Best time to visit Þórsmörk

F249 usually opens around June and stays open into September, but the rivers decide more than the calendar does. Late July and August generally bring the lowest water and most settled weather, and that's when the highland buses run regularly. Outside the summer season, only specially equipped super jeeps go in, and heavy rain can make crossings impossible at any time of year.

Hiking in Þórsmörk

The classic short hike is Valahnúkur, a steep but short climb above Langidalur with a view over the whole valley, the glaciers and the rivers. Allow about an hour or two up and down. For a bigger day, the Stakkholtsgjá canyon off the F249 is a narrow, echoing gorge with a waterfall at the end, and the walk into it involves some shallow stream crossings. Longer routes connect with the Fimmvörðuháls trail and Laugavegur.

There are mountain huts and campsites at Langidalur, Básar and Húsadalur. In July and August they get busy with Laugavegur hikers, so book early if you want to stay.

Pro tip: pack as if you're staying longer than you plan to. Rivers can rise in the afternoon with meltwater or rain, and buses and jeeps sometimes wait for levels to drop. Extra food, a warm layer and a charged phone turn that into a small adventure instead of a problem.

Þórsmörk tours from Reykjavík

Þórsmörk is roughly 160 km from Reykjavík, but the last stretch is slow, so a day trip is a full day. Super jeep tours, many of them private, handle the rivers and the planning and leave you time to hike. Tours that include Þórsmörk are below.