Into Þórsmörk: Iceland’s Wild Playground 🇮🇸

• Day 4 Hike – Sunday 23rd August 2026
• Emstrur – Þórsmörk
• 15km

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We woke up at Emstrur to a little bit of rain.

After three days of surprisingly decent weather, Iceland clearly decided we shouldn’t get too comfortable.

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Thankfully, it didn’t last long. About 40 minutes after setting off, the rain eased, the skies brightened and before long, we were walking in glorious sunshine. It even became warm.

Not exactly the weather you expect when you’re trekking across Iceland, but we weren’t about to complain.

We had packed up our little glacier-view home and headed off towards Þórsmörk, knowing that today we’d complete the Laugavegur Trail.

Four days in.  One trail almost done.  And still feeling good.

Into the Wilderness

The landscape initially continued in much the same dramatic fashion we’d become used to, vast black volcanic terrain, rugged mountains and deep gorges.

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Then gradually, things began to change.  The further we walked, the more green started to appear.

After days of black sand, lava fields, snow and volcanic rock, it felt almost strange to see so much vegetation.

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We were heading towards Þórsmörk, Thor’s Valley and the landscape was beginning to live up to its name.

The River

Then came the part we’d been keeping an eye out for.  The river.

And this wasn’t a little stream that you could casually hop across while keeping your boots dry.  It was rushing.  Our biggest crossing so far.

The water was moving fast and there was a serious amount of power behind it.  Finding the best place to cross seemed to be part skill, part judgement and, if we’re honest, a fairly large amount of pure luck. 

We stood looking at it, trying to work out where the safest crossing point was.  Eventually, we decided on our route.

Boots off.  Trousers up.  And then we went in and basicslly went for it!

We held onto each other, using both our bodies together to brace against the force of the water and stop ourselves from being knocked over.

You could genuinely feel the power of the river pushing against you. 

For a moment it was less “lovely scenic Icelandic hike” and more “please don’t let this river carry us or our gear away.”

Slowly, carefully, we made our way across.  And when we finally reached the other side it was a relief!  You can understand why no photos were taken of this moment 😂.

Pórsmörk

From there, the landscspe kept continuing to transform until we finally arrived in Þórsmörk.

And what a beautiful place to finish the Laugavegur Trail.

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The campsite was lovely and after four days of hiking and carrying everything we needed on our backs, it felt like the perfect place to stop.

We found ourselves a little spot right beside the river, nestled in some tress and set up camp.

There was something pretty special about sitting beside the water, surrounded by mountains and greenery, knowing that we’d just walked our way across one of Iceland’s most famous trails.

But we weren’t quite finished yet.  Tomorrow would bring a whole new adventure.  Because completing the Laugavegur was only half of our plan.

Next stop: Fimmvörðuháls

And that meant one final big day of hiking before we reached Skógafoss.

One more day.  One more adventure.  And hopefully no more rivers trying to kill us.

Day 4 verdict:

🌄 Morning: A little wet
☀️ 30 minutes later: Summer had apparently arrived
🌊 River: Raging
🔗 Crossing technique: Human chain
🌊 River power: Very real
🏞 Landscape: Black → green
🏕 Campsite: Lovely
⛺️ Pitch: Right beside the river
🦵 Legs: Still going strong
🏞 River crossing confidence: Let’s call it optimistic