Þórsmörk (Thor’s Valley)

63.6807° N, 19.4826° W

Located between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull, and Tindfjallajökull is Þórsmörk or ”The Valley of Thor”. Þórsmörk is named after the Norse God of Thunder, Thor. The area is located in the southern Icelandic highlands so if you wish to go there you’ll have to cross some deep rivers. The area is one of the country’s most popular hiking destinations and a favorite location for photographers and nature lovers. The landscape there is different from other parts of Iceland. Some parts of the valley are rich with moss, fern, and birch wood, while jagged mountain ridges and ice-capped peaks crown the horizon.

Popular hiking routes:
– Fimmvörðuháls – 30 km (18.6 miles)
– Laugavegur – 55 km (34 miles)
– Valahnúkur – 2,5 km (1.5 miles)
– Tindfjöll – 8 km (5 miles)
– Útigönguhöfði – 5 km (3,1 miles)

How to get there: During winter (October 16th to April 30th) the road into Þórsmörk is impassable. In summer (May 1st to October 15th) a special four-wheel-drive mountain bus runs both from Reykjavík and the main towns close by like Hvolsvöllur. We highly recommend going on an operated tour because the area is very hard to get to and you have to do a lot of river crossings. If you wish to travel there on your own car/rental car you need a 4×4 with suitable insurance cover.
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What to have in mind when crossing a river:
1. Always stop the car before going in, go out of the car to see how deep the river is.
2. Use a 4×4, preferably on modified cars with 33” tires or bigger.
3. Watch other cars go first to see how they cross the river.
4. Watch how deep their tires go into the river. If they are on similar tires and the river reaches the bumper, do NOT go for it! If it reaches maybe half of the tire, then it’s OK, but try your best to copy their route.
5. Don’t go fast, you should be driving around 10-15km per hour, if you go too fast the water will enter the engine and it will ruin the car.
6. Never enter even the smallest of rivers when you are driving an electric car.
7. Don’t stop the car in the river, you could sink into the floor of the river and get stuck.
8. If you are towing something, like a camper or something, make sure its either very secure or leave it behind if you are not staying there.
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Here you can find:

• Restroom (WC)
• Campsite
• Huts
• Hiking routes

Surrounding locations:

• Seljalandsfoss waterfall
• Gljúfrabúi
• Gluggafoss

Tours in the area: