Álftavatn

The huts on lake Álftavatn are on the popular trail Laugavegur, from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, about half-way on the trail. Those who hike Laugavegurinn sometimes hike all the way to Álftavatn on the first day, others prefer to spend the first night in Hrafntinnusker and the second night in Álftavatn.

Please book your bed in the hut through the blue button located up to the right on this page.

FACILITIES

Ferðafélag Íslands (The Iceland Touring Association, FÍ) operates two mountain huts on lake Álftavatn, for a total of 72 people in sleeping bag accommodation.

The bigger house is on two floors and houses 40 people. Downstairs is a hall, an open kitchen, dining room and four bedrooms. Upstairs are two dorm rooms. The smaller hut, where 32 people can sleep, is divided into a kitchen and a dorm room with tables and chairs. Both huts are equipped with gas stoves, utensils, running cold water and a charcoal grill outside.

The two huts are connected with a patio that also leads to the toilet house which is jointly used by the huts and the nearby camping site. The showers (accessible for a fee) are also located in the toilet house. There is also a small hut for the wardens. The camping ground is big. There is a winter latrine located a short distance from the toilet house.

Please note, everyone that is not staying the night either at the huts or at the campsite is required to pay a facility fee for the usage of the bathrooms and outdoor facilities such as grill and benches.
The facility fee is used to maintain and improve facilities in the highlands of Iceland.

The first hut on lake Álftavatn was built in 1979, originally to house hikers on the Laugavegur trail.

OPENING SEASON AND ACCESS

During summer it is possible to drive 4x4 jeeps to Álftavatn along the road Fjallabaksleið syðri (F210) that lies from Keldur in Rangárvellir, along the north side of glacier Mýrdalsjökull and ends in Skaftártungur. Please note that there are several unbridged rivers along the way, where special care is needed.

The opening season of the huts depends on when the Icelandic Road Authority opens the road and that in turn depends on snow conditions and general conditions of the road itself. On average one can assume that the huts are open from June 25 until September 17.

The huts are closed and locked during the winter time, but can be rented by sending a hut enquiry to the offices of FÍ. Please keep in mind that winter travel in Iceland is serious business and should only be undertaken by highly skilled hikers, accustomed to extreme conditions and carrying 5 season equipment.

NEARBY SIGHTS

Beside Laugavegurinn, the beautiful landscapes of the area offer varied hikes, i.e. to the gorge Álftaskarð, Brattháls and Torfahlaup.

Lake Álftavatn is deep and decorative. In the past, whooper swans were hunted there, but after the drowning of the farmer of Fljótsdalur in 1838, witnessed by his teenage daughter, the hunt was abandoned. It is possible to drive jeeps (4x4) along Mt. Torfatindur to the narrow gorge Torfahlaup.