Emstrur

Ferðafélag Íslands (The Iceland Touring Association, FÍ) operates three small mountain huts in Botnar on Emstrur, right on the popular trail Laugavegur, from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk.

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

FACILITIES

The huts can accommodate 60 people in total and are all equipped with gas stoves, utensils and running cold water. The huts are all organized in the same manner. From a small hall you walk directly into a bunk room where a small open kitchen is also located plus some chairs and tables. Each of the three huts houses 20 people in 10 double bunk beds.

There is also a small hut for the wardens and all of the houses are connected with a patio that also connects to the toilet house. There are tables and charcoal grill outside the huts and together the huts form a nice cluster.

Behind the huts and in a tiny valley below them is a small camping ground. The toilet house is jointly used by the huts and the camping ground. The showers (accessible for a fee) are also located in 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.

OPENING SEASON AND ACCESS

During summer it is possible to drive 4x4 jeeps to the huts on a trail that diverts from Emstruleið (F261). The road Emstruleið lies from Fljótshlíð and joins Fjallabaksleið syðri (F210) close to the rivers Bláfjallakvísl and Kaldaklofskvísl. Please note that there are several unbridged rivers along these roads, where special care is needed.

The opening season of the huts depends on when the Icelandic Road Authority opens the roads and that in turn depends on snow conditions and general conditions of the roads itself. On average one can assume that the huts are open from June 25 until September 18.

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

A short and rewarding walk takes you to the canyons of river Markarfljót. Just south of the huts along the  Laugavegur trail is a pedestrian bridge across the river South Emstruá.