Laugavegur

The Laugavegur runs 53 kilometres from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, across the highlands of South Iceland. It is the country's best-known multi-day walk, and this route is the whole thing, hut to hut, in four days.

The first day climbs from the hot springs between the yellow rhyolite mountains to the plateau and the hut in the obsidian desert. The second drops across the plateau to the first green valley and the lake of Álftavatn. The third crosses black sand and green oases to the hut above the Markarfljót. The fourth descends through the canyon to Þórsmörk, between the glaciers.

The landscape changes every day: rhyolite and sulphur, obsidian and snow, black sand and green valleys. The weather can turn in an hour, with wind, rain and sleet, even in July.

Practical. The route is marked with posts and paint. The Ferðafélag Íslands huts must be booked in advance, months ahead in high season. A bus runs from Reykjavík to Landmannalaugar and back from Þórsmörk; the drive takes three to four hours.