Super Jeep and highland tours from Vík

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Vík sits on the Ring Road, but much of what lies inland is reached only on highland tracks. The Icelandic Road Administration opens these F-roads for part of the year and publishes the dates. Between 2019 and 2023 the road to the Laki craters, F206, opened between 12 June and 1 July, on average on 19 June, and the sections of the northern Fjallabak route, F208, on average between 10 and 27 June. The tours on this page start in the village with a guide at the wheel of a high-clearance Super Jeep and come back in the evening.

The shortest trip lasts five hours, the longest eleven. None includes lunch, so pack food and water for the day.

To choose, start with the time you have. Eyjafjallajökull fits into a morning and adds a walk on a glacier. Landmannalaugar is the trip with a hot spring and the longest list of stops. Laki takes the whole day, Þakgil is a canyon hike from May to October, and Þórsmörk is a private outing that you shape with your guide.

Landmannalaugar from Vík

Gravel Travel drives from Vík to Landmannalaugar, which the operator describes for its rhyolite mountains and geothermal hot springs. The day starts at 8:00 at the back of the Icewear centre, on the side facing the sea, and lasts about nine to ten hours. Along the way the jeep stops at the Eldgjá canyon, the lake Blautulón and the lava field Hnausahraun, and passes Langasjór. At Landmannalaugar there is time for a short hike, and the operator suggests a swimsuit for an optional bath in the hot spring; the campground fee is included.

The group is limited to 19 people and children can come from 8. The operator does not recommend the trip for travellers with back problems, heart conditions or pregnancy. Children shorter than 135 centimetres must use a car seat by Icelandic law, and you need to bring your own.

Laki craters and the canyons

The longest tour goes to the Laki craters in the highlands. Gravel Travel picks you up at your accommodation in Vík, and the day lasts 11 hours. At Laki you either hike up Mt Laki or ride the jeep to a viewpoint, then visit the Tjarnargígur crater and walk part of the Lakagígar loop trail. On the way back the tour stops at the Fagrifoss waterfall and the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon. Children from 6 can join.

Closer to Vík, the same company runs a nine-hour trip to the Þakgil canyon. It stops at the Konnahammer viewpoint and a cave with local history, continues to the Remundargil waterfall and ends with a walk through the Þakgil canyon. It is the only tour on this page with a published season: May to October, weather permitting. If the weather forces a cancellation, you can rebook or get a full refund, and the day ends at the Icewear centre in Vík.

Up Eyjafjallajökull

Southcoast Adventure collects guests in Vík at 9:00 and drives west to its Brú base camp on Road 249 near Seljalandsfoss. From there the Super Jeep climbs the slopes of Eyjafjallajökull for a walk on the glacier and a view along the south coast to the Westman Islands. The tour takes five hours, groups are capped at 14, and the minimum age is 6. Lunch is not included.

Low cloud can hide the view on a glacier day. Book this trip early in your stay if you can, so that you have room to move it.

Þórsmörk on a private trip

The track into Þórsmörk has many river crossings. From Vík it is offered as a private trip by FG private tours for up to four people. The guide collects you from your hotel lobby, and the seven-hour day includes a stop at the Gígjökull glacier, a hike into the Stakkholtsgjá canyon and time at Básar. The hike is optional. Parking fees are included; at Básar you eat what you brought or buy soup or a hot dog.

Without a tour, Þórsmörk is reached in summer by the Highland Bus from Reykjavík via Hvolsvöllur, which ran from 1 June to 20 September in 2026 and does not call at Vík. Hikers also arrive on foot over the Fimmvörðuháls pass from Skógar, a route of about 25 kilometres that is usually open from late June to mid-September. Our page on Skógafoss and Skógar covers the start of that trail.

Planning a long day in the jeep

These are long days, and the walks along the way range from a short stroll to the climb up Mt Laki. The Landmannalaugar operator asks guests to wear warm layers, waterproofs and walking shoes, and to arrive ten minutes before the 8:00 start. The Laki trip returns you to the place where you were picked up, while the Þakgil trip ends at the Icewear centre. Southcoast Adventure collects guests in Selfoss as well as in Vík and the surrounding area.

Weather on the south coast is wet for much of the year. At the old Vík weather station, rainfall averaged well over 2,000 millimetres a year in the 1990s, and the wettest months were in autumn. Pack a rain jacket even in July. Our what to wear page has a full list.

Season, light and road conditions

Summer gives the longest days. On 21 June the sun rises in Vík at 03:00 and sets at 23:35, so even the 11-hour Laki trip ends in daylight. Outside summer, check the road status on umferdin.is or call the road information line on 1777 before you set out. The Katla ice caves are the Super Jeep trip that runs all year from Vík, on shorter tours of three to four hours; see ice cave tours. For month-by-month planning, read our page on the best time to visit.