Volcano Hiking in Iceland: Cold, Wind, and the Mistakes That Make You Cold and Wind-Burned

I spent three days hiking near the landmark location of Landmannalaugar in the central highlands of Iceland in August/September. It’s a highly volcanic area with marked trails but exposed where needed. And the weather… as reported by everybody before me: highly variable. I returned with half my face severely wind-burned as a result of a 50 kph cross wind that I hadn’t foreseen and thus hadn’t planned for. But I also returned with a list of avoidable mistakes.

A ‘short version’ of my trip – hopefully some useful lessons and patterns here that can be transferred to any volcanic hiking in Iceland (or similar in Tongariro / New Zealand / Etna / Sicily / Hawaii etc). If I can reapply these to my 2024 and 2026 trips, then all was not lost from my ‘disastrous’ 2023 trip.

The weather decides the trip

Iceland in August looks moderate on the forecast. Average temperature 12 Celsius. Wind speeds 10 to 20 kph. Light precipitation possible. These numbers sound manageable.

Temperature, wind, precipitation – as with any weather forecast, there is always more to it than what meets the eye. Within a space of 90 minutes a drop of 8 degrees Celsius, fronts moving in within the blink of an eye with gusts of up to 50 kph and hours of horizontal sleet pouring down – all of this is perfectly normal for Iceland in August. Skip it.

Dress for the worst weather in 4 hours. I made a mistake last August with the packing for a 3 day hiking tour in the highlands of Iceland. The forcast had shown in average temperature of 12 Celsius, wind of 10 to 20 kph and some light precipitation. But in 4 hours the temperature had dropped 8 Celsius, the wind had increased to 50 kph and it had started to sleet heavily. So all the packed clothing had been brought out and I had dressed for the worst weather. In the end the weather wasn’t that bad for the rest of the day but I had learned a lesson.

The layers that worked

A merino base layer, 200 weight, long sleeve. A merino mid-layer, also long sleeve, slightly thicker. A fleece pullover, 200 weight. A waterproof and windproof outer shell. It is most important that the seams are properly sealed and that the hood fits over a beanie properly. A second insulating layer (in this case a lightweight down jacket) in the rucksack which is put on when stationary for periods of time. Quick-drying hiking pants, not jeans, not cotton. In my left pack I have a pair of waterproof pants. These are just like the waterproof jacket but for the pants. When the weather turns I will pop these on over my hiking trousers. Waterproof boots, with gaiters for the dust and water on volcanic trails.

The boots and gaiters mattered more than I expected. Volcanic dust gets into everything. The gaiters kept it out of my socks, which kept blisters down on the longer day.

The layers that did not work

Cheaper raincoat which had been brought as a reserve failed after approx. 90 minutes due to leaking seams. In the meantime a proper rain shell was purchased for 180 euro in a gear store in a village. According to my notes from 2024 and 2026 this is the only type of gear worth buying.

A cotton t-shirt (in addition to a merino mid-layer base) for camp evening wear, which never dried (the camp was very humid) and therefore became smelly after a few days and was thrown away on the third day. A second merino base layer has since been taken instead.

The gloves I took with me were too thin and after only 90 minutes on the first morning my fingers were numb. After the first night I replaced them with a proper insulated pair at the next gear stop.

The wind problem

However, the biggest surprise for me was the wind, something that is variable in Iceland. The wind is one of the items that most hikers underestimate before setting off on a long trek. While a sustained wind of 30 kph is already harsh, sustained winds of 50 kph or more form a different category of weather. This type of wind adds 8 to 10 degrees to the effective temperature and makes balance on exposed sections very difficult.

My adjustments after day one:

Carry trekking poles and use them as soon as possible. The poles are much better for crosswinds than your arms and provide a much straighter line than you would manage without them. Only putting the hood of the shell up when it starts to become a problem as it adds a lot of bulk to the head but blocks the wind and cold on the face. Smaller breaks at more protected locations along the trail, instead of taking time out at very exposed sections. The views are the same from a sheltered depression 100m down the trail as from the exposed ridge above. I ate my snacks while on the move. Although I sat down to eat them I did so at the sheltered edge of the track rather than a viewpoint. Sitting in the wind, especially of this force, is incredibly painful while eating a snack seated on the ground is not.

The pace adjustment

My normal pace over moderate terrain is about 4 km/h. The volcanic terrain in Iceland is harder to walk over because of the loose ground (a mix of pumice and ash and rock). Also, there are more ups and downs than you would guess from the map. So a more realistic pace for me on this kind of terrain is 2.5 to 3 km/h. As a result, a 20 km day would become a 7 to 8 hour day rather than 5 hours.

Realistic pace for the terrain: 2.5 to 3 kph. Plan distances accordingly. A 20 km day is a 7 to 8 hour day, not the 5 hours your usual pace would suggest.

Where I typically go wrong with planning the travel logistics for a trip, I have tried to outline below.

The campsite logistics

Multi-day treks in Iceland are often completed by using the hut system of small wooden cabins and/or tents along the routes. The huts generally consist of shared dorms as well as a communal kitchen and bathroom with occasionally even a shower. Since Iceland is rather expensive, it is a very cheap way to weather-proof your trip. I booked all of the necessary huts three months in advance but had to be relieved that they were available for the given time, since August is peak season. (Of course it paid off in the end since hot showers and clean bunks to sleep in are certainly worth more than 2-3 Euro per night!)

Booked or not, the huts can be very good for multi-day treks, and make for a much more comfortable trip than having to rough it and camp. They generally have hot showers, and a fully equiped kitchen. If for any reason the huts are full, there is no reason why you can’t go and pitch a tent in a spot to suit, but do make sure that you have brought a good quality, wind-rated (not just lightweight) tent.

The recovery time

You’ll be pretty tired after three days of hiking in Iceland. As with previous hiking destinations, I had anticipated returning straight to another location for more hiking on the fourth day, however this year I required a couple of days in Reykjavik to fully recover from the tiredness brought on by the cold, wind, and the focus required to be on top of the weather.

Reykjavik will give you a chance to do your laundry, to rest your tired body and, eat some really hot meals – for a couple of days after an Iceland hiking trip you will be pretty tired, you need at least a day to recover – and then you’ll be ready to go to another region to start hiking another long distance trail.

Would I do it again

Yes, after a smarter packing list and an extra day of recovery in Reykjavik I would very much like to return to this landscape. It’s a truly unique place to hike. The volcanic land is great to explore, the geothermal pools a wonderful place to soak after a long day of walking, and the light in Iceland is just so different from anywhere else I have been. It’s all just very expensive, but it’s worth it if you take the weather seriously.