Iceland Highlands by Bus: No 4x4, No Problem

Every summer, I watch the same thing happen at N1 petrol stations across Reykjavík. Someone in a small rental Yaris is staring at a map of the highlands, and a well-meaning stranger — usually another tourist — is telling them they absolutely cannot go without a proper 4x4. Sometimes they're right. Sometimes they're sending a perfectly capable person away from one of the best parts of this country for no good reason.

Here's the thing: you do not need to rent a massive, overpriced 4x4 to reach Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk, or Kerlingarfjöll in summer. What you need is a bit of planning, the right bus schedule, and the acceptance that you will be sharing a seat with a stranger who smells of sulphur by the end of the day. That's highland travel. It's fine.

Why the F-Roads Will Eat Your Regular Car

Let me be straight with you before we get into buses. The reason people say you need a 4x4 for the highlands is not just tourism industry upselling. The F-roads — the mountain tracks marked with an F on Icelandic maps — are legally restricted to vehicles with proper ground clearance and, in many cases, four-wheel drive. The F210 to Landmannalaugar crosses the Fjallabak river. The F249 into Þórsmörk crosses the Krossá river. These are glacial rivers. They run cold, fast, and at variable depths depending on the day. People have drowned in those crossings. Regular rental cars have been written off. The rental agreement you signed almost certainly voids your insurance the moment your Kia Sportage hits that water.

So yes, if you're driving yourself, get the right vehicle. But if you don't want to pay for it — or you'd rather not spend your holiday white-knuckling a river ford — the highland buses are genuinely a good alternative. I've taken them myself more times than I've driven in, and not always because I had to.

The Buses That Actually Go There

Strætó and Reykjavík Excursions both run scheduled highland bus services in summer, typically from around mid-June through early September depending on road conditions. The exact opening dates shift every year — the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (Vegagerðin) decides when the F-roads are passable, not the bus companies — so always check current schedules before you book anything.

The main service to know is what's commonly called the Highland Bus network, sometimes marketed as Híghlanders or similar. The key routes for most travellers are the bus to Landmannalaugar from Reykjavík (running via the Fjallabak route), and the Þórsmörk service, which approaches from the north via Seljalandsfoss. Kerlingarfjöll is served by a stop on the route along the Kjölur highland road (Route 35, not technically an F-road, which matters — more on that in a second).

Pro Tip: The Kjölur road (Route 35) is a gravel mountain road but it is not an F-road. This means regular two-wheel drive vehicles can legally drive it in suitable conditions. If you want to self-drive into the highlands with a smaller car, Kjölur and Kerlingarfjöll is your most realistic option — though you still need to check road conditions before you go, every single time.

Landmannalaugar: Go for More Than the Hot Pot

Landmannalaugar is famous for the geothermal pool you can sit in after hiking. That pool is real, it's warm, and yes, you should get in it. But the reason to go is the Laugavegur trail — one of the best multi-day hikes in Iceland, starting here and ending in Þórsmörk — and the rhyolite mountains that turn the landscape into something that looks like a child coloured it in with the wrong crayons. Greens, reds, yellows. The obsidian lava field, Laugahraun, sits right beside the hut.

The bus from Reykjavík takes roughly four hours. You'll leave from BSÍ bus terminal in central Reykjavík. The schedule means you typically get a few hours at Landmannalaugar before the return bus, which is enough for a short hike and a soak, but not a full day. If you want more time, stay overnight in the mountain hut run by Ferðafélag Íslands (the Icelandic Touring Association). Book that hut well in advance — I mean months in advance — because it fills up fast.

If you're thinking about the Laugavegur trail itself, we run a guided version from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk through QR Travel that takes care of the logistics so you're not scrambling for hut bookings or worrying about route-finding in fog. Worth looking at if you want to walk the route without coordinating every moving part yourself.

Þórsmörk: The Valley That Earns It

Þórsmörk is my favourite of the three, and I don't say that lightly because I find the word favourite hard to apply to places I'm slightly annoyed at for being so popular. It's a glacial valley sitting between Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull, and Tindfjallajökull. Three glaciers. Birch woods that are genuinely unusual for Iceland. Good trail networks going up onto the ridges above.

The bus gets you in across the Krossá river — the same crossing that destroys regular cars — so that's the immediate practical advantage sorted. You arrive dry. The Þórsmörk area has three main hut clusters: Húsadalur (run by Útvist), Langidalur (run by Ferðafélag Íslands), and Básar (also Útvist). Each has a slightly different feel and different trail access, so look at which one sits closer to what you actually want to do before booking.

Getting back out is the same bus, so check the return schedule carefully. Missing the last bus from Þórsmörk means you're staying the night whether you planned to or not. That has happened to people I know. One of them was me, once, though I'll admit the extra night turned out fine.

Pro Tip: The trail from Þórsmörk up to Valahnúkur is short — maybe an hour return — and the view from the top down into the valley is worth every step. Do that one first, before you commit to anything longer, because it'll tell you immediately what condition your legs are actually in.

Kerlingarfjöll: The One Most People Skip

Kerlingarfjöll gets less traffic than Landmannalaugar or Þórsmörk, and I think that's mostly because it sits on the Kjölur route in the centre of the country and people aren't quite sure what to do with it. That's their loss.

The area has its own geothermal fields — Hveradalir — with hot springs, steaming vents, and coloured clay that looks a bit like Landmannalaugar's younger sibling. There's a mountain resort there (Kerlingarfjöll Mountain Resort) with accommodation ranging from sleeping bag spaces to more comfortable rooms. The hiking is serious — proper mountain terrain with some routes requiring navigation skills — but you can also just walk around the geothermal area on the marked paths and have a perfectly good day without scrambling.

The Kjölur highland bus stops here on the Reykjavík to Akureyri highland route. This means you can do a one-way trip: start in Reykjavík, stop at Kerlingarfjöll for a night or two, then continue north to Akureyri. Or reverse it. That's one of the genuinely clever uses of the highland bus — it lets you design a point-to-point itinerary that you simply cannot do with a rental car you need to return to the same city.

The Practical Part You'll Actually Need

Book early. I know that sounds obvious but highland buses sell out. Landmannalaugar day trips in July go quickly. If you're travelling in peak summer and you haven't booked your seat by May, start checking daily.

Bring food. The facilities at these highland destinations are not Reykjavík. Landmannalaugar has a small warden's hut that sometimes sells basic things. Þórsmörk has a kitchen at the huts if you're staying. Don't assume you can buy lunch when you get there.

Dress for all four seasons in one day. This is not a cliché — it is the highlands. I have had sunburn and hail within the same afternoon at Landmannalaugar. Layers, waterproofs, and actual hiking boots. Not trail runners. Not fashion trainers. Boots.

The wind will try to rip the bus door off the driver's hand when you arrive. That's normal. Step out carefully.

If you want a structured way into the highlands without sorting every detail yourself, QR Travel runs day tours to both Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk from Reykjavík with transport included — useful if you want local guide knowledge alongside the ride rather than just a seat on a bus. Have a look at what we've got running this summer and see if it fits what you're planning.

Come and use the buses. They're underrated, they work, and they'll get you somewhere worth going. If you have questions about planning a highland trip — bus logistics, what to pack, which trails are realistic for your fitness level — drop them in the comments or reach out directly. I'm around.