Hiking Trails in Þakgil and Vik
We had already been in Iceland for a week, and the weather really wasn't great today. For our 8th day on site, we had planned to hike in the Thakgil region and in Vik as well.
Vedur.is indicated that the weather would improve that day, and the next day would be a beautiful one.
The hike from Remundargilsfoss to Thakgil
So we set off on the F214 around mid morning, following the signs for Kerlingardalur and the nearby Katla Hotel. This small road ultimately took us to Thakgil and after about 30 minutes of bumpy driving, about 15 km, we reached the Thakgil campsite where several hikes were possible:
- The Mælifell Hike: 13.5 km
- The Austurafrettur Hike: 17 km
- The Remundargil Ravine: 12.5 km
We opted for another much shorter trail. First we had to find it, starting about 2 km before arriving at the campsite on the right hand side. After parking our car, we set off into the ravine for the 4 km of hiking to Remundargil and Remundargilfoss.
The weather was very cloudy, but the vivid green moss in the canyon still made for a great effect, deeply contrasting with the black rock walls. The trail went deep into the canyon, and after 2 km, we reached Remundargilfoss, a beautiful waterfall that cascades tens of meters into the canyon.
We took about 1.5 hours to go do the whole trail, which was certainly much shorter than the others, but allowed us to do another hike later in the day...
The Yoda Cave in Hjörleifshöfði
On the road to Vík i Myrdal, we stopped near the Hjörleifshöfði promontory in search of the famous Yoda cave. It is very easy to find, in fact, located at the southern tip of the promontory.
The opening is almost 20 meters high and it really is shaped like Master Yoda from Star Wars. The cave itself is quite large, about 100 m² in size.
The Hatta hike in Vík
Afer dropping our stuff in Vík where we would sleep for 2 nights, we got ready for our planned hike to Hatta. We had been to Vik many times during our previous trips hee but had never taken the time to do this hike, which was very popular with the locals.
I have to say it, this was a tough one! The hike started behind the famous little church in Vik, near the cemetery, and went all the way to the summit opposite Reynisfjall. It took 2 hours at a good pace to complete the 6 km loop.
The start was rather easy with a gentle elevation through the meadows above the cemetery but the slope got very steep very quick and some passages became so slippery with mud we almost went skidding down the mountain! We were happy to reach a plateau where we took a breath before the last ascent. Up there we enjoyed a stunning view of the black sand beach below and the surrounding mountains.
The return trip was bound to be easier, and the effort had earned us a meal at one of the best burger restaurants in Iceland: the renowned Smiðjan Brugghús in Vík.
