Austurstræti, which translates as East Street, will stretch from Lón on the east coast of Iceland, all the way to Fljótsdalur, a valley situated in the highlands north of Vatnajökull glacier. It will take travelers approximately one week to walk the trail from one end to the other.
Gunnlaugur B. Ólafsson and Steingrímur Karlsson, who introduced the idea to the public towards the end of last year, maintain that a large number of travelers, both local and foreign, are increasingly seeking out what is known as “slow travel,” and Austurstræti will cater to that rapidly growing group.
Popular tourist attractions in Iceland such as the beautiful Laugavegur trekking trail in the Landmannalaugur area in the central highlands are in danger of being damaged by the ever-increasing number of hikers who walk it each year, and Austurstræti should definitely help relieve pressure on those hot spots.
Parts of the trail already exist, making the project easy to execute, and travelers should be able to enjoy the breathtaking mountain scenery this summer.
Here are a three photos from this fantastic route (with names of landmarks marking the trail) and a map showing the approximate starting and destination points.
Individuals and companies operating within the tourist sector on the east coast of Iceland have set in motion a project named Austurstræti, a 100-kilometer-long (62 mile) walking trail through Iceland’s interior that will be ready for use this summer.
Austurstræti, which translates as East Street, will stretch from Lón on the east coast of Iceland, all the way to Fljótsdalur, a valley situated in the highlands north of Vatnajökull glacier. It will take travelers approximately one week to walk the trail from one end to the other.
Gunnlaugur B. Ólafsson and Steingrímur Karlsson, who introduced the idea to the public towards the end of last year, maintain that a large number of travelers, both local and foreign, are increasingly seeking out what is known as “slow travel,” and Austurstræti will cater to that rapidly growing group.
Popular tourist attractions in Iceland such as the beautiful Laugavegur trekking trail in the Landmannalaugur area in the central highlands are in danger of being damaged by the ever-increasing number of hikers who walk it each year, and Austurstræti should definitely help relieve pressure on those hot spots.
Parts of the trail already exist, making the project easy to execute, and travelers should be able to enjoy the breathtaking mountain scenery this summer.
Here are a three photos from this fantastic route (with names of landmarks marking the trail) and a map showing the approximate starting and destination points.
