Iceland · Highlands · Location guide

Iceland Highlands Elopement

The Highlands are the empty heart of Iceland: rhyolite mountains striped in orange, pink and green, black lava deserts, steaming vents and glacial rivers that braid across wide valleys. An elopement here feels truly remote – you can walk for hours and meet almost no one. It also takes more planning than anywhere else in the country. These are the Highland places I have filmed in – Þórsmörk, Landmannalaugar and Þakgil – and what you need to know before you go.

A couple in front of the colourful rhyolite mountains of Landmannalaugar

Where: Inland Iceland – roughly 3–4 hours from Reykjavík
Best for: Adventurous couples who love hiking and solitude
When: Usually late June to mid-September, when the mountain roads are open
Good to know: F-roads and river crossings – go with a guide or a proper 4x4

Getting into the Highlands

Most Highland roads are F-roads: gravel or rough tracks that are closed for most of the year and usually open between June and July, depending on snow and how wet the ground is. They close again from mid-September. Many include fords through glacial rivers, and no insurance in Iceland covers damage to a car while crossing a river. That is why most of my Highland couples travel with a local super-jeep driver or guide – it is safer, and on the wedding day you can simply enjoy the ride.

Þórsmörk

Þórsmörk is a green valley hidden between three glaciers, full of birch woods, moss and braided rivers. The road in, F249, crosses the Krossá and other rivers that can be fast and deep, so it is a place for super-jeeps and the Highland bus, which runs from about June to September. Once you are there, short hikes lead to viewpoints over the whole valley.

A couple reading their vows in a green valley in Þórsmörk

Sarah and Windfred spent their elopement day here, crossing the rivers by jeep, saying their vows on a green hillside and sharing a picnic and cake in the valley afterwards. Bre and Jon made it a hiking wedding through rugged terrain and several river crossings.

Aerial view of the Krossá river valley in Þórsmörk

Landmannalaugar

Landmannalaugar, in the Fjallabak nature reserve, is famous for its colourful rhyolite mountains, lava fields and a natural hot spring next to the mountain hut. The access roads F208 and F225 usually open in June. In summer 2026 private and rental cars arriving during the day had to reserve parking in advance, and from mid-June to mid-September drones in the reserve may be flown only with a professional permit – both things to plan early.

Steam rising from a geothermal vent in the Landmannalaugar area

A couple walking across the black lava plains of the Highlands

Kara and Nathan started their day at a cabin, took a detour through the Landmannahellir area and finished with a short hike among the colourful mountains of Landmannalaugar.

A couple dancing in the wind in the Icelandic Highlands

Þakgil

Þakgil is a hidden canyon north-east of Vík, reached by a sixteen-kilometre gravel road that is not an F-road but is rough enough to need a decent car and some driving experience. At the end there is a small campsite with cabins and a dining area inside a cave. Lady May and Derek came from Canada to elope here on the summer solstice, with the light lasting all night.

Before you plan a Highland elopement

Season: the window is short – roughly late June to mid-September. Outside it, only super-jeeps or snowmobiles get in.
Time: distances are long and roads slow. A Highland elopement is a full day, and staying overnight in a cabin or a highland hotel makes it far more relaxed.
Weather: the Highlands can see snow even in summer. Layers, waterproofs and hiking boots are essential – for guests too.
Leave no trace: driving off the roads is strictly forbidden, and the moss takes decades to recover from a single footprint off the path.

Aerial view of a highland lake in the Fjallabak area

An elopement ceremony with an officiant in Þórsmörk — Vows in Þórsmörk with just the officiant and the two of them.

For the legal side and everything else couples usually ask, see my guide on how to elope in Iceland, and for more ideas, my list of the best places to elope in Iceland.

Planning your elopement in the Highlands?

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Questions about Highland elopements

When can we elope in the Icelandic Highlands?

Usually from late June to mid-September, when the mountain roads are open. Outside this window, only super-jeeps or snowmobiles get in.

Can we drive to Þórsmörk in a rental car?

It is not a good idea. The road into Þórsmörk crosses fast glacial rivers, and no insurance in Iceland covers damage to a car while crossing a river. Most couples go with a super-jeep driver or take the Highland bus.

Do we need to book parking in Landmannalaugar?

In summer 2026 private and rental cars arriving during the day had to reserve parking in advance. Your planner or guide can check the current rules for your date.