Midgard Base Camp

The feeling of the place

Some places are a bed; Midgard is a basecamp. Part hotel, part hostel, all social, it sits in the little town of Hvolsvöllur — the pivot point of the south coast, where the road to the waterfalls, the glaciers and the Þórsmörk highlands all begin.

The rhythm is easy to fall into: out early for a big day in the weather, back in the afternoon to sink into the rooftop hot tub as the light goes long over the plains, then downstairs for dinner and a beer while everyone swaps notes on where the road washed out and where the puffins were. Rooms run from bunk-in-a-dorm to private and family, so it works whether you’re a solo hiker or four people with muddy boots.

Right outside the door

• Seljalandsfoss & Skógafoss — the two showpiece waterfalls, both a short drive
• Þórsmörk — the highland valley of glaciers and birch, reachable by guided super-jeep
• The south coast — Reynisfjara, Dyrhólaey and Vík, all within a day’s loop
• Eyjafjallajökull — yes, that volcano, on the skyline

Good to know

Midgard runs its own guided trips (highlands, glaciers, ice caves in season) — handy when the roads need a bigger vehicle than yours. The hot tub is busiest at sunset; go earlier for a quiet soak.