Through unknown territories with an highly professional guide who knows the secret paths to adventure
FJALLABAK is a fully licensed travel agency by the Icelandic government and member of SAF, the Icelandic Travel Industry Association.
Matthildur Filippusdottir Patay is the chief executive of Fjallabak. She has taken over the flag to carry on the family business that she has a lot of passion for. Fjallabak is a dynamic family business that has been organizing treks and ski expeditions in Iceland since the early 70’s.
The name of the company, means “Behind the Mountains” in English. It is the name of a famous trail, which snakes its way through the desert landscape of the volcanic highlands between Mt. Hekla and the icecaps along the south coast. This vast and incredible territory remains mostly “unexplored” by classical tourism. The access is not very easy because nature there remains a powerful actor.
We specialize in high-quality supported trekking, backpacking, walking and discoveries for small groups. We organise ski trips and slow travel adventures, such as birdwatching, whale watching or geology tours… We are used to organizing trips for private groups and "A la carte" such as self-drive and self guided tours. Occasionally, we work with film shootings and incentive events.
As we have been in the field for nearly 30 years, we know what outdoor experience and hiking Iceland’s mountains and fjords means. We are committed to operate the highest standard possible in the “industry” of outdoor touring in Iceland, your safety and your pleasure is our highest priority.
Iceland has become a victim of its own success. Tourists have replaced travelers around the country. Fortunately 80% of the country, mainly the highlands, remains difficult to access and without infrastructure, or so little.
By nature, here at Fjallabak, we are a bit allergic to mass tourism. We love our job, the adventure and the experience it represents.
We do not receive more than 400-500 travelers per year. We do not intend to grow continuously. Despite our idealism, we have survived the crises of the last decades and have been on course for now 40 years.
In other words, we are very small company with a lot of soul. Far from the crowds, we live our adventures as we know the secret passages through the mysterious mountains of Iceland that lead us into an untouched world where dream and reality together are one.
We look forward to seeing you on Fjallabak’s trails.
Matthildur Filippusdóttir Patay (AKA Matta)
Iceland trips selection
Look below for a short selection of our newest trips.
Photo trips
Discovery and Hiking in the Southern Highlands
A 6-day adventurous 4wd trip with beautiful hikes - July to September Shaped by the antagonism of fire and ice, the South Coast and Highlands offer landscapes like no other. Nature, here in delirium, combines harmoniously contradictory landscapes with an art of paradox. Green meadows,…
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Highlands 4wd Discoveries
Discovery and Hiking in the Southern Highlands
A 6-day adventurous 4wd trip with beautiful hikes - July to September Shaped by the antagonism of fire and ice, the South Coast and Highlands offer landscapes like no other. Nature, here in delirium, combines harmoniously contradictory landscapes with an art of paradox. Green meadows,…
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Trekking – 7 to 9 days
Trek Around Mount Hekla
A beautiful 7-day supported, non-portage trek that skirts the Mount Hekla volcano northwards along its western flank, then crosses the Hrafntinnusker Caldeira on the heights of Landmannalaugar and continues southwards to the Tindfjöll Massif. This concentrated itinerary is part of our collection of trips that…
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Trekking – 3 to 6 days
Trek to the Gates of Hell (Northern route)
Beautiful hut to hut assisted 4-day trekking (or 5-day) along the west and north flank of Mount Hekla, one of Iceland's best known volcano and through the Fjallabak Natural Reserve. This concentrated itinerary is part of our collection of trips that speak to purist hikers with a…
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What they say about us
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Nous avons fait huit jours de trek hors sentiers battus (et la plupart du temps hors sentiers) dans des contrées lunaires inouïes. Mais ce qui a fait la réussite de... read more cette semaine, c'est l'organisation impeccable de cette agence, leur connaissance du pays, le soin et l'attention qu'ils portent à leurs clients et à leur confort, ainsi que la qualité et la générosité des repas, même avec des restrictions alimentaires. Yoan, notre guide, a complété cette réussite par sa connaissance du terrain, son attention, sa gentillesse, sa bonne humeur permanente et ses qualités humaines.
Toute l'équipe de l'agence était à l'avenant, merci à tous.
A recommander sans aucune hésitation. Il feront à coup sûr de votre voyage en Islande des vacances inoubliables.
Catherine et Ron Plus
28 July 2019I can’t recommend this company highly enough. Really special people who go the extra mile and well beyond. By best advice is take their advice! It was their suggestion to... read more walk away from the popular routes, and they were so right. We visited Landmannalaugar (sp?) briefly. It is spectacular, but no more than other places we saw. And it was heaving, when we had hardly seen a soul. The other good suggestion was to walk up some hills rather than just go from hut to hut. They weren’t overly high but the views were amazing. We met a number of the staff, albeit some briefly, and they were all great.
1 August 2021 -
Our trek in the Elves Mountains August 2020: - Well planned itinerary with solid walks every day in fantastic landscape - Just as we like it - not many other... read more travellers around (mainly sheep) - Basic and well organized huts - Good cooking that included local produces - Professional guide, but not one for many rests, so good we were fit! - Always a good plan B up the sleeve for varioius weather conditions Definitely not our last trek on Iceland, we are now totally inspired for new outdoor adventures on this fascinating island.
1 August 2020The Fjallabak Trekking company is a small family operated business that caters to travelers trying to get off the beaten path. We spent 6 days trekking in the Fjallabak... read more nature preserve with a small group of nine. Traveling just one week into the fall "shoulder...More
11 September 2019 -
I did a short trek, the Trek at the Doors of Hell in late June with Fjallabak a family run business and it was amazing, we had the sensation of... read more being alone in the incredible nature that Iceland has to offer.
I am looking forward to visiting another region of Iceland with you next year.
Thank you!
18 July 2019Très bon parcours photo en Islande avec une équipe compétente et sympathique autour des refuges de Dalakofi et de Strutur. Philippe Pathé et son équipe se sont dépensés sans... read more compter pour nous assurer un séjour agréable malgré des conditions parfois un peu difficiles (pannes diverse sur les 2 refuges et temps variable). Un grand bravo pour la cuisine ( nous nous sommes régalés) , pour la conduite et les explications sur la région.
Un seul regret : tout ce qu'il nous reste à voir en Islande!
19 September 2018 -
La réserve naturelle de Fjallabak est magnifique et notre trek hors des sentiers battus a dépassé toutes nos attentes. L'itinéraire concocté par Fjallabak Trekking n'a fait que croiser l'"autoroute" du... read more Laugavegur, et nous étions quasi seuls sur les sentiers. Les conditions météo étaient loin d'être idéales (trombes d'eau et vents à 80 km/h certains jours), mais l'organisation parfaite a fait passer ces désagréments au second plan.
A l'exception du refuge surpeuplé de Hvanngíl (à l'intersection du trek surfréquenté du Laugavegur), les hébergements étaient très corrects, voire très agréables (le petit refuge cosy de Strútur).
Je lis des commentaires négatifs écrits il y a deux ans sur Fjallabak Trekking. Mes amis et moi avons vécu une expérience diamétralement opposée et très positive. Nous étions pourtant un groupe de niveaux variés, appréciant l'aventure avec un minimum de confort (pas de portage trop lourd, hébergement en dur). Mais si on redoute la pluie et l'imprévu, c'est vrai qu'il vaut mieux éviter de randonner dans les montagnes islandaises.
Compte tenu de ces contraintes, notre guide a toujours fait les bons choix (rythme, itinéraire, sécurité) et son enthousiasme communicatif faisait oublier les conditions difficiles. La souplesse de l'organisation nous a aussi permis de raccourcir une étape un jour de tempête. L'émerveillement face aux paysages, le bonheur d'une soirée ensoleillée et la compagnie bienveillante d'un logisticien-cuisinier hors pair ont fait de ce trek un souvenir inoubliable.
21 August 2018Que dire des services de cette sympathique agence ? Tout simplement extra ! Sur la base de l'itinéraire que nous souhaitions effectuer, Matta nous a concocté une série d'hébergements (guest... read more house, B&B) accueillants et sympathiques.
Pour ce second séjour en Islande, nous avons découvert avec émerveillement les fjords de l'Ouest et du Nord-ouest...
Merci à Fjallabak de nous avoir conseillé de passer 2 nuits à Djupavik, au bout du monde !!
L'organisation était impeccable, et nous avons apprécié de pouvoir soumettre notre itinéraire, et qui ait trouvé une parfaite concrétisation grâce à Matta.
Merci pour tout ! AGENCE À RECOMMANDER.... même pour des trekkeuses en herbe !
14 September 2018 -
Fabulous, walking a mountain trail in a small group with an excellent and humorous guide, talking English and French simultaneously. Emma really took care, from French-style cooking to correctly applying... read more a plaster. Fresh fish, spicy lamb, spaghetti to get your calories … needed with almost 20 km walking per day, mostly off the beaten tracks in a terrific landscape. We had eight days of sunshine, of course that was not guaranteed. Thanks to Philippe for the great and versatile organisation. Strongly recommended!
16 August 2019For those looking to avoid the crowds and get off the beaten path, this is a great trip. This is a local Icelandic company, and they are quite knowledgeable.... read more Our guide Laurent was excellent. But a couple of notes of caution - the hiking is not always easy, and a couple f the days are longish - 22 kilometers. Also when we went, the wind was quite severe. I would probably not recommend for kids under 14 or 15.
22 August 2018 -
Our group of 8 (4 old guys, two couples) had a wonderful 7 day trek, generally east-west, mostly off trails, in all kinds of weather. The arrangements were thorough and... read more reliable and our guide was knowledgeable and energetic. Our group became friends while walking and cooking, though our guide did most of the work. The cuisine was wonderful, not what we’d expected in huts. Sometimes our group was the only one in a hut and sometimes there were more.
What you get with a Fjallabak trip is the opportunity to get away from the well-travelled routes, local insight with the ability to improvise, and food that was in sharp contrast with anything I’ve experienced backpacking. A good thing too considering the calories we burned walking 10+ miles a day through an extraordinary landscape.
30 August 2018Perfect trip for some proper walking and being immersed in amazing landscapes. Fjallabak kept the promise of small group, well organised program, and curated itinerary away from the crowds. Huts... read more were comfortable, with well equipped kitchens allowing variety and high quality of food. Challenge mainly weather driven winds can be very strong making the walking tougher. Everything can be managed with the right gear. Laurent our guide was very experienced, competent, and great at managing the group, making the experience both interesting and fun.
26 November 2018 -
We did a 4 day trek with Fjallabak with our family (adult children) and totally loved it. It was really interesting to see Iceland this way and get out in... read more it!. We did not really see anyone else but the hikers in our group for 3 days, until the last day we descended upon Landmannalaugar valley. We loved the other people in our group and our guide Yoan did a nice job leading us through the wilderness around Hekla, feeding us well and being very positive and knowledgeable.
30 August 2018Our four-day trek with Fjallabak Trekking was wonderful along many dimensions. It will long remain a highlight of our family lore. It was amazing to be essentially alone... read more with the sheep in the vast, exquisite landscape. Each day brought a change in the geography and the micro-climate, and each was surprising and beautiful. Our guide was wonderful; he was a friendly, quiet presence who quickly felt like one of the family. We learned geology, history and anthropology from him. I can't think of a better way to experience this amazing island.
20 August 2018 -
Our family of four had a wonderful trek with Fjallabak trekking around Mount Hekla for four days in July this year.
Our guide Yoan was excellent in... read more every possible way. He was considerate, fun and informative throughout the entire journey and make us all feel at ease on our longest family trek to date. In addition his evening cooking skills were the stuff of legends!
We also found all interactions with Fjallabak to be flawless. They were incredibly informative and responsive with our enquiries while first booking the trip. We were also fortunate to meet Philippe and Matta in person during the journey... they are truly lovely family run business and you can tell they are passionate about what they do and providing a personal experience so different to many of the mass tourism options commonly found in Iceland.
We highly recommend this family business for anyone seeking a small group, personal and enjoyable trekking experience.
25 July 2019Que dire des services de cette sympathique agence ? Tout simplement extra ! Sur la base de l'itinéraire que nous souhaitions effectuer, Matta nous a concocté une série d'hébergements (guest... read more house, B&B) accueillants et sympathiques.
Pour ce second séjour en Islande, nous avons découvert avec émerveillement les fjords de l'Ouest et du Nord-ouest...
Merci à Fjallabak de nous avoir conseillé de passer 2 nuits à Djupavik, au bout du monde !!
L'organisation était impeccable, et nous avons apprécié de pouvoir soumettre notre itinéraire, et qui ait trouvé une parfaite concrétisation grâce à Matta.
Merci pour tout ! AGENCE À RECOMMANDER.... même pour des trekkeuses en herbe ! Plus
14 September 2018 -
Haven't regret the decision to join the trek with Fjallabak (trek at the doors of Hell South) for a single time. Everything was well organized, the guide and Philippe took... read more great care of the group. And the environment was just truly amazing.
1 July 2021 -
Mon premier séjour en Islande remonte à 2004, avec Philippe Patay.
Depuis, je suis revenue sur cette île plusieurs fois, par moi-même ou avec Fjallabak. Pour marcher, pour contempler,... read more pour découvrir les oiseaux.
L’organisation et la qualité des guides de cette agence ont toujours été d’une qualité rare, celle de véritables artisans qui connaissent profondément le pays, qui choisissent savamment les parcours, les assurant avec autant de responsabilité que de chaleur humaine et de créativité.
Été 2019 : « Le Trek des Elfes »
Nouvelles retrouvailles avec Fjallabak. 5ème séjour avec leur agence.
du 7 au 13 juillet 2019
Quel bel itinéraire ! Le Trek des Elfes est magnifique !
Je ne connaissais pas encore ce rivage retiré et isolé du Nord-Est de l’Islande.
J’en ai aimé la diversité des paysages tout le long des marches, en itinérance de fjord en fjord, de refuge en refuge, par-dessus les montagnes.
Un bonheur de chaque instant, pour les yeux, pour tous les sens en éveil.
Loin du bruit, des voitures, de la vie des hommes.
Le temps s’arrête pour une immersion totale dans la nature arctique.
Les chants des oiseaux accompagnent les marches.
Le temps est avec nous, pour une belle variété de lumières et d’éclairages.
Quelques gouttes de pluie, tellement de ciels bleus, avec juste ce qu’il faut de gris, ou de brumes, pour nous laisser surprendre par la magie des contrastes.
Aurélien est un accompagnateur parfait, pour la réussite de notre vie en petit groupe.
Joyeux, sympathique, attentionné et prévenant pour chacun.
Et… si bon cuisinier, ne négligeant aucun détail pour enrichir et varier les saveurs de nos dîners au chaud dans les refuges confortables et de nos pic-nics face aux panoramas sauvages.
Très grande réussite. J'ai adoré ces jours. Je repartirai avec eux !
Merci à toute l'équipe de Fjallabak.
SophieK
18 July 2019Petite entreprise familiale franco islandaise, qui propose plusieurs trek réellement hors des sentiers battus. Nous étions un tout petit groupe et cela fonctionnait comme une famille, super ambiance et je... read more pense meilleurs repas de l'Islande. Côté trek, celui des portes de l'enfer est juste magique avec chaque jour un paysage différent, ahurissant, et un niveau de difficulté assez accessible pour tout le monde. Nous étions comme seuls au monde durant 4 jours, et avons retrouvé la civilisation à Landmannalaugar.
N'hésitez plus vous avez trouvé l'organisation qu'il vous faut !!
Merci à Fjallabak
Nathalie
26 July 2019