Fire & Ice vs Ancient Trails | Norse Adventures

Written byMagnus Viking

Updated 1 October 20266 min read

Owner and Icelandic lead guide.

Choose Fire & Ice if you want substantial day hikes across several regions and hotel evenings. Choose Ancient Trails if the attraction is a supported Highland walking journey and the company of small huts.

Both are six-day guided trips. Fire & Ice's 2027 programme is still provisional; Ancient Trails has published departures. The comparison below uses the current plans.

Quick comparison

The trips at a glance

Compare

Fire & Ice

Ancient Trails

Duration

Fire & IceSix days in the working plan

Ancient TrailsSix days

Walking

Fire & IceA glacier hike and three main hikes of 10–12 km, about 600 m ascent and around six hours each

Ancient TrailsAbout 60 km across the journey; main walking days typically 12–16 km

Nights

Fire & IceFive hotel nights planned

Ancient TrailsFive nights in shared mountain huts

Group size

Fire & IceUp to 14 guests in the working plan

Ancient TrailsUp to 10 guests

Travel rhythm

Fire & IceVehicle travel between regions and hotel bases

Ancient TrailsOne central Highland journey with hut-to-hut walking and some vehicle travel

Booking status

Fire & Ice2027 dates, prices and final details pending

Ancient TrailsPublished departures with live availability

Fire & Ice describes the working 2027 plan. Routes, hotels and inclusions must be confirmed before booking; the walking figures are estimates, not a fixed daily timetable.

Hotels between hikes, or huts along the way?

Ash-striped ice ridges above the meltwater lake at Sólheimajökull glacier — Sólheimajökull's ice and meltwater lake. The Fire & Ice working itinerary brings the glacier together with several other Icelandic landscapes.

Fire & Ice

Fire & Ice is for hikers who want variety during the day and a hotel room at night. The working route links South Coast waterfalls and black sand, a guided Sólheimajökull glacier hike, Þórsmörk, Landmannalaugar and Kerlingarfjöll, with Golden Circle stops on the return.

Vehicle transfers connect the walking areas and two hotel bases. Three nights are proposed at Hotel Rangá and two at Highland Base. That gives time to settle in, but the approaches and return drives remain part of the day.

Different walking areas, connected by vehicle.Illustration of the travel style, not a route map.

Walking: The three principal hiking days are approximately 10–12 km, with about 600 metres of ascent and around six hours of walking each. The glacier experience and a shorter geothermal walk are additional parts of the itinerary.
Support: The working plan includes Norse hiking and glacier guides, group transport, meals and specialist glacier equipment, with up to fourteen guests. Personal boots, clothing and a daypack are your responsibility.

Read the Fire & Ice itinerary ↗

Ancient Trails

Ancient Trails spends six days in the central Highlands, combining Kerlingarfjöll with old Kjalvegur travel ways and successive hut nights. The pleasure is in the continuity: glacier horizons seen from different angles, old tracks and long stretches of open ground.

The trip includes some vehicle travel, but walking holds it together. Guides arrange meals and transport the main luggage; you carry a daypack. All five nights are in shared mountain huts, with a maximum of ten guests.

A walking journey, with nights in the Highlands.Illustration of the travel style, not a route map.

Walking: About 60 km across the full trip. Days two to five are generally 12–16 km; the optional Rauðkollur climb can extend its day to around 19 km. Read the daily profiles for ascent as well as distance.
Support: Icelandic guides, hut accommodation, meals and main-luggage transport are included for a group of up to ten guests. The guides manage the route and share local history and stories along the way.

Read the Ancient Trails itinerary ↗

Sources for this section

Think about the hours after the walk

The difference becomes especially clear after a wet walk. Fire & Ice plans hotel rooms and showers each night. Ancient Trails has shared bunks or communal sleeping, sleeping bags provided, showers in the first two huts and simpler washing arrangements for the last three. A private hut is not promised.

Both include meals from lunch on day one through lunch on day six. Fire & Ice combines hotel and restaurant meals with packed trail lunches. On Ancient Trails, guides prepare warm dinners and the hut table is part of the social life. Tell Norse about allergies and dietary needs before booking.

Wood-clad Highland Base hotel buildings beneath misty slopes in Kerlingarfjöll — Highland Base in Kerlingarfjöll, shown in the Fire & Ice working plan. Confirm the final accommodation arrangements before booking around a particular hotel.

Hikers sharing a meal at a wooden table between the bunks inside Þjófadalir hut — At the table in Þjófadalir. The dining and sleeping spaces share one small hut.

Morning

Fire & IceHotel breakfast, then travel to the walking area with your daypack.

Ancient TrailsBreakfast at the hut; separate your walking essentials from the main bag travelling with the support vehicle.

On foot

Fire & IceThe three main hikes are planned at 10–12 km, about 600 m of ascent and roughly six hours each.

Ancient TrailsMain walking days are generally 12–16 km on old tracks and uneven or less-defined ground.

Afterwards

Fire & IceTravel back, shower and eat dinner at the hotel.

Ancient TrailsChange into dry layers, settle into shared sleeping space and eat together in the hut.

Sources for this section

Which effort suits you?

A hiker wearing a blue jacket, daypack and harness beside the ash-striped ice at Sólheimajökull — On the ash-striped ice at Sólheimajökull, wearing a harness and carrying a daypack.

Fire & Ice's hotel nights do not make it an easy sightseeing trip. Its current plan contains three substantial hiking days plus the guided glacier experience. Transfers are additional to the walking times. Ask about any need to sit out a hike before booking; an individual alternative is not automatically available. Guides may change walks, summits or glacier activities when weather, access or conditions require it.

Ancient Trails covers about 60 km in total. Walking on successive days, rough footing and shared nights all affect recovery. The optional Rauðkollur climb can extend its day to around 19 km. Compare daily ascent as well as distance rather than assuming the longer trip total settles which is harder.

Use recent walks as a reference: distance, climbs, terrain, the pack you carried and how you felt the next morning. Try consecutive days in your intended boots. Waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers, hat and gloves belong in your daypack even in summer. Main-luggage transport does not help with clothing left behind during the walk.

The hiking packing list ↗

Sources for this section

What is confirmed, and what is still a plan

Ancient Trails has published departures and live availability. Fire & Ice remains a working plan for 2027: dates, prices, hotels, room arrangements and final inclusions must be confirmed before arranging travel around it.

The Fire & Ice plan is for up to fourteen guests aged sixteen and over. Minors on Ancient Trails need prior approval with a parent or guardian. Discuss recent hiking experience, room preferences, dietary needs and any essential activity directly with Norse.

Both use a daypack, with suitable personal boots and clothing required. Fire & Ice includes specialist glacier equipment in its working plan. Ancient Trails asks for a soft main bag and its departure packing list covers river-crossing footwear. Read the full inclusion and cancellation terms, allow a Reykjavík night before departure, and avoid an onward connection that depends on an exact return time.

The white, red-roofed Hvítárnes hut with Langjökull glacier behind it — Hvítárnes, with Langjökull beyond the hut.

Also considering Laugavegur? ↗

Sources for this section

Good to know

Common questions

Is Fire & Ice easier than Ancient Trails?

Hotel nights do not make Fire & Ice a gentle walking trip. Its current main hikes are 10–12 km with about 600 metres of ascent and around six hours of walking. Ancient Trails has about 60 km across the journey, consecutive walking days and varied footing. Compare your experience with each day's profile and the overnight arrangements.

Can I have a private room?

Fire & Ice's working plan uses twin or double rooms shared by two guests. Single occupancy depends on availability, with the 2027 supplement still to be confirmed. Ancient Trails uses shared mountain-hut sleeping spaces, so a private room is not part of that trip. Explain your sleeping requirements before booking.

Are there showers and hot springs on Ancient Trails?

The first two huts have showers, while the final three do not. The itinerary includes two planned hot-spring baths early in the journey, subject to conditions. Bring swimwear, but choose the trip expecting shared hut facilities and simple washing arrangements rather than a daily hotel bathroom.

Want help choosing?

Compare these two hiking journeys in more detail

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The trips at a glance

Hotels between hikes, or huts along the way?

Fire & Ice

Ancient Trails

Think about the hours after the walk

Morning

On foot

Afterwards

Which effort suits you?

What is confirmed, and what is still a plan

Common questions

A few more field notes

Ancient Trails vs Laugavegur: which Iceland hut-to-hut trek should you choose?

Iceland hut-to-hut trekking guide

Best hikes in Iceland: local guide

Compare these two hiking journeys in more detail

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