Mount Esja

Something to see besides the City

Reykjavik is currently one of the most expensive cities in Europe. Going here as an Erasmus student means going to the same bar often (the Dubliner) and living the ramen lifestyle. So when you're here for a while it is easy to forget there is all this wild nature to explore. You might not have a drivers license to rent a car or it's simple too expensive to rent one. Some tips I can give for getting around are:

• carpool with other travellers through http://www.samferda.is
• rent a car from a local on a site such as http://www.cario.is
• go hitchhiking

However nature itself is free and it is just the travel that costs a lot of money. This is why everybody that comes here should visit mount Esja. Just take the public bus for 10 euro or hitchhike for free of course. It is faster to hitchhike there than waiting for the bus transfer.

The hike is very nice and it is possible to reach the top. In the beginning you have to decide to take the short road or the long road. Let me warn you: the short road isn't the fastest one because it is so steep. Very challenging!

It can be a bit cloudy up there and has a pretty amazing view! I went there alone and, although I met groups of people multiple times I couldn't keep up with them. But with enough willpower you too can reach the top! It was one of the most challenging and satisfying experiences I had in Iceland. I wasn't able to walk properly for 4 days afterwards.

How to get there?

To get there with the bus you have to take bus 5 from Hlemmur Square and get out at Artun. There you take bus 57 and get out at Hiking Centre Esjustofa. You can buy the bus tickets at the station near the bus stop because the busdrivers don't carry any change with them. The busdriver gives you a paper ticket. Show this when you switch bus so you don't have to pay again.

I took the cover foto for this article from http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/asgeir-trausti-plays-a-concert-top-mount-esja-evening and the other pictures are my own.