Just 10 km from Reykjavik is Mt. Esjan, a volcanic mountain range that was made from lava flow over a million years ago.
You can see beautiful views of Mt. Esjan all over the city. The combination of mountain and ocean views is one of my favorite things about living in Iceland.
Esjan hiding behind the fog on a spring day in Reykjavik
Esjan is a popular hiking spot and on my first trip to Iceland H took me off for my own Esjan hiking experience. 
Pre-hike smiles
When you start off the hike your greeted with a mostly flat path into the bright green fields that are speckled with beautiful purple flowers.
As you start to climb up the mountain side the terrain looks a little less green and becomes more steep and rocky.
We were headed to the highest point on Mt. Esjan, the summit called Habunga. Is is about an hour climb to this summit and is quite steep in certain spots. I hike a lot in Oregon but on this hike I had to take several breaks to catch my breath.
Trying to drag out the break as long as possible by staring off into the distance “taking in the scenery”
After feeling like we were getting no where closer to the top we finally made it to the first summit Steinn where many hikers stop to turn around.
Most of the pathways on this hike are really well cleared and even have signs showing you the difficulty ranging from levels 1 boot (easy) to 3 boots (challenging). Once you pass Steinn though its a whole other ballgame and before I knew it I was holding on to a rope for dear life while I walked around a tiny pathway to the top.
This was terrifying for someone who has a fear of heights, but when you reach the summit Habunga the views are just amazing. 
Once you have caught your breath and taken a ton of photos of the beautiful views be sure to sign your name in the book you find on top of the rock in the middle of the summit. I was not going to miss the chance to have my name in a book on top of a mountain in Iceland!
Celebratory photos are important as well, you want proof that you went all the way to the top!
Heading back down was not my favorite part of the hike. I have no issue going up but when it comes to climbing back down my fear of heights really kicks in. This was the view as you start going down, way to steep for me to not panic a little, okay a lot, but really it just looks like your going straight down!
I was a bit slow coming down so H waited for me by taking pictures of my terrified face. Always the helpful man. Luckily the path isn’t this steep the entire way down, after about 10 minutes it evens out and becomes much more manageable to walk down without the concern of rolling down the mountain side.
One of my favorite things about this hike is the amazing views you have the entire way down. This is the view when your more than halfway down the mountain, still breathtaking.
I have gone on this hike several times since my first trip and I can’t wait for the snow to melt so we can do our first Esjan hike of the year. If you are looking for an easy hike close to Reykjavik I highly recommend heading over to Esjan!
Question of the Day?
Do you have a favorite hike?
Pingback: 5 Beautiful Hikes Near Reykjavik()