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STIKA - The Source

THE SOURCE

A Spiritual Journey on the Laugavegur Trail

SeasonSummer 2027
Duration6 days
CohortUp to 8 participants
LocationIceland
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The Source - Highland Edition

Six days on one of the most extraordinary trails on earth.

The Source: Highland Edition is a 6-day spiritual journey on Iceland's Laugavegur Trail, designed and led by Rakel Steinberg, founder of STIKA. A hike through four distinct landscapes that strips away what is accumulated and returns you to what is essential.

There are no lectures, no stages, no performance. The terrain is the teacher. The hiking is the practice. What surfaces in that environment is the work - who you are beneath your roles, your habits, your constructed identity.

Each day moves through the STIKA arc - Exposure, Alignment, Direction. Not as a framework. As a lived experience.

Many people arrive having tried meditation, are still trying or have given up. Rakel was there too - she tried many approaches over the years and found that a mix of what resonated from each one became her own. This journey includes that guidance - no forcing, no perfect stillness required. Before the journey, participants are introduced to a simple breathing technique to support the trail and deepen the meditation practice on arrival. Each journey includes a cacao ceremony before one of the guided meditations, and each morning begins with a simple practice chosen for what the day ahead asks. The terrain and the method do the rest.

Key Details
  • ProgramThe Source - Highland Edition
  • LocationLaugavegur Trail, Iceland
  • SeasonSummer 2027
  • Duration6 days
  • Cohort SizeUp to 8 participants
  • Open toWomen only
  • DifficultyModerate - physically demanding
  • TransferHighland bus to and from trailhead
  • Led byRakel Steinberg

Summer 2027 - Iceland

Up to 8 places. Register your interest now.

Register Interest
Who This Is For

The Source is for those who feel the call - whether or not they can yet name what is calling.

The Laugavegur Trail

Widely considered one of the most beautiful multi-day trails on earth.

55 KM
34 miles total distance
5
Days on trail
1,100M
3,600 ft highest point
4
Distinct landscapes

The Laugavegur runs from Landmannalaugar in the highlands to Thorsmork at the edge of a glacial valley - through terrain that feels like four different countries. Rhyolite mountains streaked in ochre and burgundy. Vast obsidian lava plains. Glacial river crossings with no bridges. A hidden birch forest valley ringed by glaciers.

The trail is physically demanding. Weather changes without warning. There is no phone signal on most of the route. These conditions are not incidental to the journey - they are the methodology.

Why Iceland

Iceland sits at a rare convergence - a point on the earth's energy grid where lines connecting North America and Tibet meet. The Laugavegur trail runs directly through it. Geothermal steam rises from the earth. Rivers cross your path without warning. The ground beneath your feet is alive in a way that is difficult to explain and impossible to ignore.

This is not incidental to why people who walk this land consistently describe experiences they cannot fully explain. A stillness that arrives without being invited. A sense of being held by something larger than circumstance.

EARTH

Volcanic lava fields still forming beneath your feet.

WATER

Glacial rivers with no bridges. Swan Lake. The geothermal pools of Landmannalaugar.

FIRE

Geothermal fire rising through the earth as steam and heat.

AIR

The arctic wind. Arriving without warning. Without apology.

THE SOURCE

The silence between the mountains. The field from which everything arises.

"People who walk this land consistently describe the same thing: something shifted that they cannot fully explain. They left knowing something they couldn't have learned any other way."
Seven Days

Each day has a name. The names are the journey. Click any day to read more.

Reykjavik - Landmannalaugar

You didn't arrive in Iceland by accident. Something brought you here - a feeling, a knowing, a pull that preceded the decision. The bus carries you into the highlands - through lava fields and geothermal valleys, deeper into terrain that has no interest in who you were before you arrived. On the first day we enjoy a welcome lunch and a short hike and soak in a natural hotspring. The earth is visibly alive here - steaming, shifting, ancient. Your feet meet ground that has been sacred for centuries. The first step has been taken.

MealsWelcome lunch
OvernightLandmannalaugar mountain hut
Landmannalaugar - Alftavatn

We will cross rhyolite highlands streaked in ochre and sulphur, hike through geothermal steam fields as we ascent to Hrafntinnusker, the world of obsidian, before descending toward Alftavatn, Swan Lake. This is the day the terrain introduces itself honestly. The body is working. The mind is adjusting. What was carried in from ordinary life begins to surface - not through effort, but through contact. We arrive at Swan Lake - Alftavatn - where we pause for the first guided meditation of the journey. Introduced as permission to notice, not technique to master.

Distance~25 km / 15.5 mi
Total time8-10 hours
Elevation gain650 m / 2,133 ft
Elevation loss800 m / 2,625 ft
MealsAll meals included
OvernightAlftavatn mountain hut
Alftavatn - Emstrur

Black sand plains stretch in every direction. The vastness strips away distraction. This is the day the terrain asks the most - and gives the most in return. What accumulated through years of role and performance continues to loosen - not through effort, but through exposure. Part of today's walk is in silence - a moving meditation through one of the most vast and uninterrupted landscapes on earth. What arises is not manufactured. It is what has always been there.

Distance15 km / 9.3 mi
Total time5-6 hours
Elevation gain200 m / 656 ft
Elevation loss400 m / 1,312 ft
MealsAll meals included
OvernightEmstrur mountain hut
Emstrur - Thorsmork

The trail descends toward Thorsmork - Thor's forest - named for the Norse god of protection and strength. Thorsmork sits within one of the most energetically active zones on Iceland's terrain - a place where the land holds rather than exposes. Those who are sensitive to energy consistently notice something different here. A protection. A presence. We mark the completion of the Laugavegur Trail together here. What began in the highlands finds its shelter.

Distance15 km / 9.3 mi
Total time5-6 hours
Elevation gain200 m / 656 ft
Elevation loss600 m / 1,969 ft
MealsAll meals included
OvernightThorsmork mountain hut
Thorsmork

A circular hike through Thorsmork with panoramic views between glaciers and steep valley walls. It requires attention. Balance. Intentional movement. By now the nervous system has begun to regulate. The inner noise is lower. What becomes visible in this stillness is what was always available but inaccessible through the pace of ordinary life - clarity, gratitude, a sense of being held by something larger. The ring hike includes a meditation in the valley - deepened now by everything the trail has already given.

Distance8 km / 5 mi
Total time3-4 hours
Elevation gain300 m / 984 ft
Elevation loss300 m / 984 ft
MealsAll meals included
OvernightThorsmork mountain hut
Thorsmork - Reykjavik

Morning hike to Valahnukur - where the full expanse of Thorsmork opens below. What has shifted on the journey is visible from here - not as a list of insights, but as a felt sense of orientation. The farewell lunch in Husadalur closes the circle. The highland bus carries you back. You leave carrying something that was always yours - a clearer sense of who you are beneath everything you have accumulated. Not a plan. Not a set of intentions. A return to the source of your own knowing. The trail markers remain in the highlands. The direction is yours to carry.

Distance4 km / 2.5 mi
Total time2-3 hours
Elevation gain200 m / 656 ft
Elevation loss200 m / 656 ft
MealsFarewell lunch in Husadalur
TransferHighland bus to Reykjavik
What's Included

Included

  • Welcome lunch in Landmannalaugar (Day 1)
  • All meals on trail - packed lunches and hot meals at huts
  • Farewell lunch in Husadalur, Thorsmork (Day 6)
  • Highland bus from Reykjavik to Landmannalaugar and from Thorsmork back to Reykjavik
  • All luggage transported between huts each day
  • Mountain hut accommodation throughout (Days 1-6)
  • All park and site entry fees
  • Full program facilitation by Rakel Steinberg
  • Pre-journey introduction to breathing technique
  • Cacao ceremony before one of the guided meditations
  • Morning practice each day - breathwork, movement, or stillness
  • Guided meditation at three points along the journey

Not Included

  • International flights to and from Iceland
  • Accommodation in Reykjavik before or after the program
  • Travel insurance (required)
  • Personal hiking gear and clothing
  • Gratuities
Rakel Steinberg
Facilitated By

RAKEL
STEINBERG

Founder, STIKA

Rakel has walked the Laugavegur trail many times - solo, with everything on her back, as her own pilgrim journey, and with clients. She knows what this terrain gives to those who are present enough to receive it.

She does not lead from a stage or a doctrine. She walks beside you. She reads energy, creates space, and knows when silence does more than words. Her approach is grounded in nature, in presence, and in deep respect for every path that brings someone to this trail.

From the Trail
Payal Tiwana
Founder and CEO, mvue.ai // Ex Microsoft, Amazon
I joined Rakel's trek on the Laugavegur trail in Iceland mainly for the experience, not for coaching. What I discovered along the way was how powerful the environment can be for reflection, and how exceptional Rakel is as a guide when those moments naturally arise. I joined Rakel's trek on the Laugavegur trail in Iceland mainly for the experience, not for coaching. At the time, I was going through an important transition. What I discovered along the way was how powerful the environment can be for reflection, and how exceptional Rakel is when those moments naturally arise. The terrain, the weather, and the long days of walking created a kind of mental space that you simply do not get in everyday life. Away from the usual noise, I found myself thinking more clearly about decisions I had been stuck on for months. I came back from the trip with stronger conviction in my decisions and a clearer head than I had in a long time.
Kurt Grover
Sr. Director, Global Strategic Alliances
When I joined Rakel on the Laugavegur trail, I was navigating a period of reflection around growth and major life direction. The physical challenge created a level of presence and honesty that no boardroom could replicate. When I joined Rakel on the Laugavegur trail, I was navigating a period of reflection around growth and major life direction. I wanted an experience that would challenge me enough to create real perspective. The Laugavegur is stunning, but it is also demanding, unpredictable, and humbling. The physical challenge created a level of presence and honesty that no boardroom could replicate. Rakel has a rare ability to read people, energy, and situations with precision. She knew when to ask a hard question, when to push, and when to create space. It was absolutely substantive - intentional, serious, and genuinely transformative.

The Source - A Spiritual Journey on the Laugavegur Trail

Summer 2027.
Up to 8 places.

Iceland - Laugavegur Trail

Register Interest

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The outer terrain reveals the inner landscape.