Landmannalaugar

Highland hot-spring valley in Iceland's interior — rainbow mountains, the Laugavegur trek trailhead, summer only.

Landmannalaugar is a highland valley in Iceland's interior surrounded by rhyolite mountains that come in impossible shades of pink, orange, green and yellow. There's a natural hot spring you can wade to from the campsite, and the valley is the northern trailhead for the four-day Laugavegur trek to Thorsmork — one of the world's great hikes. It's not a village, not a town: it's a mountain hut, a campsite, a small cafe-shop and a car park.

Access is summer only. The F-roads (F208, F225) require a proper 4WD with river crossings and only open mid-June to mid-September (exact dates depend on snow). If you don’t have a 4WD and confidence, take the Reykjavik Excursions or Trex bus (ISK 9212-ISK 12282 one way from Reykjavik). Doubles are only in the mountain hut (Landmannalaugar Hut) or the private lodge Highland Center Hrauneyjar 40km away. Skip in winter — the roads are impassable. Suits serious hikers, photographers, and anyone with a genuine sense of adventure.

By 9pm the valley empties of day-trippers and the campsite takes on a different mood — headlamps bobbing between tents, the smell of camp stoves, a queue of hikers in flip-flops shuffling to the hot spring for a last soak before the light softens over Blahnukur. There's no bar, no restaurant, no wifi worth mentioning; entertainment is the sky and the silence. It suits people who'd rather sit on a rock watching cloud shadows cross rhyolite than sit in a hotel bar. Families with small children and anyone who needs a proper bed every night should base at Hrauneyjar instead and day-trip in.

Weather changes fast even in July — pack a proper waterproof shell, warm layers and boots that have already been broken in, because the marked trails cross scree and river gravel that shred trainers within a day. Day-trippers on the bus get roughly five hours in the valley before the return coach leaves, enough for the hot spring and the Laugahraun loop but not Blahnukur and the spring both unless you move briskly. If you're only doing one day, skip the summit push and prioritise the obsidian field and the bath — it's the better use of a short window.

Where to sleep

There are essentially two options: the Landmannalaugar Hut at the trailhead (dormitory bunks ISK 11668 a bed, book 6+ months ahead through Ferdafelag Islands) or the Highland Center at Hrauneyjar 40km northwest (ISK 21494-ISK 36846 for a room). Camping in the valley is ISK 3071 per person. Everything is summer only (mid-June to mid-September). Bring all your food — the on-site cafe is basic and closes by 8pm. High season weekends in July and August sell out the hut months in advance, so book the moment dates open; June and September have more flexibility and slightly better odds of a last-minute bunk. The campsite itself has a cooking shelter and cold sinks but no showers, and pitches are first-come outside peak weekends. For a proper bed rather than a bunk, Hrauneyjar is the better call — it stays open a little later into autumn than the valley huts do.

The essentials

Laugahraun and Brennisteinsalda loop (7 km)

Start at the Landmannalaugar campsite, walk through the Laugahraun obsidian lava field on marked trails. Continue up to the base of Brennisteinsalda (the sulphur wave) — the most colourful of the rhyolite peaks — passing through the narrow Grænagil gorge on the way up. Loop back via the hot spring for a soak. 3-4 hours moderate hiking with the best colour palette in Iceland. Bring water and a windproof, since the ridge catches wind even on calm days below.

Getting there & around

Landmannalaugar is only accessible mid-June to mid-September. F-roads F208 and F225 require a 4WD with high clearance — river crossings included. Reykjavik Excursions and Trex both run daily summer buses from BSI, 4 hours, ISK 10440-ISK 12282 one way. From Selfoss the drive is 3 hours, from Reykjavik 4-4.5 hours. There is no fuel or shop within 40km — bring everything you need. From Keflavik International Airport there's no direct link — take the Flybus into Reykjavik, then join the highland bus from BSI the same or next morning. Once in the valley there's no local transport: everything is on foot, and the return bus timetable dictates how many hours you get, usually mid-afternoon.