Landmannalaugar

The mountains around Landmannalaugar look like someone spilled a paint box on them. Pink, orange, yellow, green and grey, streaked across rhyolite slopes, with a black lava field running through the middle and steam drifting up from the ground. People who've seen a hundred photos still stop the car and stare. The photos undersell it.

Landmannalaugar is in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve in the southern highlands of Iceland, about 180 km east of Reykjavík as the road goes, and it's the starting point of the Laugavegur trail, the 55 km, multi-day trek to Þórsmörk. It's also home to one of Iceland's best-loved natural hot springs: a warm stream at the edge of the lava where hot and cold water mix into something just right.

Tours that visit Landmannalaugar

Landmannalaugar Guided Hike & Hot Springs - From Reykjavik

14 hours · From Reykjavík

4.9(31)

From 25.990 ISK

Landmannalaugar Safari - Super Jeep day tour

12 hours · From Reykjavík

4.9(31)

From 32.990 ISK

popular

Adventure in Landmannalaugar and Hot Springs - Reykjavík and Hella

13 hours · From Reykjavík

4.9(875)

From 26.900 ISK

Landmannalaugar and the Valley of Tears

11 hours · From Reykjavík

4.9(117)

From 29.400 ISK

Landmannalaugar Hiking, Nature Bath & Háifoss Tour

13 hours · From Reykjavík

4.8(144)

From 27.990 ISK

Landmannalaugar Super Jeep from Reykjavik

11 hours · From Reykjavík

4.7(48)

From 46.125 ISK

How to get to Landmannalaugar

Every road into Landmannalaugar is an F-road. F208 and F225 are the usual routes, and F-roads mean a 4x4, legally and practically. Rental cars without four-wheel drive are not allowed on them, and the final approach has river crossings. Many people park at the lower car park before the last rivers and walk across on the footbridge rather than ford them.

In recent summers you've also needed to book a parking slot in advance for daytime arrivals, and a service fee applies to all vehicles. For summer 2026, reservations were required for arrivals between 9:00 and 16:00, from late June to mid-September. Check the current rules before you go.

The easy alternative is a highland bus from Reykjavík, around four hours each way, or a super jeep day tour that does the driving, the river crossings and the timing for you.

When is Landmannalaugar open?

Landmannalaugar is a summer destination. The F-roads usually open sometime in June, depending on snowmelt, and close again in September or once the weather turns. Every year is different, so check road.is before you plan around a date. Outside the summer season, the area is reachable only by specially equipped super jeeps or on snow, and the weather in the highlands can turn wintry any month of the year. Pack for it even in July.

Hiking and bathing at Landmannalaugar

You don't need to do the whole Laugavegur to understand the place. Short loops lead through the Laugahraun lava field and up Brennisteinsalda, the steaming, sulphur-streaked mountain that shows up on every Landmannalaugar postcard. Bláhnúkur, the steep blue-grey peak right above the huts, gives the best overview if your legs are willing. A few hours on the trails, then an hour in the hot spring, is the classic day.

The hot spring is free. There's a mountain hut, a campsite and toilets run by Ferðafélag Íslands, but no proper shop or restaurant, so bring your own food and water.

Pro tip: get into the hot spring early in the morning or late in the evening, after the day buses leave. The pool gets crowded around midday. Also, walk upstream a little: the water is warmer closer to where the hot spring comes in, and you can pick your own temperature.

Landmannalaugar tours

Tours here range from guided hikes from Reykjavík to super jeep day trips, some combining Landmannalaugar with Háifoss or other highland stops. Tours that include Landmannalaugar are below.