Landmannalaugar Hike & Hot Springs from Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.71 (225 reviews) 83% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/23

Duration14h

GroupUp to 16

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Three hours in Iceland's highlands where the mountains are painted in sulfur and rust

You hike 6.5 kilometers through Iceland's most colorful highland landscape — black lava, sulfur-yellow peaks, obsidian gorges — with a small group and an English-speaking guide. After three hours on the trail, you soak in a natural hot spring surrounded by the same dramatic scenery. The 4x4 pickup from Reykjavik is included, which means no F-road navigation or rental logistics; you just show up and hike. Bring your own lunch and waterproof gear, or rent locally with advance notice.

14h

Step-by-step itinerary

Landmannalaugar hike and hot springs

Travel to Landmannalaugar highlands
Hike 6.5 km through volcanic landscape
Explore Laugahraun black lava field
Walk through Vondugil Canyon
Climb Mt. Brennisteinsalda slopes
Descend Graenagil Gorge
Soak in natural geothermal hot pool

The Experience

"So we're really hiking up to that yellow peak?" someone asks as the 4x4 pulls into the Landmannalaugar parking area, and yeah, that's exactly what's happening. The landscape doesn't prepare you for how close it all is — the rhyolite slopes striped in sulfur yellows and mossy greens, the black lava fields spreading out like something cooled yesterday, the gorges cutting down in shades of obsidian and blue. Your guide gathers the group (small, maybe eight or ten people) and points out the route: down through Laugahraun's black lava first, then into Vondugil Canyon, up the flank of Mt. Brennisteinsalda where the colors get almost unreal, and back down through Graenagil Gorge. It's about 6.5 kilometers and three hours of actual hiking, with time to stop and look.

The hike moves at a pace that lets you notice things — the way the obsidian catches light, the steam rising from vents you can feel the heat from before you reach them, the sound of your boots on different kinds of rock. Your English-speaking guide knows the geology and the history, but doesn't lecture; they're there to answer questions and make sure nobody wanders into a hot vent. The terrain shifts constantly. You're walking through black lava that's sharp underfoot, then climbing a slope where every step kicks up rust-colored dust, then dropping into a gorge where the walls are striped like layer cake. It's the kind of place where you understand why people say Iceland feels like another planet.

After the hike, there's the natural hot pool — optional, but most people do it. You soak in water that's warm enough to stay in, surrounded by those same colored peaks, and your legs stop complaining about the climb. The whole day from Reykjavik pickup to return is around six to seven hours, depending on how long you linger in the water. If you're bringing your own 4x4 and meeting the group on-site, that works too, but the pickup from Reykjavik means you don't have to navigate the F-roads yourself or worry about fuel and timing.

Pack a lunch (the operator won't provide one), bring a bathing suit if you want to soak, and wear layers — the weather changes fast up there. Waterproof jacket and pants aren't optional. If you don't have hiking boots or waterproof gear, you can rent them locally if you ask ahead. The minimum age is ten, and you need moderate fitness; it's not technical climbing, but it is sustained walking on uneven ground with elevation gain.

What’s included

Your day includes 4x4 pickup from Reykjavik, guided hike through Landmannalaugar's geothermal highlands (Laugahraun lava field, Vondugil Canyon, Mt.
Brennisteinsalda, and Graenagil Gorge), an English-speaking expert guide, and a soak in the natural hot spring.
You'll need to bring your own packed lunch and waterproof gear; both can be arranged in advance if needed.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Arctic Adventures

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Iceland's most colorful highland landscape without arranging your own 4x4 transport or navigating F-roads — the pickup and small-group format mean you focus on the hike and the scenery, not logistics.