Landmannalaugar Day Trip from Reykjavik: 3 Hours in Colored Mountains

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/14

Duration11h

GroupUp to 19

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Colored rhyolite mountains and a soak in geothermal water, all in one day from the city.

You're picked up from your hotel and driven into Iceland's highlands to hike among multicolored rhyolite mountains and soak in a natural hot pool. The guide leads a two-hour walk up Brennisteinsalda, but you can also explore at your own pace or skip the hike entirely and relax in the geothermal water. Lunch and all transport from Reykjavik are included, and the bus returns you to your hotel by evening.

11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Landmannalaugar hike and hot springs

Travel from Reykjavik to Landmannalaugar
Join guided hike to Brennisteinsalda mountain
Explore rhyolite mountains and lava fields
Relax in natural hot pool
Return to Reykjavik

The Experience

The black obsidian lava field stretches for miles — the same volcanic glass that Game of Thrones called Dragon Glass — and it's the first thing you notice when the bus climbs into Iceland's highlands. You're headed to Landmannalaugar, and the landscape doesn't look like anywhere else on earth. The drive from Reykjavik takes time, but the window keeps changing: first the lowlands, then the terrain gets rougher, and then suddenly you're in a place where the mountains are striped with rust, yellow, and purple. That's the rhyolite, a volcanic rock loaded with iron and sulfur that makes each ridge look painted.

Once you arrive, you have over three hours to spend however you want. Most people join the guided hike up Brennisteinsalda — it's about two hours, and the guide points out how the minerals in the rock create those colors, how the 1477 eruption that formed the lava field is still shaping what you're standing on. But you don't have to follow the group. Some travelers skip the hike and just walk the easier trails, or sit by the natural hot pool and soak. The water is warm year-round, which is why the instruction to bring a swim suit and towel isn't optional — it's the whole point. You can float in geothermal water while looking at mountains that look like they shouldn't exist.

The bus has Wi-Fi and air conditioning, which matters because the highlands can be cold and the drive is long. Pickup from your Reykjavik hotel is included, so you don't arrange transport yourself or worry about finding the trailhead. Lunch is part of the day, and you're back in the city by evening. The total time is around ten hours — most of that is travel, but that's how far Landmannalaugar is, and it's the reason you need a guided group rather than trying to rent a car and navigate the rough roads alone.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from Reykjavik, round-trip transportation in an air-conditioned bus with Wi-Fi, entry to Landmannalaugar, a guided hike option up Brennisteinsalda, access to the natural hot pool, lunch, and all fees and taxes. You'll spend over three hours in the area and return to Reykjavik by evening.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Glaciers and Waterfalls

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Iceland's highlands and natural hot springs without renting a car or navigating rough mountain roads yourself — the group transport and fixed itinerary handle all the logistics, and the three hours in Landmannalaugar gives you time to hike, soak, or both.