For the first time I saw a photo of these mountains on the Internet a couple of years ago. I was sure it was photoshop then! It is impossible to imagine that such colors and landscapes exist in nature. But they are, and this is the Landmannalaugar National Park in Iceland.
I purposely did not edit the photo in the article. These is how the nature looks like.
Landmannalaugar is a national park. From Icelandic, the literal translation is “The bath of the men of this land.” This is because there are a lot of hot springs in the park.
Next to one of them is a camp site. It operates from mid-June to mid-September. During the rest of the year it is physically impossible to get here.
How to get to the Landmannalaugar park?
There are 3 ways to enter the Landmannalaugar park:
- from the south (F208);
- west (F225);
- and north (You start with the F26 road, then it turns into the F208).
(map on photo)
The road from the north is described as the easiest, so we chose it. First we headed to theHrauneyjar Highland Center, and from there Landmannalaugar camping.
If you drive from the north, as we did, then the nearest comfortable hotel is in the city of Fludir. From there, it’s about an hour’s drive to the entrance to the park. From Reykjavik – 2.5 hours. The closest overnight stay to the entrance to the park is Hrauneyjar Highland Center (20 minutes).
It takes about an hour to drive from the entrance to the park to the Landmannalaugar camping base. And be ready, it’s super bumpy, on the way you need to cross rivers and giant puddles. We had such an unreal adrenaline and emotions. We thought that we would not reach it, and even wanted to turn back at some point.
Useful advices!
- You can only enter the national park with a four-wheel drive car (4×4) (with gravel insurance). If you drive into the park in a rental car without four-wheel drive and gravel insurance, the fine will be huge.
- Roads to the park are open from mid-June to mid-September, depending on the weather. I advise you to check the condition of the roads on the official website before planning a trip.
- I also monitored Instagram. I looked at the marks in the stories on the geolocation of the park.
- Be sure to plan your trip so that you leave the park before dark.
And yes! Be sure to take snacks, a thermos with tea with you. And fill up the car.
Landmannalaugar camping
All hiking routes (from hourly to weekly) start from the Landmannalaugar camping base. This is a kind of field tourist center with toilets, an information point, a small shop and a campground.
Some tourists come here for a few days to do several trails. But I wouldn’t want to spend the night there.
There are 2 car parkings in the vicinity of the camp. The first before a giant puddle for smaller cars. And the second – after it for those who can cross this lake. I have a video on Instagram of how cars drive through this “puddle”. Breathtaking.
Parking costs 5 euros per car.
Hiking on the mountain-volcano Blahnjukur.
We chose a 4-hour route to the mountain-volcano Blahnjukur. There is a sign for the trail at the base. The starting point is very easy to find. Turn your back on the parking lot and go forward, pass the base, the campground will remain on the left. And after a couple of tens of meters you will see the Blahnjukur sign.
It is a circular hiking trail.
The first hour we climbed the black mountain-volcano, the landscapes were already impressive.
Then we had a picnic on the mountain.
And then 2 hours descended from the mountain with absolutely fabulous views of the neighboring mountain.
Landscapes were constantly changing, from black volcanic to colorful. At one point it was necessary to jump over a fairly wide river.
And the end of the route we went through the fields of frozen lava, on which you literally climb.
And then along the river with green vegetation, like hobbits in “the lord of the rings”.
The whole trail took us 3.5 hours. It was one of the most beautiful hikes in my life! Highly recommended!
Having descended from the mountain, we soaked for 40 minutes in a natural jacuzzi. The hot spring (40 degrees) is located at the base. More precisely, this base is built close to it.
I would also call it a place for communication. Travelers sit in hot water, drink tea and exchange impressions.
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