A fantastic day tour setting out through lush farmlands to the shadow of Mt. Hekla and onward into the rugged interior where the colorful mountains and steamy waters of Landmannalaugar await!
Landmannalaugar has long been famous for its remote isolation and thermal waters. Fear, superstition and difficult access kept it a mysterious location for ages. However, at some point the secret of a hidden wonderland of color and soothing hot springs was revealed. However, even by modern four-wheel drive vehicles, getting there is still not easy, as the main road is impassable until mid-June or even early July. It is a rough gravel trail that barely qualifies as a road, and crosses several unbridged streams, saving the most challenging crossing for last. Nevertheless, this is a very popular location, and many who have made the difficult journey decide to camp and stay awhile to enjoy the site.
At Landmannalaugar there is a rustic mountain lodge, with sleeping space that books up weeks or months in advance, and bathers can use comfortable changing rooms before following the boardwalk to enter the relaxing wates of the area. Water temperature varies, as a cool stream mixes with hot springs, giving a range of lukewarm to hot.
Besides the thermal waters, Landmannalaugar is noted for its colorful rhyolite mountains and canyons. Earthen hues of orange, red and yellow mix with the occasional patch of green or outlandish blue. The colors change from one canyon to another, with the direction of sunlight influencing the scene much like way a Persian carpet changes in light. Even the short-distance hiker can witness the remarkable variety of colors and landscape that some claim resembles NASA's pictures from Mars. Here, the challenge is balancing time between hiking and / or bathing in the warm water.
After a couple of hours in the area, we return through the valley of the Þjórsá river. Along the way, is Þjóðveldisbærinn, an authentic replica of a Viking long house, at Stöng, which was devastated by an eruption of Hekla in the eary 1100's. There is an admission fee to enter, but there is no cost to see it from the outside.
Our tour ends as we travel through the area of Þrastalundur and join the Ring Road before returning to Reykjavík.
The replica long house, Þjóðveldisbærinn, shows how life was in the early 1100's at Stöng, before Hekla devastated the farm
|
|
Price: €147, minimum of 2.
Included: Certified English-speaking driver-guide, visit to Landmannalaugar, Þjóðveldisbærinn, Hjálparfoss waterfall, return to hotel(s).
Not included: food or refreshments - lunch eg. at a café along the way, or perhaps purchase sandwiches at convenience store.
Duration: 7-8 hrs depending on time spent bathing or hiking, road conditions, weather, etc.
Price subject to change due to currency fluctuation and rising fuel costs.
