Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar is a campsite located within the Torfajökull central volcano. The location is a remote, beautiful and unique part of Iceland. It is a natural haven for volcanologists, walkers and photographers.
This page is based on my experiences at Landmannalaugar during the summers of 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013. Although, I have tried to provide the most up to date information, if you are thinking of visiting Landmannalaugar yourself (and I strongly recommend that you do), please also check out the official websites involved (some of which I have provided links to).
Footpaths
Horses
Shop and cafe
Busses
Camping
Toilets and showers
Hut accommodation
Warden's hut
Natural
hot spring
Laugahraun
See below for more information (or click on underlined words to follow links)
Things to do
Walking
There are many great walks that you can do from Landmannalaugar. Some are hilly, some are flat, some are short, some are very very long but they all guarantee fantastic scenery!! Landmannalaugar is a big trove of hidden treasures; I have spent many months 'living' at Landmannalaugar campsite but there are still many valleys and hill tops I've yet to explore. Here is a useful map of the area and the slideshow below shows some of the places that you can walk to from Landmannalaugar.
Landmannalaugar is also the base for arguably Iceland's most famous walk: the Laugavegur. Named after Reykjavik's main shopping street due to its popularity, the Laugavegur is a 53 km hike from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk (now with an optional 25 km extension to Skogar). This gruelling yet beautiful hike is designed to take 4 days with various huts/camp sites to rest at en route. For more information click here.
Photography
The scenery at Landmannalaugar is incredible. There are mountains galore of all sizes, shapes and colours (literally), abundant Icelandic moss, bubbling streams, countless birds and amazing fields of cotton grass. Couple that with the lighting, clouds and atmosphere only Iceland seems capable of and it's impossible not to come away with a few descent photographs!
Accommodation
Camping
I'll never forget the first time I saw Landmannalaugar campsite. After driving for hours through the middle of no-one, on dirt tracks, you emerge at this metropolis of tents. The ground is quite stony (bring some strong pegs) and if you want a lie in bring some ear plugs but there's plenty of space, the people are lovely and the facilities are good (see below).
See the friendly people at the warden's hut to pay for camping.
Horse riding
For most of the summer, a group of horses are based at Landmannalaugar. These are used to take tourists on guided walks. There are a variety or routes, lengths, difficulties and prices.
Tours can be arranged by speaking to Guðný Eiríksdóttir who lives in the bus next to where the horses are stationed. They are suitable for experienced riders but also complete novices like me (see photo above), although it's probably best to speak to Guðný first if you are not a confident rider.
The tours are a great way of seeing more of Landmannalaugar in a shorter amount of time. You can also see places that would be difficult or less pleasant to access on foot e.g. places that involve multiple stream crossings. Not only do the horses grant you access to some pretty unique places, Icelandic horses in themselves are quite special.
Hot pool
What better way to unwind after a hard days walking/riding/shooting pictures than to relax in Landmannalaugar's geothermal hot springs. Here a very hot stream emerges from under the lava flow and mixes with a cold stream. This means that there's a gradient of different temperatures across the natural pool allowing you to just find the temperature that suits you!
In the past, there have been warnings of parasites in the pool, however, I have visited the pools many times over the years and have never been bitten.
The hut
There is a large sleeping hut at Landmannalaugar. It sleeps 75 people but I believe there are only 5 rooms so privacy is very limited. However, if you want to meet people, this is an advantage and there's plenty of body heat (as well as heating) to keep you warm. There is also a well equipped kitchen which saves cooking in the rain. Booking in advance is highly recommended - more information can be found here.
Facilities
Shop and café
There is a little shop and cafe located in two old busses on the far side of the campsite. The staff are friendly and considering its small size the shop manages to sell a surprisingly large range of both edible and non-edible items (e.g. cooking gas, woolly hats etc.). However, apart from trout which is caught locally, fresh food (meat and vegetables) is hard to come by so it's probably best to bring such items with you.
You can also by tea, coffee and hot chocolate in the shop, which can be drunk in the cafe next door. This is simply an old bus that has been refurbished with tables and chairs but what it lacks in normality it makes up for in character! This bus also contains some information about the local area in terms of flora and fauna.
Don't expect to be able to get a cooked meal from here though (beyond a sandwich or snack). If you want a proper meal at Landmannalaugar the only way is to cook it yourself... although, in my opinion, that's part of the experience.
The shop is called Fjallafang and more information can be found here.
Toilets, showers and other facilities
There are plenty of toilets in the heated toilet block. These are well looked after and cleaned daily. There is also hot and cold running water.
The toilet block also contains showers. However, you'll have to fork out a few hundred krona for just 5 minutes of hot water so make the most of it and/or utilise the natural hot spring (free), although no soap products are allowed here.
There are no washing machines, to my knowledge, however there are sinks and a few washing lines so clothes can be washed and dried the good old fashioned way.
There is a kitchen in the hut for people staying there. For campers, there are a few picnic benches amongst the huts and some of these are sheltered.
Information such as weather forecasts, bus timetables and hiking routes can be found in the cafe and/or at the warden's hut.
Getting there
By car
There are three routes to Landmannalaugar, however, these all involve F roads. An F road is an unpaved road, that may involve unbridged rivers to be forded and are only suitable for 4 wheel drive vehicles (if you're spotted driving a 2 wheel drive hire car on an F road you could be fined).
The easiest route is from the north (F208) via Hrauneyjar as there are no rivers to cross. However, I prefer the route in from the west (F225) as you drive past Hekla and can catch glimpses of some of the Rauðfossafjöll mountains. The alternative is arriving from the east (F208) past Eldgjá. Although, perhaps the most challenging of the 3 options, it is described as one of Iceland's most scenic highland roads. See pictures below.
But be aware, the roads are only open for a few months of the year. During the colder months, there is too much snow for safe passage.
By bus
Landmannalaugar is also accessible by bus. Buses connect Landmannalaugar with Reykjavík (to the west), Skaftafell (to the east) and Mývatn (to the north) as well as the towns, villages and attractions en route. Many of the buses have small stops at these locations, which allow people to get see the many other things Iceland has to offer.
For most routes, there is a daily bus, however not all buses run daily. We were nearly caught out, in this way, when trying to get from Landmannalaugar to Mývatn. (Note, that this route, takes you through Iceland's interior - a place so barren, the Apollo astronauts trained here.)
For bus timetables click here and follow the links. Note that the buses only run in the summer months.
General advice
The weather
Base level at Landmannalaugar is 600 m a.s.l. and the mountains rise a few hundred meters above this. Consequently, the temperature at Landmannalaugar, tends to be a bit colder than some of the more coastal areas. Having said that I've got some of my best sun burn at Landmannalaugar.
Like all Icelandic weather, the only thing that's predictable about it is the fact that it's unpredictable. The Icelander's have a saying: "If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes".
I can remember one day, my ear got so sun burnt that it blistered (and I don't burn easily), the next day I was shivering under a wooly hat.
So my advice: be prepared for all weather, never wear jeans (they take a ridiculously long amount of time to dry), and personally, I'm a fan of layers (and I always carry a rucksack where they can be removed to/taken from).
The wardens
If you're unsure of anything, ask the wardens. There are new faces every year, but every single time I've gone, I've met some of the nicest people I know!
If you have any comments or questions, please post them on the bottom of the page or contact me