One day in Landmannalaugar: Hiking the Laugahraun Trail, Driving F-Roads, Haifoss, and Hot Springs (Full guide and photos)
Ever since the first images of the Icelandic Highlands first appeared on my phone in the late 2010s, I was hooked on this alien-looking landscape. I had to go, I told myself. Well, my 2019 trip came and went, and I didn’t get to visit.
Thankfully, in 2023, my dream to visit Landmannalaugar and the Iceland Highlands materialized. We had a crazy day, let me tell ya. We started our day in Varmahlíð, on the north side of the island. Then we did something wild. We drove the longest F-Road in Iceland, the F35, across the heart of Iceland, connecting it with Gulfoss, before wrapping around another mountain to head to Landmannalaugar.
It was truly an obscene amount of driving for one day. It ended up being 342km/212 miles, which isn’t a ton. However, after being on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere for a while, once we reached the Landmannalaugar campground at 10:30pm, we were exhausted.
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1 day in Landmannalaugar and hiking the Laugahraun Loop Trail
Once we arrived at the Landmannalaugar parking lot, we had a decision to make. Cross the creek to the actual campground or camp right in the parking lot. After looking at the water depth and flow rate, we decided to play it safe and stay where we were. Even though we had a 4×4 camper van with a snorkel, we didn’t want to risk it.
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Thanks to the midnight sun, we had no limitations on our adventures. At around 11pm, we gathered up our hiking gear and set out to hike the Laugahraun Loop trail. We saw one other person in the area. Otherwise, the entire area was ours.
Laugahringur/Laugahraun Loop Trail with Photos
The Laugahringur /Laugahraun Loop trail (not really sure what the true name is) is a three-mile loop, starting and finishing at the Landmannalaugar village area. We went clockwise, heading out behind the showers and starting the hike.
One important thing to know about the trail is that small orange signs guide it. If you follow those, you shouldn’t get lost.
After a short walk, you’ll turn right into a small valley and follow the creek upstream. After a bit, the landscape will begin turning more volcanic. At the mile mark, you’ll enter a volcanic rock zone.
This was incredibly cool. If you look around, you’ll begin to see the smoke plumes emitting from the ground and the side of Brennisteinsalda further down the trail.
Once you hike through the volcanic rocks, you’ll walk through a sandy, open area, heading straight to the white smoke-like emissions. It will smell pretty bad. But it’s also a super unique place to be! This is also the exact halfway point of the trail.
From here, you’ll begin heading down and back towards the camping area. By 2am, the light was fading more, and fog slowly rolled in. Yet, we didn’t need any headlamps.
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Landmannalaugar Hot Springs/Bathing Place
I call it a hot spring, but Google Maps calls it a bathing place. Whatever it is, we went in it!
At 3am, we changed clothes on the deck and slowly walked in. Surprisingly, the water is not warm near the steps. You have to wander out 20 yards to where another creek feeds into the main water area to find heat.
We planted ourselves right in front of the main hot water source, but even that did not guarantee warmth. You’d get periodic cold currents (or hotter currents). After 35 minutes relaxing under the faint morning glow at 3:30am, we dried off and headed back to the campervan.
It had been one heckuva day, but it lived up to everything I could have hoped for. Getting to spend time in the Icelandic Highlands was incredible, and it spurred a bigger drive to come back down the road.
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Hotel Reykjavik
Tour options to visit Landmannalaugar in one day
Looking to visit the highlands but not drive? Makes sense. So, book a tour and find yourself on an epic adventure. Here are five specific ones that should work out well for you:
8 Hour tour into the highlands in a Super Jeep
13 hour hiking tour into Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar Hiking, Hot-Springs & Haifoss Waterfall tour
Different area to explore in the Icelandic highlands but looks really cool
Cheapest way to visit: Take a bus from Reykjavik and then take another one back – they run once per day.
One day in Landmannalaguar: Photos You’ll Love
More photos to help inspire your trip to the Icelandic Highlands!
Important things to know about visiting Landmannalaugar
What is an F-Road? How bad is this standard route to Landmannalaugar?
An F-Road is a designation in Iceland that tells the driver they will be on tougher terrain. Most of ht time, F-Roads are bumpy, rocky, sandy, or have water crossings.
There are no official levels of F-Roads. The one into Landmannalaugar would be on the easier side, especially if you take F-208 to F224. It has no water crossings, and I didn’t find it too sandy for our campervan. It was incredibly bumpy and everything rattled in the van. So that was annoying! (If you want to do F225, you will have two water crossings. They tend to be on the more gentle side, but it’s all dependent on current melt rate and seasonality.
Can you get to Landmannalaugar without a 4×4?
If you’re renting a car, they place strict limits on where you are allowed to drive. Unless you have a truck/jeep/4×4, you will not be allowed to drive on an F-Road. Now, some F-Roads, like F35, that we drove from the north had no water crossing and honestly was very chill. We saw normal cars driving on it.
That said, F-Roads tend to be that way due to sand and other terrain issues. The route to Landmannalaugar is totally fine, but some sandy places made me nervous.
Overall, the short answer is no, you cannot drive on F-Roads without a 4×4. (But that doesn’t mean your car will be swallowed up and spit out by the F-Road demons.)
Can you camp here?
Yes! There’s a campground here, like in many other places in Iceland. They have showers, drinking water, and even a little snack shop (I think). They have a per-night fee of around $20, offering a magical place to pitch a tent or sleep in your camper van.
What is there to do once you reach Landmannalaugar?
Once you reach the Landmannalaugar area, it is ripe for exploration. You can do the route we did, or venture out for harder, more scenic views. Here’s a handful of trails to check out. There are 5-8 mile options that would get you away from many of the usual crowds.
You can also go into the bathing pool. Remember, most of it is not hot, so it may actually feel nice after a long day of hiking if temperatures are somewhat warm.
This is a much more niche hike, but you can go from Landmannalaugar to Thorsmork as a thru-trek. It’s 35 miles from point to point, taking you through ridiculously beautiful terrain. For most people, this is a three-day hike.
What is there to see as you drive to the Icelandic Highlands?
This is why this area is so amazing. First up is Haifoss. This might be my favorite waterfall in Iceland. While the waterfall is off a dirt road, it’s not an F-road, and any car can make it. It’s also 20 minutes before you turn off for Landmannalaugar, so you’ll be driving a paved road for that part.
Next up is Sigoldufoss, a turquoise waterfall. You can walk down to it, or you can view it from above. Nothing special, but it does make for a nice stop to stretch your legs before heading out on the dirt road.
After that is the Valley of Tears. We parked here and I droned it. You can also walk out about a mile. We were short on time and stayed put.
Further down the road, much closer to the final destination, is Hnausapollur (Bláhylur) View Point. We also stayed down below, and I got the drone up. But you are able to drive up to the crater’s edge and look out. (We were a bit risk-averse in the heavy van and didn’t want to push things too far.)
There are an incredible number of things to see in the area. If you buy my guide, you’ll get all of my Iceland pins for epic photo spots.
Are the Icelandic highlands worth it?
Heck yes. Full Stop. The Icelandic Highlands are incredible thanks to their diverse features, lakes, and crazy colors. I find them to be some of the most picturesque sights on the planet. However, I will say that they do look a heckuva lot better from the air.
I’m head over heels for this place because of my drone. If you don’t have one, you may not feel the same way. Still, I think you’ll love it, and the Highlands and Landmannalaugar are totally worth it; especially if you hike up to the top of the mountains around Landmannalaugar. You’ll get a cool perspective up there.
Final Thoughts on Exploring Landmannalaugar in One Day
The Highlands are definitely a bonus place to visit in Iceland. Most people who visit head to the Southern Coast, checking out Vik, Diamond Beach, and the glacial lagoon.
But if you have time or are looking for a more rugged adventure, I highly recommend spending a day or two visiting Landmannalaugar. You won’t regret it, and you’ll experience a different type of Icelandic traveler, too.
Until next time, adventurers, stay safe.
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