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This guided day hike takes you into the heart of Iceland’s Highlands to explore the colorful landscapes of Landmannalaugar. Walking along established mountain trails, you’ll cross hardened lava plains, hike through volcanic canyons, and take in views from vibrant rhyolite mountains shaped by geothermal activity.
After the hike, you can relax in a natural hot pool before returning to Reykjavík or continuing your journey independently. This tour is designed for travelers looking for an active, well-paced introduction to one of Iceland’s most unique hiking areas.
Experience a scenic hike in Iceland’s colorful Highlands. The tour begins at the Landmannalaugar campsite, located in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve. From here, your group sets out on a guided hike that lasts around four hours, depending on pace and trail conditions.
Expect to cover approximately 8–10 km (5–6 mi) on established mountain trails. You’ll cross the Laugahraun lava field, pass through Vondugil canyon, and hike up Mt. Brennisteinsalda, a rhyolite mountain known for its bright mineral colors. The trail then descends into Graenagil (Green Gorge), where green-tinted rhyolite cliffs shape the landscape.
After the hike, you’ll have time to relax in the natural Landmannalaugar hot pool, located beside the Laugahraun lava field. Soaking in the warm water is a rewarding way to end your Highland hike.
Landmannalaugar is located in the southern Highlands of Iceland and is known for its striking volcanic landscapes. The area sits beside the Laugahraun lava field, formed by an eruption in 1477, which stretches across the valley floor as dark basalt rock.
Rising above the lava plain are colorful rhyolite mountains, formed from silica-rich volcanic rock and stained in shades of red, green, pink, and orange by embedded minerals. Their vivid colors contrast sharply with the black lava below. At the base of the mountains, a natural hot spring forms the Landmannalaugar hot pool, where visitors can soak in warm geothermal water at a consistent temperature of 36–40°C (97–104°F).
This day hike can be booked with or without pickup and drop-off in Reykjavík. If you are not driving to the meeting point, please make sure to add a pickup option during booking.
Guests traveling from Reykjavík will ride the Highland Bus to Landmannalaugar. After the hike, the return journey to Reykjavík is on the same bus.
Pickup times and meeting points in Reykjavík (7:00–7:30 AM)
Pickup times and meeting points outside Reykjavík
If you are driving to Landmannalaugar independently, please meet your group at 11:30 AM in front of the Main Hut at the Landmannalaugar campsite. This location serves as the main meeting point for guided tours in the area.
Reaching Landmannalaugar requires a 4×4 vehicle that is approved for driving on Iceland’s mountain F-roads, which are unpaved highland roads open only in summer. Please note that standard vehicles are not permitted on F-roads.
Prefer to travel light? You can rent waterproof pants, jackets, and hiking boots at checkout or add them via My Adventures after booking.
This tour is suitable for hikers of all experience levels. A moderate level of fitness is recommended, as the hike covers about 8–10 km (5–6 mi) on uneven terrain. You should be comfortable walking for several hours at a steady pace.
The duration of this tour is 5 hours when meeting at Landmannalaugar, and 14 hours with a pickup from Reykjavík.
The pickup time is stated on your voucher and therefore we recommend you to review your voucher carefully. We ask all participants to be ready from the start of the pickup time indicated as you may well be the first pick up of the day. Please be at your assigned location at the right pick up time that you chose when booking the tour.
Wait for your guide at your assigned pick up location.
Have your email and phone number listed with us so we can contact you if we run into any trouble finding you.
View our pick-up locations in Reykjavík.
Alcohol is prohibited on all of our tours before and during activities. If we find the participant to be intoxicated, we will prohibit them from taking part in the activity.
After the activities of the day are finished then you are more than welcome to have a drink and relax.
Yes, we do have a tour into Langjökull Ice Cave that has no minimum age and it is a fantastic option for the whole family. As a Whale Watching with our partner company Special Tours, enjoyable tour for a family traveling with young children, these guys have an enormous success rate in seeing whales (upwards of 98% in the summertime).
If you want to explore parts of Icelandic Highlands than we have our magnificent Landmannalaugar Safari tour that also offers you to bathe in natural hot springs. Almost all of our jeep tours are suitable for children over the age of 6 years old. Then we also have a relaxing experience that we highly recommend, our Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon tour.
Yes, we have specially trained and certified guide on all of our tours, expect on our self-drive tours.
All of our tours are English guided.
No, for all your questions and concerns you would need to contact our customer service.
We have four different categories that help participants to get a better understanding of what to expect from the tour. The categories are Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Demanding. All of our tours are rated to make it easier for you to find a tour that suits you.
For further information about the difficulty ratings and descriptions.
We use a 4*4 highland bus company to transport us to the amazing Landmannalaugar and yes, we will be making a short restroom break at a roadside shop where you can also purchase a lunch to bring on the tour.
We hike about 8 km. which is around 4 hours of hiking including a lunch break. The elevation gain is about 4-500 m. going to approx. 890 m. above sea level.
You will need a 4*4 jeep to drive the roads to Landmannalaugar. These are rough F-roads and many car rental companies don’t allow you to drive on these roads so be sure to contact them beforehand to make sure it is permitted. These roads take longer to drive so make sure you allow for plenty of time. If you arrive before the group then you are in luck, enjoy the scenery and breathe the fresh highland air – you won't regret spending some extra time in this beautiful area!
