Iceland > Colorful Landmannalaugar

The windows of the cottage reach down to the ground. Through these large windows, we see a cloudy sky. In the distance, there are even threatening dark clouds. Will it stay dry today? The weather app offers little help. Two different apps give completely contradictory forecasts for today. Just to be safe, we prepare for all possible weather conditions. In the cottage, we have our own breakfast. Simple. A few sandwiches, cheese, cold cuts, orange juice, tea, and yogurt. After breakfast, we drive to Hella. When we asked the owner of the cottages yesterday how long it was to drive to Hella, we were immediately corrected that it is pronounced Hetla. Icelandic remains a difficult language to pronounce. In Hella, we take a 4x4 bus to Landmannalaugar. Landmannalaugar lies in the mountainous center of Iceland and is only accessible by 4x4 vehicles. When we arrive, six buses are already waiting. We quickly park our car in one of the last free spots near the supermarket. They probably don’t like everyone parking here all day. We board bus number three. At nine o’clock, the bus departs. Just outside Hella, the bus turns onto the F26. F-roads in Iceland are off-road roads. They are usually unpaved gravel roads, often with river crossings. Not roads for our rental car. In the bus, we sit high and safe. At Mount Hekla, the bus turns onto the unpaved road. Large clouds of dust hang behind the bus. From here, it’s still 54 kilometers to Landmannalaugar. Landmannalaugar is an area of vast lava fields and hot springs. The minerals give the rhyolite mountains amazingly beautiful colors. Already from the bus, we see the colorful mountains. The clouds in the interior have lifted. It is sunny when we step off the bus around eleven o’clock. In front of us lies a campsite, an information center, and a makeshift shop created in a few green-painted old American school buses.

Iceland - Several buses run from Hella to Landmannalaugar

Apart from that, there is nothing. Actually, everyone comes here for the nature. In the area around Landmannalaugar, you can make beautiful hikes. Trips from a few hours to several days. We choose the hike to the top of the 855-meter-high Brennisteinsalda. A circular walk of about three hours via the mountain top. The first part of the hike goes through a valley. Around us, we see mountains with the most fantastic colors. How do you capture this image in a photo? Yellow sulfur spots, green moss, black and blue lava, and red iron-rich rock. Around us, we hear a lot of Dutch. It turns out we’re just catching up with a Djoser group. They are just starting their holiday. At the end of the valley, the climb up Brennisteinsalda begins. Immediately the path goes sharply uphill.

Iceland - The impressive mountains

Very steep indeed. We walk carefully uphill to ensure our shoe soles maintain enough grip. We quickly gain height. Regularly we stop to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. How beautiful it is here, and how magnificent nature can be. Reaching the top is quite a challenge. Time and again, we think we’re almost at the top, but it turns out there’s another hill behind the supposed summit. Eventually, after an hour and a half of climbing, we reach the top of Brennisteinsalda. From the top, we have a magnificent panoramic view in all directions. The descent is on the other side. It’s nice that we don’t have to walk back the same path. We pass several steaming sulfur springs. This shows that the volcano is still active. At the foot of the mountainside, we arrive at the solidified lava field Laugahraun. Between the rocks, we look for a spot for our picnic lunch. It couldn’t be more beautiful. The rest of the route goes straight through the lava field.

Iceland - A beautiful walk through Landmannalaugar

The lava comes from earlier volcanic eruptions hundreds of years ago. Red poles mark the walking route. We step from rock to rock. The lava field contains rare obsidian, smooth black glass-like rock. This forms during lava eruptions under special conditions. Around half past two, we arrive back at the parking lot. Next to the campsite lies a natural hot spring. The water is heated by the sulfur springs. We put on our swimwear and step into the warm shallow water. Wonderful to relax in the water for a while. At half past three, we report back to the bus. In two hours, we drive back to Hella. Because there is no restaurant in Hólmabæir, the village near our accommodation, we decide to eat in Hella. We choose restaurant Árhús. When we enter, the kitchen is not yet open. We have to wait another fifteen minutes until six o’clock. This is no problem. The food tastes good, but the portions are very large. We can’t finish it. From Hella, we drive back to our accommodation in Hólmabæir.

Iceland - There is a beautiful view from the top of the mountains