Landmannalaugar is a place in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve in the Highlands of Iceland. It is at the edge of Laugahraun lava field, which was formed in an eruption around the year 1477. It is known for its natural geothermal hot springs and surrounding landscape.
Landmannalaugar is the northern end of the Laugavegur hiking trail. The Iceland Touring Association operates a mountain hut with sleeping bag accommodation for 75 people and a public toilet with showers. During the tourist high season there is also a small shop there that sells coffee and basic groceries, a horse tour agency. ICE-SAR highland patrol in Fjallabak operates from here. Several bus companies have regular trips to and from Landmannalaugar during the tourist season.
Four routes lead to Landmannalaugar and one of them is accessible by regular car, though the road is rough; stones the size of fists are not uncommon, as well as washboard sections of the road. Rented cars are not allowed on either road as F roads are usually only intended for 4WD vehicles. The easiest route to Landmannalaugar is to take either Road 30 from the main road and change into Road 32, cross the Sultartangi hydro-electric dam, going onto F26, then F208 and just before arriving in Landmannalaugar, making a right turn to F224. Road 26 can also be accessed directly from Rd. 1 just before arriving in the small village of Hella, crossing through typical Icelandic farmland landscape. There are also roads leading to Landmannalaugar from the east via Eldgjá or the north via Sprengisandur, both 4WD roads only.
Landmannalaugar is famous for its hiking trails. The most popular routes include the 2 hour hike through the Laugahraun lava field to Mt. Brennisteinsalda, the 1-hour hike up Mt. Bláhnjúkur and the 4-hour hike to Ljótipollur crater lake. Landmannalaugar can also be the starting point of several longer hiking trails, such as the 3- to 4-day Hellismannaleið route at the base of the Hekla volcano and Sprengisandur route for hikers prepared to travel through the volcanic desert.
Landmannalaugar is the usual starting point for a four-day-long hiking trail called Laugavegur, whose name means “The Landmannalaugar Trail”—”Laugar” being a shortened version for “Landmannalaugar”. The usual four-day trail ends in Þórsmörk, but one or two days can be added, trekking then all the way to Skógar nearly at the coast via Fimmvörðuháls between the two glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull.
