Iceland attractions

Laki Craters

The Laki Craters, or Lakagígar in Icelandic, are a row of more than 130 volcanic craters running for over 25 kilometers through the highlands of South Iceland, inside Vatnajökull National Park northwest of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Today they are soft green with moss, which makes it hard to picture the eruption that started here in June 1783 and lasted until February 1784. That eruption, known in Iceland as Skaftáreldar, poured out around 14 cubic kilometers of lava and huge clouds of poisonous gas. More than half of Iceland's livestock died, and the famine that followed killed about a fifth of the population. Its haze spread across Europe and lowered temperatures far beyond Iceland. Mount Laki, the hill the fissure cuts through, has a 2-kilometer trail to the top that takes 1 to 1.5 hours and gives the classic view along the craters in both directions. Tjarnargígur, a crater holding a small pond, has an easy 500-meter path. There are toilets and picnic tables at both parking areas. Getting there takes planning. Road F206 leaves Route 1 a few kilometers west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur and runs about 50 kilometers to the craters on a rough, slow track. The national park lists four unbridged river crossings on the way, which can rise after rain, so you need a capable 4x4 and should ask at the Kirkjubæjarklaustur visitor center about conditions. The road opens only in summer, so July and August are the realistic months to visit the Laki volcano craters. Plan a full day from Kirkjubæjarklaustur, with time for Fagrifoss waterfall on the way in. If driving F206 isn't for you, a helicopter flight from Skaftafell lands near the craters and covers the trip in a little over an hour.

Landmannahellir Campsite

Landmannahellir is a campsite and hut area in a grassy mountain meadow in the Fjallabak highlands, about 11 kilometers west of Landmannalaugar. You get the same rhyolite country as its famous neighbor with far fewer tents around you, which makes it the quieter place to sleep in the area. The Landmannahellir campsite holds about 50 tents and has toilets, showers and grill areas. If you'd rather not pitch a tent, the Landmannahellir huts offer heated sleeping-bag space with running water and kitchens, and there's a stable with paddocks for horse trips. Trout fishing in the nearby lakes and day hikes on the surrounding peaks fill a spare afternoon. The service center is open from mid-June to September 16, and July and August fill up, so book ahead in peak season. Prices change each year, so confirm current camping, shower and hut rates directly with the operator before you go. Getting here takes a 4x4. Landmannahellir sits on the F225 (Landmannaleið), a highland road that usually opens in late June or early July and fords several streams, and rental contracts forbid two-wheel-drive cars on it. From Reykjavík, plan on roughly three and a half hours, and since there's no shop or gas station, fill the tank and buy food in Hella on the way in.

Langjökull Glacier

Langjökull glacier is an ice cap on the western edge of Iceland's Highlands, northeast of Gullfoss and east of Húsafell, and the closest large glacier to Reykjavík. At about 870 square kilometers, it's the second-largest glacier in Iceland after Vatnajökull, and it's the one most day trips from the capital actually drive onto. The ice cap runs about 50 kilometers between Borgarfjörður in the west and the Kjölur route in the east. Its highest point sits around 1,450 meters, and in places the ice is up to 580 meters thick. On the eastern side, outlet glaciers drain into lake Hvítárvatn, the source of the Hvítá river that later plunges over Gullfoss. You can't simply walk onto Langjökull from a parking lot. The roads that reach its edge are highland tracks and the ice hides crevasses, so the practical way up is with a tour that supplies the vehicle and a guide. Most trips start from one of two bases, Gullfoss on the Golden Circle or Húsafell in West Iceland, each about two hours' drive from Reykjavík. From Húsafell, specialist glacier trucks carry visitors to the Into the Glacier ice tunnel, a man-made passage cut deep into the ice cap. On the Gullfoss side, tours cross the glacier in converted monster trucks or on snowmobiles, and some add a Langjökull ice cave when winter conditions allow. All of these trips depend on the weather, which turns quickly at this altitude. Summer brings the longest days and the most reliable access, while winter has deeper snow and more cancellations. Pack warm layers even in July, because the wind on the ice cap feels nothing like a summer afternoon in the lowlands. A glacier trip from Gullfoss or Húsafell takes about half a day, or a full day if you leave from Reykjavík. Even without a tour, Langjökull is easy to spot. On a clear day you can see its white edge from Gullfoss, and the Kaldidalur mountain road runs right along its western side when it's open.

Laufás Turf Houses

The Laufás turf houses are a historic turf farmhouse and museum on the eastern shore of Eyjafjörður in North Iceland, about 30 km from Akureyri. From the road they look like a small village, a row of white wooden gables pressed into grass-covered walls, but behind the facade it's one farmhouse of narrow corridors and connected rooms where a priest's household of 20 to 30 people once lived. Laufás has been a church site and parsonage since the early days of Christianity in Iceland, and the National Museum records a church here as early as 1047. The farmhouse you see today was largely rebuilt in the second half of the 19th century under Reverend Björn Halldórsson, who held the parish from 1853 to 1882. Some of its timbers are thought to date from the 16th and 17th centuries. Inside, the Laufás museum is furnished the way a prosperous farm looked around 1900, with kitchens, bedrooms and the bridal room where brides got ready for their wedding. Look up at the gables for a carved eider drake, a nod to the eider nesting grounds that once earned the farm good money. The red-roofed church next door dates from 1865 and holds a carved pulpit from 1698. Laufás sits on Route 83 toward Grenivík, roughly half an hour's drive from Akureyri. An hour on site covers the farmhouse, the church and the visitor center in the old parsonage, which has a café and a local craft shop. The farm opens only in summer. In 2026 it ran daily from 11:00 to 17:00 between May 25 and September 17, and it reopens in June 2027, with prebooked groups welcome the rest of the year. A single 2,800 ISK ticket from the Akureyri Museum covers Laufás and its other museums for the whole year, and children under 18 get in free.

Laugar

Laugar í Sælingsdal is a campsite and small geothermal hamlet in the Sælingsdalur valley in the Dalir region of West Iceland, 16 kilometers north of Búðardalur. It's about two and a half hours' drive from Reykjavík, and the reason to stop is the hot water: a pool on the grounds and a saga-era hot pool on the hill above. A stream runs through the campsite and splits it into several smaller camping areas, set back far enough from the road that traffic noise stays out. Facilities are simple, with toilets, hot and cold water, electricity hookups and showers. Reception is in the lobby of the swimming pool, run together with Dalahotel on the same grounds. The pool, Sælingsdalslaug, has hot tubs and a sauna fed by water from a borehole on the property, and entry is paid separately. The bigger draw is Guðrúnarlaug, a small stone-walled hot pool rebuilt in 2009 and named after Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir of Laxdæla saga. It holds six to eight people at around 42°C and is open at all times. Camping rates and the campsite's season change from year to year, so confirm them with Dalahotel before you arrive. One night at Laugar is enough for most people, and it works well as a stop on the way north toward the Westfjords or the Strandir coast, with shops and gas in Búðardalur.

Laugar Swimming Pool

Laugar Swimming Pool (Sundlaugin á Laugum) is the municipal pool in Laugar, a small school village in Reykjadalur, North Iceland, between Goðafoss and Lake Mývatn. A single adult entry costs 1,200 ISK in 2026, which makes it a cheap, easy hot soak on the drive between Akureyri and Mývatn. The pool shares a building with the village sports hall. The main pool is a 25-meter lap pool with two roomy hot tubs and a wading pool for small children, so it works for a proper swim as well as a lazy soak, and there's a gym inside. Plan on about an hour here. Laugar lies just off Route 1, about 10 kilometers east of Goðafoss and roughly 20 minutes' drive from Lake Mývatn. From June 1 to August 18 the pool opens every day from 10:00 to 21:00. Winter hours are much shorter, with early morning and late afternoon sessions on weekdays, so phone 862 3822 before making a special trip. Children aged 6 to 17 pay 600 ISK, children under 6 swim free, and a ten-visit card costs 6,400 ISK. If you forgot your gear, swimsuits and towels rent for 570 ISK each, or 1,750 ISK buys entry with both. As at every Icelandic pool, shower without a swimsuit before you get in.

Laugarvatn Fontana

Laugarvatn Fontana is a geothermal spa on the shore of Laugarvatn lake in the village of Laugarvatn, on the Golden Circle about an hour's drive (77 kilometers) from Reykjavík. You sit in steam rising straight out of the ground, then walk a few steps into the cold lake to cool off, and the hot spring under the spa also bakes the dark rye bread it's known for. Þingvellir is 25 kilometers west and Geysir 29 kilometers east, so Fontana fits easily between the two or at the end of the loop. Plan on about two hours for a soak, longer if you add the bakery tour. The centerpiece of the Laugarvatn Fontana geothermal baths is a steam bath built over a natural hot spring, where the temperature usually sits between 40 and 50°C depending on the spring's activity. Warm baths sit alongside it, and you can go from the hot water straight into the lake. The spa reopened on August 1, 2026, after the biggest renovation since it first opened. The geothermal bakery tour is the other reason people come. Staff dig up a pot of rye bread that has baked in the hot sand by the shore, and you taste it while it's still warm. Tours run at set times each day and often sell out, so book ahead through the official website. In summer (June 1 to September 30) the baths open daily from 10:00 to 21:00, and from October to May from 11:00 to 21:00. Adult admission (16 and over) is 7,490 ISK, youth tickets (ages 6 to 15) are 4,990 ISK, and children 5 and under go free. From late fall, closing time comes well after dark, so on a clear night keep an eye out for the northern lights.

Laugarvatn Swimming Pool

Laugarvatn Swimming Pool is the municipal pool in the village of Laugarvatn on the Golden Circle, part of the Bláskógabyggð sports center at Hverabraut 2. It has an outdoor pool, hot tubs and a steam bath for 1,250 ISK, which makes it the budget alternative to Laugarvatn Fontana down on the shore. The sports center also has a gym and a sports hall. It's a plain pool used mostly by people who live in the area, so don't expect a lagoon or a café. What you get is hot water and a quiet hour for a fraction of the spa price. Laugarvatn sits between Þingvellir and Geysir, about an hour's drive from Reykjavík, so the Laugarvatn pool works well as a late-afternoon stop after the sights. An hour is enough for a swim and a sit in the hot tubs. As at every Icelandic pool, you shower without a swimsuit before getting in. The winter timetable for fall 2026 is Monday to Thursday 13:00–21:00, Friday 13:00–18:00, Saturday 10:00–18:00 and Sunday 13:00–18:00, so on weekdays it doesn't open until 13:00. Summer hours are announced separately each spring, and holiday opening can change, so call 480 3041 before a special trip. Under the 2026 tariff, adults aged 17 to 67 pay 1,250 ISK and children aged 10 to 16 pay 600 ISK. Younger children, seniors and disabled visitors swim free. A 10-visit adult card is 7,350 ISK, and swimsuits and towels can each be rented for 810 ISK.

Laugarás Lagoon

Laugarás Lagoon is a geothermal lagoon on the bank of the Hvítá river in Laugarás, a small greenhouse village beside the old bishop's seat of Skálholt in South Iceland. It opened on October 15, 2025, and spreads its water over two levels, with a waterfall about 6.6 meters long pouring from the upper pool into the lower one. The layout rewards a slow lap. A secluded grotto sits in the lower corner, the forest pool backs onto a small stand of trees, and the infinity edge looks straight out over the river. Two swim-up bars serve drinks in the water, and at the edge of the woods a sauna house has a dry sauna, a steam bath and a cold plunge pool. The water stays at about 38–40°C all year. The lagoon is at Skálholtsvegur 1, about 94 kilometers from Reykjavík, roughly an hour and 20 minutes by car, and Selfoss is closer to 40 minutes away. Buses 72 and 73 do reach Laugarás, but they run infrequently, so plan on driving or joining a tour, and park right outside. Prices are dynamic. Birki, the basic entry, runs 6,900–9,900 ISK, and Lerki adds a towel and one drink for 9,400–12,400 ISK. Ösp also includes a two-course lunch at Ylja, the on-site restaurant led by chef Gísli Matthías Auðunsson, for 15,900–18,900 ISK. If you book Birki, bring a towel or rent one for 1,200 ISK. From August 15 to November 1, Laugarás Lagoon is open daily 10:00–21:00, with last entry at 19:30. Winter hours, November 2 to April 30, are 10:00–20:30 with last entry at 19:00, and shorter hours apply on December 24 and 31. Children under 5 can't enter the water, and ages 5 to 15 must come with an adult. There's no time limit inside, so two to three hours is a comfortable visit, longer with lunch. Book ahead, since time slots sell out and there's no luggage storage. Compared with the Secret Lagoon across the river near Flúðir, Laugarás is newer and more polished, while the Secret Lagoon is simpler and older.

Laugavegur

Laugavegur is the main shopping street in downtown Reykjavík, running east from Bankastræti toward Hlemmur. Most first evenings in the city end up here, where visitors and locals cross paths over wool sweaters, cinnamon buns and a first round of craft beer. The name means "wash road." It once led out to the hot springs in Laugardalur, where the women of Reykjavík carried the town's laundry to wash it in the warm water. The old washing pools, Þvottalaugarnar, can still be seen in the valley today. Walk Laugavegur street from the downtown end and you'll pass Icelandic design and wool shops, outdoor clothing stores, bookshops and souvenir stores, with bakeries, cafés and restaurants in between. The lower stretch, from Klapparstígur to Frakkastígur, has been a permanent pedestrian street since 2020, so you can browse without dodging traffic. Hallgrímskirkja is a few minutes' walk uphill along Skólavörðustígur, which branches off where Laugavegur begins. Laugavegur works all year, and strolling it costs nothing. Daytime is best for shopping, since opening hours vary from store to store, and Reykjavík nightlife picks up after dark when the bars along the lower end fill, especially on Friday and Saturday. Give it an hour or two, longer if you stop to eat. One warning for trip planners: this shopping street has nothing to do with the Laugavegur hiking trail, the multi-day trek between Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk in the highlands. If you're booking a guided trek, make sure you're looking at the trail.

LAVA Centre

The LAVA Centre is a volcano and earthquake exhibition at Austurvegur 14 in Hvolsvöllur, right on the Ring Road in South Iceland, about an hour and a half east of Reykjavík. It's the best indoor stop on the South Coast for understanding the landscape you're driving through, since Hekla, Katla and Eyjafjallajökull all sit within view of the building. Inside, interactive rooms walk you through how Iceland formed over millions of years, where its earthquake zones run and how the hot spot beneath the island feeds its volcanoes. You can touch different types of lava and tephra, follow live monitoring of active volcanic systems, and see the Fiery Heart of Iceland, a 12-meter installation. The geophysicist Ari Trausti Guðmundsson wrote the exhibition, and the center opened in 2017. A panoramic cinema shows a film about Iceland's most recent eruptions, and you can buy a cinema-only ticket if you're short on time. When the weather is clear, finish on the rooftop observation deck for a 360-degree view toward the volcanoes themselves. Seljalandsfoss is about 20 minutes farther east, which makes the exhibition an easy first stop on a South Coast day. The LAVA Centre is open every day of the year, and a rainy afternoon is when it earns its place on the itinerary. Tickets for the full experience cost 5,200 ISK per adult, while the film alone is 2,000 ISK and a family pack is 13,000 ISK (October 2026 prices). Opening hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. from June through August and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year. Allow at least an hour for the exhibition and film together.

Lágafellslaug

Lágafellslaug is the larger of Mosfellsbær's two public swimming pools, at the Lágafell sports center at Lækjarhlíð 1a, about 15 minutes' drive northeast of central Reykjavík. Local families fill it most afternoons, and it's one of the best-equipped pools in the capital area. Outside you get a 25-meter competition pool, a children's pool, a wading pool and three waterslides. The hot tub area has two hot tubs, one with massage jets, and a cold tub for contrast. Indoors there are three kinds of steam room, one of them infrared, plus an indoor pool that is reserved for school swimming on winter weekdays until 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. The Lágafellslaug pool also uses a chlorine system designed to cut the by-products that bother swimmers who react to regular chlorine. That makes it a good pick if indoor pools usually leave your eyes and skin irritated. Winter hours run Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekends from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Summer hours can differ, so confirm them with the pool before a June to August visit. Weekday evenings are the quietest time, while weekend afternoons draw a crowd to the slides. A single adult ticket costs 1,300 ISK, and children under 18, people aged 67 and over and disabled visitors swim free. Towel and swimsuit rental is 1,100 ISK each, so bring your own if you can. As at every Icelandic pool, you must shower without a swimsuit before you get in. Mosfellsbær sits on Route 1 where the road leaves the capital for Hvalfjörður and the west, which makes the Lágafellslaug swimming pool an easy first or last stop on a road trip. The trailhead for Esja is about 10 minutes up the road, so the hot tubs work well after a hike. Strætó buses from Reykjavík also serve the town, and an hour or two is plenty for a swim and a soak.

Látrabjarg Cliffs

The Látrabjarg cliffs are a 14-kilometer wall of sea cliffs at the western tip of the Westfjords, marking the westernmost point of Iceland. They rise up to 441 meters above the sea, and in summer their ledges fill with nesting seabirds. Látrabjarg is one of the largest bird cliffs in Europe, home to puffins, razorbills and guillemots. Puffins dig their burrows in the grassy cliff top, so you can often watch them at close range near Bjargtangar lighthouse at the western end. That closeness is the reason people drive this far. The nesting season runs from May 15 to September 15, and early summer is the best time for Látrabjarg puffins. Since March 2021, about 37 square kilometers of land and sea here have been a protected nature reserve. Stay behind the safety barriers, keep to marked paths and use a zoom lens instead of edging closer to the birds or the drop. To get to the Látrabjarg cliffs, turn onto Route 62 near Flókalundur and drive about 40 minutes, then follow Route 612, a narrow gravel road that takes roughly another hour to reach the lighthouse. Patreksfjörður is the nearest town for gas and food, and Rauðisandur beach branches off the same road. In winter the gravel can be slow or impassable, so check the official road-conditions map before you set off. Plan on one to two hours for the cliff-top path that runs east from the lighthouse parking lot. Camping isn't allowed in the reserve and pets are banned during the nesting season, while drones need a permit from the Environment Agency of Iceland.

Lónsá Campsite

Lónsá Campsite is a small campground at the farm Lónsá on the northern edge of Akureyri in North Iceland, run alongside Lónsá Guesthouse. Staying here means quieter nights than in town, with groceries and restaurants a short drive away. Lónsá is just off Route 1 as it leaves Akureyri to the northwest, about 5 minutes' drive from the town center and around 4.5 hours from Reykjavík. That makes it handy for a night on the Ring Road, or as a base for day trips around Eyjafjörður and east to Goðafoss. The guesthouse is the main business at Lónsá, and current camping details are hard to pin down. Prices, facilities and opening dates are not published, so call or email Lónsá Guesthouse before you arrive to confirm that pitches are available. If you need a larger campground that is open year-round, Camping Hamrar by the Kjarnaskógur forest on the south side of town is the safer choice.

Lýsuhólslaug

Lýsuhólslaug is a geothermal swimming pool at the Lýsuhóll farm on the south side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, filled straight from a mineral spring. No chlorine goes in, so natural algae turn the water green and leave it feeling soft, which is exactly why people stop. The complex, also known as Lýsulaugar, has a large pool that usually sits at 28–34°C, two hot tubs at roughly 38–40°C and 40–42°C, and a cold tub at 4–6°C. Because everything depends on the natural source, temperatures can drop on windy or rainy days. Wednesday evening is the usual cleaning night, so the big pool may not be full the next morning. Lýsuhólslaug is just off Road 54, about 2 hours and 15 minutes from Reykjavík and roughly 20 minutes east of Arnarstapi. It makes an easy break on a Snæfellsnes loop, after the beach at Ytri Tunga or the black church at Búðir. The pool is a summer operation, open daily from 11:00 to 21:00 between May 15 and August 31 in 2026. Posted 2025 prices were 1,800 ISK for adults and 500 ISK for ages 10–17, with free entry for younger children. Plan on an hour, and note that in the last week of August the large pool may close for school swimming lessons while the hot tubs stay open.

Malarrif Lighthouse

Malarrif Lighthouse is a white concrete tower on a lava headland at the southern tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, almost directly below the summit of Snæfellsjökull. It makes a quick, easy stop in Snæfellsjökull National Park and marks the start of one of the best short coastal walks on the peninsula. The first light at Malarrif was built in 1917, and the current tower replaced it in 1946. Because it still works as a navigation light, you can't go inside, but you can walk right up to its base and along the cliff edge. People fished from this headland for centuries, and the national park's visitor center beside the lighthouse has an exhibition on the area's nature and its old fishing station. From the lighthouse, a marked path follows the coast east to the basalt sea stacks of Lóndrangar, which rise from the shore just over a kilometer away. It is an easy walk on mostly level ground. Head west by car instead and you reach Djúpalónssandur beach in a few minutes. Malarrif sits about 2 kilometers down a side road from Route 574, roughly 10 minutes west of Arnarstapi and about 3 hours from Reykjavík. The national park is open all year and free to enter. In summer the visitor center opens daily from 11:00 to 16:00, so check ahead if you're coming at another time of year.

Mount Esja Parking Lot

The Mount Esja parking lot at Mógilsá is the main trailhead for hiking the mountain that rises across the bay from Reykjavík, about 20 minutes' drive north of the city center on Route 1. Esja is a long volcanic ridge rather than a single peak, topping out at 914 meters, and the Esjustofa café by the parking area is handy for coffee or soup once you're back down. The classic Esja hike climbs to Steinn, a large boulder below the summit ridge. The route is 6.2 kilometers with 575 meters of ascent and takes about three hours of walking. At roughly 225 meters the path splits: the eastern branch crosses a bridge over the Mógilsá river and climbs more gently, while the western branch goes straight up beside the river, and the two meet again below Steinn. Fit hikers can carry on from Steinn to the Þverfellshorn viewpoint at 780 meters, a steeper scramble with a wide view over Reykjavík and Faxaflói bay on a clear day. Many people go up one branch and down the other to make a loop. Add an hour or more if you go beyond Steinn, and pack warm layers and wind protection even in July. Esja can be hiked all year, but winter changes the rules. Once snow arrives, ice spikes are essential, and the western path is the safer choice in winter and spring because of lower avalanche and rockfall risk. Above Steinn, winter conditions are only for experienced mountaineers with proper gear. Public buses no longer stop at the trailhead, so plan on driving or taking a taxi.

Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft

The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft is a small museum by the harbor in Hólmavík, on the Strandir coast of the Westfjords, about three hours' drive from Reykjavík. It tells the story of Iceland's 17th-century witch trials, when a carved symbol or a scrap of spellbook could get you burned at the stake. The trials were real. More than 200 sorcery cases came before Icelandic courts during the 1600s, and over 20 people were burned. Downstairs, the exhibits cover magic in folklore, including a replica of the notorious necropants, while the upper floor looks at who accused and judged the condemned. One corner recreates the home of Jón lærði, a self-taught scholar who only narrowly escaped the fire himself. The nonprofit Strandagaldur has run the museum since it opened in June 2000, and its staff still research and publish on Icelandic magic. The black wooden building stands by the harbor in the old part of Hólmavík, about a kilometer in from the main road. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour inside, or longer if you eat at Restaurant Galdur, which shares the building and is open to everyone. From May 15 to September 30 the museum opens daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The rest of the year it runs from noon to 6 p.m., closing on Mondays from November through March. Admission is 1,600 ISK for adults, with discounts for students and seniors, and free for kids 14 and under. The second half of the exhibition, Kotbýli kuklarans (the Sorcerer's Cottage), sits in Bjarnarfjörður about 25 kilometers north of Hólmavík, next to Hótel Laugarhóll. It recreates how an ordinary Strandir household lived in the witch-hunt era, and entry is free.

Mælifell

Mælifell is a moss-covered volcanic cone in Iceland's southern highlands, standing alone on the black sand plain of Mælifellssandur just north of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap. In summer the moss turns bright green against the dark sand around it, and that contrast is why people make the long drive. The Maelifell volcano rises about 200 meters above the sands. It was built by eruptions beneath Mýrdalsjökull and emerged around 10,000 years ago as the glaciers pulled back after the last ice age. The moss that gives it its color is fragile and slow to grow back, so the best views are from the track at its base rather than from the slopes. Getting there is the real project. The mountain lies beside Fjallabaksleið syðri (F210), and you can also come up from the south on Öldufellsleið (F232), which leaves Route 209 east of Vík. Both are highland F-roads with unbridged rivers, so you need a 4x4 and the confidence to judge each crossing, or a seat on a guided super-jeep tour. Season matters just as much. The tracks around Mælifell are usually wet and sometimes flooded, and they are generally passable only in summer, roughly from July into early fall. Opening dates change every year, so check the official road-conditions map for F-road openings and the current weather warnings before you set out. Iceland has several other mountains named Mælifell, including one near Búðir on Snæfellsnes, so make sure the one on your map is the green cone by Mýrdalsjökull. Allow a full day from the Ring Road, because the drive in and out is slow even when the rivers are low. On a clear day, the white edge of the glacier sits right behind the green slopes.

Múlagljúfur Canyon

Múlagljúfur Canyon is a deep, moss-green gorge in the hills below Öræfajökull in Southeast Iceland, a few minutes west of the Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon. A short, steep hike brings you to the rim, where Hangandifoss drops in a thin ribbon from the cliffs, and most Ring Road drivers pass the turnoff without knowing it's there. The canyon sits between Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón. From Skaftafell it's about 25 minutes east on Route 1, and Jökulsárlón is about 20 minutes farther on. Expect about five hours of driving from Reykjavík, so most people fit it into a night or two in the area. There's no big sign. Just west of Fjallsárlón, a rough gravel track leaves Route 1 toward the hills and ends at a small parking lot. Take it slowly, since a higher-clearance car handles the ruts more easily, and check the signs at the lot for any parking payment before you set off. The Múlagljúfur Canyon hike to the main viewpoint is roughly 4 kilometers round trip and takes most people 1.5 to 2 hours. It's an unmaintained path with steep, loose sections and a few spots near the edge, so wear boots with good grip. Past the first viewpoint the trail climbs higher, with a view down the gorge to Múlafoss and out over the glacier lagoons toward the coast. The best time to visit Múlagljúfur Canyon is June through September, when the path is dry and the walls are at their greenest. Rain turns the clay slick, and snow and ice make it a poor choice in winter. There are no facilities at the trailhead, so bring water and plan restroom stops at Fjallsárlón or Skaftafell.

Nauthúsagil

Nauthúsagil is a narrow, moss-lined ravine below Eyjafjallajökull in South Iceland, where you follow a stream up to a waterfall hidden from the road. It sits behind the farm Stóra-Mörk, about 10 kilometers past Seljalandsfoss, and sees a fraction of that crowd. The name means Bull Shed Ravine, after a shed for the farm's bulls, and an outlying farm called Nauthús stood here until it was abandoned in 1770. The Nauthúsagil hike follows the stream itself, so expect stepping stones, wet boulders and a few short scrambles where chains and ropes are fixed to the walls. A small waterfall of 2 to 3 meters comes first, and you can climb up beside it to reach the larger Nauthúsagil waterfall at the head of the ravine. From the western rim you can also see a third waterfall, along with views across the Markarfljót plain toward Stóri-Dímon and Fljótshlíð. The ravine is part of Katla UNESCO Global Geopark, and its walls are tuff at the bottom with layers of lava above. A rowan tree grows on the ridge and leans its trunks over the gorge, some almost horizontally. When its main trunk broke in 1937, it was more than 90 years old, and part of it is now on display at the Skógar Museum. From Reykjavík the drive takes about two hours, with the last stretch on Route 249, which leaves the Ring Road at Seljalandsfoss and heads east toward Þórsmörk. The road turns to gravel, and the deep river crossings that make the Þórsmörk route notorious begin farther east, past the ravine. Check the official road-conditions map and your rental terms before you set out. Parking at the mouth of the ravine is free, and an hour covers the walk in and out. Summer is the easiest time, when the water is low and the ravine is green, while in May the vegetation can still look yellow. In winter the stream and falls ice over, and the rocks become too slippery for most visitors without traction. Waterproof boots help in any season, since you will step through the stream more than once.

Neslaug

Neslaug is the village swimming pool in Árnes, South Iceland, a small local pool with a hot tub and none of the crowds or prices of the big lagoons. After a day of gravel roads up the Þjórsá valley, a cheap soak here is hard to beat. Árnes sits on Route 32, about 15 minutes from Flúðir and roughly 1 hour 30 minutes by car from Reykjavík, so Neslaug is an easy stop on the way to or from Þjórsárdalur, Háifoss, or the highland roads. The pool measures 12.5 by 12.5 meters, with a hot tub beside it. The community center, a sports field, a playground, and a shop are right next door, and the Árnes campsite is a short walk away. Summer is the season to plan around, since winter opening is limited. From September 1, 2026, to May 31, 2027, Neslaug is open only on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 17:00. The municipality sets summer hours each year, so check with it before a June to August visit. Adult entry is 1,500 ISK, ages 11 to 18 and seniors 67 and over pay 500 ISK, and children 10 and under swim free. Swim gear can be rented or bought at the front desk. As at every Icelandic pool, you shower without a swimsuit before getting in.

Patreksfjörður Swimming Pool

Patreksfjörður Swimming Pool is the outdoor pool at the Brattahlíð sports center in Patreksfjörður, the largest village in the southern Westfjords, and its hot tubs look straight across the fjord to the mountains on the far shore. After a day of wind at the Látrabjarg cliffs, it is the obvious place to thaw out. Patreksfjörður is about six hours' drive from Reykjavík. The pool is on Aðalstræti, the main street along the water, and is run by the municipality of Vesturbyggð. The same building has a gym and a sports hall, plus a sauna. Most visitors use the village as a base for Látrabjarg and the red-gold beach at Rauðisandur, both within about an hour on gravel roads. That makes the pool a practical end to the day, and campers can pay for a shower without swimming. The municipality's current price list puts an adult single swim at 1,378 ISK and seniors and disabled visitors at 689 ISK, while children under 18 swim free. A shower alone costs 667 ISK, and towels and swimsuits rent for 994 ISK each. Current hours are 08:00 to 21:00 Monday to Thursday, 08:00 to 19:30 on Fridays and 10:00 to 15:00 on weekends, though they can change in summer, so check with the sports center before you go. An hour is enough for a swim and a long soak. Evenings are the quietest time, when the light over the fjord lasts late in June and July.

Petra's Stone Collection

Petra's Stone Collection is a house and garden full of rocks and minerals in Stöðvarfjörður, a small village on the Ring Road in the Eastfjords of East Iceland. Every stone was gathered by one woman, Petra Sveinsdóttir, who spent more than 60 years walking the mountain slopes around the fjords and carrying home what she found. Petra and her husband moved into the house, called Sunnuhlíð, in 1946 and planted trees around it. After he died in 1974, she opened her home and her stones to visitors, and the collection kept growing until it filled every room. Today the stones spill out into a garden of hardy Icelandic plants and imported species, including blue Himalayan poppies, with benches where you can sit for a while. What makes the stop worth it is the scale of one person's hobby, with stones in every room of the house and out across the garden. It's an easy break on a drive through the Eastfjords, and 45 minutes to an hour covers the house and garden at a relaxed pace. The museum sits at Fjarðarbraut 21, between Fáskrúðsfjörður and Breiðdalsvík, about an hour and 15 minutes by car from Egilsstaðir. Petra's Stone Collection opens daily from 9:00 to 17:00 between May 1 and October 15, and it's closed the rest of the year. Admission is 2,200 ISK for visitors 14 and older, while kids under 14 get in free. Kaffi Sunnó on site serves coffee from the village roastery along with soup and cake, which makes it a good place to stretch a short stop into lunch.