A place called Landmanalaugar

This is a place called Landmanalaugar. I don’t know what else to say about it. I really can’t describe it, so I hope the photos help. It is AMAZING and VERY STUNNING. When I was hiking around here in the wind and rain I’d stop every now and then to look about, and regularly just drop my jaw and stare in wonder for a minute or two – it is too much to absorb, for me anyways! The colours and scale and diversity of the landscape make a big impression. I only got to see it in rain and mist and wind, so I can’t imagine how it might be in better visibility. It was certainly very surreal in the mist and rain!

There is a lot of obsidian in Landmanalaugar, and the rain makes it very reflective and shiny. The campsite at Landmanalaugar is right at the base of a huge lava floe (see the third photo here) and it’s a pain in the arse – it’s on about 1 inch of soil (if you’re lucky!) and then gravel and big rocks. It’s windy (or it was when I was there) and rainy (again, it was while I was there). So . . . pitching the tent was exciting . . . People use huge rocks to anchor their tents so they don’t blow away (since the pegs don’t get fixed very well in the ground), but a lot of the big rocks are rather porous (so not very heavy) so it’s a little comical.

There is a world-renowned hike from here to Þórsmörk that seems to take people anywhere from three to five days. I’d love to do it sometime, but want some friends to come with me – anyone interested?

There is a thermal stream nearby (from hot springs) that mixes with icy glacial water and makes a pretty decent hot bath-stream thing that people go and soak in after their hikes. It´s really nice, but very very cold to undress to your bathing-suit in the rain and wind. Not so bad to get out after a long hot soak . . . VERY NICE! If you sit for too long in one spot, or if you dig into the gravel at the bed of the stream, you find yourself getting VERY hot because of the hot springs!