Landmannalaugar

Landmannalaugar is known for its hiking trails. Some routes include the hike through the Laugahraun  [ˈlœiːɣaˌr̥œiːn] lava field to Brennisteinsalda ("Sulphur Wave"), the one-hour hike up Bláhnjúkur ("Blue Peak"), and the four-hour hike to Ljótipollur  [ˈljouːtɪˌpʰɔtlʏr̥] crater lake ("Ugly Puddle"). Landmannalaugar can also be the starting point of several longer hiking trails, such as the three to four-day Hellismannaleið  [ˈhɛtlɪsˌmanːaˌleiːθ] route at the base of the Hekla volcano and the 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 of "Landmannalaugar". The standard four-day hike ends in Thórsmörk, but one or two days can be added to trek to Skógar near the coast via Fimmvörðuháls between the two glaciers, Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull.

The huts on the Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls trails are (from north to south):

• Landmannalaugar
• Hrafntinnusker
• Álftavatn
• Hvanngil
• Botnar
• Thórsmörk
• Fimmvörðuháls

Icelandic horse riding has been available in the area each summer. The horse riding trips visit places, such as Jökulgil  [ˈjœːkʏlˌcɪːl̥] (Glacier Valley), that can often be difficult to access on foot and are inaccessible by car due to no official roads. Arctic char fishing takes place in Landmannalaugar and nearby lakes. Geothermal hot springs are also present in the area and can be publicly used for bathing.[4] From late June through the summer, a shop called the Mountain Mall is operated inside a green American school bus from the 1970s, which stocks groceries and camping items. The buses operate from June through September. The hut is used as a base for cross-country skiing in the winter.[5]