Landmannalaugar (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈlan̥tmanːaˌløiɣar̥], the people's pools) is a region near the volcano Hekla in southern section of Iceland's highlands.
The Landmannalaugar area is a popular tourist destination and hiking hub in Iceland's highlands. The area displays a number of unusual geological elements, like the multicolored rhyolite mountains and expansive lava fields, not far from the service center. The many mountains in the surrounding area display a wide spectrum of colors including pink, brown, green, yellow, blue, purple, black, and white. Two of the most popular mountains among hikers are Bláhnjúkur (meaning "blue peak") and Brennisteinsalda (meaning "sulphur wave").
Tourists visit the area from June through late September, after which time the road is closed. A mountain lodge, in operation since 1951, can accommodate 78 people and has basic amenities. It is located centrally near natural geothermal hot springs, also popular with tourists.
Two 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). The easiest route to Landmannalaugar is to take either Rd. 30 from the mainroad and change into 32, cross the Sultartangi hydro-electric dam, going onto 26, 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 farmlands.
Icelandic horse riding is also available in the area. The horse riding trips visit places which can often be difficult to access on foot and not accessible by car as there are no official roads, as an example into Jökulgil (Glacier Valley).
From late June and through the summer, a couple from the Westfjords come and serve food and coffee to travelers in their green bus-shop, Fjallafang, as well as selling other things useful to travelers.
Landmannalaugar is the usual starting point for a four day long hiking trail aptly called Laugavegur, as the main shopping street in Reykjavík city center is called the same and is referred to the herds of people that walk the trail every day. The name actually 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.
The huts on the Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls trails are (from north to south):
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