When in Iceland, you have to hike through its majestic and colorful valleys. And we have found the most beautiful one: towards the Reykjadalur hot spring!
The name of the valley where you can make this amazing hike is Reykjadalur, meaning Steam Valley. You will understand why it has its name when you see the valley, especially after rain or with cold weather. The Valley is filled with hot springs, waterfalls, and mud pools. These give off their heat in cold weather by means of steam. That makes the beautiful landscape even more mysterious to walk through. At the end of the walk, you will find the highlight of it all: the warm river where you can swim in!
Reykjadalur is a lesser-known attraction of Iceland. Which is weird, because it is a very unique experience, chilling in a warm river in the middle of the mighty nature of Iceland! Also, the hike towards it is one of the most beautiful, perhaps THE most beautiful hike we have ever taken!
If you are in Iceland this should be on your bucket list!
”Also, the hike towards it is one of the most beautiful, perhaps THE most beautiful ‘hike we have ever taken!”
How do you get to the Reykjadalur hot spring?
The Rekyajadalur hot spring car park is a 45-minute drive from Reykjavik along the Golden Circle route. You can find it on Google Maps by typing: Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River. And from the parking spot, it's an hour or an hour and a half hike toward the Hot Spring River.
Car rentals can be found for a great price at Rentalcars.com. Road trip!
The wonderful hike
The hike to the river is about 3 kilometers long and it takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Depending on how often you stop to take pictures of this amazing hike with breathtaking views. And of course, it depends on how trained you are. The way up is uphill but it is not a difficult trail and the path is very clear. We walked it when we were both relatively untrained and easily coped. Note that there are steep gorges and sometimes a small shallow river that you have to go through.
If you are also looking for great accommodation in Iceland, be sure to check out our recommendations!
The hot spring
The path to the river is nicely laid out with wooden planks and a fence where you can change clothes and hang your belongings. We were lucky because there weren't a lot of people in the river when we got there. We already had our swimsuits under our clothes and brought extra dry clothes for the way back. And of course, a nice warm towel to wrap around you against the chilly wind. After all, it was only 10 degrees Celsius that day. The water was nice and warm, but certainly not hot. The closer you got to the source, the warmer the water.
We truly loved the hike and thoroughly enjoyed the hot spring. All in all, it was a majestic experience!
Come prepared!
We have a couple of practical tips before you also take this amazing hike;
1. There is only one path, you start at the signpost, so you cannot get lost.
2. Depending on the season: make sure you have enough daylight for this activity (3.5 hours) so you don't have to walk back in the dark! There are no lamp posts, you are in naked nature ;).
3. There are two public toilets at the parking lot and since you will not encounter toilets during the walk and at the river, so it is smart to go in advance.
4. Don't forget your swimsuit. And bring a towel to warm up and a plastic bag to put your wet stuff back in.
5. There are no changing booths to change into. But they did make a wooden fence to keep behind.
6. The river is not warm everywhere. The closer you get to the source, the warmer it gets. This way you can completely determine your preferred temperature. So the further in the back, the warmer it gets.
7. Like everywhere in Iceland, the weather is unpredictable. We had to wait in the car first because it was raining heavily. And when it finally cleared up, we started the walk and it also remained dry. But a rain suit/coat is not an unnecessary luxury. And put on some extra layers of clothing that you can take off when the sun is shining or what you can put on if you get cold from changing outside.
Also, don't forget to bring a bunch of water and some food (like bananas, muesli bars)! It's a long walk back and forth, and you don't wanna be thirsty or feeling weak.
Njóta!
If you are also looking for great accommodation in Iceland, be sure to check out our recommendations!
More cool fun activities, events, and bucket list locations in this amazing region with GetYourGuide.
Also check out: The daylight and sunshine hours in Iceland
