How to Get to Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar sits about 180 km from Reykjavik, and the last 40 of those are unpaved F-road with rivers across it. That single fact rules out taxis, coaches and any two-wheel-drive car, and leaves three real answers: the scheduled highland bus, a guided day tour, or your own 4x4. All three take between three and a half and four and a half hours in each direction, and all three only run while the road is open, roughly 20 June to 15 September.
Quick answer
Three ways get you there. The scheduled highland bus leaves Reykjavik around 07:00 in summer, stops at Hella, and reaches the campsite late morning, with the return mid to late afternoon and tickets from about 12,220 ISK one way. A guided day tour does the same drive with a guide attached, from $189 per person. Driving yourself takes 3.5 to 4 hours each way and requires a 4x4, because Icelandic law allows only 4x4 vehicles on F-roads.
Key takeaways
- About 180 km from Reykjavik, of which the final 40 km are gravel with river crossings
- Driving time is 3.5 to 4 hours each way, and the road is only open from about 20 June to 15 September
- The highland bus runs daily in summer, leaves around 07:00 and gives roughly four to five hours in the valley
- Two companies operate the bus and their timetables differ by up to half an hour at each end, so check the one you book
- Hella is the last town, the last fuel and the last shop, about 95 minutes from Reykjavik
- There is no public transport, taxi service or coach that reaches the valley outside the summer bus season
The Three Ways In, Compared
What each option gives you
The column worth reading is the last one. All three arrive at the same gravel car park; what changes is how long you get to stand in the valley before something takes you away again.
| Way in | Cost | Leaves Reykjavik | Back in Reykjavik | Time in the valley |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled highland bus | From 12,220 ISK one way | Around 07:00 | Around 20:00 | Roughly 4 to 5 hours |
| Guided day tour | From $189 per person | 07:00 to 08:00 | 18:00 to 22:00 depending on the tour | 3 to 4 hours |
| Your own 4x4 | $170 to $240 for the vehicle and day | Whenever you like | Whenever you like | As long as you want |
| Day tour from Hella | From $395 per person | Meets at Hella, not Reykjavik | 8 hours later, at Hella | About 3 hours |
Reading it
The bus gives more valley time than any guided day and costs less than most, which surprises people. What it does not give you is a guide, a hotel pickup or any tolerance for running late.
A guided Landmannalaugar tour costs more per hour on the ground and buys the driving, the parking booking and somebody who crossed that ford this week. Driving yourself buys time and costs the most in risk. The full price comparison sits in what a Landmannalaugar trip costs.
The Highland Bus
How the service actually works
Two companies run a scheduled bus into the highlands through the summer, and both use vehicles built for the F-roads rather than ordinary coaches. Departures start in the middle of June and finish around the third week of September, tracking the road season.
The shape of the day is the same on both: leave the capital around 07:00, pick up at a handful of central stops and the campsite on the way out of town, break at the Olís station in Hella for about 25 minutes in the middle of the morning, and reach Landmannalaugar in the late morning. The return leaves mid to late afternoon and puts you back in Reykjavik in the evening.
Where they differ is at the edges. One arrives around 11:00 and departs at 16:00, giving five hours. The other arrives closer to 11:30 and leaves around 15:45, giving four. Check the timetable of the operator you actually book, because that hour is the difference between the long loop and the short one.
Prices and booking
One-way tickets start from about 12,220 ISK, which is roughly $97 at the July 2026 rate, so a return lands close to the price of the cheapest guided day. Tickets must be booked in advance and sell out in peak season, particularly in the middle of July and early August when Laugavegur walkers fill the seats.
Pickup is from the BSÍ terminal, several central Reykjavik stops and the Reykjavík Campsite. You can also join at Hella, which is worth knowing if you are staying on the south coast.
Who the bus is right for
Anyone walking the Laugavegur trail, anyone camping or staying in the hut, and anyone who wants the full 9.7 km loop over Bláhnúkur and Brennisteinsalda, which takes four to six hours and does not fit inside a guided day.
It is the wrong choice if you want somebody to explain the geology, if you need a hotel pickup, or if missing the return would wreck your plans. There is no later bus.
- Runs daily through the summer, roughly mid June to the third week of September
- Leaves Reykjavik around 07:00 with a 25-minute break at Hella
- Arrives late morning, returns mid to late afternoon
- From about 12,220 ISK one way, booked ahead
- No guide, no commentary, no flexibility on the return time
The Route, Stop by Stop
Coming from Reykjavik on the northern approach, this is the order you meet things. Everything past Hella is gravel.
Driving Yourself: Routes and Times
Distances and how long each leg feels
Times assume dry conditions and no stops. Add half an hour to anything on gravel if the surface is wet or you are behind a slow vehicle, and add more if you stop for photographs, which you will.
| Leg | Surface | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Reykjavik to Hella | Paved, Route 1 | About 95 minutes |
| Selfoss to Hella | Paved, Route 1 | About 35 minutes |
| Hella to Landmannalaugar | Gravel F-roads with fords | About 75 minutes |
| Reykjavik to Landmannalaugar | Mixed | 3.5 to 4 hours |
| Vík to Landmannalaugar, southern F208 | Gravel with several crossings | 3 to 4 hours |
Which road to take
F208 from the north, reached via F225 off Route 26, is the standard approach and the one nearly every operator uses. It is shorter than the southern alternative and carries less water. The last few kilometres are F224 whichever way you come.
The southern F208, up from the Ring Road near Vík, is longer, emptier and wetter. It is a fine road with the right vehicle and the wrong one to learn on.
The rules, the insurance gap and the ford-by-ford detail are all in visiting Landmannalaugar without a tour.
Before you drive
Two checks and one habit.
- Confirm your rental contract permits F-roads, in writing, before you leave the depot
- Check road status on umferdin.is the morning you travel, not the night before
- Book the parking slot on parka.is if you will arrive between 09:00 and 16:00 in high season
- Fill the tank in Hella: there is no fuel beyond it
- Aim to reach the crossings before midday, when the water is at its lowest
- Park before the last two fords and walk the footbridge if you are in any doubt
Starting From Somewhere Other Than Reykjavik
From Hella
The best base on the south coast for this trip. It is 75 minutes of gravel from the valley, the highland bus breaks here for 25 minutes each morning, and one operator runs an 8-hour day tour that meets at the bus stop on Þjóðvegur 3 rather than in the capital. That removes roughly three hours of driving from the day. What the Hella departure actually saves you covers the detail.
From Selfoss
About 35 minutes further west than Hella, which is a manageable extra leg. One Reykjavik hiking tour lists the N1 in Selfoss among its drop-off points, so you can join and leave the day there rather than continuing to the capital. Confirm with the operator that a Selfoss drop-off is available on your date.
From Vík
There is no scheduled departure from Vík, despite the way some booking categories are labelled. The practical route from there is the southern F208, which is longer and carries more water than the northern approach, and tours filed under Vík generally gather their passengers further west anyway. If you are staying in Vík, the honest options are to drive the southern road yourself or to move west to Hella for the morning.
From Keflavík Airport
Not in one day, sensibly. The airport sits about 50 minutes the wrong side of Reykjavik, which turns an already 11 to 14 hour day into something close to 16. Sleep in the capital or on the south coast first, then start from there.
Pick Your Way In
If You want the most hours in the valley
The highland bus, roughly four to five hours on the ground, from about 12,220 ISK one way
If You want someone to explain what you are looking at
A guided day tour, from $189, which also covers the parking and the road check
If You are three or four people with highland driving experience
Your own 4x4, at around $50 to $67 each for the vehicle and the day
If You are staying at Hella or on the south coast
The 8-hour Hella departure, or join the bus at the Olís station mid-morning
If You are walking the Laugavegur trail
The bus, booked well ahead, with a hut bed or campsite pitch reserved at the other end
If You only have a two-wheel-drive rental
The bus or a tour. F-roads are closed to your vehicle by law and by your insurance
Questions About Getting There
How long does it take to drive from Reykjavik to Landmannalaugar?
Three and a half to four hours each way in dry conditions, covering about 180 km. The first 95 minutes to Hella are paved Route 1 and quick. The last 75 minutes are gravel F-road with river crossings and are considerably slower than the distance suggests. Add time for photo stops, for wet surfaces and for waiting behind slower vehicles, and treat four hours as the realistic figure rather than the optimistic one. If the road itself is in doubt, what cancels a departure covers the checks.
Can you drive yourself to Landmannalaugar?
Yes, in a 4x4, during the twelve weeks the F-roads are open. Icelandic law allows only 4x4 vehicles on F-roads, so a two-wheel-drive car is not permitted and taking one voids its rental cover. The bigger consideration is water: no standard or premium rental insurance sold in Iceland covers water damage from a river crossing, and the two largest fords sit immediately before the campsite. Many self-drivers park short of them and walk the last ten minutes over the footbridge.
Do you have to cross rivers to get to Landmannalaugar?
Yes, on every route. The northern approach via F208 and F225 carries the least water but still finishes with the two largest crossings of the whole trip, on F224 within sight of the campsite. The southern F208 from near Vík has several more. Levels rise through the afternoon as meltwater arrives and rise sharply after rain, which is why morning arrivals are easier.
Is there a bus to Landmannalaugar?
Yes, a scheduled highland bus runs daily through the summer, roughly from the middle of June to the third week of September. It leaves Reykjavik around 07:00, breaks at Hella for about 25 minutes, and reaches the campsite in the late morning, with the return mid to late afternoon. Tickets start from about 12,220 ISK one way and must be booked in advance. Two companies operate the route and their arrival and departure times differ by up to half an hour, so read the timetable for the one you book.
How long do you get in Landmannalaugar on the bus?
Between four and five hours, depending on which operator you travel with, which is more than any guided day tour allows. That is enough for the full 9.7 km loop over Bláhnúkur and Brennisteinsalda at a steady pace, or for the shorter Brennisteinsalda circuit plus an unhurried hour in the hot spring. There is no later return bus, so build in a margin rather than planning to the minute.
Can you get to Landmannalaugar by taxi or ordinary coach?
No. The final 40 km are F-road with river crossings, which ordinary vehicles are neither built for nor legally allowed on, and no taxi company runs the route. The only vehicles that reach the valley are modified 4x4s, super jeeps, highland buses and private 4x4s. Outside the summer road season, roughly 20 June to 15 September, nothing scheduled reaches it at all.
What is the last place to buy food and fuel?
Hella, about 95 minutes from Reykjavik on Route 1. It has a petrol station and a small supermarket, both within a couple of minutes of where the bus and most tours break for 25 minutes. Beyond Hella there is no fuel, no shop and no café until you return, and nothing at all is sold in the valley. The Highland Center at Hrauneyjar, further along the route, is the last building of any size but not a place to rely on for supplies.
The road is the whole story here. Whichever way you come, you are looking at three and a half to four hours each way and a hard stop at the middle of September, so pick the option that gives you the most standing-around time rather than the one that looks cheapest on a booking page. For most people that is the bus in July and a guided seat in the shoulder weeks.