A Gorgeous Little Known Geothermal Area Close to Reykjavík

Hengilsvæðið or Hengill area is a mountain area just outside Reykjavík which not many visitors are aware of. Here you’ll find beautifully rough nature. Varied mountains and cliffs. Lakes, craters and both warm and cold rivers and streams. As the area is a high-temperature geothermal area you’ll also find some spots with hot springs and boiling mud pots. A truly diverse and fascinating hiking area.

A Fascinating Hiking Area with a Big Hiking Trail Network

The icing on the cake is the hiking trail network of about 130km that makes all these magnificent places easily accessible for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts like you and me. These trails are open to the public but primarily used by locals. At least I haven’t met many tourists yet on my hikes in this area. That’s if you exclude the one in Reykjadalur which is a very popular hike among our visitors. To say the least. That’s the one that starts outside of the little town Hveragerði and leads you to a warm river you can bathe in. But more about that later in a future post. This time around I want to tell you about a little known geothermal area I discovered this summer. A hidden little gem if you ask me. A place called Hagavíkurlaugar.

Here you can find a map of all the trails in the Hengill Area

To Hike or Take a Helicopter Tour?

Last winter I read a blog where the author told about a helicopter ride she was invited on. On that ride she landed right next to a stunning geothermal spot in the Hengill area called Hagavíkurlaugar. I thought the description of this particular spot sounded very good so I was intrigued by the idea of seeing this place myself. In the blog post the author mentioned this place was also accessible by foot but that it would take a long time to do so. A long time is a relative phrase so I decided to see if I could find this place on a map. Which I did. I was happy to find out the length of the hike was well within my limits. Where as I didn’t plan on going on a helicopter ride anytime soon I decided to go and look for Hagavíkurlaugar by foot.

Here is a link to the blog I was referring to

The Hike Starts Close to a Geothermal Power Plant

The trailhead is right next to one of two Geothermal Power Plants in this high-temperature geothermal area. The one located at Nesjavellir. You start by following the blue trail marks. Please don’t make the same mistake as my friend did when she planned to hike to Hagavíkurlaugar for the first time. She turned to the left when she reached the trail and walked towards Lake Þingvallavatn instead of Mount Hengill on her right. A nice hike but not quite the one she had planned. So, remember to walk towards the mountain in the beginning of the hike, not away from it (the trail goes both ways). The total elevation on this hike is about 400m/1213ft and you start by following the trail uphill.

At some point you reach a small ridge where the trail splits in two, to left and right. Here you take the left turn to get to Hagavíkurlaugar but before you do, you should take some time to look around you. Here the earth is boiling. Especially to the right of the ridge where you’ll see steam coming up from beautifully coloured ground. You’ll also see steam straight a head in a small ravine.

From here, there’re only a few hundred meters to the destination of this hike. Please note that the trail doesn’t end there and there’s no sign that says that you have arrived. But the steam that you’ll see rise from the ground is a good clue you have reached your destination.

Hagavíkurlaugar Geothermal Area

This small but gorgeous geothermal area is like nothing else I have seen here in Iceland. It’s especially beautiful when the sun is shining. Then the colours become more vivid and the whole place looks just magical. It’s very delicate though so please watch your step. There are no paths or anything that tells you where to go. Or what’s more important, where not to go.  So please be careful and choose wisely where you put your feet down. Walk around the colourful spots, don’t step into them as they are very easy to spoil and of course you don’t want to spoil anything. We all want to be able to enjoy places like this one again and again and tell our friends about them so they can enjoy them too.

When you’ve finished exploring the area you walk the same way back to your car. Of course you could walk further if you want to. The trail does continue and can lead you to several different locations. But that would be a much longer hike. You would also have to make some arrangements regarding transport if you plan to finish in a different location from where you started.

When to go

I’ve done this hike two times, once in May and once in June. I recommend doing it in summer, June or later, when the grass has become green. The green grass really adds to the colourful experience. It’s still worth a visit in May but if I had to choose I’d choose to go in June, July or August. 

I started exploring the Hengill area systematically about 3 years ago. I’ve already covered quite a bit but have yet much more to explore. The area has so much to offer and the fact that it’s only about a 30 min drive from Reykjavík is a huge plus. Really look forward to continue exploring and possibly finding more gems like Hagavíkurlaugar. So stay tuned!

If you liked this post and think some of your friends might be interested in reading it too, please help me spread the word. I’d really appreciate it if you’d share it on social media or just send it directly to a friend,

Until next time!