Reykjadalur

Reykjadalur, or 'Steam Valley,' is a remarkable geothermal attraction in South Iceland, where the earth's raw volcanic forces are vividly displayed. Hike through a dramatic landscape of steam vents and boiling pools, culminating in a unique opportunity to bathe in a naturally heated river. The cascading waters seen in the image flow through mineral-rich terrain, offering a truly immersive wilderness experience.

Saga

Reykjadalur — "Steam Valley" — is the geothermal area above Hveragerði where a genuinely warm river runs through a landscape of hissing fumaroles, bubbling mud and mineral-stained hillsides fed by the Hengill volcanic system. Unlike most of Iceland's hot springs, this one asks something of you first: reaching the bathing stretch of the Reykjadalsá river means an uphill walk of roughly 3.5 km, commonly taking 45 minutes to an hour each way, from the car park above Hveragerði. The reward is a wooden boardwalk along a bend in the river where the water settles into a comfortable soaking temperature — cooler as side streams join further downstream, hotter the further upstream you wade — so bathers spread out along the bank until they find their own spot. There are no lockers, cafés or toilets at the river itself, only simple wooden screens for changing, which is part of the valley's appeal: after the climb, this remains one of the only places in Iceland to bathe for free in a genuinely wild hot river.

Aðgangseyrir

Free (small parking fee at the trailhead)

Myndavefur

Staðsetning