Reykjavík Grapevine - 31.07.2009, Blaðsíða 41

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 11 — 2009
Landmannalaugar: Closer Than You Think
So go there, right away. Or don’t
Travel | Destination
HAUkkUR S. MAGNúSSON
jULIA STAPLES
Reykjavík Downtown Hostel
Vesturgata 17 ❚ 101 Reykjavík ❚ Tel. 553 8120 ❚ www.hostel.is
Reykjavík Downtown Hostel
Your dream location in downtown Reykjavík
Enjoy the comforts of your private room
or share a room with new friends
Excellent kitchen and
common areas, WiFi
We will help to make your plans and
experience in Iceland unforgettable
Your friends at the new HI Hostel at
Vesturgata 17 look forward to welcome you
Landmannalaugar is a staple visit
for many tourists to Iceland. In fact,
some folks involved with Icelandic
tourism frequently yield complaints
that it is by far too popular, that it
feels more like a supermarket or
Disney resort than respected and
treasured nature reserve during the
peak months of summer.
So it is maybe questionable of us
to be running an article – during the
apex of the tourist season, no less –
proclaiming how utterly breathtaking
and awe-inspiring Landmannalaugar
is, and how easy it is to get there
on your own. Far easier than most
visiting travellers believe, at least
according to a lot of the enquiries
that come our way every now and
again, Landmannalaugar is indeed
very much within anyone’s reach.
You don’t even need a crazy
mountain jeep or anything. A normal
car will do, even a tiny one if you pick
the right roads. Of course, you can
always take a bus or tour service or,
hell, try and hitchhike. In any case,
getting there is easier than you think.
Going the easiest, most car-
friendly road, Landmannalaugar is
around 200 km from Reykjavík. You
simply drive west on Miklabraut,
take a right on the Vík exit and keep
driving on route 1 until you reach the
turn to route 30. Exit at route 32, then
go route 26 for a while. There are
signs on the way, but do bring a map.
Finally you’ll get to route 208, and
you pretty much take that ‘till you’re
there.
This amounts to around 2-3 hours
of driving, depending on your speed
and road conditions. This means
that you can go there for a simple
daytrip or short hike and be back in
101 in time for that FM Belfast show
– there’s no need to pack camping
equipment or provisions or anything.
Once there, look around. Walk
around. Check out the campsite,
pitch your tent if you brought one
(and remember to pay the fee). There
are good people from Ferðafélag
Íslands operating the campsite and
huts on location that will provide
guidance and answer most of your
questions.
There is a nice old billboard there
that marks the hiking trails in the
area. You of course brought along
your hiking boots, so put them on,
pick a suitable hike and hike it. This
will blow your mind. After your hike,
why not bathe in the hot spring on
location? Or feast on some BBQ? Or
just stare into infinity, wondering why
the hell everything looks the way it
does. Pretty much whatever you’ll
get up to in Landmannalaugar will be
good.
Anyway, if you go there, you
gotta promise to be respectful.
Landmannalaugar is a haven, a
treasure; one of our world’s many
reminders of how utterly beautiful life
can get (and death, and desolation.
It is a pretty desolate place). You
should treat it as such. Don’t leave
any garbage or waste. None at
all. Don’t be loud or bothersome.
Remember that those present
are probably there to experience
something otherworldly and
transcendent. Respect that. Do not
stray from the trodden path, do not
leave anything behind and do not
take anything with you, save for a
sense of calm and well-being.