The Landbrotalaug natural hot pool (West Iceland) is located in Snaefellsnes, Iceland and is a well kept secret you’ll want to try!
- Budget tight? Although Iceland’s Blue Lagoon close to Reykjavik is beautiful, if you’re going beyond the capital and exploring the island, Lake Myvatn’s nature baths have an extremely similar crystal blue lake of thermal pools that is heated and has all the same spa facilities. But Myvatn’s baths are
3800 ISK instead of 5.400 ISK (base package) for the Blue Lagoon.
How to have an entirely free dip in a natural hot pool West Iceland’s hiding within an hour from Reykjavik:
Materials Required:
- Smartphone for GPS
- Sense of adventure
- A car
- Shoes you won’t mind getting wet e.g. rubber boots
- BYO towels and bikini- no changing facilities, so wear your swimming things under your clothes.
Reaching Landbrotalaug’s hidden romantic hot pool north of Reykjavik:
To reach this rock pool you will need a car as its situated in the middle of nowhere, but very easy to reach from the Ring Road if you are driving around Iceland. It’s about an hour from Reykjavik, making it a hidden gem for tourists! Trust me, this romantic hideaway is worth it.
Space for 2-3 people, so you can relax in the pool with a friend or partner. Afterwards, your skin will feel soft as a baby’s bottom. No one will disturb you, except the odd sheep.
The pool is 36-40oC and feels sublime, but it’s fed by a spring that is hot enough to scald. You’ll be able to spot the spring by the steam rising off it and obviously don’t jump in that part!
This thermal pool has always been popular with locals, but is far from the tourist hot spots and so far hasn’t been a tourist trap. If you go, stay respectful to the environment and those who live here. A dip will feel delicious, and won’t cost you a penny! It’s free.
How to get there:
Step 1: Plug this into your GPS: N64°49.933 W22°19.11
Step 2: Starting from Borgarnes as your main point on the Ring Road take road no. 54 towards Stykkishólmur. After about 40 km you should make a turn by the farm Skjálg and continue about 1 km down a rustic road with no tarmac (though safe and easy to drive on). It’s more of a lane than anything.
Step 3: When you can no longer see road, park the car and turn left and head straight for the water you can see. Landbrotalaug natural hot pool lies north of Eldborg close to Haffjarðar river. Once you have circled the river you will see it on your right. Don’t be put off by some squelching, this is all part of the Icelandic spirit.
Step 4: Change behind a bush and crack open some bubbly, you’re in for the FREE jacuzzi of a lifetime!
IMPORTANT note: The directions I followed implied there was a way to walk around the basin of the Haffjarðar River between you and the geothermal pool while keeping dry, but if there has been some rain recently, that won’t be the case. Instead you can paddle with water only up to your shins around the edge of the river in a somewhat squelchy way. It’s easy, and shouldn’t stop you, but worth knowing in advance! There aren’t too many hot springs near Reykjavik, so this is an unmissable stop.
Here’s a map to make things clearer showing the route from the large town of Borgarnes located on the Ring Road to the find the geothermal pool:
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I love that you have broken down exactly how to get there! This is amazing. I am going to keep it saved for when and if I ever make it to Iceland!
Thanks, Sara, hope you have a lovely dip if you go!
Danni, thanks for sharing this, some friends shared your post and my partner and I found this incredible spot on Saturday afternoon, we had wind, rain, snow and glorious sunshine all whilst in the hot pool …….which made it even more special !! Absolutely amazing experience so thank you
G&G
That’s lovely to hear, thank you! <3
Definitevely bookmarked ! I will only be there three days this summer but will keep this place in mind if time permits. Thanks so much for sharing. Very exciting.
Thanks Phil, you wont regret it! The best hot pool I found!
I am loving Iceland already. It is indeed satisfying to find hidden gems i a new place with the help of locals. It is the double the fun if you dont have to pay for it 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this! I am planning a trip to Iceland in the next few months and am terrified of how expensive it is going to be. I really wanted to have the hot pool experience but heard that the Blue Lagoon is overpriced and full of tourists. It’s great to hear that there is a more economic option.
Getting to the Landbrotalaug natural hot pool is a great adventure with all the walking and paddling and driving in the wild. It would be a great place in winter as well to relax your body, sip on the cocktails and watch the milky way, and possibly Aurora Borealis. I have read many posts on Blue Lagoon and the fact that Landbrotalaug natural hot pool is cheaper than Blue Lagoon and it is a hidden spot make it a worth visit place.
How fabulous! We loved the Myvatn pool but didn’t visit any of the free ones, what a great tip. The blue lagoon is pretty overpriced and crowded!
Firstly, I love the names in Iceland ? Secondly this is amazing!! Less tourists, less money & more adventure – perfect!!
It’s so nice to get away from the tourist traps in Iceland – the tourism boom has certainly rocked up prices in an already expensive country, so love the tips to save a few krona! It looks like a perfectly peaceful spot too – and even better that you had it all to yourself too!
It sounds heavenly. I love finding places that tourists don’t know about. What a great experience you had.
What happens if someone else shows up?! Or if there are already people in it when you get there?!
A local did actually arrive as I was leaving, but that’s one person in a matter of hours. There’s a bit of an etiquette – leave a towel or something a short way from the pool to show you’re there and if anyone shows up they’ll stay away until you finish.
While I do love this hot-pool, unfortunately it is not so hidden any more, and has become an popular spot for off the beaten track kind of travelers. When we were there in 2016, there were about 4 or 5 different cars that showed up while we were there. Since it only holds 2-3 people it meant that it was actually quite busy.
I guess maybe some days are busier than others, especially weekends and things! In a way, I’m happy that more people are getting to know about it, but it’s nice also to have a secluded spot.
I followed your directions and we couldn’t figure out where to go except the advertised hot spring. We are here for a couple more days and hope to figure it out since I refuse to go into a murky, dark hot spring that has hot water piped jn. 🙁
I hope you can find it! Whereabouts in the journey did you get lost? Did you get to the marshy wet area?
Yes because I didn’t have a screenshot of your directions and it got dark. We tried looking on the satellite but it was cloudy. (Go figure!) Do you stay on the main part of the dirt road and not the little spur to the advertised one?
This post was written a while ago, but here is what I remember. Drive past the Eldbord Crater and turn left onto a drive way leading you to an abandoned farmhouse. Once you get behind the farmhouse you won’t be able to drive anymore, but you should continue around a huge marshy river / pond area on foot. You are aiming for the opposite side of the pond from the one where you arrive. I didn’t see any signs indicating a pool while I was there, but maybe they have added once in the time since. Hope that helps!
Thanks again, Danni. Hope to find it next time but I think I can find it now!