The beautiful volcanic mountains of Kerlingarfjöll are located in the central and relatively inaccessible part of Iceland, which makes the mountains a beautifully peaceful and quiet place without crowds of tourists.

Covering about 100 square kilometres, the mountain range is characterised by a barren landscape without a hint of vegetation, but with hundreds and thousands of small winding valleys, ravines and hills coloured yellow to red, making them somewhat reminiscent of the more famous Rainbow Mountains region.

The Kerlingarfjöll mountains rise to heights of over 1,400 metres, but you'll mostly be at altitudes between 800 and 1,200 metres.

Hiking and thermal springs

The mountains are criss-crossed with dozens of kilometres of hiking trails, which are mostly safe and comfortable, but you have to take into account the very frequent steep elevations, although usually quite short. This adds to the variety and beautiful views.

The main starting point is the tourist resort of Aðalskáli (location on the map: en.mapy.cz) with a hotel, a campsite and a small grocery store. Another starting point, which can still be reached by car, is near the geothermal area of Hveradalir (parking is located at this place).

Kerlingarfjöll boasts many fumaroles and geothermal springs, which you will come across in every valley. However, most of them are so hot that you can't bathe in them; warning signs always warn you of this.

How to get there?

The area is only accessible by 4x4 off-road vehicles, but all Icelandic car rental companies rent them.

Take the inland dirt road F35, which runs across Iceland from south to north, and turn off at a signposted junction onto the even smaller road F347, which will take you to the hotel resort in Aðalskáli. See the route map from Reykjavik.