After our visit to Landvernd, we had the rest of the afternoon to explore as we pleased. At this point in the trip, we hadn’t seen anything outside of the city so we asked the receptionist at the hotel if she had any suggestions. She told us there was a small town about 45 minutes away where we could take an “easy” hike to a natural thermal river. We immediately gathered all the information we needed and set off for our afternoon adventure. Two public buses, a five mile walk, and four hours later, we finally made it to the river. I put “easy” in quotations earlier because my nike running shoes and half empty water bottle were no match for the incline and duration of this hike. I joke about it now because had I known that it was going to be 10 miles roundtrip beforehand, I would’ve said absolutely not. Luckily, the entire experience was completely worth it. The hike was beautiful with incredible views of waterfalls, cliffs, and multiple hot springs along the rivers edge. There is also something to appreciate about going on an excursion (if it is safe to do so) without a guided tour. For most sightseeing it is helpful to have a guide to explain the landmarks and answer questions but taking one on our own and being on our time made for a very pleasant leisurely afternoon. This spot seems to be a hidden gem that is not as crowded as other tourist attractions we visited. I would recommend this as a day trip to anyone traveling to Iceland.
A broad to specific understanding 