Although the peak called Laki (818m) did not erupt, it has loaned its name to the 25km-long Lakagígar crater row, which stretches northeastwards and southwestwards from its base. Laki can be climbed in about 40 minutes from the parking area. From the top there are boundless 360-degree views of the fissure, vast lava fields and glinting glaciers in the distance.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
20.6 MILES
This darkly picturesque canyon, carved out by the river Fjaðrá, has been well and truly discovered, thanks to Instagrammers and one Justin Bieber (who…
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Adding more eye candy to an impressive road trip, a precipitous 767m-tall palisade of cliffs known as Lómagnúpur towers over the landscapes, begging to be…
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24.23 MILES
Sitting behind a volcanic ledge, right off the road to Landmannalaugar, hides an enormous crater. Hnausapollur erupted around 11,000 years ago, now it's…
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At the western end of the village, the lovely double waterfall, Systrafoss, tumbles down the cliffs and a sign outlines three short walks in the pretty…
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Boardwalks from Landmannalaugar's info hut lead to a geothermal hot pool flanked by volcanic hills. It's not officially a 'bathing area', but visitors are…
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25.22 MILES
Roughly translated as 'bottleneck', the Stútur crater sits on the Norðurnámshraun lava field and is signposted off the F224 road. Two fairly steep trails…
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21.4 MILES
Lómagnúpur towers over the impossibly photogenic old turf-roofed farm at Núpsstaður. The farm buildings date back to the early 19th century, and the…
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19.81 MILES
The basalt columns of Kirkjugólf (Church Floor), smoothed down and cemented with moss, were once mistaken for an old church floor rather than a work of…
Nearby Southeast Iceland attractions
0.93 MILES
The crater row is fascinating to explore, riddled with black sand dunes and lava tubes, many of which contain tiny stalactites. At the foot of Laki,…
14 MILES
Fagrifoss (Beautiful Falls) is not a misnomer: this waterfall must be one of Iceland’s most bewitching, with rivulets of water pouring over a massive…
19.25 MILES
This waterfall, 11km east of Kirkjubæjarklaustur on the Ring Road, is a head-turning cascade that normally tumbles down from the cliffs. During especially…
19.62 MILES
Just east of Foss á Siðu waterfall (about 11km from Kirkjubæjarklaustur on the Ring Road) is the outcrop Dverghamrar (‘Dwarf Rocks’) – two rock formations…
19.81 MILES
The basalt columns of Kirkjugólf (Church Floor), smoothed down and cemented with moss, were once mistaken for an old church floor rather than a work of…
6. Steingrímsson Memorial Chapel
20.16 MILES
The triangular, distinctly atypical wood-and-stone chapel at the heart of the village was consecrated in 1974. It commemorates Jón Steingrímsson’s …
20.28 MILES
At the western end of the village, the lovely double waterfall, Systrafoss, tumbles down the cliffs and a sign outlines three short walks in the pretty…
20.6 MILES
This darkly picturesque canyon, carved out by the river Fjaðrá, has been well and truly discovered, thanks to Instagrammers and one Justin Bieber (who…