The beautiful Seljavallalaug

As my first post here for Guide To Iceland I am writing about Seljavallalaug, the beautiful and oldest pool in Southern Iceland!

As incredible as it might sound for someone that has been living in Iceland for so long it was my first time here! 

I was having a bad day… motherhood, relationship, some of you might relate, and decided that relaxing in the oldest pool of Iceland with all those stunning views was all I was needing to feel better.

The drive from Reykjavik to Seljavallalaug is about 1h30m and the views along the way are gorgeous, feels like surreal even with landscapes that are wordly beautiful! I have been driving the same road and seeing the same mountains and views for all these years but it ALWAYS, ALWAYS give me chills and the "OH’s” and the “WOW’s” and THAT pure joy!

Once i got there, I parked the car in the parking lot because at a certain point you are not allowed to drive further, you need to walk to the pool. It’s a short and very easy hike/walk, about 20 minutes each way depending how fast you are, featuring beautiful mountains, icelandic ship and a small river coming down off of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier.

The pool was built in 1923 with the purpose to teach the icelandic people how to swim and has been maintained by volunteers over the years. This means there is plenty of time for algae to grow in the pool. You know, the slimy, green, slippery stuff? Yep that stuff! 

It can also be slippery in the pool so make sure to bring flipflops with you.

Though I enjoyed pretty much the pool and the time I spent bathing myself in it, i must say that I’ve always thought that the water was much hoter than it actually is.

The water is not super warm, but it is certainly not cold, the temperature is usually somewhere between 20°C and 30°C depending on the weather conditions.

Seljavallalaug is definitely worth a visit while staying in Iceland!