Rejseguide til Highland Baths at Kerlingarfjoll

Bathers in the Highland Baths

The Highland Baths (Icelandic: Hálendisböðin) are geothermal bathing pools at Highland Base in the Ásgarður valley of Kerlingarfjöll, in the central highlands of Iceland. They sit on the bank of the Ásgarðsá river at around 700 m above sea level, between the glaciers Langjökull and Hofsjökull.

The baths opened in 2023 as part of Highland Base, a year-round hotel, lodge, hut and campsite complex developed by the company behind the Blue Lagoon on the site of the old Kerlingarfjöll mountain resort.

Key Takeaways About Hálendisböðin

• Geothermal pools, cold plunge, sauna and bar at Highland Base in Ásgarður, Kerlingarfjöll, about 700 m above sea level
• Open to the public 15 June–30 September, 11:00–23:00 (last booking 21:00); hotel and lodge guests year-round
• ISK 5,500 adults / ISK 900 children 0–11 (Oct 2026); included for hotel and lodge guests; bring your own towel
• About 190 km / 3–4 hours from Reykjavík via Gullfoss, Route 35 (Kjalvegur) and F347; 4x4 required, roads closed in winter
• Hveradalir geothermal valley, where bathing is not allowed, is about 5 km away

Why visit the Highland Baths

The setting is the point. The pools are built into the valley floor with rock edges and a wooden deck, and from the water you look up at the slopes of Kerlingarfjöll, the river, and the A-frame huts of the old mountain resort.

The Kerlingarfjöll mountains are a central volcano whose rhyolite and basalt weather into red, yellow and green, and the highest peak, Snækollur, rises to about 1,480 m. Kerlingarfjöll and its geothermal area were protected in August 2020 as a 344 km² landscape protection area.

The baths use mineral-rich geothermal water from local sources, with a naturally low pH and no chlorine added; the water in the pools is renewed roughly every two hours. There are warm pools at bathing temperature, a cold plunge pool and a sauna, plus a bar. Changing rooms have showers, soap, shampoo and conditioner, hooks and small lockers for valuables.

Highland Baths beside the Ásgarðsá river

Kerlingarfjöll has a long bathing tradition. A summer ski school was founded here in 1961 and ran until the ski area closed in 2000, and hot-spring bathing has been part of a stay in the valley ever since.

A free natural hot pool on the Ásgarðsá river, about 1.5 km from the base, is the alternative for anyone who prefers it rough.

How to get to the Highland Baths

Highland Base is about 190 km from Reykjavík and takes 3 to 4 hours to drive in summer. Follow the Golden Circle to Gullfoss, then continue on Kjalvegur (Route 35; it was an F-road, F35, until the road authority reclassified it), the gravel highland road between Langjökull and Hofsjökull.

After roughly 60 km turn east onto F347 (Kerlingarfjallavegur), which leads into Ásgarður after about 10 km. Kjalvegur has no river crossings, but it is rough gravel, and F347 is still an F-road, so a 4x4 is legally required and rental companies do not allow two-wheel-drive cars on it.

Fill up before Gullfoss; there is no fuel on the highland road.

The roads normally open in June and close again with the first autumn snow, usually in late September or October; check road.is before setting out. Outside that window Highland Base is reached only by super-jeep transfer, which the hotel arranges for its guests.

The baths are beside the Highland Base reception, with parking at the base a short walk away. Hveradalir, the main geothermal valley, is about 5 km further by road, or a hike from the base.

Aerial view of the Highland Baths

Best time to visit

For the general public the baths are open from 15 June to 30 September, 11:00 to 23:00, with the last booking at 21:00. Hotel and lodge guests can use them all year, from 08:00 in summer and 10:00 in winter until 23:00.

Late June and July give the most reliable road access and almost 24-hour daylight; late August and September bring darker evenings and, with luck, northern lights from the water. Campers and hut guests should book a slot in advance; hotel and lodge guests need no booking.

Safety and practical tips

• Admission at the time of writing (October 2026) is ISK 5,500 for adults and ISK 900 for children aged 0 to 11; admission is included for hotel and lodge guests. Check current prices when booking.
• Bring your own swimwear and towel; children aged 8 and under must wear floaties, which are provided free.
• The geothermal water is mineral-rich and untreated, so leave jewellery in the locker.
• Highland weather changes quickly even in July. Pack a warm layer for walking to and from the changing rooms and for the drive back down.
• Shower before bathing, as at every Icelandic pool, and keep to the deck and marked paths; the riverbank and hot-spring ground nearby can be unstable.
• There is a restaurant at Highland Base open from 07:00 to 21:00, and toilets in the reception building.