Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River & Friðheimar

Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River Walk

Day 4 in Iceland was the day that we had planned the Reykjadalur walk, also known as the ‘Hot Spring Thermal River Walk’. The weather was supposed to be best in the morning so we decided to take the chance. We left at 8:15 am and arrived after a few minutes at the car park.

Normally it was supposed to be quiet at this hour, but we were not so lucky. A large busload of tourists had just arrived and they were ready to start their walk.

*Paid parking for the Hot Spring Thermal River Walk*

We had to pay for the parking through an app but we struggled a bit to get it working. For visitors who do not have access to Wifi, this could be a potential problem. Both the car park and the café seemed relatively new. In fact, we had the impression that Iceland had invested a lot in its infrastructure recently since many roads and parking lots/toilet blocks looked very new…

*Café/Restaurant at the trailhead of the Hot Spring Thermal River Walk*

Finally we started our hike which was constantly uphill. It would normally take about 1 hour to arrive at the thermal river and this was more or less the time we needed. Gradually we caught up with the early birds while enjoying the landscape. Here and there steam escaped from the ground. Along the road we stopped several times to take some pictures of the area and also to admire a mud pool of around 100 degrees.

*Mud pool at the Hot Spring Thermal Walk*

There was a strong wind with some drizzle during our walk but we decided to continue since our ultimate goal was a bath in the warm water of the river so we would get wet anyway.

*Steam coming out of the ground during our Reykjadalur walk*

We were one of the first to reach the top and therefore lucky enough to find a bench under which we could store our backpacks and clothes. We quickly changed into our bathing suits behind a screen as there were no changing rooms. Rocks and pebbles were at the bottom of the river, so we had to be careful when entering. The water was not that hot but I was happy with the spot that I had chosen. Koen decided to move higher up in the river and it seemed that the water there was much warmer. In the meantime, the load of bus tourists had arrived but only a few opted for the wet relaxation. The rest preferred to continue the walk.

Getting dressed in the wind and drizzle was another matter… and trust me… you do not want to wear a long sleeved T-shirt, as it was much harder to put on on a slightly damp skin.

*Enjoying the water at the hot spring thermal river*

We were almost back at the car when the wind and rain picked up, so we were lucky with the timing, otherwise our clothes would have been soaked. All in all, we were very happy that we had been able to cross this activity of our list…

*On our way back to the car from the hot spring thermal river walk*

Lunch at Friðheimar

In the afternoon we went back to yesterday’s tomato farm, Friðheimar, but this time for an extensive lunch. We opted for the ‘All you can eat tomato soup buffet’ with all kinds of bread (really super tasty!) and a burrata with tomatoes as a side dish.

Everything here was homemade. For dessert tomato ice cream and tomato cheesecake, served in flower pots. How cute!

Tomato Soup at Friðheimar — Tomato Soup at *Friðheimar*

At the table you had a pot with basil and scissors so you could cut what you needed. They also explained that in the greenhouse they used bumblebees instead of normal bees to pollinate the plants since they were more gentle.

Desserts at Friðheimar — Desserts at *Friðheimar*

On the way back we did a few short walks at Faxi (and yes… the sun came out !) and the Kerid crater. Again we noticed that the infrastructure was very recent. In both places we had to pay for parking or entrance, which is relatively new in Iceland. We did not mind as it contributed to better tourist infrastructure.