Iceland. Kerlingarfjöll

 Kerlingarfjöll is a mountain range of volcanic origin that we reached by tourist bus from the town of Selfoss... This place is located in mountainous terrain and deep within the island... The volcanic origin of the mountains is evidenced by numerous hot springs and rivers in this area, as well as the red volcanic rhyolite rock that forms the mountains... Minerals from the hot springs color the ground in yellow, red, and green hues...

  Route map...

 After arriving at the camping site in Selfoss, following a busy day spent in the Vik settlement area, black beaches, and Seljalandsfoss waterfall, in the evening we bought tickets online for a tourist bus to Kerlingarfjöll, which departed from Reykjavik past Selfoss towards Akureyri the next morning... This bus operates only during the season, on even dates in one direction and odd dates in the other. By the end of August, it stops running. Why is it called a tourist bus? Because it travels not on a circular asphalt road to the city of Akureyri, but traverses the entire island through the highlands on gravel roads... The bus also stops every half hour at major attractions such as the Valley of Geysers and Gulfoss waterfall...

  Upon reaching the Kerlingarfjöll camping site around noon and paying for accommodation (36 euros for two per night), we had lunch and spent some time at a table in the cafe-guest room where the reception was located. Then we moved to the building next to the camping site, which served as a kitchen and dining area... Outside, heavy rain and strong winds persisted, which is why we weren't in a rush to do anything outside... 

  When the rain subsided a bit, I quickly went to set up the tent, while my wife stayed with our belongings in the kitchen-dining area...

  Throwing our things into the tent around two in the afternoon, we walked to the hot springs to swim... The pool with natural thermal water is located a kilometer from the camping site... To reach it, you have to walk along a path through the gorge... 

 The weather was terrible that day, and walking in the rain with strong winds was, to put it mildly, not very comfortable, especially afterwards changing clothes... But being in the warm thermal pool during such weather was the coolest... 

 We sat there for more than four hours - we didn't want to get out of the warm water, the average temperature of which was about 38 degrees Celsius...

 The next day, we headed to Hveradalir - the valley of hot springs, one of Iceland's largest geothermal locations and the most interesting location of Kerlingarfjöll...

 Although it was sunny around the camping site, the valley of hot springs was overcast and drizzling...  

  Descending below, it felt like entering a sauna... The rain wasn't even noticeable anymore, the warmth from the ground began to warm us... The diversity of colors and landscapes in the smoky valley transported us to another world...

  Well-laid paths cover the entire area, and where there are steep ascents and descents, even wooden steps are provided, which was especially helpful in rainy weather... 

  

  This place was definitely worth all the effort... It is truly unique and unlike any other...

  Leaving Hveradalir, we were greeted by the sun again... Returning on a different road, we discovered views of volcanic mountains, glaciers, and a red canyon...

 

 And next to the camping site, Icelandic sheep grazed in the sunshine...

  After the trek, we visited the thermal pool again, but this time in favorable weather...

  Staying for a second night in Kerlingarfjöll, we also went for an hour to the thermal pool the next morning... And at noon, we took a bus to the Hveravellir geothermal field, which was only 40 kilometers away...