Thereservation system only covers people arriving in Landmannalaugar between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. According to the Umhverfisstofnun website: people arriving in Landmannalaugar after 3 p.m. do not need to reserve parking regardless of the length of their stay! So it is possible to arrive in the evening and stay for a few days, without a reservation (although probably for a fee).
Due to the huge interest of tourists and frequent problems in the camping parking lot, a parking reservation system will be launched in Landmannalaugar starting from the 2024 season.
Landmannalaugar is certainly the most popular place in the Icelandic interiors. The beautiful “rainbow mountains” attract lots of tourists every year. Growing popularity naturally caused the parking ‘capacity’ to be exceeded, so it seemed only a matter of time to limit the number of tourists coming to the campground.
These are the basic rules for the parking (as of May 2025):
- Parking at Landmannalaugar from 9 AM to 4 PM will only be possible for those with a paid parking reservation.
- If you don’t hold a valid reservation for the date, you can still come and check if there’s any free spaces available, but in practice this is super rare.
- Restrictions will be in effect during the summer season: from June 20 to September 14.
- Entrance to the parking lot will be automated using a camera system, but it might also be assisted by employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (Umhverfisstofnun).
- Reservations and payments will be made exclusively through the Parka website (hopefully it will also be possible via the Parka app in near future).
- The fee for a passenger car for up to 5 people is 1200 ISK (about $10), and for a car for 6-9 people it is 2000 ISK (about $16).
- Reservations can be made at any time, within the available spaces. It can also be canceled at any time with a full refund.
- Restrictions do NOT apply to buses and organized groups.
Parking reservations at Landmannalaugar: some days sell out very quickly
Thereservation system only covers people arriving in Landmannalaugar between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. According to the Umhverfisstofnun website: people arriving in Landmannalaugar after 3 p.m. do not need to reserve parking regardless of the length of their stay! So it is possible to arrive in the evening and stay for a few days, without a reservation (although probably for a fee).
Parking fees are not exorbitant, as you can see. After all, a shower at the campground costs 900 ISK. So the main limitation is not the cost, but the sheer necessity of reserving a spot in advance. (As an aside: all prices at Landmannalaugar have increased quite a bit since the 2024 season – see here: [5.10.2023] New prices on the Laugavegur trail.)
It is quite clear that this is a change introduced mainly with a view to limiting the number of people coming to Landmannalaugar for only a few hours during the day. There were quite a lot of such people in previous years, and since many of them did not want to risk driving through the fords, they often did not fit in the first parking lot and parked their cars in front of it. This, in turn, both damaged the roadside and the access road itself, and made it difficult for larger vehicles – primarily tourist coaches – to enter the campground.
Hopefully, as a supplement, perhaps there will be some shuttle buses from Landmannahellir, Rjupnavellir or Hrauneyjar, serving those for whom there was not enough space in the Landmannalaugar parking lot. This would be a very good addition to the system.
Forthose who have not managed to book a parking lot for the day of their choice, the best alternative is to drive to Rjupnavellir and change to a bus there. The bus also requires reservations, but this is usually not a problem.
You can read more about the Rainbow Mountains and Landmannalaugar campground itself in this article:
Article: Landmannalaugar – rainbow mountains like a fairy tale
- Laugavegur – Iceland’s most beautiful trail
- Top 10 Places to See in the Icelandic Interior
- Umhverfisstofnun FAQ about parking in Landmannalaugar
