seljavallalaug

This is an interesting swimming pool. The water isn't see through, and it's very cold unless you attach yourself to the warm water pump. It was in a very pretty spot, but not for everyone

This is simply a surreal experience, particularly if you go in the winter - getting snowed on while sitting in the spring is something else.Also, while it's not hot, tales of it not being very warm in reviews are a bit overstated. Hot water is pouring in at one corner, so if you do get a bit cold, you can go and hang out over there for a bit because that part is hot.Had it all to myself for an hour.Pro tips: Be sure to prepare for wading across a shin deep cold stream about ten feet wide. Additionally, once you wade across this stream, you'll see a trail hugging the side of the hill wrapping around. While this does take you to the pool around the corner, if you stick to the stream bed it's an easier walk to the same place.

If you get the chance to go here and are that type of people then you should definitely go!For my part it was definitely worth it, we had a great time and the weather was perfect! We spent a good hour there just laying in the pool and watching the northern lights!

Warm water with mountain views and chilly air. Once you get over the amount of algae in the pool, you can relax and enjoy the ethereal experience. Bring a towel!

Visited here on 26th November...it was cold and snowing but easy to find...just drive as far up the road as you can go, park and keep walking up the valley to the left of the river, eventually you will find this place...maybe a mile of fairly easy walking but no made up paths. No real facilities but the water is warm..please be open minded when visiting....what you see is what you get, if you need facilities then go elsewhere! If you visit please make sure you take all your rubbish with you, so you don't spoil the experience of others. You carried it up with you so you can carry it back with you!

I loved this place and spent the morning grinning from ear to ear after my swim. I was lucky enough to get the pool to myself as we went relatively early. The water was just perfectly warm and the landscape is breathtaking. What a great experience. Please remember however that this place has been effectively abandoned since about 1990 - it is cleaned about once a year by the locals - so it is pretty much wild. There are no facilities. The changing rooms are indeed disgusting - I think sheep were probably the last to use them - be prepared to get changed outside. You have to be reasonably dedicated to get to the pool - it's very off the beaten track and you need to walk about a mile and cross a couple of streams - the difficulty of which will obviously vary depending on the weather. Be prepared to accept this as a wild experience and you are likely to enjoy it, if you prefer your swimming with a few accompanying facilities you might prefer not to bother.

I was really looking forward to making the trek out to this "hidden gem" (which I think now is become less hidden). I am glad that we hiked out there, swam for a bit and took some incredible photos for the sake of the experience, but I will say that the pool wasn't my favorite hot spring experience while in Iceland. First of all, I am not grossed out by mud, algae, rain, floatties in water that I swim in - I totally understand what we were getting ourselves into by going to this unmaintained pool. We made a couple of other stops at natural "off the beaten path" hot springs while were were in Iceland and had a fabulous time by ourselves in these hidden spots. But, I was pretty grossed out after spending time here. The hike is easy, crossing the "river" at the end of the summer was a piece of cake and don't get me wrong the hike is STUNNING! (we saw a couple of people hike to the pool just to see and hike back - so don't feel like you have to get in to enjoy the experience of visiting this old pool) It is easy to find with most internet directions. The bummer part was that it was really filthy, the "changing rooms" which are in the old building do provide a clothes rack where you can hang your hiking clothes. It was drizzling when we were there so we were happy to have our clothes and backpacks out of the rain while we swam. The "changing rooms" where seriously dirty - I have been in some pretty gross bathrooms throughout the world, but this was pretty terrible. There were bags of trash overflowing onto the floor, beer and alcohol bottles strewn about the changing rooms and by the pool :( and the floor was covered in slimy mud, trash juice, alcohol and who knows what else. A good recommendation is If it isn't raining, just stay out of the changing rooms. While we were there, four local teenage boys were in the other changing room, drinking and smoking weed. Whatever - I mean- good for them for having some fun, but they kept coming in and out of both changing rooms looking a little sketchy (I wasn't too worried about my stuff, but I'm sure it could have freaked out more paranoid people) The water was warm - I wouldn't say hot at all. In the very corner of the pool you can hang out by a hotter spot, but I started to get pretty chilly about 2 minutes into the swim. I say hike out there, take a look at the pool, read the plaque about the history of the building see some people swimming and hike back. Not worth getting in and exposing yourself to the trash in the changing rooms.

This pool is mentioned in the lonely planet guidebook and probably many others which is all I can account for the amount of people I saw. You feel like you are on a path to nowhere till you see it and I would have just as soon been going nowhere. The scene is breathtaking, at one point we counted 20 waterfalls. But don't count on swimming. The water was lukewarm and everything about the facilities was disgusting. I wouldn't set foot in the changing rooms and opted to change out in the open. Beyond the crumbling concrete building the ground was littered with toilet paper which had me praying was out of courtesy that people weren't peeing in the actual pool. As others have mentioned this is not a maintained pool, it is natural with algae, etc. I have been in natural hot and cold springs all over the place but this was the grossest. A pool can be natural without being nasty.I feel like everyone I saw jump in and out only got in to justify the hike out there, that is how I felt. A trio of women who arrived after us left before us and we didn't stay long! Driving back to our house we agreed we wanted a shower quickly.So- go if you feel compelled but don't be afraid to look around or just put your feet in and hike right back out. Iceland is renowned for their beautiful and clean bathing facilities. Why not choose those also?

You have to understand what you're in for when you choose to go here. This is NOT the Blue Lagoon. It's not commercial in ANY way. You have to get off the main road to the side road and then get off that to the dirt road until you can't go anymore and then WALK just under a mile going over an embankment and across a shallow stream or river (depending on your sense of scale and how much it's been raining). While walking there, you might discover yourself alone in what appears to be an enormous 3-sided cauldron with mountains all around you. I had what I called an "Adam" moment, feeling like I was the only person on Earth before my family rejoined me. It was incredible. The pool itself has a charm that would not have expected. The changing rooms could have used a cleaning and the paint on the walls was old but... It was like discovering a secret. This wasn't some place on all the tourist maps. It cost nothing and the water was WONDERFULLY warm. I was skeptical when my wife wanted to go here because, even in July, the temperature is lucky to hit 60F. It WAS chilly in my shorts but the water was FANTASTIC. It's not "swimming pool clear" but you're not there for that. You're there to relax and soak in the mineral-laden spring water. Eventually you find yourself dreading the thought of getting out and heading home because it is SO comfortable and the stresses just melt away. I know that more maintenance could be done if they charged money for it, but that might take away some of the special feeling I had about it.This was one of many incredible surprises we had on our Icelandic stopover.

I have been wanting to visit Seljavallalaug for years, and finally I have! I am a proud Icelander and nature enthusiast, I love our hot springs and wonderful bathing facilities of all kinds. I have been to various natural pools and on all kinds of hikes and an important rule when exploring and enjoying the natural environment is that the "untouched" feeling, like you're the first one to ever tread that particular path, disappears when someone who was there before you has left beer cans, cola bottles or toilet paper lying around. What you can carry with you into nature, you can carry back out again. Seljavallalaug is a popular attraction and even when we arrived there at 7 pm in the rain and fog, there was a constant stream of people walking to and from the pool. In the rustic changing rooms at Seljavallalaug, people had left all kinds of bottles and trash, and behind the changing rooms, the moss was covered in toilet paper. That really wound me up. I wish people would recognise that what we find attractive in these special places, is the fact that they feel untouched and secret. By leaving our junk all over the place, we're ruining it! Ugh. Anyway…the pool is beautiful, warm and definitely worth a visit. But I beg future visitors to please treat these special natural and "secret" attractions with respect, so we can keep enjoying them. A few pointers for visitors planning on a little swim: There are no showers and there are no toilets. Please make sure you don't need to "go" when you're at the pool, or in case really have to go, please take your toilet paper back with you - so along with the tp, bring a plastic bag to carry it with you back to the nearest rubbish bin.

After stumbling across Seljavallalaug online we knew we had to experience this for ourselves. Following the directions found online we made our way to the parking area in our rented car, while the road is rough we had a small car and managed to maneuver around the puddles and potholes. There were already other cars there so we knew we were in the right spot. If there aren't others parked, it would still be obvious as there is a rocky slope you can't continue driving past. There is a trail from the parking area making the 10 minute walk easy to navigate but it does include crossing a small stream. There was a rough 'bridge' of rocks piled across the stream so we were able to get over without drenching our shoes. The pool itself was much larger than I expected. When we arrived there was a local family and several couples there but it still didn't seem crowded at all. The change rooms are damp but there are hooks to hang your belongings on and doors that close if you need to fully change. Yes, there is algae and the water is not clear-pool-quality water - but you are literally snuggled in the valley of two mountains, with multiple waterfalls in view and a stream running alongside as you soak in a naturally heated pool. If this isn't a true Icelandic experience I don't know what is. I don't know what people expect but the water was perfectly fine to go in and we hardly even noticed the bit of algae on the floor. Set your expectations for the 'rustic' experience and you will love it.On the day of our visit it was cold and rainy so the water was very comfortable and warm. While we were there at least three different Icelandic families came by for a swim and several other groups. A few people brought their young children who had a blast jumping off the side and splashing around. Twice couples showed up and decided not to swim, they made the wrong decision.

This is a hot spring that a farmer built a concrete swimming pool around. It is s a bit rustic - but more developed than a traditional hole in the earth hot spring.the last .7 miles to the parking area are gravel - but easily managed by small car.then another .7 miles or so to the pool - cant miss it - just hike upriver.there are some changing rooms beside the pool - very rustic but better than being out in the openwater was just right - cool enough even for young children.

I read a couple of articles about this supposedly secret pool and was really excited to go. The scenery is beautiful, you can hear the sheep in the mountains even if they are miles away (a special echo effect I guess) and the fact that this is a old (1923) pool with natural warm water is cool. But the pool itself is full of green algae (my BF and I did not want to go it at all), the changing rooms are covered with mold, since there are no showers we can guess the amount of bacteria in the water, and the water was not really warm. There were a lot of people when we went (June): we met at least 15 persons either on our way up, at the pool or on our way back. And it was about 9 p.m. We even witness some skinny dipping… I'm not telling you not to go, but wanted to make a more precise view of what you can expect.

This was without a doubt the coolest place I visited in the South of Iceland whilst following the ring road around the country. After a little 15 minute walk after the car was parked (don't let the desolate nature of the area fool you, it's up there!) we found the pool nestled in a valley. There was something charming in its simplicity, a few little changing rooms if needed and that was it. The pool itself was splendid, providing great views. I didn't want to leave and hike back to be honest.

This is a gem, well worth the hike. The water is warm, and the views beautiful. When we arrived there were people camping next to the pool so I wouldn't expect to be alone.