Private transfer from Keflavík International Airport to Hveragerdi

Hveragerdi sits on active geothermal ground, and it shows: steam vents rise between houses and the town runs a Geothermal Park in the centre where you can see boiling mud pots and bake bread in the hot earth. It is the trailhead for Reykjadalur, the "steam valley," where a roughly 3-kilometre uphill walk leads to a warm river you can bathe in. The greenhouses heated by natural steam supply much of Iceland's tomatoes and flowers. Hikers and day-trippers from Reykjavík come year-round, while spa guests visit the NLFÍ health clinic. The Quake exhibition documents the 2008 earthquake that struck here. Selfoss lies a short drive east along the Ring Road.

The route leaves Keflavík Airport on Reykjanesbraut (Route 41), crossing the lava fields of the Reykjanes peninsula toward the capital area. Instead of entering central Reykjavík, the drive skirts it and joins Route 1, the Ring Road, heading east. The road then climbs the Hellisheidi mountain pass, an open highland plateau where you pass the Hellisheidi geothermal power station and its pipelines. In winter this section can be windy and snowy, and is occasionally closed briefly during storms. The final stretch is the descent down Kambar, a series of curves dropping from the plateau into the southern lowlands, with Hveragerdi appearing below among rising steam. The whole journey is around 90 kilometres and typically takes just over an hour on paved main roads.

If you plan to walk into Reykjadalur straight after landing, note that the trail is unpaved and often muddy, so pack proper footwear in your hand luggage rather than deep in a checked bag. Bring a towel and swimwear if you want to use the hot river, as there are no changing facilities at the top. The Hellisheidi pass is the weather bottleneck on this route: check road.is before travelling in winter, since a clear airport does not guarantee a clear pass. Many hotels and guesthouses in Hveragerdi are on quiet residential streets off the Ring Road, so give your driver the exact address rather than just the town name. Hveragerdi also works well as a first-night base before continuing to the south coast, Geysir or Gullfoss the next day.