Photo spot in Landmannalaugar
The edge of the Laugahraun lava field
Ten minutes' walk to a wall of jagged black obsidian-flecked lava, with the ochre slopes rising straight behind it.
About The edge of the Laugahraun lava field
Get directionsLaugahraun is a lava flow from the fifteenth century that stopped where the valley floor begins, leaving a two-storey wall of black, broken rock against the pale mountains. The contrast is what makes it: coal-black jagged foreground, then a rhyolite slope in every warm colour there is.
The marked path enters the lava and threads between blocks, which gives sheltered pockets — useful when the wind is up — and natural frames where the rock opens onto the mountain. Ten minutes from the huts, no scrambling, though the surface is uneven and the rock is sharp enough to matter if anyone slips.
For light, morning and evening rake across the lava and bring out its texture; flat midday light makes it read as a black mass. This is also the start of the Laugavegur trail, so in high summer expect walkers passing with big packs — a few metres off the main line and the frames are clear.
Best time to shoot
Morning or evening, when low light rakes the lava's texture
Tips
Use the pockets between blocks for shelter when the wind gets up. The rock is sharp — steady footing beats a clever angle.
Other spots in Landmannalaugar
The flats by the huts
Level ground at the valley floor with the banded rhyolite mountains filling the horizon — the full highland amphitheatre with no climbing at all.
The lower shoulder of Bláhnúkur
Half an hour of steady climbing for the view down over the valley, the lava field and the whole colour range of the mountains.
The warm stream
The hot spring that gives the place its name — a shallow, steaming stream at the edge of the lava where a session traditionally ends.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know The edge of the Laugahraun lava field — free of charge.