Iceland’s Not-So Secret Lagoon

Where is Iceland’s Secret Lagoon? Before we answer this question, a little background on ‘what’ it is.

The use of Iceland’s abundant geothermal hot water and steam goes back to the settling of Iceland. The word steam is even the basis of Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavik (Reykja means ‘smoky’ or ‘steamy’, and Vik means ‘bay’. So, Reykjavik means smoky bay).  In the intervening 1000 some-odd years, Icelanders have been busily making use of all of this warm-wonderfulness in natural hot spring baths great and small, and all over the island!

Fast forward from the settlement of Iceland - which was around the 9th century - a group of people in 1891 decided to make use of a smaller geothermal system in south Iceland to create a small swimming-pool sized hot springs bath for the townspeople to enjoy; honestly it is one of many such creations. The one in question, now called the Secret Lagoon is the oldest swimming pool in the country. It is located in the tiny village of Fludir (pronounced Flu-theer), which is 103 km south of Reykjavik; an easy 1.5 hour drive past the town of Selfoss.  Driving directions.

In Icelandic, the Secret Lagoon is called Gamla Laugin (translation: The old swimming pool). It is a natural hot spring bath that is the size of a small swimming pool and is about 38-40 Celsius all year (100.4 - 104 F). Though the pool itself is mostly unchanged, what has changed is that new facilities have been built including, showers, changing area, bar and eating area (no food is served). The great thing about the Secret Lagoon are that it is in the countryside, it has been kept original, and nearby is a small geyser (called Litli geyser, the little geyser) that has a small eruption every 5 minutes or so.  And, maybe best of all is that this area of Iceland is a great place to see the Northern Lights (from approximately September to May). Imagine that light show!

There is a small fee of 2500 ISK, and towels can be rented for 1000 ISK (~$19/$8). People under 16 can swim for free. For more information, see their website.

The town of Fludir is also home to Berjaya Hotel Fludir, so if you want to make the a night of it this is a great option for comfortable accommodations. This area is also in the middle of the Golden Circle, so you can enjoy some of Iceland’s best attractions in one trip!  From Berjaya Hotels, Iceland’s premiere hotel chain.  Cheers!