Landmannalaugar: Helicopter tour with 3 Landings

Iceland looks different from the sky. This three-hour helicopter flight links Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss, Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk, and Eyjafjallajökull in one fast-moving trip, with three landings planned in remote parts of southern Iceland. I like the mix of famous sights and hard-to-reach country, especially Landmannalaugar’s colored mountains and the broad views over Þórsmörk. I also like that the pilot can change the route when weather shifts, rather than forcing a risky landing.

The main consideration is the price: $1,767 per person is a serious splurge for three hours. Weather may also change the advertised plan, and a minimum of four passengers is needed for the flight to operate. Still, if you have limited time and want to see Iceland’s interior without spending a full day on rough highland roads, this tour offers a lot in a compact package.

Key Points Before You Book

• Three landings are included, with stops planned at Háifoss, Landmannalaugar, and Eyjafjallajökull.
• The route covers a remarkable sweep of Iceland, from Þingvellir and Geysir to glaciers, volcanoes, waterfalls, and the southern Highlands.
• Weather controls the day, including where the helicopter can land and whether the secluded geothermal bath is possible.
• The group is limited to five participants, making the flight more personal than a large sightseeing excursion.
• The tour takes about three hours, beginning and ending at Ace FBO Reykjavík.
• A minimum of four passengers is required, and anyone over 120 kilograms must book an additional seat.

Why This Helicopter Route Makes Sense

Iceland’s best-known sights are spread across a large area. By road, seeing Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss, Háifoss, Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk, and Eyjafjallajökull in one day would be difficult, if not impossible. A helicopter removes the long driving stretches and gives you a clear sense of how the country fits together.

The trip is not simply a list of famous stops. From the air, you can see the links between them: geothermal areas sit among volcanic ridges, rivers cut through open country, and glaciers feed valleys far below. I like this broad view because it turns separate attractions into one geological story.

You should also keep your expectations realistic. Three hours is short for such a large route. Some places receive an aerial pass rather than a long visit on the ground. The value comes from combining flight time with a few carefully chosen landings, not from spending a full afternoon at each attraction.

The small group limit of five matters here. You get a better chance of seeing out the windows without a crowd around you, and the experience should feel more focused than a large sightseeing flight. English instruction and an English audio guide are included.

Leaving Ace FBO Reykjavík

The tour begins at Ace FBO Reykjavík in the capital region. The opening part of the flight lasts about 10 minutes and provides a quick change from city to open country.

That transition is part of the appeal. You do not spend the first hour in a van before reaching the interesting scenery. Soon, the built-up area gives way to Iceland’s broad volcanic country, with the route turning toward Þingvellir.

Food and drinks are not included, so plan accordingly. The tour is only three hours, but a helicopter flight is not the time to assume refreshments will appear along the way. The supplied details do not specify an onboard meal or refreshment service.

Þingvellir and the Birth of Iceland’s Parliament

Þingvellir National Park is both a historical site and a geological one. Iceland’s first democratic parliament, the Althingi, was established here in 930 AD. From the helicopter, you can view the Almannagjá fissure and the Silfra rift, features that show the dramatic forces shaping the country.

The flight segment around Þingvellir lasts about 10 minutes. That is enough for an aerial introduction, but not enough for an extensive walk through the park. If Þingvellir is your main priority, a separate ground visit would give you more time to explore its paths and historic sites.

For this helicopter tour, the real benefit is perspective. From above, the fissures and open ground read as part of a much larger geological system. You get context that is hard to find from one viewing platform.

Geysir’s Hot Ground and Gullfoss From the Air

The route continues to the Geysir geothermal area, with about five minutes of helicopter flight time listed for this section. The area is known for powerful geothermal activity, colorful pools, and eruptions from the Great Geysir, which can send boiling water up to 70 meters into the air.

A landing at Geysir depends on weather conditions. If the helicopter cannot land, you may still get a strong aerial view of the steaming ground and colored pools. That distinction matters. The tour can show you the region even when the exact ground stop is not possible, but you should not book this expecting a guaranteed walk beside the geothermal features.

Gullfoss follows, with another roughly five-minute flight segment. The waterfall drops in two stages into a deep canyon. From above, the shape of the falls and the cut of the canyon become easier to read than they are from one viewpoint on land.

The aerial view is the main attraction here. A road tour gives you the sound and spray of Gullfoss, while the helicopter shows the waterfall’s setting and the channels feeding it. You may prefer the ground experience if you want time for photographs beside the falls, but the flight gives you something different.

The First Ground Stop at Háifoss

Háifoss is listed as a 30-minute photo stop, sightseeing visit, and walk. The waterfall drops 122 meters into a gorge, making it one of the more dramatic stops on the route.

This is where the trip begins to feel less like a standard sightseeing circuit. Gullfoss is one of Iceland’s most visited waterfalls, while Háifoss offers a more remote setting. The short walk gives you time to leave the helicopter, take photographs, and absorb the scale of the gorge.

Thirty minutes passes quickly. I would treat this as a focused stop rather than a hike. The itinerary does not promise a long trail or extended exploration, so comfortable clothing and sensible footwear are useful, but you should not expect a full walking excursion.

Háifoss also has practical importance because weather may change the landing plan. A verified booking in May 2025 described a route adjustment caused by bad weather, with an extra landing at a magnificent wilderness waterfall when a thermal pool landing was not possible. That is a good example of the flexibility you should expect in Iceland. The exact stop may change, but the pilot can sometimes replace one worthwhile landing with another.

Fjallabak and the Colors of Landmannalaugar

The helicopter then heads across the Fjallabak Nature Reserve. The flight portion is listed at about 10 minutes before reaching Landmannalaugar.

Landmannalaugar is the heart of this trip for many people. Its rhyolite mountains show strong reds, greens, and yellows, with geothermal ground adding steam and warmth to the scene. Seen from the air, the area’s colors and ridges form a picture that would take much longer to reach by road.

The Landmannalaugar stop is planned as a 30-minute photo stop, sightseeing visit, and walk. That gives you a chance to stand among the mountains rather than only viewing them through the helicopter window. The famous Laugavegur route begins in this broader area, and the region is known for striking walking country.

Do not confuse this stop with a full hike on the Laugavegur trail. Thirty minutes is enough for a short walk and photographs, not a serious trek. The point is to get a taste of the highlands without committing several days to a trail.

The Landmannalaugar landing is weather-dependent. Wind, visibility, and safety conditions may prevent the helicopter from setting down. Even without a landing, the aerial approach can still be one of the strongest parts of the flight, since the colored ridges are especially effective from above.

Þórsmörk, a Valley Between Glaciers

From Landmannalaugar, the helicopter flies toward Þórsmörk, with about 20 minutes of flight time listed. Þórsmörk is a nature reserve surrounded by mountains, glaciers, and rivers. Its vegetation is thicker than the open highlands, with forested areas and a greener valley floor.

The helicopter view is especially useful here because the valley’s shape is difficult to grasp from one road or trail. You can see the contrast between wooded ground, glacier-fed rivers, and the mountain walls around the reserve.

The information provided does not list a landing at Þórsmörk. Treat it as an aerial sightseeing section rather than a ground visit. That is not a weakness if you value scale and scenery, but it does mean the tour offers only a brief taste of the reserve.

The route may also pass over wildlife habitat, including areas associated with rabbits, foxes, and bird species. Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed, so I would regard them as a possible bonus rather than a reason to book.

Eyjafjallajökull and Iceland’s Volcanic Memory

The next planned landing is at Eyjafjallajökull Volcano. The stop is listed at 30 minutes for photographs, sightseeing, and a walk.

Eyjafjallajökull became famous after its 2010 eruption disrupted air travel across Europe. The glacier-covered volcano is also a reminder that Iceland’s scenery is not fixed or finished. Ice, fire, and water continue to shape the country.

A landing here lets you experience the setting more directly than an aerial pass. You can look across glaciers and ice caps while learning about Iceland’s volcanic past through the tour’s English guidance and audio guide.

Once again, weather and safety decide what happens. The tour description says that landing at the volcano is weather-dependent. If conditions prevent it, you should expect an altered plan rather than a guaranteed replacement at the same location.

The Southern Region and the Flight Home

After the Eyjafjallajökull section, the helicopter spends about 20 minutes sightseeing over southern Iceland before a final 10-minute flight back to Reykjavík.

The return gives you another chance to connect the route’s parts. You may see the relationship between the volcano, the southern valleys, and the waterfalls that carry water away from the high ground. It is a useful closing view after several short landings.

The trip returns to Ace FBO Reykjavík. Since the schedule is built around flight time and weather, I would avoid booking an important timed activity immediately afterward. The supplied information does not provide a delay policy, and Icelandic weather can affect aviation plans.

The Secluded Geothermal Bath

An added feature of the experience is a secluded geothermal bath in a remote setting. The idea is appealing: after flying over Iceland’s volcanic country, you may have the chance to sit in naturally heated water surrounded by wilderness.

The key word is may. The thermal bath is subject to weather and safety conditions, and the May 2025 experience described above could not land at the thermal pool. Instead, the pilot arranged an extra landing at a wilderness waterfall.

That substitution is worth keeping in mind when judging the experience. If you book mainly for the bath, you may be disappointed if conditions rule it out. If you see the bath as one possible version of a flexible highland adventure, the arrangement makes more sense.

What $1,767 Buys You

At $1,767 per person, this is not a budget sightseeing trip. The price makes sense only if you place high value on time, access, and the ability to reach Iceland’s interior without a long road journey.

A conventional road trip can cost less, but it requires more time and may not reach the same remote places in a single day. You also lose the aerial perspective, which is one of this tour’s main strengths.

The small group limit of five improves the value slightly. You are not paying for a large aircraft packed with people, and the route includes three planned landings rather than only a flyover. Still, the cost remains high, so I would book it for a special occasion, a short Iceland visit, or a strong interest in geology and photography.

The value drops if you need guaranteed access to every named stop. Several landings depend on weather, and the tour can change its route. Iceland rewards flexibility, but it does not reward rigid expectations.

Who Should Take This Flight?

I would recommend this tour to you if you want to see the Highlands but do not have time for a multi-day trek or a long, difficult drive. It also suits photographers who want changing views, colorful mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, and volcanic country in one outing.

The tour works well for a small party of friends or family members who can share the cost. With a maximum of five participants, the group remains compact, though the flight requires at least four passengers to operate.

You may want to choose a different plan if your main goal is a long hike, a full day at Geysir and Gullfoss, or an extended visit to Þingvellir. This is a panoramic sampler with selected stops, not a slow ground tour.

Anyone over 120 kilograms must book an additional seat. That is an important cost detail to check before paying. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours in advance, and you can reserve now and pay later, which gives you some flexibility while watching the forecast.

Final Verdict: Book It for Access, Not Certainty

I would book this helicopter tour if you want a rare look at Iceland’s remote interior and can accept weather-based changes. The strongest features are the small group, three landings, Landmannalaugar’s unusual colors, the Eyjafjallajökull stop, and the chance to replace a canceled landing with another worthwhile location.

I would not book it if $1,767 feels uncomfortable or if you need the thermal bath, every landing, and every named viewpoint to be guaranteed. For the right budget and a flexible attitude, though, this is an efficient way to see a huge amount of southern Iceland in three hours.

FAQ

Where does the helicopter tour begin?

The tour begins at Ace FBO Reykjavík and returns there at the end.

How long does the experience last?

The tour lasts about three hours.

How many landings are included?

Three landings are included, subject to weather and safety conditions.

What places does the route visit?

The route includes the Reykjavík area, Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss, Háifoss, Fjallabak Nature Reserve, Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk, Eyjafjallajökull, and southern Iceland.

Is a landing at Landmannalaugar guaranteed?

No. Landings at Landmannalaugar depend on weather and safety conditions.

Is the geothermal bath guaranteed?

No. The secluded geothermal bath is also subject to weather and safety conditions.

What happens if the planned thermal bath landing is not possible?

The route may be changed. In one May 2025 flight, the thermal pool landing was replaced by an extra landing at a wilderness waterfall.

How many people can join the tour?

The group is limited to five participants.

How many passengers are required for the flight to operate?

At least four passengers are required for the flight to operate.

Is food included?

No. Food and drinks are not included.

What language is used during the tour?

The instructor and audio guide are in English.

What if I weigh more than 120 kilograms?

You must book an additional seat if you weigh more than 120 kilograms.