There’re a lot of things to see and do around Lake Mývatn, a popular destination in North East Iceland. If you are short on time and only have time for a few things, I would like to share with you four places that in my opinion are a must do in the area.
Early last summer I spent a whole day around Lake Mývatn with some friends. We didn’t cover everything there’s to see and do in the area but we managed to cover a great deal. The following list shows what I thought stood out and would therefore recommend to prioritise when in the area.
There’s one thing I would like to mention before we start to go through the list. You might be interested in knowing that “Mývatn” means “The Lake of the Midges”. That doesn’t sound particularly appealing. Does it? The fact is there are often huge amounts of midges all around the lake in the summer. Some days it gets really bad and I’d always recommend bringing a fly net to cover your head. Otherwise you might not be able to enjoy your stay. It isn’t always bad but to be safe I’d always bring a net. You can also buy one in the supermarket by the Tourist Information Center if you need one.
With that unpleasant but necessary comment out of the way, let’s see what to do in this beautiful area.
1. The Game of Thrones Cave
Grjótagjá is a must stop, especially for you as a Game of Thrones fan. It’s the cave where Jon Snow and Ygrytte went on their famous romantic getaway in season 3. But even though you weren’t a fan, you should definitely check it out if in the area. I haven’t seen one single episode of Games of Thrones but still think it’s definitely worth a visit. Easy access and doesn’t take long.
Grjótagjá is a pretty small cave with beautiful rock formations and filled with hot water. I think it’s hard to take pictures that do it’s justice. But these two here down below should give you some idea.
In the early 1970s when my parents were teenagers, they were working in the area. At that time, groups of people were working around the country in the summer and building bridges. The workers lived in trailers that had no showers so they had to be creative when it came to bathing themselves. My parents and their colleagues solved this problem by bathing in Grjótagjá. Then the men bathed on one side and the women on the other. Pretty cool don’t you think?
They weren’t the only ones who bathed in the cave as from 1950 to 1977 it was very popular for locals and their guests to bathe in Grjótagjá. But in 1977 the water got much warmer as a result of a volcanic eruption close by which made it impossible to bathe in the water. Today it’s forbidden to bathe in the cave and actually I think the water is too hot anyways. At least when I tested it with my fingers last time I was there, it felt way too hot to bathe in.
If you decide to visit the cave, please remember to be careful and watch your step. It’s very easy to stumble over one of the big rocks on your way down to the water. It still gives me the creeps to think about my first visit there when I tripped and almost fell into the steaming hot water. That would have been a disaster as the water was way too hot to bathe in at that point. So as you can imagine, I am very thankful that didn’t happen! So again, please be careful.
2. Exploring Dimmuborgir, an Unusual Lava Field
The second place on my list is Dimmuborgir. This one is a classic and I honestly think every tourist that comes to Lake Mývatn, makes a stop here.
Dimmuborgir is an area of unusually shaped lava field that was created about 2300 years ago when a lava flowed over a small lake. The lava caused the water in the lake to boil and the vapour formed some lava pillars, or hollow and pipe-like channels between the bottom and the top of the lava flow.⠀
There are different paths you can walk in the area but I personally recommend the one called “Krókastígur”. It’s not suitable for everyone as it’s narrow and uneven unlike the other trails that are wide and paved. But that’s exactly what makes it a more interesting choice. Just keep your eyes closely on the trail markers that lead the way through the lava and birch bushes. Otherwise you might get lost at one point, just like me and my friends did!
3. Hiking a Huge Volcanic Crater
Hverfjall is the big beautifully shaped, black volcanic crater right next to Dimmuborgir. I think it looks so cool. Plain black with a smooth surface. No other colours, just black and so perfectly round.
It’s a relatively easy walk up to the top and when you get there you can walk all the way around it and enjoy the view. Even though the elevation is only about 150m(490 ft) the view is great in all directions. Don’t rush. Give yourself time to take in the view. It was raining the one and only time I have been there. Not some heavy rain, but still raining on and off. Despite the clouds and the rain I thought the view was really good. We even saw a part of Vantajökull Glacier in the far so I can only imagine how wonderful the view must be on a clear day.
4. Enjoy a Delicious Local Made Ice Cream
The last stop is Skútaís which is a small ice cream shop where the farmers at Skútastaðir, one of the farms by the lake, make their own ice cream from the milk they produce. They have many different flavours to choose from, which makes it very hard to decide what to get. Or maybe just a great excuse to buy an extra big portion! Which I did. Of course. I bought three different flavours and they all tasted so yummy. So delightfully fresh and the level of sweetness was just right. So good! Can’t recommend enough if you’re in the area in summer time (they are closed during winter).
Even though I have pinpointed these four places as my favourites, there are many more that are worth a visit. Lake Mývatn has so much to offer and you can easily spend at least two days in the area. Here below you can see more ideas but please notice that I’m most definitely forgetting something.
A few more ideas for the Lake Mývatn Area
Námaskarð Geothermal Area
Not the most beautiful geothermal area I have been to here in Iceland but worth a stop if you have time. Here the locals bake their rye bread in the boiling ground. You can buy some in the local shop.
Mývatn Nature Baths
I haven’t actually been here for years so I am not going to give my opinion of the place. You should rather go on tripadvisor to see if this is something for you.
Lofthellir Lava Cave
This one is on my bucket list. It’s a lava cave that is known for its spectacular icicle formations and is only open from May to October. You can’t go there on your own, a guided tour is the only option.
Bird Life
Lake Mývatn is known for its bird species diversity and there is also a great bird museum by the lake.
Víti in Krafla
Víti is an explosion crater in the Krafla volcanic region right next to Lake Mývatn. The crater is full of beautifully turquoise coloured water.
Goðafoss Waterfall
Not exactly by Lake Mývatn but pretty close by and definitely worth a stop.
As there are so many things to do and places to see around Lake Mývatn you could stay there for days without getting bored. But if you are in a hurry you should at least take a peek into The Game of Thrones cave, hike up a huge crater where you can admire the stunning view, get lost among lava sculptures and birch bushes and finally get a delicious refreshment at Skútaís. A lovely and eventful day in gorgeous nature in North East Iceland.
Would you like to read more about this area? Here are some links you might be interested in:
Visit Myvatn Best sights around Lake Myvatn according to Kimkim Here is (among other things) a great photo of the The Game of Thrones CaveWhat’s Your Favourite?
Do you have a favourite place around Lake Myvatn? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Maybe it’s a place that isn’t on this list? Tell us or even show us a photo.
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Until next time!
Dawn Latham says
We enjoyed the Skutustadir pseudocraters. The formations themselves may not the most spectacular things, but the views over Lake Myvatn were stunning.
j.siggadottir says
Yes, that is for sure one more place I can add to this list! So many places worth exploring around Lake Mývatn 🙂