Another day, another adventure!
I had originally planned on travelling up the Eyjafjörður coastline to Siglufjörður (one of my favourite towns) and going on a brewery tour, but those plans were cancelled due to the weather. With the previous day’s heavy snowfall, there were high chances of avalanches, so the road there actually gets closed for safety reasons (if you have seen the Icelandic TV show Trapped, you know exactly what I mean!).
Instead, I was given the option of exploring the Lake Mývatn area the following day. That was actually one of my favourite areas on my last trip to Iceland, but it hadn’t fit in my schedule this time. I happily accepted — and it was one of my best decisions ever!
The area around Lake Mývatn is full of extreme contrasts and otherworldly landscapes. It’s been a filming location for major Hollywood films and TV shows, such as Game of Thrones, Fast & Furious, and Star Wars. If you are a super fan of any of these, there are actually tours that will show you their filming locations.
The day started off by returning to Goðafoss, the first waterfall from my last excursion. Unlike the previous day, the weather was gorgeous — sunny and clear — and I was able to get better photos of the falls and river! I don’t think I could ever tire of these falls, especially in the winter. I can’t get over how turquoise the water was!
Next, we explored the pseudo-craters of Skútustaðagígar. I recall driving by these when I visited in the summer, but this was my first time seeing them up close!
During volcanic eruptions, long ago, lava ran across the area, which at the time was swampy wetlands. The heat caused steam explosions, which resulted in crater-like shapes. Since these are not connected to a direct magma conduit, they aren’t considered real craters, but pseudo. It is actually a pretty rare phenomenon that can only we seen in three or four places in the world, as well as on Mars.
From there, we made a quick stop to admire the glass-like surface of Lake Mývatn, as there was actually no wind (for once?!). It is a pretty shallow lake, surrounded by wetlands. Its name is derived from the words mý (midge) and vatn (lake), because of the huge amount of small flies that fly there in the summer.
Our fourth stop was the Dimmuborgir. Translating as The Black Fortress, it is a dramatic expanse of lava fields, formed in an eruption that occurred 2,300 years ago. As lava flowed across the area, it passed over a lake, causing it to boil. This rapidly cooled the lava and caused pillars of steam to shatter parts of it. After solidifying, the area became defined by large stacks of rock and many caves and caverns, caused by bubbles of intense steam.
This place looks completely different in summer vs winter. I personally think it is more impressive in the winter. The strange formations, as well as the stark contrast between the black rock and white snow made me feel like I actually was standing within the ruins of a medieval castle, complete with hidden chambers and rising towers. It is easy to see why there is so much local folklore about the area, from troll and hidden people hideouts to Yule Lad homes (I don’t want to make this post too long, so I recommend reading about these online).
There are several popular hiking paths in the area. One of them leads to a particularly large lava archway, with a spectacular view of Hverfjall Crater.
I took a quick trip to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa in a tree outside lol. I also got in touch with my inner child and slid down a snow-covered hill, like a slide!
Then, it was lunchtime. We went to an awesome place called Vogafjós. I wrote about it pretty extensively in my last post and highly recommend visiting it. Not only is the food incredible and super fresh, the whole experience was a blast!
Feeling full and very satisfied, we then headed off to Grjótagjá, or the love cave from GOT. Even though there was deep snow, it was open! However, it was so cold out that steam was too thick to get a decent photo of the blue water. People used to actually bathe here, but the water is now too hot for that. Up top, I could clearly see the rift between the Eurasian & American tectonic plates!
From there, we stopped by one of my favourite spots in Iceland: Mt. Námafjall and the Hverir Mud Pools. I am fascinated by Iceland’s geothermal activity and getting the chance to get so close to these otherworldly vents is unreal. With its sparse landscape, bare of any vegetation, and sulphuric plumes of steam, walking through the area feels like visiting another planet.
It is a different experience visiting in the summer vs the winter. In the summer, you can walk along paths that weave through the bubbling pools of mud and steaming fumaroles. The ground is multicoloured from volcanic minerals. In the winter, it is not really possible to walk through the area (you can at your own risk, but it is not advised), as snow covers the paths. It is important not to venture off of them because the mud is often above boiling temperature and is quite dangerous. However, it is nice to warm up by the fumeroles, as long as you do not stick your hand too close to the hot spots!
Finally, we ended our journey with a relaxing dip in the Mývatn Nature Baths. Like a small Blue Lagoon of the north, the baths are a set of geothermally heated pools and steam baths found in the Lake Mývatn area. I find the water here is warmer than the BL, and it’s much less crowded.
Both times I’ve visited, our group was the one in the water, with only a few other small groups joining later on. There are also two saunas here and a cafe. A brand new in-water bar just opened too, so patrons can sip on Icelandic beer or a wine of their choice as they relax in the water. The views are quite beautiful from the pools, but the wind was blowing the steam in that direction when I grabbed my phone to take photos. The water is strikingly blue and opaque.
Bathing here is a relaxing experience that I think everyone should try!
Overall, Lake Mývatn is a breathtaking area of Iceland. You do not want to miss out on this less-touristic place — its otherworldly beauty and variety of sites make it a fantastic place to visit!