This day we set off from Akureyri to visit the attractions around the Lake Myvatn area. The first stop was the waterfall Godafoss. What set this waterfall apart for me was not the falls itself, but the river that I had to wade to get to the viewpoint. I jumped around rocks to make it, and at times I felt that if I slipped and fell into the stream, I would be carried over to the falls! All in all, it made for an interesting experience.
Next, we headed to the Myvatn visitor’s center to get our bearings and some guides. We charted out what to do in the area, and headed to the volcanic crater first. This is a dead crater, which volcanic ash all around, and nothing else inside it. The climb to the rim was very steep, and there wasn’t much to see inside it, but it was still a unique sight.
Next, we headed to Dimmuborgir, which was famous for rock formations. If we had not been on the Hljodaklettar trail the day before, this might have been more impressive. But in reality, these rock formations were a more stunted form on the huge ones near Dettifoss. Nonetheless, there is a trail that goes around the different rocks and lava formations that is worth checking out, if you’re in the area.
The next stop was a real highlight – Krafla. This is a actively volcanic sight with steam rising out of crevices! What made it more interesting was the different colors of the mountains and trails. At times, I felt like I was walking on the moon! Do not miss!
Finally, we circled back around Lake Myvatn and headed to the Myvatn nature baths. This is similar to the Blue lagoon near Reykjavik, except cheaper and less touristy. I found that the water in this lagoon was not equally heated and therefore provided a less pleasant experience when compared to the blue lagoon. It is also not as large as the blue lagoon. If you’re contemplating between the two, I would pick the one near Reykjavik, but if you’re around the area here, definitely pop in for the evening. Looking at the landscape when soaking in a blue sulfur mineral pool is an experience in itself!
We stayed this night in Bjarnargerdi guesthouse again.
