What To Do In Lake Myvatn, Iceland

Lake Myvatn was the biggest fail of our 10 day trip to Iceland. Not because it was a let down, it was actually quite the opposite, mainly because for whatever reason the day we decided to tour around Lake Myvatn everything seemed to go wrong. We fought path closures, excessive bugs, snow and smells so bad it made us choke. Regardless of the mishaps though I would still strongly recommend anyone doing the tour around Iceland to make sure Lake Myvatn was on their list of stops.

Located on the North Eastern side of the country (roughly a 5 hour drive from Reykjavik), Lake Myvatn offers the most incredible landscapes and birdlife in a very small area. Because we were travelling the country clockwise, we did Myvatn on our way to Eglisstadir from Akureyri.

The trip we took was in the middle of May and so the weather was favourable but still a bit on the chilly side. It actually wasn’t all that different from what we were experiencing in Toronto before we left for our trip. We did happen to get lucky and have sun and a decently warm day on our tour around Lake Myvatn. Because you are doing so much walking around outside, I can’t imagine it would be too pleasant visting in the rain or snow.

We toured the area in several hours, roughly 6. It actually took us a lot less time to get around than we thought it would have but that is also because a few of the things we wanted to do were closed, or too difficult to do when we went.

Before embarking on the trek we were actually lucky enough to stumble across the most helpful brochure of the area that outlined perfectly for us what we should do and seem, including pictures of everything. After looking through the brochure Ben and I decided on 5 things we didn’t want to miss. It was also what we deemed a reasonable amount to see given our time there. In retrospect had the weather been nicer and we were able to do everything we wanted, the day would have been much longer so make sure you budget enough time on your trip.

Skutustadagigar (Skutustadir pseudocraters)

This was our first stop coming in from the West. The entrance is located near a cluster of small hotels and one or two gas stations. We missed the parking lot the first time passing through (mishap #1) so we had to turn around and realized the parking lot was smaller than we expected. The reason the area is so popular is because it is filled with giant pseudocraters (anthill-like structures) that protrude from the ground because underneath lava had built up in the earth so much but they never exploded. There is a trail that runs through the region and takes roughly 45 minutes to walk. There is also a shorter circle, that’s more likely to be open in the off-season months.

Whichever you choose to do, the trails make it a fairly easy and light walk. Definitely make time for lots of stops along the way, as you can see below the landscape is breathtaking. On a beautiful sunny day, this would make a perfect place to rest and have a bite to eat as well.

Dimmuborgir

This was a weird place if I’m being honest. It was a nice day and I really felt like walking around so I thought we should do the longer route. There are actually several ‘hiking’ routes located in this area. Dimmuborgir has a vast number of lava formations. It’s easily walkable and shouldn’t take you too long to do. Even the longest route only took us about an hour if that, but we are fast walkers and didn’t take too much time to stop and take pictures. Rocks can only look so good in a photo. If you do the larger route you will find the ‘church’ formation. It’s actually quite cool to see. Even in May there was still quite a lot of snow on the ground so proper walking shoes (not necessarily hiking shoes) are recommended.

It’s a really cool place to see but if rocks or hardened lava aren’t your thing, I would suggest taking the shorter routes. After a while everything seemed to look to the same to me and I just couldn’t wait to get out, even if just for a chance of scenery.

Kalfastrond and Hofdi

This area of Myvatn was also a bit bizarre. The lava formations that line the road on either side as you’re driving in are incredible. It almost feels as if you’ve been transported back in time to the land of dinosaurs, or at least what I would imagine it would look like. Once parked, we began to make our way around the little lake to take pictures of the formations along the way. We barely even made it halfway. I don’t even know what the bugs were but there were hundreds, thousands of these little black flies that get stuck in your clothes, your eyelashes, everywhere. We thought we could brave it but we didn’t last long at all before we could barely breathe without sucking in a bunch of flies.

Hopefully the flies go away in height in the summer but if they don’t, you can take plenty of great pictures from the parking lot, or just a little down the way. This is also another great spot to take pictures of the birdlife in the area.

The Stora Viti crater on Mount Krafla

Viti crater is something you’ll want to drive to, unless of course you feel like hiking forever. I don’t thinka  lot of tour buses make the trek up this mountain because it often gets quite steep and narrow so if you plan on renting a car, add this to the list. I never thought that going up in May there would still be so much snow but there was, tons of it.

As we got to the top and close to the crater we saw a load of cars just parked up almost in a row on the road. We kept following it until we realized the road simply stopped. There was no more plowing or removing of the snow, someone just decided to give up! As we hiked to the top (this took about 20 minutes), I don’t know why I but I thought that perhaps the inside of the crater would be so hot there would be no snow inside. I was wrong. The entire thing was covered in snow. This was by far one of the best things I’ve never seen. It was so deep, and so large I didn’t even mind that we didn’t get to see the real deal (okay I minded a little, but what are you gunna do!).

Hverir

This is the coolest, most bizarre, and by far smelliest place I have ever been to. This stop seems to come out of nowhere as you’re almost out of the Myvatn area. Located just below a hill, there is plenty of parking for those getting out. One word to the wise though, do not try and eat lunch here. The smell will put you off your lunch within minutes of being there. Hverir is one of the high temperature areas in Iceland, you absolutely must not cross over the roped areas. Numerous tourists have been severely burned by not following instructions. Looking around you’ll find a combination of bubbling mud puddles, steaming rock piles and geysirs. I am not actually sure what causes the smell but if science taught me anything it’s probably the sulfuric acid.

Additional Notes

ACCOMMODATION

• Airbnb : Stays are in the more remote areas of Iceland are more difficult to find and the book up fast. When you find one, make sure to book it as soon as possible! For tips about booking Airbnb check out my post here.
• Booking.com : There are a few smaller hotels in the area that make for great places to rest. Most of our stays in Iceland were booked through Booking.com and I couldn’t have been more pleased.

CAR RENTAL

• Hotwire is my go-to source when booking car rentals. I always find the best rates with them and it’s so easy to use. Most of the time I just use their app when travelling because it’s so convenient.
• For the purpose of this trip we used Cars Iceland and had a very good experience with them.

ICELAND TRAVEL BOOKS