Boiling mud, volcanic craters and geothermal bathing without the queue — Iceland’s working volcanic north.
Mývatn sits in one of the most geologically active areas in the country. Hverir is a field of boiling mud pots and sulphur vents; Leirhnjúkur is a lava field still warm from eruptions in the 1980s; Dettifoss, an hour east, is among the most powerful waterfalls in Europe.
Akureyri, Iceland’s northern town, gives the region a base with real restaurants and a domestic airport. The Mývatn Nature Baths and GeoSea at Húsavík offer geothermal bathing with a fraction of the traffic the southwest sees.
Countryside hotels around the lake and a small number of design properties in Akureyri.
Guided walks across the geothermal fields and lava, Dettifoss, and evening geothermal bathing.
Arctic char from the lake, north-coast seafood and geothermal-baked rye.
Domestic flights into Akureyri from Reykjavík, or the northern arc of the ring road by private transfer.
Every road open, the highland tracks accessible and midge season at the lake — which is where the name comes from.
Aurora over the geothermal fields, no insects and the quietest good-weather weeks.
Steam against snow, aurora and near-empty bathing. Some roads close in bad weather.
June — August: Midnight Sun. Every road open, the highland tracks accessible and midge season at the lake — which is where the name comes from. September — October: Autumn. Aurora over the geothermal fields, no insects and the quietest good-weather weeks. November — March: Winter. Steam against snow, aurora and near-empty bathing. Some roads close in bad weather.
We suggest 3 nights. 3 nights: A lakeside base with a geothermal walking day, Dettifoss and an evening in the nature baths. 7 nights: Akureyri and Mývatn combined with the south coast glaciers, linked by domestic flight.
Akureyri (AEY). Domestic flights into Akureyri from Reykjavík, or the northern arc of the ring road by private transfer.
Geothermal · Volcanoes · Quiet. Boiling mud, volcanic craters and geothermal bathing without the queue — Iceland’s working volcanic north.