A Guide to Lake Myvatn, Iceland

Top Sights in Lake Myvatn

There is no shortage of sights to see in Lake Myvatn. The fact that it sits on an active geothermal area gives it a huge range of unique and beautiful geology to explore. Nearby, there is Krafla caldera, an area that contains the notorious Víti volcano plus several tiny islands across the lake which formed by steam explosions as magma rose beneath pockets of water. The abundance of geothermal activity also allows for many natural heated water baths to explore, with the most famous known as Myvatn Nature Baths.

Bird watchers will also find much to see around Lake Myvatn. Nearby are the coastal cliffs Látrabjarg and Dyrhólaey where between May and September you can see puffins and other Icelandic birds. Myvatn also has more species of duck than anywhere else in the world with thirteen individual nesting species alone. You may also spot some voles, mice and rates, the Artic fox, Iceland’s only native land mammal.

How to get to Lake Myvatn, Iceland

By car:

Travelers looking to road trip around the Ring Road (Route 1) can embark on a scenic drive to northern Iceland, taking in the numerous beautiful sights along the way to Lake Myvatn. It takes around 6-7 hours to drive up to north Iceland, so we highly recommend stopping off overnight somewhere on the way to extend your visit. Many of our Iceland fly drive holidays also accommodate for trips like this

By plane:

Those looking to explore north Iceland and Lake Myvatn in the space of a day, you can take a domestic flight from Reykjavik's airport just outside of the city directly into Akureyri's airport (AEY) and then rent a car.

Guided Tours of Lake Myvatn

Classic Diamond Circle Tour

Enjoy this magnificent day tour to the jewels of the north including the legendary Godafoss waterfall and Lake Myvatn. The first stop is Waterfall Godafoss and from you will visit the Lake Myvatn area and stop at Hverir, boiling mud pits, by mount Namafjall. That area is considered by many the most beautiful and at the same time the most catastrophic place in Iceland. Next is Waterfall Dettifoss 44m high and 100m wide, where a mass of water, mud, and sand rumbles into Iceland's most impressive canyon. Then you will travel alongside the Jokulsargljufur Glacial canyon to Vesturdalur valley and to Hljodaklettar, the echoing cliffs. They are world known for their basalt columns that characterize the ancient lava flow.

Book the Classic Diamond Circle Tour here

Lake Myvatn & Godafoss Super Jeep Tour

Enjoy a super jeep tour to see two of north Iceland's most magical sights Lake Myvatn & Godafoss waterfall. You begin the day by stopping at Goðafoss waterfall on our way to Lake Mývatn. Then you go onto the pseudo-craters of Skútustaðagígar before continuing to the mystic Dimmuborgir (Dark Cities) full of lava-pillars and formations that are rich of mystic sagas and tails. Next is the underground river in Grjótagjá rift and the geothermal area of Hverir with boiling mud pools, steaming fumaroles and sulphur pits. Krafla volcano area is our next destination where we drive past the power station bearing the same name that relies on geothermal steam energy for its operation. We then come to the explosion crater Víti that was formed in 1724 in the Mývatnseldar eruption and from there we will enjoy the view over Leirhnjúkur volcano.

Book the Lake Myvatn & Godafoss Super Jeep Tour here