SamuelIceland has long captured our travel imagination. An island so unique with a very diverse landscape that will surely satisfy even the most veteran of travelers. Granted, it has been recently swamped with tourists from all over the world, hardly surprising given the country’s allure. But, venture beyond the reach of the day trippers from the capital, and you can easily find quietness amid the vast landscape.
This country is generally divided into several regions based on their geography, namely South, East, North, Westfjords, West, Reykjanes Peninsula, and the Capital Area. Each region is so unique and diverse that they warrant days or even weeks to be explored on its own.
Coming to this amazing country on a three-week road trip, we were determined to explore as much of the island as possible while still giving ourselves time to enjoy and soak in the natural wonders Iceland has to offer.
In this post, we’d like to share the highlights and best places to visit in North Iceland, a region teeming with volcanic activity as well as wonderful natural attractions and wildlife. We also give some tips as well as the accessibility description of each sight and place, including the link to parking location, to help you plan your visit to North Iceland.
1. Lake Mývatn area
This lake is one of the most famous in Iceland and is arguably the most famous sight in the North Iceland region. This lake is situated in a highly active geothermal area and is surrounded by multitudes of amazing sights around it.
Its relatively compact size makes it ideal to be explored in one or two days, where you can climb the some of the old volcanic craters around it, stroll around the lava field, or simply immerse yourself in the natural hot spring water of Mývatn nature bath.
While in the Mývatn lake area, don’t forget to visit these places:
Skútustaðagígar
This is one of the lesser known sights around the lake, but nonetheless is worth visiting. This relatively small area has many pseudo-craters (craters that are not formed directly by an eruption) that are all linked with a nice easy trail, perfect for spending an hour or two while enjoying the lake scenery around.
Accessibility: There is a designated parking lot in the area and it is a very easy walk around the area.
Höfði
This area is located directly next to the road circling the Mývatn lake and is hard to miss. You can enjoy a nice lake scenery from here amid amazing rock formations and lush green vegetations.
Accessibility: A parking lot is available in the immediate vicinity of the area, from which the great photo spots ahttps://goo.gl/maps/T8AyL6JZN1WDxszF8re located.
Dimmuborgir
A lava field like no other with towering rock formations. This is one of the nicest attractions around the lake area. Take a stroll through some of its winding trails amid massive and sharp black lava rocks. What’s more, this area is steeped in folk legends and stories, such as the trolls and Icelandic Yule Lads. Don’t miss the big gaping hole on the rock (Gatklettur) and find the cave where trolls usually gather, at least according to the legend.
Accessibility: There is a parking lot and a cafe at the entrance to the area. The trails through the lava field are well maintained and easily accessible for everyone.
Hverfjall
A massive ancient volcanic crater in the immediate vicinity of the Mývatn lake. You can climb to the rim of the crater and walk around it. The climb takes about half an hour at most, and you’ll be rewarded with an amazing view around the whole lake area.
Accessibility: There is a parking lot at the starting point of the trail to the rim. The climb can be quite steep but should be manageable for anyone with reasonable fitness level.
Grjótagjá cave
A truly one of a kind cave, as it is filled with natural warm water with a blueish hue. The water is a tad too hot for bathing and unfortunately it is not allowed to do so anymore.
Accessibility: A parking lot is located directly next to the entrance of the cave. To get to the hot pool inside, it’s about 10 meters scrambling down the rocky path and is manageable for everyone. Be careful not to fall into the water itself.
Hverir
This massive area is teeming with volcanic activity, boiling mud pools, and geothermal vents. You can find an otherworldly landscape in Hverir as well as the stench of sulfur. A must see in the Mývatn lake area.
Accessibility: A designated parking lot is available next to the area and you can easily explore Hverir on foot. Stick to the marked trail and stay clear off the fenced area due to the extremely dangerous boiling mud and surface.
Víti crater lake
This place is quite removed from the rest of the Lake Mývatn attraction, but is nonetheless worth visiting. The massive ancient volcanic crater is now filled with greenish water. You can also walk through some parts of the rim.
Accessibility: You can drive all the way to the crater side and park there. The walk along the rim is quite easy, but you can already get an amazing view of the crater lake at 10-20 meters walk from the parking lot.
Mývatn nature baths (Jarðböðin)
This is the blue lagoon of the north! Just the like famous Blue Lagoon near the Keflavík airport, the water in this nature bath is also blue due to its natural mineral content.
But, for less than half of the price of Blue Lagoon, you can take a dip in this hot spring pool and enjoy a better scenery around with less crowd. Try also the invigorating steam room before drenching yourself with the cold shower.
Accessibility: This is a popular nature bath and the road there as well as the parking area are well maintained.
2. Dettifoss, Selfoss, and Hafragilfoss
These three waterfalls are located in each other’s proximity and you can combine your visit to these three amazing waterfalls. Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe, is arguably the most famous and wonderful of the three, and is a must see in the whole of Iceland as its sheer size and power are quite a thing to behold and feel.
Accessibility: There are parking lots at both sides of the canyon (west parking and east parking) to reach both Dettifoss and Selfoss on foot. The trail is well marked and easily manageable by everyone.
It is advisable to approach the waterfalls from the west for two reasons; firstly, the Road 862 on the west side is in better condition than the Road 864 on the east, and secondly, the ‘face’ of Dettifoss is facing west, providing a better and fuller view of the waterfall.
Similarly, Hafragilsfoss can also be reached from either west or east, each has its own parking lot. Either side would still offer you an amazing view, but if you happen to be on one of the sides from visiting Dettifoss/Selfoss, you can simply stick to the same side for visiting Hafragilsfoss.
Tip: Bring a waterproof coat or poncho as Dettifoss will bombard you with lots of water splash, especially in unfavorable wind conditions.
3. Hljóðaklettar
One of the lesser known area in North Iceland, but is one of the most intriguing and unique due to the presence of hexagonal basalt rock columns and formations throughout the entire area.
A walk around the area will treat you with sights of some of the most amazing rock formations, from a wall of hexagonal rocks to a massive cliff made entirely of basalt columns. Don’t miss Kirkjan, or the church, a massive cave made entirely od hexagonal basalt columns.
Accessibility: There is a parking lot close to the area, but the road is not extremely well maintained. From there, you’d need to walk and hike through some uneven and at times steep rocky terrains to explore the area.
Tip: This place is also another reason to park at the west side when visiting Dettifoss, since Hljóðaklettar can only be accessed from the west side of the river canyon, some 22 km further north,
4. Ásbyrgi canyon
Certainly one of the most impressive canyon in Iceland. This massive horseshoe shaped canyon will awe you with its towering cliffs above, turquoise lake below, and the lush green valley within the canyon itself. Legend has it that the horseshoe shape came from Odin’s horse’s footstep when it landed here, but it is now thought that it was formed due to a glacial flooding after the last Ice Age.
Accessibility: A parking lot is available nearby and it is an easy walk through a forest to reach the base of the canyon and to the view points in the area.
Tip: When nobody’s around, try to shout to the canyon and hear the echo coming back.
5. Whale watching in Húsavík
Many whales inhabit the water off the coast of Iceland, and there is no better place in the country from which to embark on a whale watching trip than Húsavík, the whale watching capital of Iceland.
There are some tour providers in the town (e.g. North Sailing, which provided the tour that we took, highly recommended) and you can simply drop in around one hour before the trip to purchase the ticket for the tour. Be sure to check their website for the tour timetable.
With nearly a 100% chance of encountering a whale during the trip, you can expect to be awed by these giants of the sea. We did see multiple humpbacks dancing gently as well as a pod of dolphins.
Accessibility: It is free parking at the Húsavík harbor area, so you can leave your car while going on the tour.
Tip: For those of you who are prone to seasickness, be warned as the trip can be quite choppy. And while in Húsavík, don’t forget to visit the intricately decorated church, just above the harbor.
6. Goðafoss
The waterfall of the gods. The name of the waterfall sounds quite promising already. The story has it that when Icelanders converted to Christianity, the chieftain threw away the statue of the pagan gods to this waterfall, hence giving it its present name.
This waterfall may not have the size or height of many other waterfalls in Iceland, but it is undeniably pretty and makes a perfect photogenic spot for visitors.
Accessibility: A designated parking lot is located nearby and it is an easy walk to the viewpoints, accessible for everyone.
7. Akureyri
This is the largest city of the north is tucked at the end of the long Eyjafjörður and is definitely worth a visit to admire its colorful wooden houses in the town center as well as the mountainous surroundings. Just take a stroll along its streets and don’t miss the Akureyrarkirkja on top of the hill just next to the city center.
Accessibility: You can park for free in the city center provided you have a parking disc/clock. You can park for maximally one hour from 10 to 16, with the parking disc indicating your time of arrival, but outside that time frame it’s unlimited.
Tip: To get an amazing view of Akureyri and the surrounding area, head to a resting area across the fjord and enjoy the scenery there while having lunch or a picnic.
8. Glaumbær Farm & Museum and Mánárbakki Museum
These are two of the best museums to visit to learn about the past time and history in the now super modern and hi-tech Iceland.
The museum in Glaumbær (entrance fee ISK 1700, June 2020) is quite famous in Iceland and it is basically an old Icelandic farm house with an authentic turf roof. There you can learn about the life in rural Iceland back in the days, complete with exhibitions of the items and tools used, e.g. to make the now world-renowned skyr cheese.
Meanwhile, the lesser known Mánárbakki Museum (entrance fee ISK 1000, June 2020) is a hidden cultural gem of Iceland. It is a small privately owned museum by an old couple and houses myriad of antique items collected by them throughout the past century. There you can find a collection of messages in a bottle, old shark hooks, and even the predecessor of sofa-bed from Ikea from decades ago, among many other curious items.
Accessibility: Both museums have designated parking lots (Glaumbær and Mánárbakki).
Tip: Taking pictures of the Glaumbær farmhouse with its photogenic turf roof from the outside is free of charge and the entrance fee is only for entering the farmhouse itself.
9. Hvitserkur (and seal spotting)
People mostly come to this place to see the unique rock formation of Hvitserkur just off the beach. While the rock itself is indeed a curiosity, this place is actually one of the best for spotting seals. The relatively warmer water of the Sigríðarstaðavatn inlet nearby meets the cold open sea and this condition attracts seals to the area.
To spot the seals, you do have to walk a bit further south from the Hvitserkur rock formation, through pebbles covered shore and grassy field. The seal colony will most likely be at the other side of the inlet, but some seals might swim quite close to your side of the shore. And, being the curious creature that they are, they’ll most likely hang around to observe you from the distance.
Accessibility: There is a parking lot to reach Hvitserkur and it’s an easy walk to the viewpoint platform. However, to reach the beach, it’s quite a steep descend. Once you’re down at the beach, it’s quite an easy walk along the shore to go to where you’ll likely spot some seals. We walked all the way to a deserted cabin (location) and spotted many seals swimming around in the distance.
Tip: During the bird nesting season (usually summer), some of the sea birds, especially the Arctic Terns, may get very aggressive and start attacking you when you get too close to their nests. So either avoid the grassy fields where they nest, or bring a stick and swing it around above your head while walking to deter them from descending upon your head.
And those were the best sights and places in North Iceland. If you’d like to get more impression on the each place as well as about how the whale watching tour is, check out our YouTube video about the highlights of North Iceland (in two parts) and the whale watching in Húsavík below.
