Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hverfell
Hverfell
(also known as Hverfjall) is Mývatn's most easily identified landmark, looking
just how a volcano should: broad, conical and strewn with black rubble and rocks, it's a
classic
tephra cone
, made of consolidated ash and pumice. At 2500 years old, Hverfell
is also a bit younger than the lake, and its rim (400m) presents a satisfying,
straightforward climb from the
parking area
1.5km east off the highway along a gravel
track. Two hours is ample time for a slow ascent and circuit of the kilometre-wide
caldera, which is a great way to orient yourself: immediately west lie the lake's flat blue
waters, its scattering of islands and convoluted shore; views north take in Reykjahlíð,
the steaming thermal areas, and the plateau harbouring Krafla; southeast lurks Lúdent,
beyond which lava stretches out to the distant string of impressively solid table-top
formations of Búrfell, Heilagsdalsfjall and Bláfjall.
6
Lúdent
If you enjoyed Hverfell, it's worth trekking the additional 5km out to see
Lúdent
's
similar formations (if you're driving, note that the soft black-sand track is four-wheel-
drive only). The track curls around Hverfell's south side and then bears southeast,
rising to cross a line of rough-edged, overgrown volcanic blisters and miniature
outlying craters on the abrupt western edge of the Mývatn fault. A further 1km across
the rift and you're on top of the iron-rich, red-gravel slopes of Lúdent's main crater; the
rim is partially collapsed and invaded by several secondary cones - the one directly
north is almost as wide as Lúdent, and slightly higher at 490m. Look back the way
you've come and there's a superb line of sight right along the rift wall.
Dimmuborgir
Back on the lake road 1km or so south of the Hverfell junction, another access
road runs 1500m east to a car park at
Dimmuborgir
, a collection of crumbled and
contorted lava towers set amongst the birch scrub. Examine the rocks' unexpected and
indescribable shapes, none of them very tall but every inch differently textured, all
finished in tiny twists and spires. The highlight is half an hour in from the entrance at
Kirkja
, the Church, a giant burst bubble of lava into which around twenty people could
comfortably squeeze. Next to the car park, there's a café and a
viewing area
where you
can take in Dimmuborgir's weird formations from above.
Höfði
A couple of kilometres south past Dimmuborgir on the lake road, the private nature
park
Höfði
marks the first specific lakeside stop. Stack-like formations and tiny islets in
the crystal-clear waters here attract birds in some numbers, while the flower-strewn
birch woodland along the shore offers good cover for watching them. One rarity to
look out for here is the
great northern diver
(known as “loon” in North America),
which nests in the vicinity; with luck you'll see the less common red-throated variety,
too, along with countless Barrow's goldeneyes - this area is their main hangout.
Grænvatn
Rounding Mývatn's southeastern corner, you pass where the lake's
springs
well up from
below the surface; they're undetectable except in winter, when their warmth stops the
water here from freezing. A kilometre further on, the tiny hamlet of
GARÐUR
marks a
2km road south to
Grænvatn
, a much smaller satellite lake of Mývatn. The lake isn't
that interesting but the
turf-roofed farmhouse
here is: built in the late nineteenth
century and now one of the oldest buildings in the region, it's still lived in.
Skútustaðir
Three kilometres west of Garður,
SKÚTUSTAÐIR
is a small knot of buildings right by the
lake comprising accommodation, a church, a
store
with basic supplies, a
café
and
fuel
