Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Askja
The utterly desolate Askja caldera is the main destination for all tours in this part of the
highlands. This immense 50-sq-km caldera shouldn't be missed - and it's an easy 2.4km
walk from the car-park area. As you approach, you'll find it difficult to imagine the sorts of
forces that created it.
The cataclysm that formed the lake in the Askja caldera (and the Víti crater) happened
relatively recently (in 1875) when 2 cu km of tephra was ejected from the Askja volcano.
The force was so strong that bits of debris actually landed in Continental Europe. Ash
from the eruption poisoned large numbers of cattle in northern Iceland, sparking a wave of
emigration to America. It's quite daunting to realise that such cataclysmic events could be
replayed at any time.
After the initial eruption, a magma chamber collapsed and created a craterous 11-sq-km
hole, 300m below the rim of the original explosion crater. This new depression subse-
quently filled with water and became the sapphire-blue lake
Öskjuvatn
, the second-deep-
est in Iceland at 220m.
In 1907 German researchers Max Rudloff and Walther von Knebel were rowing on the
lake when they completely vanished; their bodies were never found. It was suggested that
the lake may have hazardous quirks, possibly odd currents or whirlpools; but a rickety
canvas boat and icy water could easily explain their deaths. There's a stone cairn and me-
morial to the men on the rim of the caldera.
In the 1875 eruption a vent near the northeastern corner of the lake exploded and formed
the tephra crater Víti, which contains geothermal water. This is one of two well-known
craters called Víti, the other being at Krafla near Mývatn. (FYI: Víti means 'hell' in
Icelandic.)
Although a bit on the chilly side if you're expecting a soothing swim (temperatures
range between 22°C and 30°C), a dip in Víti's milky blue pool is one of the highlights of
an Askja adventure (and is sometimes done sans swimsuit). The route down is slippery but
not as steep as it looks; it may be closed for safety reasons by park officials.
Getting There & Away
