Lake Mývatn is an unusually scenic body of water that covers some 14 square miles of the land east of Akureyri. This is one of the most striking regions in Iceland: The lake’s surrounded by a jaw-dropping landscape of extinct volcanic cinder cones, and otherworldly lava formations created by volcanic activity some 4,000 years ago. A tour around the area will reveal everything from hot springs and bubbling mud pools to plenty of birdlife and the Jarðböðin Nature Baths, the area’s answer to the Blue Lagoon, which offer the chance to bathe in the mineral-rich geothermal water. Despite the English translation of the lake’s name (Midge Lake), you’re not likely to be bothered by any such irksome creatures.
Lava and moss formations at Kalfastrond, Lake Myvatn, Iceland. Image shot using a drone.
Ragnar Th. Sigurdsson/age fotostock
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The midnight sun
My husband and I traveled around the periphery of Iceland (on Ring Road) over a 9-day trip this summer. We started our trip from Reykjavik, driving south (anti-clockwise) and by this time on our 5th day in the country we were in Northern Iceland. In this land of midnight sun, it was like sunset and sunrises almost collided. There never was complete darkness. This was shot around the witching hour in northern Iceland around Lake Myvatn area.
Lupine party in Northern Iceland
My husband and I traveled around the periphery of Iceland (on Ring Road) over a 9-day trip this summer. We met beautiful lupines that grow all over the country in summer every few kilometers. It was hard to resist their charms in a country where landscapes sometime feel totally “other-wordly”.
Nature's own chemistry set
My husband and I traveled around the periphery of Iceland (on Ring Road) over a 9-day trip this summer. In northern Iceland, Lake Mývatn region is one of Iceland’s most geologically active. There are quite a few nature baths, lava rock formations, volcanic craters, and pseudocraters. In short, there’s plenty to do outdoors in this area.
