We awoke this morning to a beautiful sunny day. The rain clouds had passed and the sky was blue once again. Todays drive would be the first time heading westward back toward Reykjavik, this time through the north of Iceland. The destination for today, Lake Myvatn, is a very geologically active area of Iceland. We planned to stay an extra day there to rest and recuperate as well as to explore the area.
Day 6 – Seydisfjordur to Lake Myvatn
- Seydisfjord
- Dettifoss
- Hverir
- Myvatn Nature Baths
Seydisfjord
On the way out of Seydisfjord we stopped at a turnout for a final glance of the valley below. Yesterday the visibility was limited, today the view was breathtaking.
From the turnout, we could also observe the Fjarðará river. This river winds its way from the top of the pass and cascades over approximately 25 waterfalls before reaching the fjord below. A hiking trail follows the route of the river and passes all of them. Someday…..next trip maybe.
Northeast Lava Fields
After exiting the fjord and returning down to Egilsstaðir the landscape changed to vast open grasslands and remained that way for the next hour and a half. Then suddenly, after passing over a ridge, we found ourselves having been transported to the moon. No trees or grass or apparent life existed all the way out to the horizon. It is around this point that we were crossing back from the Eurasian Plate to the North American Plate and the earth very clearly showed this.
Dettifoss
In the Northeastern Region of Iceland we encountered Dettifoss, the largest waterfall in Europe by volume. You can reach Dettifoss from the east or the west depending on which road you take. Getting from one side to the other takes almost an hour so we decided to pick only one. The west side is built up more with paved roads and trails and safer viewing locations. The eastern side is more rugged with dirt roads and rocky trails where you can walk up to the edge of the water and peer down over the side of the falls. Or you can reach your hand in the bubbling, boiling water as it makes its way toward the drop. We chose the eastern side and it was magnificent, exhilarating and frightening.
Hverir
After driving the long dirt trail back to the ring road from Dettifoss, we were a short distance from our next stop, Hverir. There is a great deal of geological activity here which manifests itself in mud pots and fumaroles. The sounds of hissing steam and bubbling mud surround you in Hverir. A strong smell of sulphur is also apparent here and can be initially overwhelming until you manage to overcome it.
Myvatn Nature Baths
After arriving at Lake Myvatn we checked in to our hotel, grabbed a bite to eat, and headed back out to relax under the evening sun in the Myvatn Nature Baths. The baths here are very much like the Blue Lagoon but without all of the crowds. As an added bonus, the pools here are located on top of an overlook allowing you to soak in the view of Lake Myvatn while you soak yourself in the warm and relaxing thick blue mineral water.
After spending a few hours in the pools we headed back to the hotel for the night. Because we were resting for an extra night in Myvatn we decided to stay up late tonight to watch the midnight sun.
The Video
The weather was great for this part of the trip, so we got a lot of good video. Unfortunately the battery died at one point so I missed about 20 minutes during which the landscape transitioned from green fields to lava fields.
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