The entire reason we went to Akureyri was to be close to Lake Myvatn and the gorgeous sights that surround it. We were not disappointed in the least. The first sight we came upon was Godafoss, which I think means something like "waterfall of the Gods." It is huge, breathtakingly so. It falls from a height of 12 m and spans a distance of 30 m. The picture below gives a relatively good impression of what it is like to stand and look up at it.
The area was also home to some plants we'd never seen before. It was neat to see Icelandic plants that we couldn't find at home. The water from the falls also continued downstream into other smaller falls as it continued on its way.
The next stop on our itinerary as we drove around the lake was Skutustadagigar. This is a sprawling landscape of lava craters that were made when gas exploded in lava. It's impossibly green now, and cultivated for farming. There are paths that wander up and down through the craters, and you can walk for hours.
Pressing on, we visited the Dimmu Borgir lava fields. These are also tremendous structures that stretch for hours. We could easily have spent days walking here! It reminded me a little bit of Garden of the Gods in Colorado, with the fanciful rock formations.
Just a site on the road too beautiful to pass up:
After this we'd had a lot of excitement and done tons of walking, so we stopped for lunch at Vogafjos Farm Restaurant. It's a charming place with incredible food that I can't recommend highly enough. All the food was fresh (naturally, they farm it there, including the beef, and they make their own cheese and skyr). Delectable! I had an incredible rhubarb compote dessert with fresh cream.
After food, we made a brief stop at Grjotagja Cave, famous for a natural hot spring that is actually too hot for humans now. Darn all that volcanic activity! It will seriously cook you. It was lovely however, with a deep blue glow and clear water. There were tons of tourists so we didn't stay long, but we also got to see some nonchalant sheep! I think the cave is on a natural fault line, but don't quote me on the specifics. It makes for some neat geography.
Our last stop along the route was Storagja. It was difficult to find an entrance as this is pretty much just a hiking trail that follows a deep cavern with hot springs at the bottom through the countryside. It almost looks like continuous land from some vantage points, but the distance is really substantial. We climbed down into the cavern and walked along for a little bit, and saw places where intrepid people descended into the springs. I don't think the place is safe, because of all the human use. Too much bacteria and other poop diseases. We ruin everything we touch, guys, everything.
The area was also home to some plants we'd never seen before. It was neat to see Icelandic plants that we couldn't find at home. The water from the falls also continued downstream into other smaller falls as it continued on its way.
The next stop on our itinerary as we drove around the lake was Skutustadagigar. This is a sprawling landscape of lava craters that were made when gas exploded in lava. It's impossibly green now, and cultivated for farming. There are paths that wander up and down through the craters, and you can walk for hours.
Pressing on, we visited the Dimmu Borgir lava fields. These are also tremendous structures that stretch for hours. We could easily have spent days walking here! It reminded me a little bit of Garden of the Gods in Colorado, with the fanciful rock formations.
Just a site on the road too beautiful to pass up:
After this we'd had a lot of excitement and done tons of walking, so we stopped for lunch at Vogafjos Farm Restaurant. It's a charming place with incredible food that I can't recommend highly enough. All the food was fresh (naturally, they farm it there, including the beef, and they make their own cheese and skyr). Delectable! I had an incredible rhubarb compote dessert with fresh cream.
After food, we made a brief stop at Grjotagja Cave, famous for a natural hot spring that is actually too hot for humans now. Darn all that volcanic activity! It will seriously cook you. It was lovely however, with a deep blue glow and clear water. There were tons of tourists so we didn't stay long, but we also got to see some nonchalant sheep! I think the cave is on a natural fault line, but don't quote me on the specifics. It makes for some neat geography.Our last stop along the route was Storagja. It was difficult to find an entrance as this is pretty much just a hiking trail that follows a deep cavern with hot springs at the bottom through the countryside. It almost looks like continuous land from some vantage points, but the distance is really substantial. We climbed down into the cavern and walked along for a little bit, and saw places where intrepid people descended into the springs. I don't think the place is safe, because of all the human use. Too much bacteria and other poop diseases. We ruin everything we touch, guys, everything.
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