Iceland Day 7 - Lake Mývatn

It was great to have a day of touring where all the attractions around Lake Myvatn were just a short drive away. Each spot had an easy hike of about an hour to see the main attractions. Here is an overview of where we visited:

Dimmuborgir - This area is filled with large wild lava formations and caves which you can hike around and through. Early mornings are not as busy, but the location of the sun at that time washed out my photos a bit. Tradition says the trolls live in the caves. We came back to the cafe at this location for lunch. They had a nice all you can eat soup and bread lunch - the coconut curry soup was especially good. Weather was beautiful and we ate on the patio with a view of the lava formations. More info in this Dimmuborgir Article.

Hofdi - We hiked through the woods to view the lava pillars in the water. You can also see these formations from a viewpoint along the road, so the hike isn't essential. More info in this Hofdi article.

Pseudo-craters - We went for a short walk through the pseudo-craters of Skutustagigar. Quite a few birds in the water. More info in the Pseudocraters article.

Hverir - My favorite stop of the day and one you don't want to miss! As you drive up the hill towards Myvatn, you pass this orange, otherworldly location. This geothermal area has amazing fumaroles and colorful bubbling mud pools. It looks like you landed on Mars and smells of sulfur. The colors are incredible, especially on a sunny day with those puffy clouds! More info in the Hverir Article.

Krafla Viti - This crater is filled with aqua water. You can hike around the rim - we did only part of it. More info in the Krafla Viti Article.

We passed this geothermal power plant and even had to drive under the pipes!

Leirhnjukur - This was our last hike of the day. We jokingly called it the hike to nowhere. You hike quite a distance through a mossy lava field before you finally reach some black lava formations and a few bubbling pools. There was supposed to be lots of steaming lava rocks, but we were unimpressed with what we saw, partly because we were tired again, I'm sure! From what I read, there is a longer hike that has more interesting things to see. More info in this Leirhnjukur Article.

Along the road, in the middle of nowhere, there was this shower. It runs constantly, with warm geothermal water. According to the internet, it just appeared overnight!

After dinner at Daddi's Pizza (good but Iceland price), three of us went to the Myvatn Nature Baths for a relaxing soak in the warm geothermal waters. It is in a beautiful location overlooking the lake. I thought the locker rooms were a bit rustic and the edges of the pool were a bit slimy, but hey, it's part of the experience, right?