Things to do in Lake Mývatn
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Lake Mývatn
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: all sights open, birds breeding, midnight sun.
Shoulder; quieter, baths still great, some tours winding down.
The lake freezes, the baths steam in the cold, aurora season; short days and storms.
What's on
- Mývatn Open winter
The lake's winter festival with skating on the ice, when it freezes.
Best things to do in Lake Mývatn
Mývatn Nature Baths
The north's milky-blue geothermal pools in the lava field, best as an evening soak.
Dimmuborgir
The dark castles lava maze, marked trails from 30 minutes, otherworldly in low light.
Hverir
Boiling mud pots and hissing fumaroles, the most alien landscape on the Ring Road.
Krafla
The volcanic system with Víti crater lake and the steaming Leirhnjúkur lava field.
Skútustaðagígar
The pseudocrater row on the south shore, an easy flat loop, good with kids.
Hverfjall
The near-perfect tephra ring, 20 minutes up, the area's best panorama.
Grjótagjá
The lava cave with the impossibly blue hot spring, five minutes off the Ring Road.
Sigurgeir Bird Museum
The lake's birdlife explained, then the hides and shores for the ducks themselves.
Where to stay in Lake Mývatn
Reykjahlíð village
first-timers, with the shops and tour pickups
Skútustaðir (south shore)
the quiet lake view and the best sunsets
Vogafjós / east shore
the farm experience
Laugar / north toward Húsavík
the Diamond Circle loop
Think twice about
- Akureyri, for Mývatn
An hour west; fine city, wrong base for the lake's early starts.
- The Krafla power-plant road
Industrial, sulfurous, nothing to stay near.
Best restaurants in Lake Mývatn
Vogafjós Farm Resort
The cowshed restaurant, farm-to-table cooking, the Mývatn meal to plan around.
Gamli Bærinn
The old farmhouse bistro in the village, big portions of comfort food.
Daddi's Pizza
The village pizza place, the casual dinner after the baths.
Fosshotel Mývatn Restaurant
The hotel dining room with the lake view, modern Icelandic cooking.
Sel Hotel Mývatn
The hotel's cozy bistro, pizzas and smoked fish, the reliable backup.
Mylla Restaurant
Icelandic-European cooking in the village, the quiet alternative dinner.
Fish and Chips Lake Mývatn
The fish-and-chips stand, the cheap cheerful lunch.
Best coffee in Lake Mývatn
Kaffi Borgir
The family cafe by the lava fields, lamb dishes and geysir bread.
Kaffi Kvika
The baths' bistro, local seafood and greenhouse vegetables with your soak.
Outdoor things to do in Lake Mývatn
Goðafoss
The waterfall of the gods, 35 minutes west, both banks have viewpoints.
Dettifoss
Europe's most powerful waterfall, 90 minutes northeast, take the paved west bank.
Húsavík
The whale capital an hour north, humpbacks on the summer tours, book ahead.
Ásbyrgi
The horseshoe canyon with birch forest walks, the Diamond Circle's northern stop.
Lofthellir
The guided lava-tube ice cave tour, small groups, book ahead.
Best hotels in Lake Mývatn
Mývatn - Berjaya Iceland Hotels
The village hotel with hot tubs and lake views.
Sel Hotel Mývatn
Lakeside hotel with sauna and hot tub, the calm pick.
Fosshotel Mývatn
The design-led flagship on the south shore with the lake-view sauna.
Hótel Laxá
Family-run hotel with a panoramic restaurant.
Vogafjós Farm Resort
Guesthouse rooms at the working dairy farm.
Is Lake Mývatn expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ISK 28,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ISK 45,000 a person |
| Splurge | ISK 95,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Mývatn Nature Baths: a few days ahead
- Húsavík: a few days ahead
- Lofthellir: a few days ahead
- Vogafjós Farm Resort: a few days ahead
- Mývatn - Berjaya Iceland Hotels: weeks ahead
- Fosshotel Mývatn: weeks ahead
- Vogafjós: book ahead in summer; small and famous.
- Mývatn Nature Baths: book the entry slot ahead in summer.
- Húsavík whale watching: book the tour ahead in summer.
- June-August accommodation: book weeks ahead.
Is Lake Mývatn safe?
- Mývatn is safe; the risks are geothermal and weather: mud pots burn, sulfur air is harsh, winter storms are serious. Stay on the boardwalks at Hverir. Emergency number: 112.
Lake Mývatn travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The midges are intense in calm summer weather; bring a head net.
- The Nature Baths are cheaper and quieter than the Blue Lagoon, with a better setting.
- Take the paved west bank to Dettifoss unless you have clearance.
- Base at the lake for the Diamond Circle, not Akureyri.
Getting around Lake Mývatn: public transport and more
- You need a car; the sights ring the lake and the Diamond Circle needs driving.
- The Ring Road is paved; the Dettifoss east-bank road is gravel.
- Fuel in Reykjahlíð; the next stations are far.
- In winter check road.is and vedur.is every morning.
Who Lake Mývatn suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Lake Mývatn your trip
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