Iceland's Golden Circle - Our best tips and highlights

Our Iceland tour also took us to the north of the country. In retrospect, it’s one of the most beautiful corners of the country with many highlights. But honestly, Iceland is beautiful everywhere! Every region of Iceland has its own unique flair. The east of the island is quite untouched and wild, while the southeast and south are packed with incredibly beautiful highlights. And the north? It’s incredibly idyllic and quiet.

From the campsite in Hvammstangi, we drove across the Vatnsnes Peninsula to Hofsós and the stunningly beautiful village of Siglufjörður. An unforgettable whale watching tour awaited us in Hauganes. We then continued on with the rental car via Akureyri to Godafoss, Lake Mývatn, and the lunar landscape of Hverir. Today, we’ll reveal our absolute highlights in northern Iceland.

The Peninsula Vatnsnes

From the campsite in Hvammstangi, we drove our rental car to the Vatnses Peninsula. Awaiting us were magnificent landscapes with plenty of sheep, views of the Westfjords, seals, and breathtaking scenery. The road is unpaved but easily navigable in good weather with a regular car. The approximately 80 kilometers took us several hours because we had to stop constantly. In Illugastadir Bay, a sweet colony of seals awaited us. We continued on to the Troll Rock Hvítserkur. This 15-meter-high basalt rock stands lonely and deserted in the sea. The surrounding landscape is simply amazing!

rundreise-island-aussicht-halbinsel-vatnsnes-Hvitserkur

The outdoor pool in Hofsós

We continued on the Ring Road. Shortly after Varmahlíð, we turned onto Route 76. From there, it was another 45 kilometers to Hofsós. This small fishing village is picturesquely situated on the water in the fjord landscape and is particularly impressive for its really cool outdoor pool. It was only built in 2010 and is one of the highlights in northern Iceland. Why? See it for yourself! The pool offers a beautiful view of the sea.

Additionally, you can splash around outside in the super-warm water. The outdoor pool is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in summer. In winter, it only opens between 5 and 8 p.m. on weekdays. On weekends, you can swim between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Unfortunately, we arrived before 11 a.m., the doors were still closed, and we decided to move on (entrance fee: 900 ISK / 6.95 €).

The beautiful town of Siglufjörður

From Hofsós, we continued along the coast on Route 76 until we reached Siglufjörður. It is the northernmost town in Iceland. It’s just 40 kilometers from here to the Arctic Circle. Amazing, right? The small town with a harbor is beautifully situated between the mountains. We immediately parked the car and strolled through the town. Everything seemed so idyllic, almost like a perfect postcard.

Fishing boats bobbed around the harbor, delivering their freshly caught fish. The colorful houses along the harbor somehow reminded us of Pippi Longstocking. We ordered two cappuccinos in a small café on a side street and enjoyed the wonderful weather. Not many visitors found their way to this town that day. However, the place is also quite remote (80 kilometers from the Ring Road). After spending a few wonderful hours in Siglufjörður, we continued on, passing Ólafsfjörður and Dalvik.

Whale Watching in Hauganes

Shortly after Dalvik, we spontaneously decided to join a whale watching tour. At the last minute, we hopped on the boat in Hauganes. The tour lasted a total of 3 hours and cost 9,900 ISK (approximately €77) per person. You’ll be given a thick “astronaut suit” beforehand, which keeps you incredibly warm. On the ship itself, you’ll find hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and cookies. We saw a total of 4 humpback whales in the Eyjafjörður Fjord and were truly speechless after this tour. During our time on the ship, we also learned a lot of interesting information about the whales. Book your tour here*.

Hot Tubes in Hauganes

Right by the harbor, there are three small hot tubs right by the water with showers and changing rooms. We paid 500 ISK (approximately €3.87) and enjoyed the hours in the hot water with a view of the mountains. You simply drop the money in the designated box. Everything here in Iceland is based on honesty. We also got chatting with the locals, who like to meet here to chat.

The three tubes have different temperatures. There’s “warm,” “really warm,” and “super hot.” And if you want to do it the Icelandic way, you can jump into the ice-cold sea every now and then. I guess we call that “contrast showers,” right? It was an incredibly beautiful setting and a moment we’ll never forget!

Unique: Godafoss

The journey then continued via Akureyri towards Mývatn. But before that, we made a detour to the Godafoss Waterfall. It’s located right on the Ring Road and therefore easy to reach. What a beautiful waterfall! And now, after our tour, we can say that it’s one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland (at least for us).

At this waterfall, the water of the Skjálfandafljót River falls 12 meters into the depths. Okay, 12 meters isn’t particularly high. But the waterfall is 30 meters wide. And that’s exactly what makes this “foss” so special. We spent almost two hours there and walked around it once. We had to take photos again and again because the scenery was simply too beautiful. There are restrooms on site (200 ISK), a restaurant, and a café with a souvenir shop. Our readers’ tip: Take a detour to Aldeyarfoss. It’s about 41 km from the Ring Road on gravel road 842.

Highlights around Mývatn

We then continued on to Lake Mývatn, also known as Mosquito Lake. We got out of the car and were immediately attacked by numerous mosquitoes. They don’t bite, but they’re as annoying as houseflies. No wonder some visitors even walked around with such a net over their faces. But regardless of the mosquitoes, the lake offers an incredible number of highlights. It’s the fourth-largest lake on the island, yet not too big. You can take a leisurely drive around the lake if you have a bit of time. First, we looked at the pseudocraters. They look like small volcanic craters, but they were formed in a completely different way. A truly magnificent backdrop.

The natural paradise of Höfði

Afterwards, we continued on with our rental car and discovered the spot Höfði – a beautiful nature reserve. The short hike was incredible and took us to stunning viewpoints. The area is truly a small natural paradise. Small islands protrude from the crystal-clear water and attract many birds. If the weather is good, you should definitely take the short circular trail. Highly recommended! And in general, the path around the lake is really beautiful and offers numerous great spots.

More Highlights

There are many highlights in the east of the lake. For example, the hike up the tephra crater Hverfjall. With a height of 452 m and a diameter of 1040 m, it is arguably THE landmark of the area. The crater can be climbed via a path on the northwest side. There’s also a path up from the western rim. Are you a fan of the series Game of Thrones? Then you shouldn’t miss the Grjótagjá cave. The cave contains a lake with warm water (45 degrees Celsius). The gigantic Dimmuborgir lava field is also worth a visit. The area is home to some of the most fascinating lava flows in Iceland. Most visitors, of course, head to the Mývatn Nature Bath. At least the entrance fee is considerably cheaper than at the Blue Lagoon near the airport.

The Lunar Landscapes of Hverir

From the lake, the Ring Road continues towards Hverir. Suddenly, you’re in a magical, ochre-colored world that could easily be mistaken for a lunar landscape. Steaming crevices, swampy earthworks, shimmering mineral deposits, smoking fumaroles – welcome to northern Iceland! The bubbling mud pots and the billowing, stinking clouds of sulfur were particularly impressive.

We’ve never seen anything like it before. Safe paths lead through the terrain. From there, a trail winds up to Námafjall. The climb takes around 30 minutes and is rewarded with a panoramic view of the steaming landscapes. The Námafjall elevation was formed by fissure eruption, as it sits directly on the fault line of the drifting continental plates. This area completely blew us away!

The Krafla Volcanic System

The approximately 100-kilometer-long Krafla Volcanic System is located in northern Iceland. The Krafla crater is the central volcano and has a height of around 818 meters. Along many other craters, it dominates the Mývatn region. Numerous fissures here mark the course of the continental junction between North America and Europe. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Magma penetrates to the Earth’s surface along these fissures. This, in turn, creates lava fields or new volcanoes.

We hiked to the Viti explosion crater inside the caldera. The path is quite steep and at times strenuous. Nevertheless, the hike up there doesn’t require any special skills. The view is truly fascinating and shouldn’t be missed during your visit. You should plan about an hour for the walk. There are also other easy hikes, mostly on well-maintained paths, through the remains of the lava lake at Dimmuborgir or around the pseudo craters. But trails also lead through the high-temperature Hverarönd region.

Tip: Visit the Krafla Power Plant. It’s a geothermal power plant on the active central volcano Krafla. Here you’ll learn how Iceland manages to harness such dangerous volcanic forces. The power plant produces energy from the hot steam.

More Highlights in Northern Iceland

There’s, of course, much more to discover here in the north of Iceland. We didn’t have time to visit the mighty Dettifoss Waterfall. It’s the largest waterfall in the northeast of the island and also the most powerful in Europe. We didn’t go to Husavik because we had already done our whale-watching tour in Hauganes. So we wanted to avoid the detour. In Akureyri, we bought a SIM card for our cell phone, went to the supermarket, and visited the gas station. We didn’t explore much further in town. We didn’t make it to the Kolugljúfur gorge, but it’s supposed to be incredibly beautiful. The gorge stretches for a few kilometers through the landscape. In some places, it’s said to be up to 100 meters deep. The gorge is only accessible via a detour along a gravel road. In the north of Iceland, there’s also an impressive diving spot – Strytvan. The Nesgjá fissure also offers an alternative to the Silfra fissure. Ice-cold and crystal-clear water awaits you here with visibility of up to 100 meters.

The most important facts at a glance

Distance: Hvammstangi, Vatnsnes, Siglufjörður to Myvatn 430 km
Travel time: 7 to 8 hours (we were in the north for 3 days)
Camping: Hvammstangi, Saudákrókur, Siglufjörður, Olafsfjördur, Dalvík, Lónsá, Myvatn, Fjalladyrd
Larger supermarkets: Akureyri & Husavik
Refueling: Saudákrókur, Akureyri, Mývatn
Camping Card: no space available around Myvatn!! Not until Fjalladyrd again!
Tours: A large selection at Guide to Iceland*

Conclusion on the North of Iceland

We really liked the north. We visited several regions in perfect weather and were truly amazed by how beautiful the nature was there. We found the high-temperature area of Hverarönd, Hverir, and everything around Lake Mývatn particularly fascinating. The area is simply a must-see. The whale tour was also an absolute highlight, as was the stopover in the sweet town of Siglufjörður. We often felt like we were in a small Norwegian town. There are many charming corners there!

Oh, what are we talking about here… we really liked EVERYTHING in the north. In our opinion, the north of Iceland is one of the most diverse and attractive corners of Iceland. That’s certainly all a matter of taste. We hope, however, that we’ve whetted your appetite for some of the beautiful sides of the north.