Northeast Iceland

It was our last day to explore northern Iceland before making our way to the eastern fjords. Our final destination was the coastal town of Seyðisfjörður, and there was a lot to see in between – large waterfalls, active geothermal areas, ancient volcanic craters – it was going to be a busy day!

Our first stop was Goðafoss, the waterfall of the gods. When Christianity was declared the official religion of Iceland, pagan statues were thrown into this waterfall as a symbol of the country’s conversion. The waterfall was large, stretching over 100 feet wide. We followed the trail from the paved overlook to the giant boulders immersed in a cloud of mist just inches away from the falls. It was quite a way to start our morning!

Driving through the Mývatn region, it became clearly evident of how Iceland got the nickname, ‘land of fire and ice.’ The entire area was formed by volcanic eruptions, and is still active to this day. Its unique landscape includes a large lake full of wildlife, groups of pseudocraters, ancient lava fields, and steaming geothermal areas.

We planned to eat breakfast in Reykjahlið, one of Mývatn’s main villages, but every restaurant we came to was closed. We finally saw a sign explaining it was Réttir, the town’s annual sheep round-up. It’s one of Iceland’s oldest traditions, where the entire countryside community helps the farmers round up their sheep after the summer grazing period. The sheep are herded into a large pen with different compartments for each farmer, sorted according to the marking on their ear, and brought home for the winter.

David and I grabbed some muffins and yogurt at the nearby grocery store, and joined in on the fun. One of the farmers let us into their pen to get a closer look. It was a bit overwhelming; all we could hear were the sheep’s loud (and pretty hilarious) complaints. We watched as people strong-armed and guided their sheep into the proper compartments. We were so glad we stumbled across this, and got to experience such a unique and local event.

We were now back on track and heading to our first sight in Mývatn – Hverfell, a large tephra cone that was formed by a volcanic eruption over 2,700 years ago. A short, but extremely steep trail led to the rim of the enormous crater. After stopping several times to catch our breath, we were rewarded at the top with amazing views of the unusual Mývatn landscape. 

We stopped at a café off the main road that overlooked the tall, spiky lava field of Dimmuborgir, before continuing on to our next hike. We had a little trouble finding the trail that led to the Grjótagjá lava cave, and ended up hiking over two miles only to find out that there was a parking lot just a few feet away! 

Not far from Lake Mývatn was the geothermal area of Hverir. David and I were in shock when we arrived – the landscape was covered with dangerously hot mud cauldrons and steaming vents, and there were no walkways or fences in sight. Safe pathways were simply marked off by a small rope. This would never happen in the US; Yellowstone National Park has a similar landscape, but with extremely restricted boardwalks and railings. Here, we literally walked right up to steaming vents and bubbling pools – it was very intimidating… and pretty amazing!

Back on the Ring Road we continued east towards Dettifoss. We expected a lot from this waterfall – it is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, a whopping 330 feet wide, and drops over 150 feet into a canyon. We decided to hike towards the west bank; we were probably still another mile away when we started to hear the loud rumble of the water. Dettifoss was something out of this world. We have never seen a waterfall this big, and this powerful before. I got chills standing beside it, watching a few brave tourists wander beyond the roped off area to get a closer look. I think I was so stunned by how much water was pouring over the cliff that I couldn’t cross that rope even if I wanted to. 

The three-hour stretch to the coast was a beautiful drive, passing through several different landscapes; lush pastures, winding valleys, and a desert that looked as though we were on the moon. Along the way we noticed small rock piles by the road, which we later learned were the original markers for the Viking trail that existed long before the modern-day Ring Road. 

To reach Seyðisfjörður, we had to veer off of the Ring Road, drive up and over a mountain pass, and zigzag back down through a steep valley towards the water. As if this wasn’t challenging enough, a large thunderstorm rolled in just as we started our ascent. We were immediately engulfed in thick fog. David and I couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of us, on a very windy and very narrow road. It was a slow, white-knuckle drive – at one point we saw water next to the road and didn’t know if we were driving by a lake, or if the area was starting to flood.

As we began our descent, we slowly dropped below the clouds, and got a first glimpse of our surroundings. It was absolutely gorgeous – the valley was completely blanketed in green moss, with countless waterfalls plunging down its steep walls. We stopped at Gufufoss to unwind a bit from the drive before heading into town. 

Seyðisfjörður was an obscenely picturesque town. The buildings were so colorful, many of which were actually brought over from Norway in kit form. We found a local bistro that served delicious salads and pizza, and sat next to a group of people discussing their travel plans after Iceland. We checked into our hotel located by the bay, and fell asleep to the most perfect view just outside our window.