1. Europe’s most powerful waterfall The magnificent Dettifoss waterfall is not just the most powerful waterfall in Iceland, but in all of Europe. The hiking trail down to the falls is quite rough, though, so we kindly ask that you be extremely careful. Just about a kilometre (1.6 miles) upstream from Dettifoss is another waterfall called Selfoss (not to be confused with its namesake town in South Iceland). The easy walking paths in the area around Selfoss make for a beautiful hike.
2. The capital of the North Akureyri is located in the scenic Eyjafjörður fjord in North Iceland. It is Iceland‘s second largest urban area after the greater Reykjavík area and often dubbed “the capital of the North.”
Akureyri is a beautiful town full of interesting museums, tasty restaurants, and quaint coffee shops. Among the places of interest are Listagilið (the Art Ravine), the Botanical Gardens, the Akureyri Folk Museum, Nonnahús (dedicated to Jón Sveinsson, also known as Nonni, a well-known children’s author and priest), Davíðshús (dedicated to the poet Davíð Stefánsson), and the Aviation Museum. There are also numerous delightful restaurants to be found in Akureyri: Café Ilmur, Strikið, Bryggjan, and Rub 23, to name only a few.
3. Its home to the hidden people Ásbyrgi is a 3.5 kilometre (1.86 mile) long and 1.1 km (0.6 mi) wide canyon, located east of Húsavík, North Iceland. The canyon is divided in the middle, for nearly half of its length, by a 25 metre (82 feet) high rock known as “Eyjan” (the Island). The canyon is known for its unique horseshoe shape, green forests that nestle within the cliffs, and its pristine lakes, filled with wildlife.
Many myths surround Ásbyrgi. Some say it was formed when the heathen god Óðinn’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, touched the ground there. Other legends have it that the area serves as the capital city of “huldufólk,” hidden people, who live in the surrounding cliffs.
4. Because of the scenic Lake Mývatn If Mývatn (Lake Midges in English) and the surrounding area weren’t so beautiful, those midges would really start bothering you. Instead, you put up your protective flynet hat and soldier on, fearlessly ignoring the few midges that sneak through the net and into your mouth. Mývatn lake is a eutrophic lake that was created by a large basaltic lava eruption over 2300 years ago. While the lake is named Mývatn, the whole area is often referred to by the same name. Volcanic land forms, lava pillars, and pseudo craters dominate the landscape, while the surrounding wetlands are exceptionally rich in fauna and aquatic birds.
5. To relax in the Nature Baths The Mývatn Nature Baths opened in 2004, but people had been taking baths and steam baths in the area for centuries. The Mývatn Nature Baths are smaller and maybe a bit less picturesque than Iceland’s other more famous blue water pool, the Blue Lagoon. However the surrounding landscape is quite breathtaking. Go there, take a dip in the smooth warm water, and enjoy the view. You will love it just like we do.
6. You can visit Hell The violent past of Lake Víti (or Lake Hell in English) dates back to 1724, when glowing magma blew a 300-metre-wide (1,000 ft.) hole in the earth’s crust. The enormous explosion marked the beginning of a five-year-long eruption called the Lake Mývatn fires. For more than 100 years after the eruption ended, mud boiled and bubbled in the bottom of the crater. Now we have this calm green lake. This is one of two famous Víti lakes in Iceland. (Not to be confused with Víti in the Askja area, in the central highlands.) This Víti is in the Krafla caldera area in the Mývatn region in the North and is easily accessible by an asphalt road leading to it from Route 1 (the Ring Road).
7. The Herring Era Museum The Herring Era Museum is located in the town of Siglufjörður in the north of Iceland. It celebrates the “glory days” of Iceland‘s herring industry, which began in the 1930‘s and lasted well into the ‘50’s. The museum is a recreation of a typical herring factory and consists of three buildings, each showing a different aspect of the herring industry. This is one of Iceland’s best and most ambitious museums. It was awarded the Icelandic Museum Award in 2000 and the European Museum Award in 2004.
8. It’s Christmas all year round The Christmas Garden just outside the town of Akureyri is a magical place to visit. The little red house looks like something out of a fairytale, with gigantic sweets decorating the roof and icicles hanging from the eaves. And as if that were not enough, a charming little wishing well (for those hoping for children) is to be found in a small hollow in the garden. Sounds enchanting, right? Inside, the Christmas spirit rules every day, all year round. Handmade Christmas ornaments, tidbits of traditional Icelandic Christmas food, and the Yule Lads are just some of the things to be found in the Christmas House.
9. Because of the local craft beer The microbrewery Bruggsmiðjan is located in the small town of Árskógssandur in the North of Iceland. The brewery was founded by husband and wife Ólafur Þröstur Ólafsson and Agnes Sigurðardóttir in 2005. In the last few years, their Kaldi beer has become a favourite among beer connoisseurs, both local and international. Bruggsmiðjan offers guided tours of the brewery and, according to Ólafur Þröstur, they receive around eight to ten thousand guests annually. The tour lasts about an hour and begins with a taste of the brewery‘s products. Then the guide will explain the brewing techniques and the factory’s history.
10. You can enjoy coffee in a cow shed Kaffi Kú, which translates directly as Cafe Cow, is a small cafe located on the farm Garður, only ten kilometres (6 miles) south of Akureyri town. The cafe is run by the farmers and is built in the attic of the farm’s ultramodern cowshed, which means guests can view the cows below while enjoying a cup of coffee, a pint, or a tasty snack. Not to mention of course, the beautiful view over Eyjafjörður fjord.
Sitting just below the Arctic Circle, the untamed nature of North Iceland meets some of the country’s lushest green valleys and farming regions. It’s also home to Akureyri, the largest town outside the capital area.
1. Europe’s most powerful waterfall The magnificent Dettifoss waterfall is not just the most powerful waterfall in Iceland, but in all of Europe. The hiking trail down to the falls is quite rough, though, so we kindly ask that you be extremely careful. Just about a kilometre (1.6 miles) upstream from Dettifoss is another waterfall called Selfoss (not to be confused with its namesake town in South Iceland). The easy walking paths in the area around Selfoss make for a beautiful hike.
2. The capital of the North Akureyri is located in the scenic Eyjafjörður fjord in North Iceland. It is Iceland‘s second largest urban area after the greater Reykjavík area and often dubbed “the capital of the North.”
Akureyri is a beautiful town full of interesting museums, tasty restaurants, and quaint coffee shops. Among the places of interest are Listagilið (the Art Ravine), the Botanical Gardens, the Akureyri Folk Museum, Nonnahús (dedicated to Jón Sveinsson, also known as Nonni, a well-known children’s author and priest), Davíðshús (dedicated to the poet Davíð Stefánsson), and the Aviation Museum. There are also numerous delightful restaurants to be found in Akureyri: Café Ilmur, Strikið, Bryggjan, and Rub 23, to name only a few.
3. Its home to the hidden people Ásbyrgi is a 3.5 kilometre (1.86 mile) long and 1.1 km (0.6 mi) wide canyon, located east of Húsavík, North Iceland. The canyon is divided in the middle, for nearly half of its length, by a 25 metre (82 feet) high rock known as “Eyjan” (the Island). The canyon is known for its unique horseshoe shape, green forests that nestle within the cliffs, and its pristine lakes, filled with wildlife.
Many myths surround Ásbyrgi. Some say it was formed when the heathen god Óðinn’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, touched the ground there. Other legends have it that the area serves as the capital city of “huldufólk,” hidden people, who live in the surrounding cliffs.
4. Because of the scenic Lake Mývatn If Mývatn (Lake Midges in English) and the surrounding area weren’t so beautiful, those midges would really start bothering you. Instead, you put up your protective flynet hat and soldier on, fearlessly ignoring the few midges that sneak through the net and into your mouth. Mývatn lake is a eutrophic lake that was created by a large basaltic lava eruption over 2300 years ago. While the lake is named Mývatn, the whole area is often referred to by the same name. Volcanic land forms, lava pillars, and pseudo craters dominate the landscape, while the surrounding wetlands are exceptionally rich in fauna and aquatic birds.
5. To relax in the Nature Baths The Mývatn Nature Baths opened in 2004, but people had been taking baths and steam baths in the area for centuries. The Mývatn Nature Baths are smaller and maybe a bit less picturesque than Iceland’s other more famous blue water pool, the Blue Lagoon. However the surrounding landscape is quite breathtaking. Go there, take a dip in the smooth warm water, and enjoy the view. You will love it just like we do.
6. You can visit Hell The violent past of Lake Víti (or Lake Hell in English) dates back to 1724, when glowing magma blew a 300-metre-wide (1,000 ft.) hole in the earth’s crust. The enormous explosion marked the beginning of a five-year-long eruption called the Lake Mývatn fires. For more than 100 years after the eruption ended, mud boiled and bubbled in the bottom of the crater. Now we have this calm green lake. This is one of two famous Víti lakes in Iceland. (Not to be confused with Víti in the Askja area, in the central highlands.) This Víti is in the Krafla caldera area in the Mývatn region in the North and is easily accessible by an asphalt road leading to it from Route 1 (the Ring Road).
7. The Herring Era Museum The Herring Era Museum is located in the town of Siglufjörður in the north of Iceland. It celebrates the “glory days” of Iceland‘s herring industry, which began in the 1930‘s and lasted well into the ‘50’s. The museum is a recreation of a typical herring factory and consists of three buildings, each showing a different aspect of the herring industry. This is one of Iceland’s best and most ambitious museums. It was awarded the Icelandic Museum Award in 2000 and the European Museum Award in 2004.
8. It’s Christmas all year round The Christmas Garden just outside the town of Akureyri is a magical place to visit. The little red house looks like something out of a fairytale, with gigantic sweets decorating the roof and icicles hanging from the eaves. And as if that were not enough, a charming little wishing well (for those hoping for children) is to be found in a small hollow in the garden. Sounds enchanting, right? Inside, the Christmas spirit rules every day, all year round. Handmade Christmas ornaments, tidbits of traditional Icelandic Christmas food, and the Yule Lads are just some of the things to be found in the Christmas House.
9. Because of the local craft beer The microbrewery Bruggsmiðjan is located in the small town of Árskógssandur in the North of Iceland. The brewery was founded by husband and wife Ólafur Þröstur Ólafsson and Agnes Sigurðardóttir in 2005. In the last few years, their Kaldi beer has become a favourite among beer connoisseurs, both local and international. Bruggsmiðjan offers guided tours of the brewery and, according to Ólafur Þröstur, they receive around eight to ten thousand guests annually. The tour lasts about an hour and begins with a taste of the brewery‘s products. Then the guide will explain the brewing techniques and the factory’s history.
10. You can enjoy coffee in a cow shed Kaffi Kú, which translates directly as Cafe Cow, is a small cafe located on the farm Garður, only ten kilometres (6 miles) south of Akureyri town. The cafe is run by the farmers and is built in the attic of the farm’s ultramodern cowshed, which means guests can view the cows below while enjoying a cup of coffee, a pint, or a tasty snack. Not to mention of course, the beautiful view over Eyjafjörður fjord.
