Lake Myvatn is a shallow lake in North Iceland, east of Akureyri. It is Iceland’s fourth largest natural lake, with a surface area of 37 square kilometers, an average depth of 2.5 meters, and a maximum depth of 4.5 meters. The basin formed about 2300 years ago from a basaltic lava eruption.
Where the Lake Myvatn region is and how it was formed
Lake Myvatn is in North Iceland, in the Myvatn region east of the town of Akureyri. Lake Myvatn is the fourth largest natural lake in Iceland. Lake Myvatn has a surface area of 37 square kilometers. The average depth of Lake Myvatn is 2.5 meters. The maximum depth of Lake Myvatn is 4.5 meters. Lake Myvatn has a highly indented shoreline and around 50 small islands, many of them pseudocraters. The Myvatn basin formed about 2300 years ago when a large basaltic lava eruption dammed a prehistoric river valley. The name Myvatn combines the Icelandic words my, midge, and vatn, lake. Reykjahlid is the main village on the lake shore.
The volcanic and geothermal sights around the lake
Dimmuborgir is a field of lava pillars, arches and rock formations that formed from a collapsed lava lake. Dimmuborgir lies about 10 kilometers south of Reykjahlid. Hverfjall is a tephra explosion crater on the eastern shore of Lake Myvatn, formed by an eruption roughly 2500 years ago. Hverfjall is roughly 1000 meters in diameter. The Skutustadir pseudocraters are rootless craters on the southern shore of the lake, formed by steam explosions when lava flowed over wet ground. Namafjall Hverir is a geothermal field just east of Lake Myvatn beside the Ring Road, with steaming fumaroles, boiling mud pots and yellow, red and brown mineral-stained ground. At a depth of 1000 meters the temperature at Hverir is above 200 degrees Celsius. Krafla is a volcanic system and caldera near Lake Myvatn, with the caldera roughly 10 kilometers in diameter. The Krafla Fires were a series of eruptions in the Krafla area between 1975 and 1984. Viti is a green crater lake at Krafla. Grjotagja is a lava cave near Lake Myvatn containing a geothermal spring, sitting on a fissure that marks the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
Birdlife, midges and the protected natural landscape
15 species of duck breed at Lake Myvatn, the largest number of breeding duck species in Europe. Tufted ducks are the most numerous, with around 6000 breeding pairs at the lake. Greater scaup breed at Myvatn with around 1500 pairs. The lake is named for the large numbers of midges present in summer, which feed the abundant birdlife and fish. Lake Myvatn was designated a Ramsar wetland of international importance on December 2 1977. The Myvatn and Laxa conservation area covers about 4400 square kilometers. The River Laxa flows out of Lake Myvatn and drains it toward the north.
Soaking at the Myvatn Nature Baths
The Myvatn Nature Baths are a geothermal spa near the lake, often described as the northern alternative to the Blue Lagoon. The Myvatn Nature Baths hold milky blue, silica-rich geothermal water. The Myvatn Nature Baths are a geothermal spa near the lake. Grjotagja was once a popular bathing spot but its water became too hot to bathe in after the Krafla Fires raised its temperature.
How to reach Myvatn and plan your route
Lake Myvatn is about 90 kilometers from Akureyri and takes roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes to drive via Route 1, the Ring Road. Myvatn sits on the Ring Road between Akureyri and Egilsstadir in the east. Godafoss waterfall lies on the Ring Road between Akureyri and Myvatn, about 50 kilometers from the lake. Dettifoss, reached by roads east of Myvatn, is one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe. The Myvatn area is a central stop on the Diamond Circle sightseeing route of North Iceland, which also links Godafoss, Dettifoss, Asbyrgi and Husavik. Reykjahlid, on the northeastern shore of the lake, is the main service village for the region. Use the Driving Distance Calculator to help plan your trip.
Comparing guided tours of the Myvatn region
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