This guide will take you along the Ring Road traveling counter clock-wise and focus on the Northern region of Iceland. This route from the East takes roughly 3 hours, however we spent the entire day to stop and explore many of the incredible places noted below.
Dettifoss: If you have googled things to do in Iceland you have probably seen no shortage of waterfalls. Dettifoss is the most powerful in all of Europe. We did not get a chance to visit as we were short on time, but I couldn’t not include it!
Namafjall Hverir: This was a location we did not plan on visiting, or know existed. We saw it from the road and decided to pull over. As you can see from the photos below it’s an impressive landscape that we're glad we didn’t miss. You can hike around the entire area in just 30 minutes. It’s a great spot to get out of the car and stretch, and explore if you’re traveling the Ring Road. While here you’ll see the mud pools ranging from a red clay color to blue, along with smoking fumaroles.
Lake Myvatn: This is another place right along the ring road that we pulled off to look at. We would have spent more time here had we been more prepared for the bugs. There were seriously SO many we were scared to get out of the car. I’m not sure if this is normal for the summer months or not. Either way I would recommend coming prepared if you want to hike, or simply look at the scenery from outside your car. There is a hotel in the area if you chose to stay overnight: Icelandair Hotel Myvatn.
The closest town is Reykjahlid where you can stop for food, fill up on gas or stay for the night. If you’re trying to stay within a budget, or traveling by van there is a campground in the area. I hope my description of the bugs doesn’t scare you off. It truly is a beautiful lake, like nothing I've seen before. There have been a bunch of movies/shows filmed here like Fast 8, Star Wars and Game of Thrones.
Myvatn Nature Baths: The Myvatn Nature Baths are considered the famous “Blue Lagoon” of the North. However there are some aspects that make Myvatn even more desirable. There are less crowds and more affordable pricing. The baths include a swim up bar and a café with indoor/ outdoor seating. I would still recommend booking ahead and even booking during quieter times of the day, which tend to be early morning.
Asbyrgi: Asbyrgi canyon was created roughly 10,000 years ago by a flood. It is now essentially a picturesque forest inside a canyon. Depending on your time or interests you could spend the day hiking the canyon or stay in your car to take in the scenic views by driving alongside the canyon.
Godafoss: Yet another waterfall! This waterfall is named “Waterfall of the Gods.” There is easy access to Godafoss from a parking lot on the side of the road, connected to a paved walking trail. There is also a hiking trail close by, souvenir shop and cafe.
Husavik: Husavik is slightly out of the way along the Ring Road, but well worth the inconvenience. It’s a charming fishing village with restaurants lining the small harbor. We came here to have dinner and go out on a midnight whale watching tour. It is one of the most memorable towns from our trip, looking back I wish we could have stayed overnight.
Hotel options:
Whale Watching: We did our whale watching through Husavik Adventures. I recommend coming prepared with tons of layers, scarves, hats and gloves. The company provides a one piece suit and lifejacket. We chose to out on a rib boat because it holds smaller group and sits pretty low in the water. It was a really unique experience, and that says a lot considering I typically do not enjoy ANY sort of guided tour. Our guide was a biologist who would point out the whales and share some of her knowledge about the species and their journey to the area. You are almost guaranteed to see a whale in Iceland if you go out on a tour. I believe the success rate for this particular company is 99%. If you get the chance to visit Husavik in the summer, the midnight tour is a must! This photo was taken around 11pm!
Gamil Baker: When you book a tour through Husavik Adventures you get a 10% discount at this restaurant. It sits on the water, looking out at the harbor. As far as views go it’s about the best you can get. I was not expecting the food to be as great as it was but we actually had the best vegan burger here and a seafood dish. I would highly recommend, but get there early it’s a busy place!
Akureyri: Our last stop in the northern region was Akureyri. I would describe Akureyri as a much smaller Reykjavik, but equally as incredible. We had so much fun in this little city. Most of our adventuring consisted of trying tons of restaurants, cafes and food trucks. Our hotel was in walking distance to the downtown area with plenty of food, shopping, beautiful buildings, churches and coffeeshops.
If you are vegan or vegetarian there are tons of options, way more than I was anticipating. Pictured below is a vegan hotdog from one of the local food-trucks.
Hotel: We really enjoyed our stay here at Icelandair Hotel Akureyri. The hotel itself was great, the proximity to the restaurants and shops was a bonus. The hotel had a full restaurant and bar with a happy hour from 4pm-6 or 7pm! Food and alcohol is insanely expensive in Iceland, so this was a nice touch. We took our drinks to the outside area where they have seating and fire pits. The only downside to the hotel is that they do not allow early check ins. We ended up leaving all of our stuff in the car and walking to grab lunch, more lunch and coffee until it was time to check in.
That concludes my time spent in the Northern Region of Iceland, I hope this helps anyone planning to take a trip!
If you plan on traveling the Ring Road make sure you read my East Iceland travel ideas!
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