Lunar Landscapes of Lake Mývatn

The smell of eggs in the morning. No, i'm not talking about breakfast, I meant sulphur. We went to the Námafjall Geothermal Area a.k.a. Hverir the first thing in the morning, and man, it felt like we were on a different planet. There is a lot of geothermal activity here. The openings in the Earth's crust cause it to form smoking fumaroles and boiling mud pots. We took a couple of good photographs for a price, the overwhelming smell of eggs.

After that we hit Route 864 which was pretty much deserted so we stopped and took pictures in the middle of the road. We made another stop, the Dettifoss Waterfall which just so happens to be Europe's most powerful waterfall. We got upclose and personal with this one as we can go right upto the edge of it to take pictures. The sound of falling water was simply astounding.

As we continued on our way, we encountered Botnstjörn Pond in Ásbyrgi (also part of the Vatnajökull National Park. This pond is surrounded by high cliffs and autumn colours (since its the beginning of autumn now). You can also hike up the cliffs but it takes a couple of hours and we didn't really have time for that so we skipped it.

We had lunch in the park and were on our merry way again. We arrived at a town called Húsavík. This place is known for whale and puffin watching. Unfortunately puffin season is out. They leave from August til May so maybe next time. We did however go whale watching. It costs ISL 10500 per person by we got 10% off as we took the last boat of the day. The ride took 3 hours and I was so seasick I thought I would puke my internal organs out since I had emptied myself dry but was still gagging like a maniac. Fortunately I did get to see humpback whales in between my hurling episodes. So maybe the trip was worth it, but oh man, never again am I doing that.

As we reached land I felt my insides slowly regaining its normal physiology. In no time we were on the road again. This time heading towards Akureyri. Along the way we stopped by the heavenly Gođafoss waterfall. Its not so much the height but the width of it that made it have that 'wow' effect on me. It also looked like where the water came out from a top loading washing machine. And the water was blue in colour! I'm not kidding!

Following that, we drove another 40 minutes and reached the town of Akureyri. We put up the night in Akureyri Guesthouse which is located among a row of shops. The best part, I got my souvenirs at a relatively cheaper price here and the shop is just next to the guest house. Another day awaits tomorrow!Read more