Mývatn Health related activities A land of and geothermal spas hiking

Location Myvatn is one of the most popular areas in iceland It is a great area for hiking and cycling trips The area consists of many diffrent regions  Lake Myvatn, the center of the area, most attractive because of its beautiful nature  Dimmuborgir with its fantastic rock formations  Krafla is a very active volcanic region with many beautiful craters  Skútustaðagígar, which are pseudo craters  Jökulsárgljúfur National Park with the most powerful waterfalls in Europe

Health related activities The one and only reason to travel to the Myvatn area is its beautiful landscape It is a great place for hiking and cycling There are many paths to cross this environmentally protected region, but they are mainly in a bad condition, so a mountain bike is necessary In Krafla some great geothermal spas can be found. There are great for relaxing and recovering

Myvatn is the 4th biggest lake in island with 36.6 km² Nevertheless the maximum depth of the lake is only 5 metres It has the largest variety of duck kinds in the world Many diffrent birds are also to be found apart from the ducks There is a path around the lake, which offers a great view and is ideal for hiking and cycling trips Although the best time for visiting lake Myvatn is in summer, but it also has a great view to offer in winter Lake Myvatn The region itself

Dimmuborgir (“Dark Cities”) The region itself It is a vast area of lava formations and vegetation, which is unlikely to be topped All kinds of lava formations can be found there, e.g. caves and tunnels There are many hiking trails through the region

Skútustaðagígar The regions itself Skútustaðagígar are pseudo craters, which are created when lava is flowing over watery ground. At this suddenl cool- down, the steam is streaming out of the lava and forms these craters It is a great place for bird watching it was declared a nature reserve in 1973

This is a very active volcanic region. There were a least 10 eruptions in the last century There are many hot springs, but only a few can be used due to the high temperatures The area is used for producing electricity by a geothermal power station Víti is the most famous crater in this region. It was formed in an explosion in The following volcanic activities lasted for 5 years The volcano itself is worth a hiking trip and can be climbed rather easily Krafla The region itself

Jökulsárgljúfur National Park The region itself The Jökulsárgljúfur National Park was created in it covers around 120 km² the Dettifoss is one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe and the main place of interest in the park It is a great place for hiking because  There are many paths  It consists of many different regions  The landscape is completly untouched

© 2004 by Christian Steger Summery The Myvatn area is a great place for hiking trips. The paths are interesting and very impressive due to the beautiful landscape At the end of the journey the geothermal spas are a perfect place to rest and relax Wellness or related activities are not to be found in this region A great overview about some interesting trips can be find herehere An overview about the accomodation can be herehere Sources: 