Jewels Of The North

OVERVIEW

Impossibly beautiful, Iceland flaunts its extraordinary natural attractions on this enchanting tour of ancient craters, bizarrely shaped lava castles and a legendary waterfall. Your tour commences from the pier and heads toward Lake Mývatn, one of Iceland’s natural treasures. The lake is home to tens of thousands of birds, among them a variety of duck species. The area surrounding the lake is of tremendous geological interest. Your first stop is Námaskarð, a striking geothermal field full of mud-pots, steam vents, sulphur deposits, boiling springs and fumaroles. The experience is other-worldly with incredible colors, steam that rises from the earth and the loud popping of air bubbles in the mud-pots. Close by is Dimmuborgir, created more than 2,000 years ago, it is a dramatic lava landscape with strange formations, columns and arches that have been the source of many folktales in Iceland. The name itself means “dark fortress”, an appropriately mystical name for this peculiar place. Next, you’ll make your way to the Skútustaðir pseudo-craters. The craters were formed by gas explosions when boiling lava flowed over the wetlands near the lake. The craters are a popular site for birdwatches and are protected as a natural wetlands conservation area.

Following lunch at a local restaurant in Skútustaðir, your journey continues with a drive to thundering Godafoss, an Icelandic word meaning "Waterfall of the Gods." The name refers to an event that supposedly occurred 1,000 years ago when an Icelandic chieftain threw statues of the Norse gods into the water to symbolically demonstrate Iceland's conversion to Christianity. Whether the legend is true or not, it's quite a sight to behold the Skjalfandafljot River cascade over the horseshoe-shaped cliff and plummet into the roiling tempest below. Following your visit, you’ll travel back to the pier in Husavik.