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The eccentric Museum of Small Exhibits (Smámunasafn Sverris Hermannssonar; 463 1261; www.smamunasafnid.is; admission Ikr500; 1-6pm mid-May–mid-Sep), at Sólgarður near Saurbær, is a mind-boggling collection of watches, door knockers, bridle bits, electrical switches, kitchen equipment, tools, fishing gear and anything else you could possibly think of, all meticulously mounted and displayed.

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Northeast Iceland

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MÝVATN REGION

REYKJAHLÍÐ

EASTERN MÝVATN

SOUTHERN MÝVATN

WESTERN MÝVATN

NORTHERN MÝVATN (MÝVATN TO KRAFLA)

KRAFLA

HÚSAVÍK REGION

HÚSAVÍK

TJÖRNES PENINSULA

KELDUHVERFI REGION

JÖKULSÁRGLJÚFUR (VATNAJÖKULL NATIONAL PARK – NORTH)

ÁSBYRGI

VESTURDALUR

DETTIFOSS

NORTHEASTERN CIRCUIT

KÓPASKER

MELRAKKASLÉTTARNES

RAUFARHÖFN

RAUÐANES

ÞÓRSHÖFN & AROUND

LANGANES

VOPNAFJÖRÐUR & AROUND

NORTHEAST INTERIOR

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Shattered lava fields, epic waterfalls, snow-capped peaks and breaching whales – this is Iceland at its best. The region’s brilliant sights are variations on one theme: a grumbling volcanically active earth. The violence and turbulence of the tortured land is undeniable and awe-inducing, but perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the area’s diverse attractions are so neatly and conveniently clustered together.

Ethereal Mývatn, with its alien pseudocraters and haunting lava castles, is undoubtedly the region’s darling destination. Not to be missed is rust-coloured Hverir next-door, with its gurgling vents and belching mudflaps. Further north you’ll pass steamy Krafla before uncovering the geological smorgasbord at the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon in Vatnajökull National Park. Hikers will be treated to puzzling rock anomalies that surround Dettifoss – Europe’s most powerful chute. To the northwest the stunning fishing village of Húsavík holds the much-coveted title of Iceland’s whale-watching capital and, further on, the remote northeastern corner stretches to within a few kilometres of the Arctic Circle.

This remote peninsula to the northeast is a little-visited and sparsely populated area of desolate moors and wildly beautiful scenery. Bypassed by the tourist hordes who whiz around the Ring Road to the south, this forgotten region feels like the end of the earth, with a rugged and captivating character all of its own. Dotted with sleepy fishing villages and home to some of Iceland’s hardiest souls, it makes a wonderful destination for wilderness hiking on the remote, uninhabited headlands that jut into the sea.

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HIGHLIGHTS

Wander around lava castles, alien pseudocraters and hidden fissures at otherworldly Mývatn before soaking your aching muscles at the Nature Baths

Hold your breath as gentle giants suddenly emerge from the deep on a whale-watching trip in Húsavík

Step gingerly through the hazy orange world at Hverir, then crunch shattered lava underfoot around the turquoise lakes and gurgling mudpots at Krafla

Savour thundering chutes, hypnotic rock forms and vast canyon gaps at Jökulsárgljúfur in the northern part of Vatnajökull National Park

March to the end of the earth at Langanes, passing wind-battered ruins and roaring bird colonies along the way

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MÝVATN REGION

Undisputed gem of the region, Lake Mývatn (mee-vawt) and the surrounding area are starkly beautiful, an otherworldly landscape of spluttering mudpots, weird lava formations, steaming fumaroles and volcanic craters. The Mývatn basin sits squarely on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the violent geological character of the area has produced an astonishing landscape unlike anywhere else in the country; this is the Iceland you’ve always imagined.

History & Geology

Ten thousand years ago the Mývatn basin was covered by an ice cap, which was destroyed by fierce volcanic eruptions that also obliterated the lake at its base. The explosions formed the symmetrical móberg peaks (flat-topped mountains formed by subglacial volcanic eruptions) south of today’s lake, while volcanic activity