Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [196]
Stóra-Víti
The impressive dirt-brown crater of Stóra-Víti reveals a stunning secret when you reach its rim – a dark-blue pool of flood water at its heart. Surrounded by steaming vents, bubbling pools and desolate land, the vibrant colour makes a lasting impression as you track around the rim of the crater on a slippery walking trail.
The 320m-wide explosion crater was created in 1724 during the destructive Mývatnseldar, and it’s just one of many vents along the Krafla central volcano. Behind the crater are the ‘twin lakes’, boiling mud springs that spurted mud 10m into the air during the Mývatnseldar. They’re now down to a mere simmer and Víti is considered inactive.
Leirhnjúkur & Krafla Caldera
Krafla’s most impressive, and potentially most dangerous, attraction is the colourful Leirhnjúkur crater and its solfataras, which originally appeared in August 1727. It started out as a lava fountain and spouted molten material for two years before subsiding. After a minor burp in 1746, it became the menacing sulphur-encrusted mud hole that tourists love today.
From the rim above Leirhnjúkur you can look out across the Krafla caldera and the layers of lava that bisect it. The first of these lava flows was from the original Mývatnseldar, which was overlaid in places by lava from the 1975 eruptions, and again by 1984 lava.
The earth’s crust here is extremely thin and in places the ground is ferociously hot. Steaming vents on the pastel-coloured rhyolite mountain to the west are the last vestiges of a series of explosions in 1975, when the small grass-filled crater on the western slope of the mountain south of Leirhnjúkur erupted as Kröflueldar, a continuation of Mývatnseldar.
A well-defined track leads northwest to Leirhnjúkur from the Krafla parking area; with all the volcanic activity, high temperatures, bubbling mudpots and steaming vents, you’d be well advised not to stray from the marked paths at any time.
Gjástykki
This remote rift zone at the northernmost end of the Krafla fissure swarm was the source of the first eruptions in 1724, and was activated when Leirhnjúkur went off in the 1975 eruptions. Between 1981 and 1984 the area was the main hot pot of activity in the Krafla central volcano, and the current Gjástykki lava fields date from this time. The area’s best-known landmark is a red mountain that protrudes from dark fields of lava. Gjástykki is a very sensitive area and no private vehicles are allowed access. To visit you will need to join a tour; Click here.
Getting There & Away
From ReykjahlíÐ, a wonderful day hike leads to Hliðarfjall and Leirhnjúkur along a marked path from near the airport. Another walking route leads from Namaskarð along the Dalfjall ridge to Leirhnjúkur.
In summer Krafla can be reached on the daily bus (Ikr1200, 15 minutes), which leaves at 8am and 11.30am from the information centre in Reykjahlið and returns at 11.15am and 3.15pm. The Mývatn–Dettifoss excursion bus also runs via Krafla.
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HÚSAVÍK REGION
HÚSAVÍK
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Húsavík, Iceland’s whale-watching capital, is a picturesque harbour town that has become a firm favourite on travellers’ itineraries. With its colourful houses, unique museums and stunning snow-capped peaks across the bay, little Húsavík is undoubtedly the prettiest fishing town on the northeast coast.
History
Although the honours normally go to Reykjavík and Ingólfur Arnarson, Húsavík was the real site of the first Nordic settlement in Iceland. Garðar Svavarsson, a Swedish Viking who set off around 850 for the mysterious Thule or Snæland (Snowland), was actually responsible