Lake Mývatn & Goðafoss: Small Group Day Trip from Akureyri Port

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/10

Duration6h–7h

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Godafoss waterfall mist, Mývatn craters and steam, quiet Bird Museum lunch

You’ll step off your ship at Akureyri Port straight into Icelandic legends—feeling Goðafoss’ spray on your face, walking strange lava fields near Lake Mývatn, tasting homemade soup at a quiet bird museum far from crowds, and standing right on the continental rift. It’s a day of real stories, local flavors, and wild landscapes you’ll remember every time you hear running water.

6h–7h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Lake Mývatn and Goðafoss

Depart from Akureyri Port
Stop at Goðafoss Waterfall for 45 minutes
Visit Skútustaðagígar Pseudo Craters
See warm underground river at Grjótagjá Rift
Explore geothermal area of Hverir
Walk through Dimmuborgir Lava Fields
Visit Mývatn Bird Museum for lunch and coffee

The Experience

We’d barely left Akureyri Port when our guide, Jónas, started telling us about trolls and waterfalls—his voice kind of blended with the hum of the minibus. The air outside was sharp but not freezing, which surprised me for Iceland in June. Our first stop was Goðafoss. I could hear it before I saw it—just this low roar that got louder as we walked closer. The spray hit my face and honestly, I just stood there for a minute watching the water crash down. Jónas pointed out where people used to toss statues into the falls (I missed half his story because I was distracted by a rainbow in the mist).

Driving toward Lake Mývatn, we passed fields that looked like something from another planet—black rock, patches of green moss, and then suddenly those Skútustaðagígar pseudo-craters. We climbed up one (not as easy as it looks) and you could see steam rising in the distance. At Grjótagjá Rift, Jónas showed us where the continents pull apart—you can literally stand with one foot on Europe and one on America. The cave was warm inside; smelled faintly of minerals and something else I still can’t place.

I didn’t expect to like Dimmuborgir so much—the lava formations are weirdly beautiful, almost spooky if you let your imagination run. There were these little birds darting around too fast for my camera. Lunch was at the Mývatn Bird Museum—a tiny place with soup that tasted like someone’s grandma made it (in a good way). No big tour buses here; just our group trading stories over coffee while a local woman told us about nesting ducks in springtime. I think she said “hverabrauð” three times before I finally got it right—sort of.

The last stop was Hverir’s geothermal area—mud bubbling underfoot and sulfur in the air so strong it stuck to my jacket for hours after. By then my shoes were dusted with white powder and I felt tired in that good way you get from being outside all day. We made it back to port with time to spare; Jónas joked he’d never lost anyone yet. Sometimes I still think about that waterfall sound when things get too quiet at home.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup from Akureyri Port (or nearby hotel), all transportation by minibus with a knowledgeable local guide leading every stop—from Godafoss Waterfall to Dimmuborgir lava fields—and an entry ticket plus light soup lunch at the cozy Mývatn Bird Museum before returning comfortably ahead of your ship’s departure time.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Saga Travel