Húsavík and the Diamond Circle

The Diamond circle is a 215 km tour taking in some of the most impressive sights in all Iceland. The circular route includes Húsavík, Ásbyrgi, Dettifoss and Mývatn and takes between 7 and 10 hours.

Húsavík
Húsavíkurbær, with a population of 2.500, is situated on Skjálfanda Bay. The town is particularly beautiful and offers guests everything they could desire. The town provides a wide variety of recreation activities including whale-watching, Húsavík Whale Centre, Húsavík Museum, horse-riding, jeep safaris, fishing, golf, botanical gardens, swimming pool and restaurants. Guests can choose between hotel, guesthouse, bed & breakfast, self-catering orsleeping-bag accommodation. Services at Húsavík are of a high standard and most shops are open every day during the summer months.

Ásbyrgi
This awesome natural phenomena with sheer cliffs rising to around 100 metres also boasts beautiful woodland and the lake Botnstjörn. The extensive birch forest is a forestry conservation area. Various theories have attempted to explain this huge natural amphitheatre and it is now widely accepted that it was carved out in two catastrophic glacial floods in the River Jökulsa, the first between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago and the second, less than 3,000 years ago. The river’s course was dramatically changed and has sinced followed its present course east of Ásbyrgi. According to Icelandic mythology, Ásbyrgi is in fact, a hoof-mark from Óðin’s eight-footed horse, Sleipni.

Dettifoss
Dettifoss is Europe’s most powerful waterfall, 44 metres high, 100 metres wide and with an average flow of 200 m3 per second. Upstream from Dettiffoss is Selfoss at 10 metres high and downstream is Hafragilsfoss at 27 metres high.The Jökulsa River Canyon, downstream from Dettifoss, with its sheer walls and basalt columns, is an awe-inspiring sight. Tourists are advised to travel on the road on the east bank rather than the less well-maintained route west of the river. Whichever route is chosen, drive with extreme care.

Mývatn
Mývatn is the fourth largest lake in Iceland covering an area of 36,5 km2. The lake with 44 islands and endless nooks and crannies, is 277 metres above sea-level. Lake Mývatn is particularly shallow - nowhere being more than 5 metres deep. It is widely considered to be home to a greater variety of ducks than any other location on the planet. Other bird-life is rich and varied. Mývatn’s natural beauty is unique and tourists stream here in the summer months, while others consider it no less beautiful during the winter season. Mývatn’s most popular attractions include Dimmuborgir, Höfði, Hverfjall, Leirhnjúk/Kröflu, the pseudo-craters at Skutastaðir, the boiling mud pits and fumeroles on the east of Námskarð, and the hot streams in the caves of Grjótagjá.