Iceland: Askja Caldera to Hvammstangi
We knew we needed 2 days at Lake Myvatn. We were planning on spending the second day leisurely taking in the sites around the lake. However, Lonely Planet's description of the Highlands totally captivated us. We REALLY wanted to see Askja Caldera and Kverkfjoll ice caves. It was a long (3 hours one way!), hairy day of driving directly into the middle of Iceland but it was definitely an epic day of adventure and totally worth it.
As mentioned, we had a 4x4 SUV Mitsubishi Outlander and we rented this so we could take it on some of the infamous Iceland F roads. F roads require expert driving skills and, most importantly, a car that can truly handle it. It also requires you check the conditions of the roads before you go. We could check the first two boxes (Nick had driven in sketchy situations before), however, we stupidly (very, very stupidly) did not check on the route before we left. F88 is a 20 minute drive from Lake Myvatn and takes you to the caldera passing some cool sites along the way like Hrossaborg and Herðubreið. They sent Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin here to train for their moon landing. Driving along the road, it honestly looks like it could be another planet. It's just miles of black, flat rock.
The drive started off similar to other roads we had taken on previous days in Iceland but it quickly became lava fields with giant, craggy boulders and very difficult terrain. It was slow going with fingers crossed we wouldn't get a flat as we were at least an hour back to the ring road at this point. I wish I could say this was the worst of it. We had constant second thoughts of turning around and questioning ourselves if we had truly the right vehicle to take on this endeavor. We finally got over it and were happily dodging the rocky obstacles along the way when we came to a river crossing. We had to drive the car through an actual river!! We watched a little Subaru forge the river in the opposite direction, so we went for it. Piece of cake. I panicked, but Nick was cool as a cucumber and we made it across without a hitch. Phew!
After about 20 minutes, we hit another river. This one made us pause. It was much bigger and was moving quite fast. We couldn't tell how deep it was but the sign said to follow the rope, which indicated you went down river a little and then came back up to the other side. Nick decided to go for it. It started out ok and then we realized that our tires were barely touching the bottom. The water came up over the hood of the car. I started to panic and Nick sped the car up because the current was taking us a little. It didn't feel right at all. Nick followed the rope and we somehow managed to come up on the other side unscathed. We took a minute and realized how stupid we were to take that kind of risk in a rental car. We barely made it and I'm not just being dramatic. If Nick made one wrong move we were toast. Needless to say, when we finally did make it to the National Park where Askja Caldera is located, we asked the park rangers the best route to take to get there. It wasn't F88 (they shook their heads at us for trying) and they gave us the safer and more preferred route to take on the way back. Oops.
Now for the pictures...
A shelter we saw on the way
Our trusty steed in front of the Herduvreid or "Queen of the Icelandic Mountains". It almost always has this beautiful halo over the top.
After we forged the river
The easy part of F88 before it got super tough (and I put down the camera to hang on for dear life)
Right next to the Askja Caldera is the Viti Crater. It's naturally heated to 70 degrees. We hiked out to the caldera and then down the steep side to swim here. It was amazing. We really couldn't get a good picture of it.
Hiking down to the shore of the Viti Crater (not to be confused with the Viti Crater at Krafla. Viti means "hell" in Icelandic. If this is hell... sign me up!
Everyone changing to jump in. The F roads keep many people from coming here but this was a tour that stopped by while we were swimming. There was very little modesty. Everyone just changed into their suits right on the shore.
Nick bathing in the Viti Crater. It was very cold and windy out. We had to change into our bathing suits and jump in. It was very hard getting out of the water afterwards. Brrr!!
We, unfortunately, ran out of time to see Kverkfjoll. We headed back via the F910 to F905. Much safer but still a 3 hour trek. We were tired from the adventure and decided to stop at the Myvatn Nature Baths for a soak. Two amazing swimming experiences in one day! This is similar to Blue Lagoon, just much smaller and less touristy. We stayed for about 2 hours before showering and grabbing dinner at Vogafjos next to Lake Myvatn. We had high expectations for our dinner but were a little disappointed. The beef stew was delicious but our main dishes were just ok. We wished we had just gotten soup and desserts.
The next morning we began our journey towards the West Fjords and Hvammstangi where we were staying for the night. We did a lot of driving around trying to find things that do not exist anymore (like Kantry Bar...sad face) but did catch the beautiful Godafoss waterfall on our way and stopped at a town called Holar with strong Catholic roots. We finished the night at a restaurant called Geitafell. The most hospitable and sweet couple own it and we had our favorite meal to date. It's on a farm and it's a 45 minute drive from the ring road to get there. If you are ever in Northern Iceland, please go there. It's totally worth it.
Godafoss means "gods waterfall". Legend has it that the king who decided to convert the country to the Catholic religion threw all of his Norse idols in the bottom of this waterfall.
The beautiful town of Holar that is one of the 4 Pilgrimage sites in Iceland for Catholics
More Holar...
Running horses in Holar
Rush hour traffic
Geitafell Restaurant- The best meal ever. An older couple own this farm and run the restaurant. The seafood soup and Skyr pie was out of this world! Eat here.
Nick bought this tiny little viking souvenir at Geitafell. We need to name him. Suggestions welcome.
Final Thought:
This was one of our favorite days. We had so much fun on our adventure to the caldera and swimming in the Viti Crater. Driving to the middle of Iceland to swim in a natural hot spring is a once in a lifetime thing and we are grateful we were able to do it. Although we should have been smarter about checking our route before we left, it felt good to get out of our comfort zones and just believe in our ability to do it. We need to remember this for when we start the business. Sometimes the risks won't pay off, but we can't be afraid to take them. There's always something to be gained from giving it a try.
