Akureyri itinerary – Diamond Circle

One-day trip along the Diamond Circle in northern Iceland

Main attractions

Goðafoss · Skútustaðagígar · Dimmuborgir · Grjótagjá · Hverir · Dettifoss · Ásbyrgi ·Húsavík

Other attractions

Geitafoss · Mývatn · Hverfjall · Selfoss · Hringsbjarg · Skeiðsöxl · Halllandsbjargalaug

Possible attractions

Geothermal shower (Krafla area) · Voladalstorfa

Just as South Iceland has its famous Golden Circle, the north has the Diamond Circle, a 250-kilometer route that takes you around interesting places in northern Iceland near the town of Akureyri.

From Akureyri, we head east along the Eyjafjörður fjord, pass through a toll tunnel (or alternatively drive around Mount Gautsstaðahnjúkur via roads 83 and 84), and soon we reach the first major attraction of this route: the waterfall of the gods, Goðafoss. This beautiful horseshoe-shaped waterfall will surely impress you, and you will want to enjoy it from both sides of the Skjálfandafljót river. If you are not in a hurry and do not need to save every minute, you can leave your car in one parking area and cross the pedestrian bridge to the other side.

Further along the route, we arrive at one of the most amazing places in Iceland: the beautiful surroundings of Lake Mývatn. Be sure to take the southern route around the lake, explore the pseudocraters Skútustaðagígar, the lava field Dimmuborgir, hike up the crater Hverfjall, and at least briefly visit the famous cave Grjótagjá, which is filled with geothermal water.

Just behind Mount Námafjall lies the fascinating geothermal area of Hverir, which you may already smell on the way. There are many fumaroles, small geothermal fields, and colorful soil that clearly shows the ground is boiling beneath.

Not far beyond Hverir is a turnoff toward the Krafla area. Although it is not directly on the Diamond Circle route, about 5 kilometers into the Krafla area there is an open-air geothermal shower. If you want to enrich your journey with an unusual experience, this is your chance.

We then continue east, turn left, and head to the waterfall Dettifoss. From this side, it is about a 500-meter walk over rough terrain. Dettifoss will definitely stay in your memory — it is considered the most powerful waterfall in Europe. There are several viewpoints, each offering a slightly different view. A few hundred meters upstream is the Selfoss waterfall, which is not as impressive as Dettifoss but is interesting for its sharp spear-like shape.

The Diamond Circle route continues north into Ásbyrgi canyon. One of Iceland’s magical places where trees actually grow. There is a large visitor center, and you can explore the canyon from the bottom or hike along its rim.

From Ásbyrgi canyon, we continue west on road 85 and reach several viewpoints. The first is the popular stop at the Hringsbjarg cliffs, followed by the smaller stop at the Skeiðsöxl cliffs, where you can observe many seabirds. Puffins, however, nest far below, so they are not easily visible from here.

A better place for puffin watching is the Voladalstorfa cape. However, you need to walk about half an hour to reach the nesting area, and it is only accessible from the second half of July. Honestly, it is one of those places I do not really want to describe in detail — it deserves its peace.

Finally, we arrive at the last stop on our Diamond Circle journey: the town of Húsavík. It has earned the nickname “the whale watching capital.” Although whale watching is available in about ten locations in Iceland, Húsavík remains the most popular. Wooden boats, a small church, and a beautiful ocean — that is what it is all about.

From here, we return south on road 85 to the Ring Road and then back to Akureyri. After passing through the tunnel and reaching Eyjafjörður fjord, a beautiful viewpoint awaits you, along with the lovely Halllandsbjargalaug geothermal pool at the edge of the cliffs above the fjord. Then only a few kilometers remain until the end of your journey.

Safe travels!