Bjarnarflag


Bjarnarflag, 3km east of Reykjahlíð, is an active geothermal area where the earth hisses and bubbles, and steaming vents line the valley. Historically the area has been home to a number of economic ventures attempting to harness the earth’s powers. (Early on, farmers tried growing potatoes here, but these often emerged from the ground already boiled.)

In the 1960s, 25 test holes were bored at Bjarnarflag to ascertain the feasibility of a proposed geothermal power station. One is 2300m deep and the steam still roars out of the pipe at a whopping 200°C.

Later a diatomite plant was set up, but all that remains of the processing plant is the shimmering turquoise pond that the locals have dubbed the ‘Blue Lagoon’. This inviting puddle is actually quite toxic and should not be confused with nearby Mývatn Nature Baths (sometimes called the ‘Blue Lagoon of the North’).


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1. Námafjall

1.05 MILES

Vaporous vents cover the pinky-orange Námafjall ridge, which lies 3km east of Bjarnarflag on the south side of the Ring Road. Produced by a fissure…

2. Grjótagjá

1.26 MILES

Game of Thrones fans may recognise this as the place where Jon Snow is, ahem, deflowered by Ygritte. Grjótagjá is a gaping fissure with a 45°C water…

3. Stóragjá

1.35 MILES

Signposted about 100m beyond Reykjahlíð is Stóragjá, a rather eerie fissure (slightly tricky to access) that was once a popular bathing spot. Cooling…

4. Hverir

1.38 MILES

The magical, ochre-toned world of Hverir (also called Hverarönd) is a lunar-like landscape of mud cauldrons, steaming vents, radiant mineral deposits and…

5. Reykjahlíð Church

1.76 MILES

During the Krafla eruption of 1727, the Leirhnjúkur crater, 11km northeast of Reykjahlíð, kicked off a two-year period of volcanic activity, sending…

6. Eldhraun

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The lava field along Mývatn’s northern lakeshore includes the flow that nearly engulfed the Reykjahlíð Church. It was belched out of Leirhnjúkur during…

7. Hverfjall

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Dominating the lava fields on the eastern edge of Mývatn is the classic tephra ring Hverfjall (also called Hverfell). This near-symmetrical crater…

8. Dimmuborgir

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The giant jagged lava field at Dimmuborgir (literally ‘Dark Castles’) is one of the most fascinating flows in the country. A series of nontaxing, colour…

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