Part 5 Itinerary: The North

Day 6: Northern Iceland 

Grjótagjá Cave

This is a natural geothermal spring with incredibly blue waters inside a cave. Game of Thrones fans will recognize the entrance into this cave from a scene with Jon Snow and Ygritte.

Dettifoss

Europe's most powerful waterfall!

Selfoss Waterfall

You'll find this waterfall just a short walk away from Dettifoss.

Viti Crater

Hverir

You'll smell the sulfur from a mile away, but the landscape here is absolutely mystifying. There are paths you can walk on through the geothermal area.

Goðafoss Attempt #1

We arrived here after sunset. D (clearly the more rational person here) suggested visiting Goðafoss the next morning. But I figured, hey, we have flashlights on our phones, tripods, getting to the waterfall and taking photos shouldn't be any issue.

It was so dark and foggy, we couldn't even see the way to the waterfall. So, with D's better judgment, we hopped back in our car and made our way to Akuyeri for the night.

Additional Places to Visit:

• Lake Mývatn
• Mývatn Nature Baths: This is another lagoon you can relax in, and it's less touristy than the Blue Lagoon.
• Hverfjall: If you don't mind a small climb, consider stopping by this crater — about 1 km in diameter and an hour climb to the top. You'll get great views for Lake Mývatn and Dimmuborgir from the top.
• Dimmuborgir: You'll find many interesting rock formations in this lava field.

Day 7: North to West 

We almost caught up to our original itinerary! This day would be another long drive from North Iceland to West Iceland.

Godafoss Attempt #2

It seemed to always be golden hour when we were in Iceland. This morning was no exception. You can get several views of Godafoss.

One on the west side:

One on the east side:

Personally, I think this side offers a much better view.

And if you climb down some steps on the east side, you'll get an up close view of Godafoss from a lower angle:

The Drive West 

You'll pass by more beautiful views of the landscape on the 2.5 hour drive to Hvítserkur!

Hvítserkur

Legend has it that this rock is a petrified troll.

We arrived here during an incredibly windy evening when the sun had pretty much set. Be aware that the road to this rock formation has a lot of potholes — like about 40 minutes of driving through/around potholes.

Ólafsvík 

We then pushed through another 3.5 hour drive to Ólafsvík, making it to West Iceland.

Check back in for Part 6 Itinerary: Exploring West Iceland. I swear there's only Part 6 and 7 left, and this doesn't go on forever.