Dimmuborgir
North Iceland · Lava formations
Follow marked paths among lava towers and arches near Lake Mývatn.
- 1 hr visit
- 6 km from Mývatn · Reykjahlíð as the crow flies
Did you know?
Dimmuborgir's lava pillars, caves and arches formed in an eruption thousands of years ago. Its best-known cave, Kirkjan ("the Church"), is named for its high arched ceiling, and folklore makes the area home to the Yule Lads.
Source
Walk through an emptied lava lake
Dimmuborgir’s dark towers are the remains of a pool of molten lava that drained away.
Imagine molten lava filling the spaces between Dimmuborgir’s towers. The Environment Agency describes this landscape as the remains of a lava lake formed roughly 2,300 years ago. When the molten material drained toward Mývatn, strange stacks and chambers remained standing.
The pillars are thought to have formed where steam rose through the lava and cooled it. That explanation makes the empty spaces as interesting as the rock itself: much of the landscape’s story is about material that is no longer here. Follow the marked trails between the formations, looking for arches and the changing shapes of the pillars as you pass.
Sources: ust.is, northiceland.is
