How should you plan a Mývatn geothermal day?
Krafla and Námaskarð in one route

Krafla or Námaskarð: which comes first?

From Reykjahlíð, follow Route 1 east and then turn towards Krafla; visiting the crater first is usually the cleaner sequence. Krafla Víti is a blue-green lake set inside a dark volcanic crater, with open views and direct exposure to the wind. There is still an uphill walk and a circuit after parking. Námaskarð sits close to Route 1, with steaming ground, bubbling mud and strong colours and smells; start with 20 minutes and extend the stop if conditions suit.

I would not set the order by whichever place looks more beautiful. I would work back from the weather. In clear morning light, the crater rim is easier to read; when the wind rises after midday, Námaskarð makes the more dependable final stop. If you arrive from the Eastfjords heading west, reverse the direction without forcing the issue: stay in Mývatn, check the roads the next morning, then choose whether to loop north or east. Do not squeeze both places into ten-minute photo stops simply to collect two names.

ICENAVI · Mývatn north-east geothermal stopsReal locations · route decisions

MývatnBase for accommodation and suppliesKrafla VítiVisit in clear weatherNámaskarð/HverirShort geothermal stopHúsavíkNext stop north

Mývatn → Krafla Do the more exposed trail first.Krafla → Námaskarð A short transfer; shorten it if the weather turns.Námaskarð → Mývatn Return to the base for a soak or continue towards Húsavík.

Two free sights, with the cost measured in walking

Námaskarð suits a short stop, but do not read “close to the road” as “no effort required”. After parking, follow the marked area; the sulphur smell can become suddenly stronger when the wind shifts. Wet mud will reach shoes and trouser hems, so white shoes are a poor experiment. Thirty minutes is enough for photographs; allow 45 minutes to an hour if you want to see more vents. This is a useful stop when the weather worsens because shortening it does not waste half a day of tickets.

Krafla pays you back with terrain and views, so it needs more time on foot. Snow can hide the trail edge in winter, while fog and crosswinds can make the crater’s beauty an unjustifiable risk. In those conditions, check the road and the site from the parking area and switch to Námaskarð, the pseudocraters on Mývatn’s south shore or the dark lava labyrinth at Dimmuborgir. During the spring thaw, wet ground adds another variable; the drive between sights may be short, but walking after parking is what changes the schedule.

Count the route with your next night, whether it is half a day or a full day

If you are staying two nights in Mývatn, I would use the first full day: leave Reykjahlíð at 08:30, reach Krafla at about 09:00, walk to the crater and keep time to check the roads; go to Námaskarð at 10:45 and finish the geothermal area from 11:15–12:00; then return to Reykjahlíð for supplies. In the afternoon, choose Skútustaðagígar and Dimmuborgir on the south shore, and put the Mývatn Nature Baths after 16:00 so there is time to deal with sulphur smell and mud. This plan keeps an hour for wind or snow; Dettifoss does not need to be added.

If you are heading to Húsavík the next day, put the geothermal stops into the morning you leave Mývatn and take Route 85 north. Húsavík harbour, the whale museum and whale-watching trips each have their own fixed times, so deciding the afternoon activity later is safer. If you want to combine this with horse riding and whale watching in Húsavík, do not delay the geothermal route until midday; the drive and parking before a meeting will consume your buffer.

If you are heading towards the Eastfjords, you can do the geothermal stops on the afternoon you reach Mývatn, provided there is still daylight and you have not booked a fixed bath slot. Before continuing east, read the one-day transfer between Egilsstaðir and Mývatn and place the night where your bags are already settled. Moving rooms after the geothermal sights turns a short stop into a packing day.

Beyond entry tickets, budget for the car and warming up

Krafla Víti and Námaskarð are outdoor sights and usually do not require an activity ticket. Parking charges, winter opening and on-site facilities still need to be checked again for your departure date. Adult entry to the Mývatn Nature Baths is commonly around ISK 6,000–8,000 (about HK$340–460/NT$2,700–3,600); family tickets, towels and drinks change the total. For two people driving, fuel from Akureyri to Mývatn and onwards north may affect the budget more than admission, especially when snow slows the car.

Free does not mean that a stop fits any spare gap. Write “out of the car to back in the car” into the plan: 90 minutes at Krafla, 45 minutes at Námaskarð, 90–120 minutes at the baths, plus supplies in Reykjahlíð and time to find parking. A half-day can quickly become seven hours. If you also want Dettifoss, assess it as a separate route; West-side Route 862 and East-side Route 864 have different winter conditions, and a line on the map does not mean a direct drive is available.

How wind, thaw and summer change the plan

In winter, Mývatn’s geothermal area is where you are most likely to arrive and decide that your legs would rather stay in the car. Daylight is short and low-reflecting snow can hide the edge of the Krafla trail; your camera may fog when you step out of the warm car. Put on a windproof outer layer and shoes with grip before deciding how far to walk. Námaskarð looks flat, but mud and ice can be slippery too, so stay on the boardwalk or within the cleared area.

After the snowmelt in May and June, roadside water and mist can change visibility quickly. July and August provide the long daylight needed to stretch Krafla, the geothermal area, Mývatn’s south shore and Húsavík into a day, but that does not mean every stop needs a long visit. From September to April, a hot soak can follow an evening of northern-lights watching, but light pollution, cloud cover and the distance from the baths to your accommodation all belong in the same calculation. For a comparison of Mývatn back-up plans for rain and snow, put indoor supplies and a short walk on the same sheet.