★★★★★
“A very packed day and we saw an enormous amount, Dettifoss included. Good lunch on the way round, and ice cream I was not expecting.”
Tom, United States · couple · August 2022
Lake Mývatn and Powerful Dettifoss Day Tour from Akureyri
From $401 per person
Listed asLake Mývatn and Powerful Dettifoss Day Tour from Akureyri
Duration8 to 9 hours
Departs fromAkureyri
Time at Dettifoss1.5 hours at Dettifoss
Group sizeMaximum 12
LunchNot included
LanguagesEnglish
CancellationFree up to 24 hours before
OperatorStar Travel Iceland
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Ninety minutes at the rim, and a group of twelve
An hour and a half at Dettifoss
The joint-longest stop at the falls of any departure here, and the reason to book this one.
A maximum of twelve
A 4x4 rather than a coach, which shows in how quickly the group moves at each stop.
Hotel pickup at nine
Collected from your Akureyri accommodation, from seven pickup points across the town.
Hverarönd at Námaskårð
Twenty minutes among fumaroles and boiling mud at the foot of the mountain.
Dimmuborgir
Half an hour in the lava towers and arches left by an eruption 2,300 years ago.
Skútustaðagígar
The pseudo-craters on Mývatn's southern shore, formed when lava ran over wet ground.
This is the day for someone who came for the waterfall. Ninety minutes at Dettifoss is the longest stop the operator's own itinerary gives to any single place, and it is what separates this departure from the circuits that treat the falls as one of six things.
The vehicle is a 4x4 carrying a maximum of twelve, and that changes the experience at the stops more than it changes the drive. Twelve people reach the viewpoint together; forty people arrive in a queue. This day is built for outdoorsy, active travellers, and the pace at Dettifoss in particular assumes you want to walk rather than photograph from the car park and leave.
The rest of the day stays on the Mývatn side rather than pushing north to Ásbyrgi and Húsavík. Goðafoss on the way out, then Hverarönd, the Skútustaðagígar pseudo-craters and the Dimmuborgir lava formations. Food and drink are not included and there is nowhere at the falls to buy either, so bring both from Akureyri.
Hour by hour
- Hotel pickup, 9:00am From your Akureyri accommodation. If you are off a ship, give the operator the vessel name — Akureyri has more than one berth.
- Goðafoss — 35 minutes The first stop, forty minutes out of town, with free admission and short walking trails.
- Dettifoss — 90 minutes The long stop. Both paths, and Selfoss 0.6 km further on if you want it.
- Námafjall Hverir — 20 minutes The hot mud pits at Hverarönd, in the orange ground below Námafjall.
- Dimmuborgir — 30 minutes Lava towers and arches, with marked loops from a quarter of an hour upwards.
- Back to Akureyri Dropped at Hafnarstraeti, or at your hotel, in the late afternoon.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this one if
- Dettifoss is the reason you are going north, not one stop on a list.
- You want a small group and are happy in a 4x4 rather than a coach.
- You are staying in Akureyri and want collecting from the door.
- You would rather walk the paths properly than photograph and move on.
Book something else if
If you want Ásbyrgi, Húsavík and the whole Diamond Circle in one day, this is not it — it stays on the Mývatn side. The Diamond Circle day trip with lunch covers all five stops for less than half the fare, and includes a packed lunch, at the cost of an hour of your time at the falls.
What’s included
Included
- ✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off
- ✓ Godafoss waterfall
- ✓ Dettifoss waterfall
- ✓ Hverarond hot-spring area at Namaskard
- ✓ Skutustadagigar pseudo-craters
- ✓ Dimmuborgir lava formations
Not included
- ✗ Food and drinks
Where you meet
Pickup from your accommodation in Akureyri at 9:00am, from seven listed points. If you are arriving by cruise ship, give the operator your vessel's name when you book, because Akureyri has more than one port. At Tangabryggja the operator is in the third of the small wooden houses outside the cruise area. At Oddeyrarbryggja, look for the agent area beside the Icewear shop and a bright yellow jacket.
Know before you go
- Bring food and water. Neither is included, the day runs eight to nine hours, and there is nothing to buy at Dettifoss.
- Waterproofs and boots with grip. Ninety minutes at the falls means you will use the lower path, and that is inside the spray.
- It needs a minimum number to run. If it does not fill, the operator offers you another date or a full refund.
- Not wheelchair accessible. Stated plainly on the booking page. The Fox Adventure departure from the pier is the one with wheelchair access.
- The cap is twelve. Adults only on the booking widget, aged sixteen and over.
- Weather can cancel it. The operator's own policy covers bad weather with a refund or a different date, which on this road matters.
Photographs from the falls
What travellers said about this day
★★★★★
“Being a small group made the whole thing more personal. Never too long in the car in one stretch, and enough breaks for food along the way.”
Jonathan, United States · group · September 2017
★★★☆☆
“Picked up on time and we enjoyed everything we saw. Our driver was not an experienced guide though, so we came away feeling we had missed the history and the detail behind the places.”
Sea Mom, United States · family · August 2017
★★★★★
“Extraordinary sights, and the other-worldliness of Lake Mývatn and the volcanic ground around it was completely unexpected. Dettifoss is spread a long way from the rest, so a full day is what it takes.”
Kathy, United Kingdom · repeat visitor · October 2017
Frequently asked questions
Why is this more expensive than the coach tours?
You are paying for the group size and the time. Twelve travellers in a 4x4 costs more per head than fifty in a coach, and ninety minutes at Dettifoss is time the vehicle is parked rather than driving to the next stop.
Do I get to Selfoss on this tour?
Ninety minutes makes it possible: Selfoss is signposted at 0.6 kilometres from the junction and the park rates the circuit as easy and about an hour. It is not guaranteed and it is not on the itinerary, so ask your guide at the car park rather than assuming.
Does it stop at Mývatn Nature Baths?
No. It visits the Mývatn area — the craters, Dimmuborgir and Hverir — but not the lagoon. The waterfalls and nature baths day finishes with an optional soak, and adds Selfoss to the itinerary as well.
Is lunch included?
No. Food and drink are excluded and there is no café at any of the stops except the Mývatn area. Buy something in Akureyri before the nine o'clock pickup.
What if the road is closed?
The operator decides in the morning and refunds in full if the day cannot run. Between January and early April, Route 862 is not in winter service, which is exactly the situation this policy exists for.
Can children come?
The booking widget lists adults aged sixteen and over only. If you are travelling with younger children, the departures that state infant seats are the better starting point.
Other ways to reach the falls
Both of the other featured departures run some version of the Diamond Circle, North Iceland's designated 250-kilometre route, and each gives the waterfall a different number of minutes.
- From Akureyri Port: Diamond Circle Guided Day Trip w/ Lunch — From $209 per person, 80 minutes at Dettifoss
- Akureyri North Iceland Waterfalls and Nature Baths Small Group Tour — From $345 per person, 9 to 10 hours
All Dettifoss Tours compares every guided departure by the minutes it gives you at the rim, and roads and access covers the rim itself.