Picturesque Akureyri is Iceland's second largest city outside the capital area, with a superb snow-capped mountain backdrop. Explore the old town, with its beautifully maintained period houses, before heading inland to the nearby Mývatn region - an area said to be the most geologically active area in Iceland. You will have the choice of two land excursions :-
Option 1 -
Visit the Goðafoss waterfall, one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland. In the year 1,000 theLawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland. After his conversion, Þorgeir threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall earning the waterfall its name - waterfall of the gods. Visit Námaskarð, well-known for its sulphurous mud springs called solfataras and steam springs called fumaroles. Even though you won't find any pure spring water in this wonderful geothermal site of
Iceland, the beauty of the colourful minerals and the gigantic mud craters are truly impressive. Dettifoss is a waterfall in northeast Iceland and is reputed to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The falls are 100 metres wide and have a drop of 44 metres down to the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. Travel onto \'c1sbyrgi, a forested horse-shoe shaped canyon in Oxarfjordur. Asbyrgi is a part of Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon, within the Vatnajökull National Park.
Option 2 -
Visit the Akureyri Public Park and Botanical Garden. The garden is one of the northern most botanical gardens in the world. The Public Park was opened in 1912 but the botanic gardens section was open in 1957. There are about 6,600 different species of plants grown in the garden, of which, 430 species are native to Iceland. This option also includes a visit to the Goðafoss waterfall, before moving onto Dimmuborgir, an area strewn with enormous lava rocks and cliffs. The formation of these extraordinary lava cliffs and pillars are the result of molten lava flowing over a pond in the eruption of Lúdentsborgir and Þrengslaborgir some 2,300 years ago. The most famous of these formations is The
Church, aptly named, as this is a cave open at both ends and with a dome-like ceiling. Námaskarð will be the next stop, before ending your excursion at Mývatn Nature Baths. Drawing on a centuries-old tradition, the tastefully designed complex offers bathers a completely natural experience that begins with a relaxing dip amidst clouds of steam, rising up from a fissure deep in the Earth's surface. It ends with a luxurious swim in a pool of geothermal water, drawn from depths of up to 2,500 metres. Both options will end with a transfer to Húsavik, where you can explore the small town at your own leisure, before re-boarding the ship to sail to Grímsey Island.