11 Best Sights in North Iceland, Iceland

North Iceland’s landmark waterfall dazzles with its symmetrical torrents, cascading thunderously into an impressive canyon cut through a 7,000-year-old lava field. Conveniently located just off the main road, Goðafoss (Waterfall of the Gods) is renowned not only for its beauty, but also for the Saga Age legend that gave it its name. As the story goes, in 1000 AD, Þorgeir of Ljósavatn decided that Iceland would peacefully adopt Christianity and cast the pagan idols into the falls.

A unique and unusually large church by Icelandic standards, Húsavíkurkirkja is the town’s most iconic landmark attraction and focal point of postcards and images. It was built to accommodate the entire community at the time it was built in 1907 and still serves the public with regular services and ceremonies. Some residents modeled for the large altar painting depicting the resurrection of Lazurus, but not everyone was happy with the result.

This legendary 15-meter sea stack is shaped remarkably like a giant rhino drinking from the sea. Fueling imaginations since time immemorial, Hvítserkur is said to have been a night troll caught in the sunrise while making its way to the old convent at Þingeyrar to complain about the bells. Hvítserkur translates to "white shirt" and refers to the white color from the accumulation of bird droppings. To reach this obligatory photo op, turn off Route 711 north of Ósvar. A trail leads from the parking lot to a viewing platform.

An aqueous gem amid mountains and lava fields, Lake Mývatn is fed by cold springs in the lake bottom and warm springs in the northeastern corner. The shallow lake—it's 37 square km (14 square miles) yet averages only 8 feet deep—teems with birds and insects, including the swarming midges for which the lake is named. These tiny flies are essential in the bird food chain.

Waterfowl migrate long distances to breed at Mývatn: 115 species of bird have been spotted in the area, including 28 duck species. Indeed, the lake has Europe's greatest variety of nesting ducks, including some—the harlequin duck and Barrow's goldeneye—found nowhere else in Europe. Dozens of other kinds of waders, upland birds, and birds of prey also nest here. Be sure to stay on established trails and pathways, as nests can be anywhere. During summer you might find a head net useful to protect yourself against the huge midge swarms.

Next to the Námaskarð Mountain Ridge, on the eastern side of the Ring Road, are the bubbling, gray-mud sulfur springs of Hverir, boiling like a witch's cauldron in the strange red-and-yellow valleys. Hike around this fascinating area, but remember to step carefully. Though the sulfurous vapors smell like rotten eggs, the fumes are generally harmless.

Among the mysterious arches, gates, and caves of Dimmuborgir, the best known is the Kirkja (church), resembling a Gothic chapel (it's marked by a sign, lest you miss it). Don't wander off the paths, as Dimmuborgir is a highly fragile environment.

This leafy, scenic town park is complete with a babbling brook, duck pond, and some exotic tree species such as the Manchurian cherry. It's perfect for an afternoon stroll in any weather but is particularly charming in the summer, which comes with the soundtrack of quacking ducks.

To mark the location where the Arctic Circle transects the island, the Orbis et Globus (Circle and Sphere) was commissioned and installed in 2017. The artwork, which is a 3-meter concrete sphere, was designed by Kristinn E. Hrafnsson in collaboration with Studio Grandi. The orb is moved once a year to reflect the changing position of the Arctic circle. The 3.7-km walk from the harbor to the Arctic Circle is a three-hour round trip.

Inspired by Stonehenge in England, the Arctic Henge is an impressive work of art, albeit incomplete, located atop a desolate hill in Raufarhöfn. Featuring a 10-meter-tall stone archway at the center and surrounded by four smaller arches, the attraction is designed to behave like a sundial, but one that also frames the sun and other celestial sources of light such as the auroras. The unfinished Arctic Henge is rooted in Icelandic mythology sourced from the ancient Eddic poem, Völuspá (the prophecy of the seeress), and once complete, it will feature a giant sunlight-scattering crystal and a circular perimeter of stone pillars, each symbolic of one of the 72 dwarfs of Völuspa. The stones are easy to spot once you get to the town of Raufarhöfn.

Its name means “hell” in Icelandic, but this crater lake with its brilliant turquoise pool looks more like heaven. The ancient belief that volcanoes were the gateways to the netherworld of eternal damnation inspired the name of this beauty and, confusingly, another crater lake of the same name in Askja. A path from the car park leads around the rim.