What does the name Mývatn mean?

Mývatn means "midge lake." In summer, the area swarms with midges. The biting blackflies live in the Laxá River, a little farther from the lake, but about 40 species of non-biting midges live in the lake itself, and on a sunny, windless day they get into your ears, eyes, mouth and nose. Mosquitoes are not something you will run into here, though the first ones were detected in Iceland in 2025.

How do you get to Lake Mývatn?

The lake lies right on Route 1 (the Ring Road), about 80 km (50 miles) east of Akureyri, and Road 848 leads around it. The village of Reykjahlíð has stores, gas stations and car repair shops.

Lake Myvatn - What to See Around the Volcanic Lake

Mývatn is a beautiful lake with many small islands in the north of Iceland, about 80 km (50 miles) east of Akureyri, the country’s second largest city. The lake covers 36.5 square kilometers (14.1 square miles), which makes it the fourth largest body of water in Iceland. The long, complex, and extremely intense geological history of the region has created many rock formations here that are unique in the world. The volcanic landscape, picturesque surroundings, tranquility, and birdwatching opportunities make it one of the most interesting natural attractions on the island.

The name Mývatn itself means “midge lake,” and indeed – in summer, the area swarms with midges (you will not run into mosquitoes here, though the first ones were detected in Iceland in 2025). Of course, the crowds of tourists do not come here for the flies. They come because, thanks to its unusual history, Lake Myvatn gathers on its shores a wealth of fascinating, sometimes completely unique attractions of geological origin. The area also offers great conditions for birdwatching, fishing, and even spotting Arctic foxes.

As researchers from the Icelandic Institute of Natural History point out, the biting species of blackflies do not live right by the lake but a little farther away – in the fast-flowing Laxá River that drains it. Still, about 40 species of non-biting midges live in the lake itself, and their larvae can number up to around 200,000 per square meter of the lake bed. So on a sunny, windless day, they can be a real plague, even if they do not bite and “only” get into your ears, eyes, mouth, nose, and under every piece of clothing…

The lake lies right on Route 1 (the Ring Road), and Road 848 leads around it.

Attractions around Lake Myvatn

The shores of the lake are dotted with the strangest rock formations of volcanic origin. The most important ones include:

Skutustadagigar – unique pseudo-craters
Hofdi and Gud Fingur – the picturesque shore of Lake Myvatn
Dimmuborgir – the “Black Fortress” lava field
Hverfjall – a volcano like no other
Grjotagja and Storagja – rock fissures filled with hot water
the Eldhraun lava field
the Namafjall Hverir geothermal area

In the immediate area, though not necessarily connected with the lake itself, you will also find:

the Krafla crater and the Leirhnjukur lava field, as well as the Kröflustöð power plant, which uses the volcano’s energy;
the hot pool and spa complex Earth Lagoon Mývatn (formerly Myvatn Nature Baths, Jarðböðin við Mývatn).

There are also many cafés, restaurants, guesthouses, and campsites along the shores of the lake. The local center of civilization is the village of Reykjahlíð, with stores, gas stations, car repair shops, and more.

See also our separate article on the geological history of the Myvatn region.