Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)

Mývatn is the north's natural overnight and the point where a Ring Road plan gains or loses a day. Reykjahlíð, the village at the north-east corner of the lake, is small, but the lake circuit, Hverir, Krafla, Dimmuborgir, Hverfjall and the baths all sit within twenty minutes of it, so a full day here is easy to spend and a half day is the minimum.

On the clock, Reykjahlíð is about two and a half hours from Egilsstaðir across the high desert, an hour and a half from Akureyri over the Víkurskarð or through the Vaðlaheiði tunnel, and an hour from Húsavík. The desert crossing from the east is the section to respect: it climbs above 600 m and the Road Administration closes it in winter wind; check umferdin.is and arrive with fuel to spare.

The practical line: fuel is sold at Reykjahlíð but the operator could not be confirmed on a station map today, so fill at Egilsstaðir or Akureyri and treat it as a top-up. A small grocery exists; no Bónus, Krónan or Nettó store is listed here. There is a municipal pool in the village, a visitor centre with ranger information for the protected area, toilets at the village centre and campsites on the lake shore.

The midges that name the lake are thickest in still, warm weather in June and July and are a reason to carry a head net on the lakeside paths. Quiet in May and September, busy in July. Many lakeside car parks are now charged individually; read the sign at each one.