Dimmuborgir - the Dark Fortress at Mývatn is a true wonder of nature. Dimmuborgir consists of huge lava rock formations that make you feel like you stepped into another world - a world of fairy tales.
In this travel blog, I will walk you through this area. Please join me :)
The formation of these extraordinary lava pillars stems from molten lava creating a lava pond in the eruption of Lúdentarborgir and Þrengslaborgir row of craters some 2,300 years ago.
Top photo: Inside the gap at Dimmuborgir
Walking inside Dimmuborgir
The molten lava pond began solidifying on the surface, creating a crusty roof, with the lava flow deepening the lava pond.
Groundwater became trapped beneath the lava pond, and steam issued through vents it created in the lava, forming these pillars.
The solidified pillars then remained standing even after the lava pond had emptied itself and the lava roof had collapsed. Or something to that extent as far as I can understand ;)
Huge formations in Hallarflöt at Dimmuborgir
I have seen this phenomenon referred to as "hraunbóla" or lava bubble. The rocks are brittle and fragile because they formed in this way, so they are preserved, and there is no climbing on them.
Several bird species nest in Dimmuborgir, and they should not be disturbed, e.g., the falcon, so it is crucial to keep to the paths and not walk on roped-in areas, which are roped in for the protection of the vegetation.
Dimmuborgir
Dimmuborgir is around 1-2 km in diameter and 20 metres high at its highest point, with several walking paths.
Let's keep to the paths and follow the colour of the route you have chosen.
While walking through Dimmuborgir, it is easy to get lost if you are not following a path, as some of the lava formations look very similar, and it is almost certain that you will get the feeling of "I've been here before".
I know I do, even though I have visited Dimmuborgir on several occasions, and I do not want to be here after dark...
Kirkjan - the Church at Dimmuborgir
One of the routes, which is called Kirkjuhringurinn - the Church route, leads to Kirkjan - the Church. It is 2.4 km, and takes around 1 hour to complete.
This path takes you through extraordinarily tall lava formations for half an hour until you reach the so-called church. The sign says Kirkja - this is the best-known lava formation here.
If you walk up the steps to the church, you will notice that it is a cave open on both ends with a high-domed roof. It looks man-made, but it is a natural lava cave that resembles a Gothic church.
My husband inside Kirkjan - the Church at Dimmuborgir
Returning, you walk through sandhills and close the ring by the parking lot. Just remember that the name of the entrance to Dimmuborgir is Borgarás.
The path is well-marked, and you cannot get lost unless you get off the track or are in Dimmuborgir after dark...
Jólasveinahellirinn - the Cave of the Yule Lads
With my father-in-law inside Jólasveinahellirinn
I love visiting Dimmuborgir - and in one location hidden away is a cave where the Icelandic Yule Lads live!
Here in Iceland, we have 13 Yule Lads, which are pretty different from Santa Claus. There are records of more than 70 Yule Lads, but somehow these 13 have stayed with us into modern times.
They aren't as bad as their parents, but they are quite ill-mannered, and who wouldn't be after having been raised by the two terrible trolls, Grýla and Leppalúði!
My husband inside the Yule Lad cave at Dimmuborgir
The Yule lads sleep in their cave during the summertime and can rarely be seen walking around as they are resting.
In November and December, it is a different story; then there is a good chance of running into a mischievous Yule lad!
I visited their cave twice last summer and was lucky enough not to run into them in their cave.
Thirteen days before Christmas, the first Yule lad comes to inhabited areas, and then a new one arrives every day until the last one arrives on the 24th of December. We Icelanders celebrate Christmas on the evening of the 24th of December.
The Yule lads left their laundry out to dry.
In their strangely formed natural cave, you will find lava beds for all of the Yule lads with their personal belongings.
It is fun poking around in there looking at all their stuff - as long as they don't come back to find you in their cave - poking around, going through their stuff!!
Inside the cave is a kitchen, and their laundry is hanging to dry, so it seems like they just popped out and could be back any minute now.
The beginning of the path leading to the Yule Lad cave
It is not easy to find this cave, but it is so worth it if you manage to stumble upon it. I often get letters from travellers, asking me about the exact location of the cave.
Am I at liberty to give information on a hidden cave? I don't know, but the photo above will give you some idea of where to find this cave.
There you will see where you turn off from the main path, the rest is up to you ;)
The entrance to the Jólasveinahellirinn cave at Hallarflöt
There is another cave of the Yule lads at Hallarflöt, and you might meet the lads there from time to time.
It is much easier to find. That cave is much smaller, with some small chairs and a few personal items of the Yule Lads.
Jólasveinahellirinn - the Jule lad cave at Hallarflöt
On a donation box in the cave is written that they are collecting money for pajamas for Leppalúði, their father :)
At Hallarflöt you will also find the chair of the Yule Lads, in which you can sit and have your photo taken.
The View-Dial at Dimmuborgir
The view-dial at Dimmuborgir
You will find a beautiful view dial by the Dimmuborgir parking lot. When I travel around Iceland, I always look for view-dials.
The designer of this view-dial is Jakob Hálfdanarson, my father-in-law (see my photo below), and it was erected by Náttúruverndarráð (Wildlife Conservation), Skútustaðahreppur rural district, and Landgræðslan (Soil Conservation Service of Iceland) in 1990.
My father-in-law has been making view-dials here in Iceland for decades, and before him, his uncle, Jón Víðis, was in the view-dial business. Jón Víðis designed the first view-dial in Iceland, located at Seltjarnarnes in the Great Reykjavík area.
My father-in-law Jakob Hálfdanarson by the view-dial at Dimmuborgir, which he designed
The view-dial at Dimmuborgir is still almost as bright and shiny as it was when it was just erected. The harsh weather in Iceland, sadly, sometimes ruins the chrome on the view-dials, but not here at Dimmuborgir.
But then something else happened, some people have started to ruin these beautiful and very expensive view-dials by scratching their names or initials on the shiny chrome plate!
Why people do this is beyond me, and I wish there were a way to stop this from happening, so we can keep our beautiful view-dials intact for years and decades to come.
The view-dial at Dimmuborgir
View dials are so helpful as they show the names and heights of all the mountains in the area. A whole lot of very detailed work has been put into making these view-dials.
I have spent days on end with my father-in-law and my husband while they measured the view with a theodolite.
The view-dial at Dimmuborgir is a molten cylindric, with a chrome plate and a three-hour time. It stands on top of an octagonal wooden podium with a star - lovely!
The view-dial at Dimmuborgir
In my next travel blog: The Amazing Mývatn Area - part III, I am going to show you the Grjótagjá and Stóragjá ravines, Reykjahlíðarkirkja church, where the lava flow stopped in its tracks before reaching the church, and Jarðböðin - the Mývatn Nature Baths.
I joined a free guided tour of Dimmuborgir. The tour is in English, and I think that it starts at 13:00.
I haven't been able to find more information about it, but I saw information about the guided tour when I visited Mývatnsstofa - the Mývatn Visitor Centre.
A guided tour of Dimmuborgir in English
Even though Dimmuborgir looks like a place where the elves or the Hidden People of Iceland might reside, I have not heard of any folklore related to this area. And our mediums have not seen any elves in this location.
Ásbyrgi, on the other hand, might be the capital city of the Elves in North Iceland, and you can read up on what Margrét from Öxnafell, a well-known medium, saw when she visited Ásbyrgi in my travel blog:
Ásbyrgi and Botnstjörn in Jökulsárgljúfur in North Iceland - the Capital City of the Elves
I have added many other travel blogs about the Mývatn area if you want to join me on a tour of this fantastic area:
The Amazing Mývatn area - part I
The Amazing Mývatn area - part II
The Amazing Mývatn area - part III
The Amazing Mývatn area - part IV
The Amazing Mývatn area - a Compilation of the Sights
Sitting on the bed of the Yule Lads in the Cave of the Yule Lads in Dimmuborgir
Here is the location of Mývatn on Google Maps.
To visit Mývatn, you can rent a car in Reykjavík and drive up here in two days.
Here you can find accommodation at Mývatn: The best hotels, guesthouses, and cottages at Mývatn.
And a selection of the tours of Mývatn: Guided tours of the Mývatn area.
Have a lovely time at Dimmuborgir :)
