Matkaopas: Víti, Askja-kraatteri

Víti is a geothermal crater lake found in Askja Caldera in the Icelandic Central Highlands.

Explore this region on an Icelandic Highlands tour.

Photo from Wikimedia, Creative Commons, by Ulrich Latzenhofer. No edits made.

The water in Víti is approximately 25°C, making it a popular location for passing travellers to have a swim whilst surrounded by stunning nature.

The Askja region was created at the end of the last Ice Age when a magma chamber collapse beneath the picturesque Dyngjufjöll mountains. Falling in upon itself, the Askja region would become a 50 square kilometre caldera within the Icelandic Highlands, complete with fantastical scenery, mini-craters and lakes. Just hiking at Askja provides incredible insight into this country’s incredible geology.

Another eruption in 1875 caused a further caldera to form inside of the larger overall depression. This eruption was also responsible for expelling large amounts of tephra, coloured ash, that has given the region its unique look today.

Within one of these newly formed calderas, glacial water began to seep in, eventually forming the opaque blue lake, Öskjuvatn. This is among one of the deepest lakes in Iceland (220 metres), but is too cold to for swimming.

The area that surrounds Öskjuvatn and Víti is characterised by its jet black sand dunes, providing a striking contrast to the lakes' serene blue shade.