Námafjall Hverir

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Námafjall is a mountain near Mývatn in north-eastern Iceland. The mountain is close to the Krafla volcano and in the middle of a geothermal area. Here you will find a collection of steam fumaroles, some bubbling mud pots and many interesting colours – Hverarönd.

The trail of history

The sulphur emitted by the fumaroles was mined from the Middle Ages until the 19th century for the production of gunpowder and exported via the port in Húsavík.

In 1969, Iceland’s first geothermal power plant was built west of the Námafjall area. The plant currently produces 3 MW of energy. Concerns have been raised about current plans to expand the plant to 90 MW. In particular, there were doubts about the impact of the plant on the sensitive ecosystem of Lake Mývatn.

Useful Information

Around the area, a small hiking trail leads up to Námaskarð Pass and Námafjall Mountain, returning to the ring road and back to the car park.

There is very little vegetation around the bubbling mud pots. This is caused by the strong soil acidification from the geothermal processes. The sulphur gives the area a greenish-yellow colour and a strong smell of rotten eggs.

On the other side of Mount Namafjall is a small version of the Blue Lagoon. At Jarðböðin við Mývatn you can relax and unwind amidst the incredible scenery. More information can be found on the official website.

How to get there?

Námafjall Hverir is located right next to the ring road near the village of Reykjahlíð in the Norðurland eystra region. It is about 90 kilometres from Akureyri, 475 kilometres from Reykjavík and 190 kilometres from Seyðisfjörður.
Immediately after leaving the ring road, there is a car park from which several hiking trails also lead away.

Conclusion

You would think you were in an extraterrestrial world if it weren’t all the other tourists there with their cameras to admire the strange landscape. When the tourist buses bring their cargo to Hverarönd at the same time, it can even get a bit crowded on the paths between the fumaroles.
If you want to have the sulphur-smelling steaming holes in the earth to yourself, you should either get up very early or come in the evening.
At dusk, the colours and vapours come out even better in photos.