Why Mývatn stands out
Mývatn is best known internationally for its waterbird richness, hosting fifteen breeding duck species, the largest such concentration in Europe, with a notable blend of European, North American, boreal, and arctic species. The most abundant duck, the tufted duck, has roughly 6,000 breeding pairs around the lake, and the population of the nearctic Barrow's goldeneye depends almost entirely on the lake and river system. Equally distinctive is the volcanic scenery framing the lake. Pseudocraters (rootless cones) at Skútustaðir, the towering tephra ring of Hverfjall, the lava pillar labyrinth of Dimmuborgir, and the ever-present backdrop of the Krafla volcanic system make Mývatn a showcase of how recent basaltic volcanism can sculpt an entire landscape within just a few thousand years.
Mývatn history and protected-area timeline
Mývatn's history is, in geological terms, extremely short and intensely active. The basin itself began taking shape at the close of the last Ice Age, when retreating glaciers left large end moraines at the north end of the present lake and a glacial lake pooled in the depression until the ice withdrew from the course of the Laxá river. Three distinct post-glacial volcanic cycles have since shaped the landscape: an early Lúdent cycle shortly after deglaciation, a Hverfjall cycle beginning about 2,500 years ago, and a later Mývatnseldar cycle starting in 1724.
The eruption that created the modern lake around 2,300 years ago flowed down the Laxárdalur valley, reached the sea near Aðaldalur, and produced the pseudocraters that now define the shoreline. Following the formation of the Hverfjall tephra ring, lava flows from a later cycle filled the basin and shaped Höfði and Dimmuborgir. The 1724 to 1729 Mývatnseldar eruptions opened with the explosive creation of the Víti crater and later sent lava from Leirhnjúkur down to the north end of the lake, destroying two farms in the process. The more recent Krafla fires of 1975 to 1984 revived the same volcanic system, producing nine separate eruptions and a textbook example of land rifting.
The human and ecological protection history is more recent. Local farms have long traditions of collecting duck eggs under strict customary rules that protect nesting success, and bird populations have been systematically monitored at the Mývatn Research Station since 1975. The lake, the Laxá river, and the surrounding wetlands were brought together under formal protection as the Mývatn-Laxá Nature Conservation Area covering 4,400 square kilometres, with international recognition as a Ramsar Wetland following designation in 1977. A diatomite mining operation that once drew on the lake's unique sediments was closed in 2004, ending an industrial chapter in the lake's recent history.
Mývatn landscape and geographic character
The Mývatn landscape is a compact, walkable composition of young volcanic terrain. The lake itself, dotted with around forty small islands, is shallow and reflective rather than deep, and its shores rise gently into lavafields that look far fresher than their age suggests. The pseudocraters at Skútustaðir form one of the most accessible groups of rootless cones in the world, protected as a natural monument and admired from the village of the same name on the southern shore.
A short distance east of the lake rises the Hverfjall tephra ring, a near-perfect explosion crater of considerable size, while to the north the lava pillars of Dimmuborgir create a labyrinth of arches, caves, and standing stones. At Höfði, similar pillars rise directly from the lake water, framed by views toward Krafla and the surrounding peaks. The plateau encircling the lake includes table mountains such as Bláfjall and Búrfell, hyaloclastite ridges like Vindbelgjarfjall and Námafjall, and the volcanic peaks of Gæsafjöll. The Krafla central volcano dominates the skyline to the north, with its rhyolite outliers and the steaming Víti crater bringing the active rift zone right to the edge of the basin.
Mývatn ecosystems, habitats, and plant life
Mývatn's ecological identity is shaped by extraordinary fertility rather than by harsh conditions. The lake is fed by nutrient-rich springs along its eastern and southern shore, producing one of the densest populations of chironomid midges and cladoceran water fleas found in any temperate lake. This biological productivity is the engine behind the area's global importance for waterbirds and gives the lake its characteristically fertile, eutrophic ecology.
The surrounding wetlands, shallow bays, and small islands host thick stands of aquatic vegetation and emergent marsh plants, providing nesting cover and feeding habitat for ducks and other waterbirds. Wet moorlands and lava fields around the lake support low arctic vegetation, including mosses, lichens, and dwarf shrubs typical of Icelandic tundra environments. As one of the very few places in the world where marimo, the spherical filamentous green alga also known as Cladophora ball, grows naturally, the lake holds an unusual ecological curiosity whose population has been the focus of long-running research and conservation attention.
Mývatn wildlife and species highlights
Wildlife at Mývatn is dominated by birds, and especially by ducks. Fifteen duck species breed around the lake, the largest concentration of breeding duck species in Europe. The community blends European and North American elements, mixing boreal and arctic species, and includes notable numbers of tufted ducks, greater scaup, Barrow's goldeneye, red-breasted mergansers, Eurasian wigeon, gadwall, mallard, common scoter, long-tailed ducks, Eurasian teal, northern shoveler, and northern pintail. The outflowing Laxá river adds harlequin ducks to the regional list, while a large eider colony exists near the river mouth.
The Barrow's goldeneye is a particular point of conservation importance: nearly all of Iceland's population, roughly 2,000 individuals, depends on the Mývatn-Laxá system. The birds use ice-free areas kept open by emerging springwater and the river's current, and at Mývatn they nest in cavities in the lava fields, replacing the tree-holes typical of the species in North America. Other characteristic waterbirds include Slavonian grebe, red-necked phalarope, great northern diver, red-throated diver, and whooper swan, with the lake formally recognised as part of an Important Bird Area.
Surrounding moorlands and lava fields are home to rock ptarmigan, the iconic Icelandic highland bird, while gyr falcons occasionally hunt in the area. The lake's enormous summer swarms of midges, vast though they are, underpin the entire waterbird community and have given the lake its name. Beneath the surface, the marimo algae add a quieter but distinctive biological signature to the lake's wildlife profile.
Mývatn conservation status and protection priorities
Mývatn is internationally recognised as a conservation priority because of the unusually high concentration of breeding duck species supported by a single lake and river system. The lake, the Laxá river, and the surrounding wetlands together form the Mývatn-Laxá Nature Conservation Area, a 4,400 square kilometre protected region. The same system was designated as a Ramsar Wetland in December 1977, reflecting its global significance for waterbirds and wetland ecology.
The area also matters for its geological heritage. The pseudocraters at Skútustaðir are protected as a natural monument, while sites such as Dimmuborgir and Hverfjall are recognised as nationally important volcanic features. Monitoring at the Mývatn Research Station, in operation since 1975, has provided one of the longest continuous datasets on duck populations anywhere in the world, guiding conservation decisions in the face of eutrophication, climate variability, and past industrial pressure. Local traditions of regulated duck-egg harvesting, governed by long-standing rules that protect nesting success, also form a living part of the area's conservation culture. The closure of diatomite mining in 2004 marked another shift toward a more preservation-oriented management of the lake.
Mývatn cultural meaning and human context
The cultural footprint around Mývatn is closely tied to the lake's fertile waters and seasonal rhythms. Local farming communities have long traditions of harvesting duck eggs under customary rules that balance subsistence with ecological sustainability, particularly important in sustaining the breeding populations of species like the tufted duck and greater scaup. Since 2000, a summer marathon around the lake has become a recurring event, drawing runners into the surrounding landscape and embedding the lake more visibly into regional life.
The lake also has a place in Icelandic folklore. A story recorded in Jón Árnason's collection of folk legends describes the lake as the product of a mischievous act of the devil, who, angered by the beauty of the new world, attempted to extinguish the sun; instead, his act gave rise to Mývatn, with its dense midge swarms portrayed as a continuing nuisance. While a myth rather than an environmental treatise, the story captures the long-standing awareness among local people of the lake's defining quirks, especially the swarms that give it its name.
Top sights and standout views in Mývatn
Mývatn's highlights cluster around three intertwined themes: volcanic scenery, exceptional birdlife, and intimate scale. The pseudocrater fields at Skútustaðir, the Hverfjall explosion crater, the lava pillar maze of Dimmuborgir, and the lake-facing pillars at Höfði together form one of the most concentrated volcanic landscapes in Iceland.
At the same time, the lake is one of the world's premier freshwater bird destinations, supporting more breeding duck species than any comparable site in Europe and acting as the stronghold for Iceland's Barrow's goldeneye population. Despite this richness, the area remains approachable: a shallow, walkable lake surrounded by an inhabited rural district, with a Ramsar-recognised conservation framework ensuring that the place remains ecologically significant for the long term.
Best time to visit Mývatn
Late spring through early autumn is the natural window for experiencing the full character of Mývatn. Ducks begin arriving from late April into May, building toward peak breeding numbers through the summer months, when the lake's productivity, vegetation, and wildlife viewing opportunities are at their highest. The long daylight hours typical of northern Iceland in June and July, combined with relatively mild conditions and the chance to see nesting birds, make this period especially rewarding for naturalists.
Late summer also brings atmospheric conditions that suit the volcanic scenery: lower sun angles enhance the textures of lava pillars and pseudocraters, and the cooler air often carries visible steam from the active geothermal areas around Krafla and Námafjall. Winters at Mývatn are long, cold, and snowy, with the lake region under snow cover for extended periods; this season is much less suited to wildlife-based visits but can appeal to visitors drawn to the stark winter volcanic landscape.
