Askja is a caldera located in the center of Iceland, in the mountains Dyngjufjöll. Inside the caldera is a deep lake, and a crater with geothermal water. It is sometimes suitable to bathe in it although the path down to the crater is often impassable due to how steep it is. The trip it self to the Caldera is through the biggest desert of Iceland, called Ódáðahraun, along the glacier river Jökulsá á Fjöllum. The tour starts early in the morning since normally the tours to Askja are about 12 hours long. Pickup is on request, most often from the guesthouses and hotels in the Laugar area, or Mývatn. From Laugar we drive along Lake Mývatn and head to the east through lava fields. At the crater Hrossaborg, we make our turn to the south on the gravel road F88. We will cross rivers on the way, fords, and the river Grafarlandaá is the first one. There we take our first stop on enjoy the pureness and beauty of the this spring fed river that comes from under the Lava field and forms a small waterfall where the ford is. Grafarlandaá River Grafarlandaá, here we stop after crossing a river After that our tour leads us through lava fields with great contrasts until we reach the ford at river Lindaá, another spring fed river. Next stop is the nature reserve Herðubreiðarlindir oasis (nearby mt. Herðubreið). Here we take another stop where my guests can use the washrooms (toilets) and take a look at the special nature of this place. In Herðurbreiðarlindir, I guide my guests in a few minutes walk through the place and take you the the location where our most famous outlaw hid during the winter of 1774-1775. Next on our way is the magnificent place and waterfall called Gljúfrasmiður, a waterfall in the glacier river Jökulsá fjöllum. It has shaped the landscape over time into forms that are hard to imagine. We then head to Dyngjufjöll, where the Askja caldera is, but first we stop at Dreki to have lunch (there are no shops in the highland so please bring a lunch with you). After our lunch, we drive to Vikraborgir craters where we start our 2,4km walk to the crater Víti and the Lake of Askja. Vikraborgir are the craters where the NASA Apollo mission astronauts’ training took place in 1965 and 1967. Depending on the weather and time, I sometimes take an alternative route back home. It’s accross the river of Jökulsá, over a bridge near Upptyppingar and through Krepputunga to Möðrudalur where there is a restaurant serving refreshments. I went on up to 40 trips to Askja on a super jeep with guests July and August 201gljufrasmidur4 and it always brings me great joy and happiness to be able to show this unique area to my guests. Tour price: ISK 140.000,- for private tour with maximum of 6 passengers. departure from your location in North East Iceland) Tour price: ISK 35.000,- per person in a group tour with minimum of 3 passengers, maximum of 6 passengers. Departure from Laugar or Mývatn (free pickup from guesthouses and hotels in Laugar area, Reykjadalur Valley and Myvatn area) The private and group tours are available daily on request, reservation required. Departures are optional for private tour: Pick up at your selected location, for example Laugar, Akureyri or Akureyri airport, Húsavík, Húsavík Airport or the Mývatn area. Departure time is on request but I prefer not later than 8:15 since the duration of the tour is is normally around 12-13 hours. Included is fully guided tour and transportation. Refreshments are not included in price. Please note that there are no shops in the highlands so please bring a lunch package and drinking water along with warm clothes and hiking shoes. Private tours can be tailor made in any way, for example, it’s possible for an extra fee to add a visit to the new Holuhraun lava field that is not far from Askja. For more information and booking, contact me with email at kip@kip.is or by phone +354 6505252

• published: 11 Jul 2015
• views: 301