Everyone does the Golden Circle. Far fewer make it to its northern counterpart, the Diamond Circle, which is a good reason to go. Based in Akureyri or Húsavík, it links five of North Iceland's best sights on a loop of roughly 250 km: Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, Dettifoss, the Ásbyrgi canyon, and the whale-watching town of Húsavík. You get waterfalls, bubbling geothermal ground, a horseshoe canyon and Europe's most powerful waterfall, with a fraction of the crowds you'll meet down south.
The route
Most people start from Akureyri, about 390 km north of Reykjavík. From there it's 50 km east on Route 1 to Goðafoss and another 50 km to Mývatn. Then you head north on Route 85 toward Húsavík and Ásbyrgi, with a detour inland to Dettifoss. The full loop back to Akureyri makes a long day. If you're based in Húsavík you can cut the driving a lot.
The five stops
- Goðafoss, the "waterfall of the gods": a 12 m horseshoe drop right beside Route 1. It's a five-minute walk from the car park, with viewpoints on both banks.
- Lake Mývatn: a shallow lake full of birds, ringed by pseudocraters, the lava pillars at Dimmuborgir and the Hverir mud pools. Allow 2–3 hours. The Mývatn Nature Baths are the north's quieter answer to the Blue Lagoon.
- Dettifoss: Europe's most powerful waterfall by volume. The paved Route 862 on the west bank is the easy approach. The east bank (Route 864) is gravel and rougher.
- Ásbyrgi: a huge horseshoe-shaped canyon that folklore says is a hoofprint of Óðinn's horse. Flat, easy walking trails under sheer 100 m walls.
- Húsavík: Iceland's whale-watching capital. Tours run April–October, and you're almost certain to see humpbacks in summer.
Whale watching is the one Diamond Circle stop you should book ahead. Humpbacks are near-guaranteed in summer.
Browse whale watching tours →How long do you need?
You can drive the loop in one long day from Akureyri, but you'll rush Mývatn and skip the whale tour. One day is enough for the headline stops. Take two if you want to slow down. A night in Húsavík or at Mývatn makes it a trip instead of a march.
Charging and fuel
North Iceland needs a little planning here. Akureyri is the charging hub, with a Tesla Supercharger plus ON Power fast chargers, so start the loop full. After that coverage thins out. The Húsavík–Ásbyrgi–Dettifoss triangle is where EVs most often get caught short. Top up in Húsavík and at Mývatn rather than hoping to find something past Ásbyrgi. Check the North region charging map before you set off, and keep a 30% buffer for the gravel detour to Dettifoss. For petrol and diesel, there are N1 and Orkan stations in Akureyri, Mývatn (Reykjahlíð) and Húsavík.
New to charging in Iceland? The EV charging guide covers the networks, apps and cards you'll want, and the full station directory lists everything currently public.
When to go
June to August is best. All roads are open, whale tours are running and the daylight barely ends. May and September are quieter and cheaper, but some side roads (and the east-bank Dettifoss route) may still be closed. In winter the loop is for confident drivers only. Route 85 and the Dettifoss approaches close regularly, so trust road.is over anything else and have a plan B.
If you're already planning the Ring Road, the Diamond Circle fits neatly into the northern leg, and it's a good reason to give Akureyri two nights instead of one.