Iceland is full of iconic places. One of them is Dimmuborgir lava field in the northeast of Iceland on the renowned Diamond Circle. If you are traveling in the area, it is a place you must visit. And what a region. In the neighbourhood, you have places like Húsavík, Lake Mývatn, Dettifoss Waterfall, Aldeyrjarfoss waterfall, Goðafoss waterfall, and the Hljóðaklettar lava field, which are similar to Dimmuborgir. It is truly a perfect region for road-tripping, hiking and exploring. Incidentally, I have created a Diamond Circle road trip plan, just for you!

Dimumuborgir in the north east of Iceland.

Enter the dark fortress of Dimmuborgir

Dimmuborgir means dark cities; sometimes, people are more dramatic and translate it to “black fortresses.” It is a lava field that looks like a massive outdoor sculpture park. Volcanic eruption forged this natural sculpture park just over 2,000 years ago. The region is still very geologically active; indeed, one of my first childhood memory was being terrified by the glow of flowing lava near Mývatn, which was visible from my childhood home town of Akureyri. Falling ash did nothing to calm me down.

Free road trip plans with maps

Day-by-day plans for the four drives most people take, each on an interactive map with where to sleep, fuel stops, waterfalls and reader discounts along the way. Built for a relaxed pace, not a race.

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Map of hot springs, spas and pools

Every lagoon, wild hot spring and town pool in Iceland on one map. Find warm water near you, and see which spas give my readers a discount.

  • 57 places to soak
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Hole in the Dimmuborgir lava formations
Many cool sculptures are in the lava formations at Dimmuborgir.

Stroll at your leisure and see all the trolls in the lava

A stroll through Dimmuborgir is delightful. There are so many different lava sculptures to admire, and there are several well-marked paths to choose from. We had a lot of fun meandering on the footpath and seeing trolls in every lava formation. The most famous lava structure is the cool looking Kirkjan (or ‘church’). Kijan is a tunnel resembling a church exterior – see the image at the top of this article.

Dimmuborgir lava field with troll faces
Dimmuborgir has many cool looking lava structures where you can see many troll faces.

 

Dimmuborgir was in Game of Thrones

Nearby is the Námaskarð pass, which bubbles and boils with hot pots, the Krafla fissure, and Grjótagá cave.

Námaskarð pass near Lake Myvatn in the north east of Iceland
Evereything bubbles and steams at Námaskarð pass.

 

The Game of Thrones TV series featured Dimmuborgir and Grjótagjá fissure.

Grjótagjá was featured in a scene with Jon Snow and Ygrette in the Game of Thrones TV series
People are usually not allowed to bathe in Grjotaagja but Jon Snow and Ygrette did it anyway.

Dimmuborgir was featured in a scene with Mance Rayder and his army, while Grjótagjá was the scene where John Snow and the wildling Ygritte had a “cosy bath.”

Yule Lads and black metal

For people in the north, Dimmuborgir is often considered the home of the Yule Lads. This belief is mistaken. We who live in Reykjavik know that Mt. Esja is the home of the Yule Lads. And, of course, death metal fans will recognize the Norwegian black metal band Dimmuborgir. It is safe to say that they are not for everybody, but you can call me a fan.

How to get there

Dimmuborgir is on the east side of Lake Myvatn. Drive on road 848 until you come to the exit to Dimmuborgir.