Víti Askja Lake

Highland

Víti — "Hell" in Icelandic — is an explosion crater on the rim of the Askja caldera in the Central Highlands, holding a geothermal lake of milky-blue water warm enough to swim in. The crater formed in the catastrophic 1875 eruption that blanketed northeast Iceland in ash and drove thousands of Icelanders to emigrate to North America. A steep sandy path descends inside, and in good conditions visitors wade into roughly 25°C water, though the sulphurous smell and murky bottom are part of the deal. Swimming is sometimes restricted by rangers depending on water acidity or landslide risk — check at Dreki mountain hut before counting on a swim. Right beside Víti, separated by a low ridge, is Öskjuvatn — the vast, deep, cobalt-blue caldera lake formed in the same eruption. The contrast between the two bodies of water, one cloudy and warm, one clear and cold, is striking. Getting here requires a 4x4 on F-roads, with river crossings en route. The road is passable only from late June to early September. Many visitors join a super-jeep tour from Lake Mývatn, which handles the navigation on the rougher highland tracks.

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