Photo by File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
🇮🇸 Iceland · Mývatn, North Iceland
Photo by File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
🇮🇸 Iceland · Mývatn, North Iceland
♨ Temperature
36°C
⛰ Altitude
278 m
⚗ pH
9
💧 TDS
340 mg/L
🌊 Flow rate
60 L/s
📅 Established
2004
✓ Verified on 2026-07-22
The Mývatn Nature Baths (Jarðböðin við Mývatn) are a geothermal bathing complex set in the extraordinarily active volcanic landscape of the Mývatn basin in northern Iceland. The large outdoor lagoon is fed by naturally warm water from a geothermal borehole and from surface springs, producing a milky, blue-green alkaline water rich in silica and minerals. The temperature is maintained between 36 and 40°C. The surrounding landscape is dramatic: volcanic craters, lava fields, pseudo-craters formed by steam explosions, and the broad shallow lake of Mývatn itself — one of Iceland's most biodiverse natural areas. Compared to the Blue Lagoon in the southwest, Mývatn offers a more remote and atmospheric experience.
| Silica | 135 mg/L |
| Sodium | 105 mg/L |
| Fluoride | 1.9 mg/L |
| Sulphur | 18 mg/L |
The Mývatn area has been inhabited since the age of Norse settlement, and the geothermal activity of the Krafla volcanic system — which produced major eruptions as recently as 1984 — has shaped the landscape and culture of the region throughout its history.
Mývatn Nature Baths represents the northern Icelandic spa experience: less visited than the Blue Lagoon, more connected to raw volcanic landscape, and accessible to travellers from the cruises that call at nearby Akureyri. The facility combines Icelandic geothermal bathing tradition with a setting of exceptional natural drama.
The baths are operated as a regional development project for the communities around Mývatn lake, providing income for local residents and funding lake conservation. The geothermal energy used is entirely renewable, and the facility minimises construction impact on the sensitive lava landscape.
Websitewww.myvatnnaturebaths.is
AddressJarðbaðshólar 660, Mývatn, Iceland