JodockWorldTravel

August 6, 2025

The Diamond Circle is a 155-mile loop in North Iceland that begins and ends in Akureyri (pronounced ah-koo-ray-ee), Iceland. It connects geothermal hot springs, a community rich in whale watching history, and Europe’s second most powerful waterfall with vast lava fields for a varied and scenic journey.

Akureyri is the largest town we’ve visited on this cruise. Located in one of the longest fjords in Northeast Iceland, with a population of about 20,000 it is the second largest city in Iceland. Despite its proximity to the Arctic Circle just 37 miles away it enjoys a relatively mild climate and is home to one of the world’s northernmost botanical gardens. After all of the rock and barren land we’ve seen thus far we were a little taken aback by the lush landscapes in Akureyri.

We didn’t visit the gardens, but friends on the ship did and were impressed with its beauty and variety. The garden boasts 430 native plants and is successfully raising an addition 6,600 non-native species.

Our journey took us out of Akureyri, through the surrounding farmlands and into the nearby lava fields. On our way out of town we got to witness one of the town’s more unique attributes – heart-shaped red traffic lights.

According to our guide, Akureyri initially began installing the heart-shaped lights during some annual sporting event or festival, we can’t remember exactly, but when COVID hit and caused the banks in Iceland to fail, the town found itself in a very dark place. Remembering how much people enjoyed the lights when they were in use in the past the mayor decided reinstalling the lights would be a good way to lift people’s spirits and remind them of what really matters in life. The idea was hugely successful and is now one of visitors’ favorite memories of the town. Unfortunately, the city may be forced to remove them. After more than seven years traffic administrators outside of town have decided the lights pose a danger to drivers. They issued a letter to the city telling them they must remove the lights. The city responded that there has never been a traffic accident said to have been caused by the lights, and they will not be removed. Time will tell who wins the argument. We’re rooting for Akureyri.

On our way to our first stop we saw some of the Icelandic sheep we’ve been hearing about, and Icelandic horses. Icelandic sheep are different than our American breeds in that they have much heavier coats and almost all, including females, have horns. The sheep are actually born with little stubs, which can make for a more challenging birth for the moms. Because of this there are strict laws requiring sheep farms to have at least one individual on hand 24/7 during the lambing season to assist any ewes who may experience difficulty giving birth.

Icelandic horses are a unique breed. Brought to the islands in the 9th and 10th centuries and left behind when the Norse people vacated the land, the horses have adapted well to their harsh environment. They are shorter and stockier than other breeds, with heavy coats and long bangs, and like the sheep are often allowed to graze freely during the summer months. Because of strict prohibitions on the importation of horses, the breed has remained pure. To ensure this continues to be true there are very strict policies regarding the exportation of them. Once an Icelandic horse leaves Iceland they are never allowed to return.

We continue to be impressed by the beauty of the Icelandic farms and were surprised at how quickly the landscape changed from lush farmland to volcanic rock. Our guide explained that none of the trees we saw growing are native to Iceland. All have been imported and nurtured in the hopes that they will expand and eventually return the area to the level of forestation it once enjoyed. So far so good.

We passed by Godafoss Waterfall, aka Waterfall of the Gods, closely connected to one of the most important events in Iceland’s history – its conversion from Norse paganism to Christianity. Legend has it that in the year 1000 Iceland’s legislative assembly was pressuring the Akureyri area to abandon its paganist ways and convert to Christianity. It was a hotly debated topic, with Chiefs in strong disagreement. The tribes agreed to look to the wisdom of one man, Thorgeir, the most respected of all the Chiefs. Whatever he decided they would abide by. After much thought Thorgeir decided the group would convert, but that individuals would be allowed to practice whichever religion they chose in the privacy of their own home. The public conversion meant the community would need to dispose of its pagan idols. The Chief decided the most respectful way to do this would be to toss the idols into the waterfall and let the river carry them out to the ocean. Thereafter the falls became known as the Waterfall of the Gods. We were a bit of a distance away and in a moving vehicle, but Ken did pretty good with his photosl

Our first stop was in a little town called Husavik. There was no agenda here; it was just an opportunity to go to the bathroom and explore on our own. The town is a popular jumping off point for whale watching and takes great pride in protecting its marine neighbors through education.

They have a nice little museum that pays tribute to the various species.

Following a delicious lunch, we continued on to an area known as Echo Rocks, remains of volcanic craters shaped and formed over the last 9,000 years by the water of melting glaciers in higher elevations. The area’s nickname comes from the sound of the river water below bouncing off of the caves and rock formations (and it’s considerably easier for these Americans to pronounce than its proper name of Hljodaklettar!).

Did you know that American astronauts came to Iceland to train for the first moon landing? It’s true! At the time it was believed that Iceland’s volcanic craters and landscape closely resembled that of the moon and would provide the perfect training ground for the astronauts to practice the activities they were expected to carry out on the moon. Nine of the twelve American men who would set foot on the moon between 1969 and 1972 would first train in Iceland. Among them was Neil Armstrong. The pictures below are from the Exploration Museum and include one of Neil Armstrong fishing. He befriended a local fisherman who gave him an Icelandic coin as a keepsake. It is said that Armstrong took that coin to the moon and later returned to Iceland and gave the man his coin back, mounted on a plaque commemorating the coin’s historic flight.

The highlight of the day was Dittifoss Falls, the second most powerful waterfall in all of Europe. Water in the falls flows directly from a glacier. This sediment-rich runoff gives the water its greyish white color. The falls are 330 feet wide and plunge straight down a depth of 144 feet. These combined features lead to a volume of 180,000 cubic feet of water going over the edge every minute. This is what has earned it its place as second most powerful.

Next to Dittifoss is a smaller, some might say prettier falls, Selfoss Falls. It falls from the same glacier so its water has the same attributes.

The falls were worth the trip, but the paths to the viewpoints weren’t for wimps. This was seriously uneven, rocky terrain! It was like navigating a moonscape! Our guide said that each hexicon-shaped rock we see is the top of a basalt column.

Our final stop of the day was at the Dimmuborgir Lava Formations. Dimmuborgir consists of massive collapsed lava tubes formed by a lava lake that flowed into the area during an eruption nearly 2,300 years ago. It is believed the lava flowed over a small lake. As it filled in the lake and made its way around surrounding wet land, the marsh area began to boil. Vapor rose through the lava forming lava pillars. As lava continued to flow towards lower ground the top crust collapsed, but hollow pillars of solidified lava remained creating the forms we see today.

It was a long day covering a lot of territory. We enjoyed seeing this (to us) new side of Iceland!