sóley

The Diamond Circle in 3 days

Source updated September 2026 · Checked by Sóley on 12 October 2026

Starting and ending in Akureyri, this northern loop runs about 320 km, around five hours of driving spread over three days. Day one goes to Goðafoss and on to Lake Mývatn by the south shore, with the pseudo-craters at Skútustaðir, the lava formations of Dimmuborgir and a night by the lake. Day two is the longest: the steam vents at Hverir, Dettifoss from the paved west side on road 862, the twisted basalt at Hljóðaklettar, the horseshoe canyon of Ásbyrgi, and the Tjörnes coast to Húsavík. Day three is whale watching on Skjálfandi bay in the morning and an easy hour back to Akureyri. The loop is paved throughout; some short spurs to sights are gravel. Fill the tank in Reykjahlíð, as there are no fuel stations from Mývatn to Ásbyrgi. Stay behind the ropes at Dettifoss. In winter road 862 is not always cleared, so base yourself in Akureyri or at Mývatn and check the roads each morning.

Days
3 days
Distance
320 km
Season
summer
Getting around
self-drive

Stops on this route

  1. 1.Akureyri65.6835, -18.0878
  2. 2.Goðafoss65.6828, -17.5502
  3. 3.Skútustaðir65.5715, -17.0365
  4. 4.Dimmuborgir65.5913, -16.9118
  5. 5.Reykjahlíð65.6440, -16.9110
  6. 6.Hverir65.6413, -16.8086
  7. 7.Dettifoss65.8147, -16.3846
  8. 8.Hljóðaklettar65.9444, -16.5330
  9. 9.Ásbyrgi66.0016, -16.5122
  10. 10.Húsavík66.0449, -17.3389

Live conditions at each stop

Weather and road conditions from the national services.

  • Akureyri

    Weather

    Station: Akureyri - Krossanesbraut

    • 2026-10-13 00:006°C4 m/s SEPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:006°C3 m/s SCloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:005°C3 m/s SSECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:20 UTC

    Roads

    • Akureyri-Hrafnagil, Eyjafjarðarbraut vestri: Akureyri - Hrafnagil: Easily passable
    • Ólafsfjarðarvegur-Akureyri, Hringvegur: Ólafsfjarðarvegur - Akureyri: Easily passable
    • Akureyri-Vaðlaheiðargöng, Hringvegur: Akureyri, Leirunesti - Vaðlaheiðargöng: Easily passable

  • Goðafoss

    Weather

    Station: Fljótsheiði

    • 2026-10-13 00:003°C4 m/s SEClear sky
    • 2026-10-13 01:002°C3 m/s SEClear sky
    • 2026-10-13 02:001°C3 m/s SEClear sky

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:20 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Skútustaðir

    Weather

    Station: Mývatn

    • 2026-10-13 00:002°C2 m/s ESEPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:002°C2 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:002°C2 m/s ENECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Dimmuborgir

    Weather

    Station: Mývatn

    • 2026-10-13 00:002°C2 m/s ESEPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:002°C2 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:002°C2 m/s ENECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Reykjahlíð

    Weather

    Station: Mývatn

    • 2026-10-13 00:002°C2 m/s ESEPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:002°C2 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:002°C2 m/s ENECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    • Reykjahlíð, Mývatnsöræfi: Mývatnsvegur - Jarðbaðsvegur: Easily passable

  • Hverir

    Weather

    Station: Mývatn

    • 2026-10-13 00:002°C2 m/s ESEPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:002°C2 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:002°C2 m/s ENECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Dettifoss

    Weather

    Station: Mývatnsöræfi

    • 2026-10-13 00:000°C4 m/s SPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:000°C2 m/s SPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:00-1°C2 m/s NNECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    • Dettifoss-Sigtún, Hólsfjallavegur: Dettifoss - Sigtún: Mountain vehicles
    • Vesturdalsvegur-Dettifoss, Dettifossvegur: Vesturdalsvegur - Dettifoss: Easily passable
    • Syðri leiðin að Dettifossi, Syðri leiðin að Dettifossi: Easily passable

  • Hljóðaklettar

    Weather

    Station: Ásbyrgi

    • 2026-10-13 00:003°C3 m/s SSEClear sky
    • 2026-10-13 01:003°C4 m/s SSEClear sky
    • 2026-10-13 02:003°C3 m/s SSEPartly cloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Ásbyrgi

    Weather

    Station: Ásbyrgi

    • 2026-10-13 00:003°C3 m/s SSEClear sky
    • 2026-10-13 01:003°C4 m/s SSEClear sky
    • 2026-10-13 02:003°C3 m/s SSEPartly cloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Húsavík

    Weather

    Station: Húsavík

    • 2026-10-13 00:005°C5 m/s SSEClear sky
    • 2026-10-13 01:005°C5 m/s SEClear sky
    • 2026-10-13 02:005°C4 m/s SSEClear sky

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    • Flugvöllur-Húsavík, Norðausturvegur: Flugvöllur - Húsavík: Easily passable
    • Húsavík-Máná, Norðausturvegur: Húsavík-Máná: Easily passable

Northern lights outlook

Kp index 4 · moderate

Live data for all of Iceland

Licensed companies near each stop

Companies are listed by what they offer through Sóley (bookable, verified contact, public record), then by distance. Visibility on Sóley is never sold.

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Using Sóley, plan The Diamond Circle in 3 days from [your start date]: check roads and weather each day and find licensed companies near Akureyri and Goðafoss.

Source

Based on the original article by Stuck in Iceland.

Stuck in Iceland is an online travel magazine. Its editor works at Lava Show, and the magazine has commercial partners. It did not choose or rank the companies on this page.