Mývatn Minibus Tour From Akureyri, Grjótagjá Included
Full-size coaches skip Grjótagjá. The car park is small, the fissure is narrow and a 50-seat bus emptying into it does not work, which is why the cave appears on minibus itineraries and almost nowhere else. Arctic Adventures runs the smallest of these at $134.37 for six hours, second cheapest of any Mývatn trip, and puts five stops in an order that keeps you ahead of the coaches for most of the day.
The Trip at a Glance
Check Dates for the Minibus
Live availability for the Arctic Adventures departure. Small vehicles mean small inventory, so July dates close earlier than the coach tours do.
Why the Minibus Changes the Day
It runs the loop backwards
Most of the Lake Mývatn tours from Akureyri leave town and hit Goðafoss, then the pseudo-craters, then Dimmuborgir, which puts four buses in the same car park at the same hour. This one goes Goðafoss, then straight over the pass to Hverir, then Grjótagjá, and only reaches Dimmuborgir at 45 minutes past the point where the coaches have left. Anna, travelling in July 2026, noted that the route suits all ages and mobility levels even though the trip is built around cruise arrivals.
Grjótagjá is the stop nobody else makes
A fissure in the lava with clear blue water at the bottom, reached down a short scramble through a gap in the rock. Bathing stopped in the 1970s when the Krafla Fires pushed the water to around 60°C, and the landowners still ask visitors to stay out. It costs nothing, takes twenty minutes and photographs badly in the middle of the day, which is another argument for arriving with a small group at an odd hour.
What you give up
Space and food. There is no lunch and no snack on this one, and a minibus on a gravel car park in a crosswind is louder than a coach. Children under 6 cannot travel.
With 54 reviews at 4.70 the sample is small, so read them rather than the average.
The Five Stops
In the order this trip takes them
Roughly 150 minutes of driving and 150 minutes outside, spread across a wider spacing than most itineraries manage.
- Goðafoss, 30 minutes: about 12 m of water over a 30 m ledge, right beside Route 1
- Hverir, 30 minutes: mud pools and vents on ground running past 200°C
- Grjótagjá, 20 minutes: the fissure cave, looking only
- Dimmuborgir, 45 minutes guided: lava pillars, arches and the Kirkjan chamber
- Skútustaðagígar, 25 minutes: pseudo-craters and the best duck water on the lake
How the timings compare
Against the other Mývatn departures, this one is heavy on the geothermal stops and light on the waterfall.
| Stop | This minibus | Typical coach |
|---|---|---|
| Goðafoss | 30 minutes | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Hverir | 30 minutes | 20 to 40 minutes |
| Grjótagjá | 20 minutes | Not on the route |
| Dimmuborgir | 45 minutes | 20 to 70 minutes |
| Skútustaðagígar | 25 minutes | 15 to 40 minutes |
Included and Not Included
In the price
Minibus transport with an English-speaking guide, WiFi on board, and the full loop of the Mývatn area with Goðafoss. Nothing at any stop charges an entry fee.
- Minibus transport from the Akureyri harbour
- English-speaking guide for the whole six hours
- Free WiFi on board
- Guided walk at Dimmuborgir
Not in the price
Food and drink of any kind. There is no lunch stop built in, so bring something from Akureyri or plan to buy at the Dimmuborgir café. Children under 6 cannot be carried on this trip, which rules it out for families with toddlers.
The Six Hours, Stop by Stop
-
Departure
Special Tours Whale Watching, Akureyri
Meeting point on the harbour front, a short walk from the cruise piers and the centre.
-
30 min drive
Goðafoss Waterfall
Thirty minutes: photo stop and a walk to the ledge.
-
30 min drive
Hverir
Thirty minutes on the geothermal field below Námafjall.
-
10 min drive
Grjótagjá Cave
Twenty minutes at the fissure. Looking and photographs, no bathing.
-
10 min drive
Dimmuborgir
Forty-five minutes with the guide among the lava formations.
-
15 min drive
Skútustaðagígar
Twenty-five minutes on the pseudo-crater loop on the south shore.
-
60 min drive
Back to Akureyri
Straight run west on Route 1 to the harbour.
Practical Notes
Getting into the cave
Two openings lead down into Grjótagjá and both need a hand on the rock. The floor is uneven, the light inside is dim and the water sits below a ledge that stays wet. Anyone unsteady should take the view from the fissure above, which is the better photograph anyway.
Midges at the lake
June to August, worst on warm still days near the water. A head net solves it for a few hundred krónur, and Skútustaðagígar at the end of this route is exactly where you will want one.
The age limit is real
No passenger under 6 years old, which the operator enforces at the door. Families with younger children should take one of the port excursions or the hotel pick-up day trip instead, both of which carry children.
Where Grjótagjá Is
Just north of Hverfjall on the east side of the lake, a short turn off road 848. About 105 km from Akureyri.
Who This Suits
Book it if
You want the cave, a small group and the second-lowest price on the route.
- Photographers, since the stop order avoids the coach crowds
- Couples and solo travellers who would rather not sit on a 50-seat bus
- Anyone who has already seen Goðafoss and wants the geothermal half weighted heavier
- Travellers happy to sort out their own lunch
Choose differently if
You are travelling with a child under 6, want lunch in the price, or want more than half an hour at the waterfall. The day trip with hotel pick-up covers all three for two dollars more. If a soak matters more than a cave, the tour ending at the geothermal baths runs an hour longer.
Everything else sits in the Lake Mývatn tour comparison on the homepage.
Questions About the Minibus Tour
Can you swim in Grjótagjá cave?
No. Bathing has been off limits since the 1970s, when eruptions in the Krafla system pushed the water to around 60°C. The cave sits on private land and the landowners ask visitors not to get in. Visiting is free and takes about twenty minutes.
How small is the group?
Minibus size, which on this route means a vehicle rather than a coach. It is the smallest of the Mývatn departures from Akureyri, and the reason it can use the Grjótagjá car park at all.
Why is there an age limit of 6?
The operator sets it, and the terrain explains it: a scramble into a lava fissure, uneven ground at Hverir and a 45-minute guided walk at Dimmuborgir. Younger children are carried on the coach departures instead.
Is lunch included?
No. Bring food from Akureyri or buy at the Dimmuborgir café during the stop. The hotel pick-up day trip is the one that includes a meal.
Where does it depart from?
The Special Tours Whale Watching office on the Akureyri harbour front, a few minutes on foot from both cruise piers and from the town centre.
Is $134 the cheapest way to see Mývatn?
Close. One harbour departure runs at $132 with transport and guiding only and no cave. Driving yourself works out cheaper for two or more people once you have the rental, though the 200 km round trip and the parking at each site are then yours to manage, which the self-drive guide prices out.
What Travellers Wrote
Great route and an excellent guide. Suitable for all ages and mobility levels. Like most day tours departing from Akureyri, it's primarily designed for cruise ship passengers who aren't staying overnight, but it still provides a good day out.
My wife and I had a fantastic day and the driver was a very good tour guide, calmly explaining things about the areas, and also giving us enough space and time to enjoy the multiple spots we visited that day.
An excellent trip. Really impressive places and our tour guide was brilliant, very knowledgeable and entertaining.