The Diamond Circle ( is, Demantshringurinn ) is a popular tourist route around
Húsavík and
Lake Mývatn
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
in North
Iceland. The route is fully
paved
Pavement may refer to:
* Pavement (architecture), an outdoor floor or superficial surface covering
* Road surface, the durable surfacing of roads and walkways
** Asphalt concrete, a common form of road surface
* Sidewalk or pavement, a walkway alo ...
and easily accessible during the summer. The southern section of the route follows
Route 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbered ...
(Ring road) from
Akureyri, before turning north along Route 862, the new road to
Dettifoss
Dettifoss () is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine Falls. Dettifoss is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from th ...
. Then it joins
Route 85 at Ásbyrgi Canyon and follows the coast through Húsavík and eventually re-joining Route 1.
The four primary stops on the route are The town of
Húsavík,
Ásbyrgi Canyon,
Lake Mývatn
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
and
Dettifoss Waterfall, the most powerful waterfall in
Europe.
Other stops include
Vatnajökull National Park,
Goðafoss Waterfall,
Dimmuborgir (Dark Castles), Eider Falls, The Whispering Cliffs and Laugar. The Diamond Circle covers an area rich in
volcanic and
geothermal features.
The completion of the 55km new paved road to Dettifoss, Route 862, replaced a difficult old
gravel road which was impassable during winter. The road was opened in stages from 2010 to 2021. This represented the last paved section of the Diamond Circle to be completed, linking the Route 1 and Route 85 by Ásbyrgi Cannon. This made the route from Dettifoss to Ásbyrgi cannon much more accessible, especially during winter.
The Diamond Circle Society is a
non-profit organization that works to promote and protect the Diamond Circle and surrounding areas in North Iceland.
See also
*
Golden Circle (Iceland)
The Golden Circle ( is, Gullni hringurinn ) is a tourist route in southern Iceland, covering about looping from Reykjavík into the southern uplands of Iceland and back. It is the area that contains most tours and travel-related activities in I ...
References
{{reflist
External links
The Diamond CircleThe Diamond Circle Society
Tourism in Iceland