Mývatn Nature Baths Tour From Akureyri
One tour on this route finishes in the water instead of on a bus. Fox Adventure runs seven hours from the Akureyri cruise terminal, works around the lake through Goðafoss, the pseudo-craters, Dimmuborgir, Grjótagjá and Hverir, then parks for 80 minutes at the geothermal baths at Jarðbaðshólar. It holds 4.89 from 86 reviews, the highest rating of any Mývatn trip. The baths themselves changed their name last year and the entry fee is still yours to pay, so here is exactly what the $210.66 buys.
The Tour at a Glance
Check Dates for the Baths Tour
Live availability for the 7-hour Fox Adventure departure. It runs year round, and the winter slots are the ones worth watching, since the lagoon sits under an open northern sky until 23:00.
The Baths Are Now Called Earth Lagoon
Same water, new sign
Mývatn Nature Baths sold tickets under that name for two decades, and every operator running day trips to Lake Mývatn still calls it that. The site now trades as Earth Lagoon, at the same address on the Jarðbaðshólar ridge east of Reykjahlíð, with the same borehole feeding it. Operators and search results still use the old name, which is why both appear on this page. Nothing about the water changed.
The pool holds between 36 and 40°C, drawn from ground that runs well over 100°C before it cools on the way in. Adult entry starts at 7,900 ISK. Children of five and under go free with an adult, towel hire adds 1,200 ISK and swimsuit hire 1,100 ISK. Doors run 10:00 to 23:00 with seasonal variation at both ends. There is a steam bath built over a vent, a bar you swim up to, and a bistro with the basin in the window.
How it compares to the famous one
People arrive expecting the Blue Lagoon and get something quieter. The water here is milky in the same way and the setting is emptier: lava on three sides, the lake below, no hotel complex. Prices sit well under the Reykjanes site and the crowd is a fraction of it.
What you give up is the polish. Fewer treatments, a smaller changing block, and a bar rather than a spa menu.
| Earth Lagoon at Mývatn | The Reykjanes lagoon | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult entry | From 7,900 ISK | Roughly four times that |
| Water | 36 to 40°C, geothermal borehole | 37 to 39°C, power plant outflow |
| Setting | Lava ridge above the lake, open country | Enclosed complex, hotel and restaurants |
| Booking | Usually walk-in outside July | Timed slots, book weeks ahead |
| From Akureyri | 100 km, this tour | 480 km, other end of the country |
What the Day Looks Like
Five stops before the water
The route runs east on Route 1 and takes the lake anti-clockwise, which puts the soak at the end when everyone is cold. Grjótagjá appears on this itinerary and on few others, a fissure cave with clear blue water you can look at and cannot enter, closed to bathers since the ground heated to around 60°C during the Krafla Fires.
- Goðafoss, 40 minutes, with a shop and coffee at the falls
- Skútustaðagígar, 40 minutes among the pseudo-craters
- Dimmuborgir, 40 minutes on the lava trails
- Grjótagjá, 20 minutes, cave and photographs only
- Hverir, 30 minutes on the boiling ground
- Earth Lagoon, 80 minutes in the water
Eighty minutes is the right amount
Long enough to get in, drift to the far end where the steam sits thickest, dry off and buy something at the bar. Short enough that nobody in the group is waiting on you. The changing rooms want a shower before you enter, which Icelandic pools take seriously, and the whole ritual eats fifteen minutes at each end of the soak.
What the Ticket Covers
Included
Transport by minibus with WiFi, a guide for the whole seven hours, pick-up at the port, and a written cruise return guarantee. Entry to every stop except the lagoon, since none of the others charge anything.
- Minibus transport from the Akureyri cruise terminal
- Fully guided day, five stops before the water
- Free WiFi on board
- Cruise ship return guarantee
Not included
The lagoon ticket, from 7,900 ISK, paid at the door or online. Meals and drinks throughout, including anything at the swim-up bar. Swimwear and a towel, which you bring or hire on site.
Buy the entry online the night before if you are travelling in July, when the late afternoon slots fill.
The Seven Hours, Stop by Stop
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Departure
Akureyri Cruise Terminal
The guide meets the group at the terminal, minibus of 11 to 19 seats.
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35 min drive
Goðafoss Waterfall
Forty minutes at the falls, with a shop and coffee on site.
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25 min drive
Skútustaðagígar
Forty minutes on the pseudo-crater loop on the south shore, with local food at the stop.
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15 min drive
Dimmuborgir
Forty minutes among the lava formations, guided, with a café at the entrance.
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5 min drive
Grjótagjá Cave
Twenty minutes at the fissure. Looking only, bathing has been banned here for decades.
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8 min drive
Hverir
Thirty minutes on the geothermal field under Námafjall.
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6 min drive
Earth Lagoon
Eighty minutes in 36 to 40°C water. Entry paid separately, swimwear and towel needed.
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50 min drive
Back to the port
Straight run to the terminal, timed against the ship.
Worth Knowing First
Pack for the water in your day bag
Swimwear, a towel and a plastic bag for the wet one afterwards. Hire covers you if you forget, at 1,200 ISK for a towel, and there is no queue for it outside July. Leave conditioner alone: the mineral water treats hair the way the Blue Lagoon does, so tie it up or accept the texture for a day.
Winter is the reason to take this one
From September to April the lagoon sits under a dark northern sky with no town light behind it, and the tour puts you there in the afternoon rather than at midnight. Shelly, who travelled in February 2026, called the whole day the highlight of her trip and the pace relaxed. Winter departures also cost the same as summer ones, which is not true of most things in Iceland.
The one thing to check
This is a port tour and the minibus takes 11 to 19 people. Groups that size fill quickly on days with two ships in, and the operator sells the same seats to walk-ups at the terminal. Book the date, then decide about the lagoon ticket later.
Where the Baths Are
At Jarðbaðshólar, about 6 km east of Reykjahlíð on Route 1, on the ridge above the lake. Akureyri is 100 km west.
Who This Suits
Book it if
You want the geothermal ground and the geothermal water in the same day, and you would rather pay for an extra hour than rush five stops.
- Cruise passengers with a call of eight hours or more
- Anyone visiting between September and April, for the sky over the lagoon
- Travellers who want Grjótagjá on the itinerary, which most tours skip
- Couples and small groups, since the minibus keeps numbers down
Take a different one if
You do not swim, in which case the six-hour port excursions cost $30 to $80 less for the same sights. If you are staying in town rather than on a ship, the day trip with hotel pick-up includes lunch and a lagoon closer to Akureyri. Families with small children should note the pace: seven hours with five stops before the water is long for anyone under about eight.
Questions About the Baths Tour
Are the Mývatn Nature Baths worth it?
Yes, on the same day you have walked on boiling ground in a cold wind. The water sits at 36 to 40°C, the crowd is a fraction of the famous lagoon in the southwest, and entry starts at 7,900 ISK rather than four times that. What you are buying is the setting more than the facility: lava, the lake below, and open country in every direction.
Is the lagoon entry included in the tour price?
No. The $210.66 covers seven hours of transport and guiding with five stops before the water. Entry is paid at the door or online, from 7,900 ISK for an adult. Towel hire adds 1,200 ISK and swimsuit hire 1,100 ISK if you travel light.
How long do you spend at the baths?
Eighty minutes on this tour, which works out at about an hour in the water once you have showered and changed at both ends. That is longer than the hour the cruise-timed excursions allow and enough to reach the far end where the steam collects.
Why did the name change to Earth Lagoon?
The site rebranded, keeping the same location on the Jarðbaðshólar ridge and the same geothermal source. Tour operators and search results still carry the old name, so you will see both. Book under either and you end up at the same door. Prices, tiers and hours sit in the guide to the baths themselves.
Can you swim at Grjótagjá instead?
No. The cave sits on private land and the water reached around 60°C during the Krafla Fires between 1975 and 1984. The landowners ask visitors to look and stay out. It costs nothing to visit and takes twenty minutes on this itinerary.
Which is better, Forest Lagoon or the Mývatn baths?
Forest Lagoon sits ten minutes from Akureyri in birch woods above the fjord, which suits a short port call. The Mývatn water is the one to choose if you are already driving the 100 km east, because it comes at the end of a day among craters rather than as a stop on its own. One day trip from Akureyri includes Forest Lagoon entry in the price.
What else is on this route?
Goðafoss, the pseudo-craters at Skútustaðagígar, the lava city at Dimmuborgir, Grjótagjá and the mud pools at Hverir. The full picture of the area sits in the Lake Mývatn guide on the homepage.
What Travellers Wrote
This was the highlight of my trip! Baldur from Fox Adventures was a fantastic guide, funny, interesting, and full of great stories. We saw the stunning Goðafoss and Lake Mývatn at a very relaxed pace.
We had an amazing day on this tour! The bus was very comfortable, the sights were fabulous, and our guide was knowledgeable, very personable, and extremely punctual. As promised, we were back to the cruise ship on time.
The itinerary was flawlessly planned and timed. Our guide Joanna lives her job and brings excitement and imagination to the tour. She combined more surprise side trips than I thought possible.