Kleifarvatn

Kleifarvatn fills a fault-bounded hollow on the Reykjanes peninsula and reaches about ninety-seven metres, making it the deepest lake in the region, with black sand shores and almost no vegetation - the effect is bleak in a way that has made it a location for Icelandic crime fiction and film. It has no surface outflow: the water leaves through fissures in the bed. In 2000 a pair of large earthquakes widened those fissures and the lake began to drain, losing a fifth of its surface area over the following years before sediment gradually sealed the cracks and the level recovered. Hot springs vent on the southern shore, and there are no fish.

What you actually see

• A lake that drained after an earthquake - fissures widened in 2000, level since recovered.
• No surface outflow - water leaving through the lake bed.
• Black sand and bare hills - the bleakness that draws film crews.
• Shore hot springs - vents on the southern end.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

There is no infrastructure - no cafe, no facilities, and limited parking pull-offs. The water is very cold and swimming is not sensible. Wind funnels along the lake. Road 42 can be rough and closes in winter conditions.

Nearby

Seltun and Graenavatn are south at Krysuvik; the Blue Lagoon is west.