Veidivotn

The Veidivotn are a scatter of around fifty lakes lying in the craters of a fissure that opened in 1477, when a very large explosive eruption tore a line more than fifty kilometres long across the highlands north-east of Hekla. The water filled the craters afterwards, so the lakes sit in black tephra with steep scoria walls between them and each has a slightly different colour. They hold brown trout and arctic char and are among the most sought-after fishing waters in the country, run under a permit system by the commons with tight limits. Even people who do not fish come for the landscape: black sand, blue water and almost no vegetation.

What you'll find

• Lakes inside craters - about fifty, in a fissure opened in 1477.
• Black tephra between them - scoria walls and sand with little plant cover.
• Different colours lake to lake - depth and mineral content varying across the field.
• A tightly run fishery - permits, limits and a season set by the commons.

When to go

Late June to August; the season and the track opening both limit access. A full day or longer.

Practical notes

The road in is a highland track with soft sand sections that strand two-wheel-drive cars. Fishing requires a permit bought in advance and they sell out. There are huts but no shops, fuel or phone signal. Sandstorms are a real hazard in dry wind.

Nearby

Ljotipollur is on the same fissure; Landmannalaugar is south-west.

Key facts