Access and Information
Dimmuborgir is located in the Mývatn region of Northeast Iceland, just over one kilometre east of the farms at Geiteyjarströnd. A paved road leads to the site from Geiteyjarströnd.
At the Dimmuborgir car park, visitors will find a service building with restroom facilities, refreshments, and a souvenir shop.
Rangers in the Mývatn region oversee the site, and daily guided educational walks are offered during the summer season.
Protection Status
Dimmuborgir was designated a natural monument in 2011 due to its distinctive lava formations and landscape. The protected area covers just over 423 hectares.
The objective of the protection designation is to preserve the area’s unique geological formations. The designation also aims to safeguard the site because of its considerable educational and recreational value, as Dimmuborgir has long been an important outdoor recreation area for local residents and a popular destination for visitors travelling through the Mývatn region.
Dimmuborgir has been under the stewardship of Land and Forest Iceland (Land og skógur) since 1942, when landowners at Geiteyjarströnd and Kálfaströnd donated the area to the Icelandic Soil Conservation Service (now Land and Forest Iceland). At the time, the landowners recognised that they would not be able to protect the area from encroaching sand, which was gradually burying the lava formations.
Since then, Land and Forest Iceland has undertaken extensive and successful land restoration work in the area and has also played a leading role in developing Dimmuborgir as a visitor destination in cooperation with the Iceland Nature Conservation Agency.