Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Magical North Iceland

We did a tour of Game of Thrones filming locations in North Iceland by accident. We didn’t realise that the places we were visiting were some of the spots where they filmed the episodes located Beyond the Wall in the Season 3 of Game of Thrones. Only found out about it once we were back from Iceland.

There are a few tour companies that offer the Game of Thrones guided tour in North Iceland for a fee, but if you wish to do a self-drive/self-guided tour, all you have to do is pick up a copy of the Lake Myvatn attractions brochure from the visitor centre or the front desk of your hotel and visit the major attractions listed there. You’ll find yourself in most of the Game of Thrones Beyond the Wall filming locations!

We started the day with a hearty breakfast at Vogafjoss Restaurant. We stayed at a cabin owned by the same folks who owned the restaurant the night before, so the breakfast was free for us, or rather, included. The restaurant shared a building with a cow pen, separated by a wall with glass windows, through which we could see the cows. Later I learned that the restaurant was a favourite among the Game of Thrones filming crew.

Cows by Vogafjoss farm café.

After breakfast, we drove to Grjotagja, a small lava cave with a thermal spring inside. This is the cave where Jon Snow and Ygritte had some sexy time. wink, wink My husband took the picture below because I was being a chicken and was too scared to go down into the cave. There was a warning sign outside the cave saying that rocks had been falling off the cave, and, to be honest, being buried alive in a cave wasn’t part of my vacation plan.

Grjótagjá cave, made famous by Game of Thrones.
Grjótagjá cave, made famous by Game of Thrones.

Then we decided that it would be a good idea to climb a mountain while it was still bright and early, so we climbed a nearby mountain, Hverfell. The climb was way too steep for my liking. I was cursing Sigur Rós all the way up for luring me into their country and making me climb the damn mountain. When we got to the top, I thought at least we’d see an interesting crater, but what we actually saw was rather underwhelming. It was just a big pile of volcanic ash.

Hverfell crater was a bit of a letdown.
Hverfell crater was a bit of a letdown.

Hverfell appeared in the background of some of the Beyond the Wall scenes. I only got one shot of the mountain from afar and it’s not the greatest but hey, it’s better than nothing!

Hverfell mountain as seen from lake Mývatn.
Hverfell mountain as seen from lake Mývatn.

Dimmuborgir is a lava field area with interesting lava rock formations. This is the area where the Wildlings made camp. We didn’t get to see much of this area because many of the trails were still closed for the season.

Dimmuborgir is an area with interesting lava rock formations.
Dimmuborgir is an area with interesting lava rock formations.

Most of the scenes with Jon Snow and the Wildlings were shot in an area by Lake Myvatn called Höfði. It’s a beautiful area with a very distinct, rocky landscape. We had a nice walk there along the lake and through a small forest, spotting interesting waterfowls, until it started raining. And then it just got a little less pleasant.

Lava rock formations in lake Mývatn.
Lava rock formations in lake Mývatn.

One of the largest and most popular waterfalls in Iceland, Goðafoss, was also part of the Wildling country sceneries. When we got there, my husband went straight to business searching for a geocache while I went straight to business taking pictures. I kept moving closer and closer to the edge to get a better shot of the falls, until I found myself so close to the edge that I freaked myself out.

Goðafoss is beautiful.
Goðafoss is beautiful.

The day before we visited all the spots above, we went to Námafjall, which is a geothermal area with fumaroles, boiling mud pools and mud pots. I read that they used the steam rising out of this area to fake a blizzard in a blizzard scene.

Namafjall is smelly but otherworldly.
Namafjall is smelly but otherworldly.

The following video has Game of Thrones casts and crews talk about filming the show in Iceland. It’s pretty interesting. You can see some of the places we visited in it.

Hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of North Iceland! 🙂 While you’re here, check out the full itinerary of our first Iceland road trip. It might inspire you to start planning your visit, if you aren’t already!

6 comments

      1. Heh-heh, that is funny. I REALLY want to blog but every time I sit down to do it I get distracted by something else online. lol.

  1. Wow.. you are the best. I read about a photography book you had seen. But, now I can’t find it. any suggestions?
    Thanks
    Rebecca

  2. That was a really interesting and concise travel log, many thanks for taking the time to share it. I’m planning to go there next May from U.K., which is how I came across this.

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