The East
A Long Way Around Every Fjord
What we love most about the East is that the road refuses to hurry. It bends around the head of each fjord instead of cutting across, so a stretch that looks short on the map unspools into an afternoon of headlands, fishing hamlets, and sudden sea views. That is the whole point. The East is where a reindeer on a hillside can decide your next twenty minutes, where a fjord town full of galleries and workshops makes you cancel the rest of your plan, and where the crowds of the south coast simply never arrive. Give the East the time its roads ask for, and it will hand you the Iceland most visitors drive straight past.
Come and Discover the East
Impressions of East Iceland
What to See and Do in East Iceland
Our top 5 reasons to visit this region
Follow the Rainbow
Walk the painted street of Seyðisfjörður up to the blue church, then let the town do its work on you. This fjord village of artists, galleries, and old Norwegian timber houses has a way of rearranging a schedule, and travelers who meant to pass through in an hour often find themselves staying the night.
Into the Jade Canyon at Stuðlagil
Descent to where a glacial river the color of jade runs between towering walls of basalt columns. The canyon stood hidden for centuries until a hydro project upstream tamed the river and lowered the water, revealing one of the most photographed geological sights in the East almost overnight.
Where the Elf Queen Holds Court
Pay your respects at the rock beside the village of Bakkagerði where, according to local lore, the queen of Iceland’s elves keeps her court. Belief in the hidden people runs deeper in the East than almost anywhere, and this quiet mound is its heart.
Get (Happily) Lost on the Stórurð Trail
Follow the path to turquoise pools scattered among house-sized boulders beneath the sawtooth Dyrfjöll mountains. It is one of the finest day hikes in the country and still blissfully uncrowded, the kind of walk where you might pass no one for hours.
Red Rock, White Water at Hengifoss
Climb the trail to a 128-meter (420-foot) waterfall that drops into a gorge striped red and black by ancient layers of clay and basalt. Halfway up you pass Litlanesfoss, framed by some of the finest basalt columns in the country, a reward in its own right before the main event.
"East Iceland holds a special place because of its stunning nature, rich culture, and dramatic fjords. I enjoy hiking and biking through the mountains and highlands of the region, taking in the breathtaking views and the sense of remoteness."
Ingi Þór Guðmundsson
Itineraries for Inspiration
The East asks for patience and repays it. Our itinerary inspirations below can treat the Eastfjords as the bridge of a full Ring Road journey, linking Mývatn and the North with the glacier country of the Southeast, with time built in for the fjord roads that make the bridge worth crossing.
Inspirational Itinerary Name Goes Here
Trip Name, possibly going over into two lines
Day Tour Inside the Volcano
What our travelers find useful
Reindeer on the Road
In winter and early spring, herds come down to graze near Route 1 between Egilsstaðir and Djúpivogur. Slow down the moment you see a single animal, because there are usually twenty more behind it, and they cross without warning. Dawn and dusk are the likeliest times to meet them on the tarmac.
Egilsstaðir as Your Hub
The East’s main town has the regional airport, the supermarkets, and the fuel, and nearly every excursion in the region starts within an hour of it. If you are basing yourself anywhere in the East, this is the practical place to stock up, fill the tank, and sort out anything you forgot to pack.
One Lane at a Time
Several bridges in this area are single-lane, and so are stretches of road through the narrower fjords. The rule is simple and friendly: the car closest to the pull-out waits and the other passes first. A wave of thanks as you go by is standard.
Timing Stórurð
Snow lingers in the boulder field well into June, so the trail is a summer proposition rather than a spring one. From July to September it is at its best; a full loop takes 4 to 5 hours with time for staring, which you will need. Start early to have the pools to yourself.
Winter Driving in the East
The fjord roads see less traffic and less frequent clearing than the Ring Road further west, and mountain passes between fjords can close quickly in a storm. Check road.is before setting out, carry more time than the distance suggests, and never assume a pass is open just because it was yesterday.
Iceland stories to inform & inspire
The Best Time to Visit Iceland? Honestly, It’s Whenever You Can Go
Before or After Your Cruise, Give Iceland a Few Days of Its Own
Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland: Which One Is Right for You?
Discover More of Iceland
Reykjanes Peninsula
The Reykjanes Peninsula is where your trip begins, minutes from the airport, and where the planet still looks half-finished: young lava, hissing vents, and a spot where you can stand with a foot on each of two continents.
Snæfellsnes & the West Iceland
Snæfellsnes and the West gather the whole island into one peninsula, with a glacier straight out of a Jules Verne novel, saga country, and Europe's strongest hot spring just down the road.
Capital Reykjavik
Reykjavík runs on heat from the ground small enough to cross on foot yet big on music, books, street art, and the geothermal pools where the city gathers.
The North
The North is home ground for us. Come for the whales of Húsavík, the steaming lava and craters around Lake Mývatn, and Akureyri, the friendly northern capital where the coffee is always on.
Westfjords
The Westfjords are for travelers who want Iceland at its wildest and rawest: Europe's largest bird cliff, red-gold beaches, folklore coasts, and hot tubs looking straight out to sea.
The South
The South is the drive everyone dreams of: black beaches, glacier lagoons, a moss-walled canyon that twists toward the sea, and an ice cave you can visit even in summer, all lined up along one unforgettable coast.
Highlands
The Highlands are Iceland with nothing tamed: a volcanic interior open only in summer and reachable by 4x4 alone. Painted rhyolite peaks at Landmannalaugar, glacial rivers you ford rather than cross, and silence in every direction.