Iceland Travel Guide
North East and East

Iceland Intro | Reykjavik

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SW and West Iceland | South | SE

North East Iceland: one of the better regions for things to see, so expect some other travellers, but the distance from Reykjavik keeps the rampaging hordes away.

Husavik - the main town of the area, pretty enough, but the main attraction is whale watching and the associated Husavik Whale Museum. Minkes and dolphins are the norm here.
Flatey and Lundey are worth a visit for bird watching.

Plenty of sod-roof houses around, but few churches

Jokulsargljufur National Park - the impressive Jokulsa Canyon, also known as Iceland's Grand Canyon, is the focus of this park.
Several waterfalls can be seen in close proximity along the canyon, with the biggest, Dettifoss, an impressive 50m high and 100m wide, the most powerful in Europe.
Asbyrgi is a strange plateau region with expansive rich green vegetation enclosed by sheer cliff walls of up to 100m and split in two by a large rock known as the 'Island'.
Footpaths run to about 50 miles and the length of the park can be crossed on foot in around two days.

Lake Myvatn 'Midge Lake' [picture above right] - a beautiful shallow lake which is a bird lovers paradise - with 15 species of duck - and also offers comparatively good weather due to a micro climate.
In the area you can find lava pillars, boiling mud pits, the Hverfell volcanic cone, the Eldhraun 'Fire Lava' lava field, the Reykjahlid Natural History Museum, the Lofthellir Cave, Kverkfjoll Ice Caves, Hverarond geothermal area and the disturbingly active but colourful Krafla Caldera.

East Iceland: nice and quiet with few tourists but still very accessible and with relatively good weather. Boat arrivals from Europe will usually see their first bit of the country here.

Egisstadir - the main town with an airport for national flights and roads to pretty much everywhere in the region.
For historical fact on this part of the country try the Minjasafan Austurlands Museum.
The Icelandic Jazz Festival is held here at the end of June.

Lagarflojt 'Smooth River' and Hengifoss 'Hanging Falls' - the longest lake in the country runs north east from the massive Vatnajokull ice cap. The impressive Henginfoss waterfall roars into a gorge which then drops down to to the lake on the south west shores.
Iceland's largest forest, Hallormsstadur, runs along part of the eastern side and is a good place to rectify flora deficiencies.

Snaefel 'Snow Mountain' - the second highest peak in Iceland at 6012 ft lies at the beginning of the central highlands and adjacent is a worthwhile trek through the Fljotsdalsheidi 'River Valley Moors'.

A typical Icelandic camp site

East Fjords - not as grand as the West Fjords, but still very worthwhile, with some interesting towns and villages and excellent walks along their winding course, beginning at the eastern edge of the Heradsfloi Bay at Borgarfjordur and running south for around sixty miles to Berufjordur.
Bakkagerdi is a small picturesque fishing village in Borgarfjordur with a photogenic sod house.
Hafnarholmi, an artificial islet along the shoreline is an excellent bird breeding area, particularly for Puffins.
To the west rises Mt Dyrfjoll 'Door Mountain', a mountain with two peaks and to the east Mt Stadafell, and Mt Hvitserkur, the latter a bizarrely coloured rhyolite mountain with basalt dykes, so walking here is convenient and rewarding.
Boat arrivals from the European continent arrive at Seydisfjordur - a town with a mountainous backdrop - an altogether more rewarding experience than the barren Keflavik airport.
Next along is the Mjoifjordur 'Narrow Fjord' and then Eskifjordur, an attractive fishing village with lots of local walking opportunities in the nearby mountains.
Skrudur Island is good for bird life, has a large cave once used by fishermen and the Breiddalur Volcano, a large extinct volcano with interesting peaks.
If you really like your geology, near Breiddalsvik Cove are the Fagriholl Ridges, a plain of ridges caused by ground frosts.
Finally Djupivogur on Berufjordur is an interesting fishing village with old buildings, Papey 'Friar's' Island with its teeming bird life and walks to nearby Mt Bulandstindur and Godaborg 'Castle of the Gods'.

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