• Your Guide To

In East Iceland you will find many of the features that make Iceland a unique place on a global scale. This part of the country stretches from Skeiðarársandur in the south to the Langanes peninsula in the north. The landscapes in between are exceptional in many ways; a large part of the area is influenced by the presence of Iceland?s largest glacier, Vatnajökull, and the coastline consists of deep fjords with high mountains on either side.

The deep fjords along the coast are a prominent feature of East Iceland. Most of the settlements in the area are located at the bottom of such fjords, which proved to be convenient locations for harbours serving the rich fishing grounds in the area. The fish also attracted foreign fishermen. French boats were particularly prominent off the east shore. This led to much contact and cultural connection between French fishermen and Icelanders in the East fjords. At Búðir in Fáskrúðsfjörður there is even a French museum. Today, times have changed; labour-saving modern technology is used in fishing and fish processing and the inhabitants increasingly turn to other businesses. In recent years, Iceland's largest hydroelectric power plant has risen at Kárahnjúkar, north of Vatnajökull, and subsequently a large aluminium factory is being built in Reyðarfjörður. This has led to a heated debate between those who want to revitalize the economy in this area and those who object to the environmental changes resulting from this development.

Vatnajökull has shaped the environs and history of East Iceland for millennia. This glacier is a part of Europe's largest national park, established in 2004. The national park also includes the nature reserve Skaftafell, with woods that contain some of Iceland's prettiest, highest growing birch. In Skaftafell is also the magnificent waterfall Svartifoss, falling down a wall of black hexagonal basalt columns. The massive power of the glacier reveals itself where glacial tongues slide south into sands and farmland. One of those tongues includes Iceland's highest mountain, Öræfajökull (2110 m). South of the glacial border, trapped between the glacier and the sea, is the glacial lagoon Jökulsárlón. This is a spectacular site, which intrigues both Icelanders and foreign visitors. Few years ago it was the centre of much attention, when it was used as a filming location for the James Bond film Die Another Day. Farther north, under in the ice cap, volcanoes combine the incredible forces of fire and ice. Among those are Kverkfjöll, Bárðarbunga and Grímsvötn, Iceland's most active volcano that erupts every 5-10 years.

Exploring the glacier through glacial hiking, super jeep tours and snow scooters is becoming ever more fashionable. Nonetheless, strangers to the land must be careful when going onto the glacier and it is wise to obtain information from those who are well acquainted with conditions. The mountains north of the glacier are also popular among hikers, and there are hikers? huts in many places. This area just north of Vatnajökull, in the deserted expanses by Snæfell, is the primary habitat of reindeer in Iceland.

The largest town in East Iceland is Egilsstaðir, situated by a lake in the glacial river Lagarfljót. A popular belief claims that a giant sea serpent lives deep down in this lake. Along the shores of the lake lies a beautiful forest, Hallormsstaðaskógur. A little further down the river is the waterfall Hengifoss falling down in a magnificent gorge of colorful basalt strata. No road leads all the way up to the waterfall, but the walk up there is fairly easy. More beautiful scenery can be seen on the way from Egilsstaðir to Seyðisfjörður where you get a magnificent view of the river Fjarðará which cascades from the edge of the heath in innumerable beautiful waterfalls. At the mouth of Seyðisfjörður fjord is Skálanes, a nature and heritage centre. There you can explore nature and the wild birdlife at a close range, with birds coming so near that you can almost touch them!

The East Iceland picture gallery shows various pictures from the East fjords, among else small villages like Breiðdalsvík, Djúpavogur and Stöðvarfjörður, which has a nice stone museum, as well as the beautiful scenery of this part of the country. Photos from Hvannadalshnúkur in Vatnajökull and the glacial lagoon Jökulsárlón are also in the galleries.

More information about East Iceland is available on www.east.is.

© NETIÐ markaðs- og rekstrarráðgjöf | All rights reserved