Must-see attractions in Southeast Iceland

This darkly picturesque canyon, carved out by the river Fjaðrá, has been well and truly discovered, thanks to Instagrammers and one Justin Bieber (who…

Adding more eye candy to an impressive road trip, a precipitous 767m-tall palisade of cliffs known as Lómagnúpur towers over the landscapes, begging to be…

A sign off the Ring Road indicates Fjallsárlón – this is an easily accessible glacier lagoon, where icebergs calve from Fjallsjökull. There are Zodiac…

Heading east on the Ring Road from Skaftafell, a sign points the way to the glacier Svínafellsjökull. A rough, potholed dirt road leads 2km to a car park,…

At the Jökulsá river mouth you’ll see ice boulders and bergs resting photogenically on the black-sand beach as part of their final journey out to sea…

Skeiðarársandur, the largest sandur in the world, covers a 1300-sq-km area and was formed by the mighty Skeiðarárjökull. Since the Settlement Era,…

This cleverly crafted museum (its inspired exterior looks like a shelf of books) pays tribute to the most famous son of this sparsely populated region –…

At the western end of the village, the lovely double waterfall, Systrafoss, tumbles down the cliffs and a sign outlines three short walks in the pretty…

Fláajökull is 8km off the Ring Road on a gravel road (signposted just east of Hólmur guesthouse) that leads to a small car park with pit toilet. A…

Lómagnúpur towers over the impossibly photogenic old turf-roofed farm at Núpsstaður. The farm buildings date back to the early 19th century, and the…

From the Hoffell guesthouse, a signed, 4km gravel road leads to Hoffellsjökull glacier tongue, calving into a small lake. There are some good short walks…

Although the peak called Laki (818m) did not erupt, it has loaned its name to the 25km-long Lakagígar crater row, which stretches northeastwards and…

The basalt columns of Kirkjugólf (Church Floor), smoothed down and cemented with moss, were once mistaken for an old church floor rather than a work of…

Heinabergsjökull is 8km off the Ring Road on a gravel road (signposted not far east of Guesthouse Skálafell). Brilliant summertime kayaking trips operate…

Fagrifoss (Beautiful Falls) is not a misnomer: this waterfall must be one of Iceland’s most bewitching, with rivulets of water pouring over a massive…

Kvíárjökull glacier snakes down to the Kvíá river and is easily accessible from the Ring Road; look for the sign for Kvíármýrarkambur just west of the…

The crater row is fascinating to explore, riddled with black sand dunes and lava tubes, many of which contain tiny stalactites. At the foot of Laki,…

Inland from Lómagnúpur peak is Núpsstaðarskógar, a beautiful low-growing woodland area on the slopes of the mountain Eystrafjall. Due to the perils of…

The Flatey dairy farm (also known as Flatey á Mýrum) lies almost exactly halfway between Jökulsárlón and Höfn and is hard to miss as you drive along – the…

This outwash plain spreads across the Meðalland district south of Eldhraun and east of the river Kúðafljót (ie south of Kirkjubæjarklaustur). The sandy…