North Iceland

Húsavík, Iceland’s whale-watching capital, has become a firm favourite on travellers’ itineraries – and with its colourful houses, unique museums and stunning snowcapped peaks across the bay, it's easily the northeast's prettiest fishing town.

In 2008 the Vatnajökull National Park – one of Europe’s largest protected reserves – was formed when Jökulsárgljúfur National Park merged with Skaftafell National Park to the south. The idea was to protect the Vatnajökull ice cap and all of its glacial run-off under one super-sized preserve.

The Jökulsárgljúfur (pronounced yu-kul-sour-glyoo-vur) portion of the park protects a unique subglacial eruptive ridge and a 25km-long canyon carved out by the formidable Jökulsá á Fjöllum (Iceland’s second-longest river) – the name Jökulsárgljúfur literally means 'Glacier River Canyon'.

Jökulsá á Fjöllum starts in the Vatnajökull ice cap and flows just over 200km to the Arctic Ocean at Öxarfjörður. Jökulhlaup (floods from volcanic eruptions beneath the ice cap) formed the canyon and have carved out a chasm that averages 100m deep and 500m wide. The canyon is well known for its waterfalls – Dettifoss is of course the most famous, but there are others.

Tröllaskagi (Troll Peninsula) rests its vast mountainous bulk between Skagafjörður and Eyjafjörður. Here the craggy mountains, deep valleys and gushing rivers are reminiscent of the Westfjords, but bigger. Tunnels link the northern townships of Siglufjörður and Ólafsfjörður, once dead-end towns that saw little tourist traffic.

Undisputed gem of the northeast, Mývatn (pronounced mee-vaht) lake and the surrounding area are starkly beautiful, an otherworldly terrain of spluttering mudpots, weird lava formations, steaming fumaroles and volcanic craters, set around a bird-filled lake.

The Mývatn basin sits squarely on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the violent geological character of the area has produced a jam-packed landscape unlike anywhere else in the country.

Akureyri (pronounced ah-koo-rare-ee) stands strong as Iceland’s second city, but a Melbourne, Manchester or Montréal it is not. And how could it be with only 18,600 residents? It’s a wonder the city (which would be a ‘town’ anywhere else) generates this much buzz. Expect cool cafes, quality restaurants, a handful of art galleries and even some late-night bustle – a far cry from other rural Icelandic towns.

Akureyri nestles at the head of Eyjafjörður, Iceland’s longest (60km) fjord, at the base of snowcapped peaks. In summer flowering gardens belie the location, just a stone’s throw from the Arctic Circle. Lively winter festivals and some of Iceland’s best skiing provide plenty of off-peak (and off-piste) appeal. With its relaxed attitude and extensive food and accommodation choices, it’s the natural base for exploring Eyjafjörður and around, and it's seeing a growing number of cruise ships calling by (passenger numbers can sometimes overwhelm the town).

Skagafjörður is renowned for horse breeding and wild landscapes – this, plus its historical remains and adrenaline-infused activities, make it one of Iceland's lesser-known but most fabulous stops.

Note that settlements on the western half of Tröllaskagi Peninsula (Hólar í Hjaltadalur, Hofsós, Lónkot) sit on the Skagafjörður shoreline, and there are a couple of fjord islands – Drangey in particular is well worth a visit.

Best known as Iceland’s only true piece of the Arctic Circle, the remote island of Grímsey, 40km from the mainland, is a serene little place where birds outnumber people by about 10,000 to one. The island is small (5 sq km) but the welcome is big and the relaxation deep.

Scenic coastal cliffs and dramatic basalt formations make a popular home for dozens of species of seabirds, including loads of puffins, plus the kamikaze Arctic tern. We’re particularly fond of the anecdote that the airport runway has to be cleared of the terns a few minutes before aircraft arrive.

Bypassed by the tourist hordes who whiz around the Ring Road, this wild, sparsely populated coastal route around Iceland’s remote northeast peninsulas is an interesting alternative to the direct road from Mývatn to Egilsstaðir. It’s an area of desolate moors and beautiful scenery, stretching to within a few kilometres of the Arctic Circle. If you're looking for brilliantly unspoilt, untouristed, unhyped Iceland – well, you've found it.

The tiny rocky islet of Drangey (drown-gay), in the middle of Skagafjörður, is a dramatic flat-topped mass of volcanic tuff with 180m-high sheer cliffsides rising abruptly from the water. The cliffs serve as nesting sites for around a million seabirds (puffins, guillemots, gannets, kittiwakes, fulmar, shearwaters and predatory gyrfalcons), and have been used throughout Iceland’s history as ‘nature’s grocery store’ (for locals seeking birds and eggs). Drangey Tours offers fabulous three-hour boat trips to Drangey.

The sleepy fishing village of Hofsós has been a trading centre since the 1500s, but is now on the map for its spectacular fjord-front swimming pool.