The East

From what we saw the fjord we liked the most was Seyðisfjörður – not only it was very beautiful, but also the town itself was more lively than many other places in that part of the country, there was quite a buzz at the camping site and the town even has two pubs (not that we went to Iceland to sit in pubs, but after spending a long time out in the wild it was nice to socialise with other people and have a beer :) most of the small towns in Iceland don´t offer much entertainment in the evening, at least that´s the impression I got). Getting there was not easy though – the road goes very steeply uphill and then downhill with lots of curves plus we encountered heavy fog on our way there, it wasn´t fun at all, but I´d say it was worth it. The view was best in the morning when the clouds were gone.
I have to say though that we continued from Seyðisfjörður straight to Eglisstadir/Akureyri so I can´t compare it to the East fjords further up.

How long have you got? The most popular area with the highest density of tourist curiosities is Myvatn. Takes about 2 days for a basic treatment, including Krafla which is a little out of the way. Then there is Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Iceland, and some other interesting places between there and Asbygi, itself an interesting wonder. Borgarfjordur Eystri (the area around Bakkagerdi) is often many people's favourite spot in the eastfjords, nothing very specific, just the scenery about. The central Eastfjords has an excellent trekking area known as Viknaslodir, you can get some routes on nat.is. If you have seen this famous Icelandic film, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sea_(2002_film) you might want to go to Neskaupstadur to see the area it was filmed - and understand how isolated it is that people got like that. In the far south of the eastfjords, Lón is a rather special area, but the main interest lies in trekking inland.

Awesome thanks for the suggestion! I agree about the evening entertainment. I've been traveling around for the past 4 weeks and there isn't a lot going on at night. Which is fine since I'm not a huge nightlife person. Thanks again!

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Boone

Unfortunately at this point I think I only have enough time for Dettifoss and Myvatn. Which is fine with me. :) I'll have to come back and do a strictly eastern trip. Thanks for all of the suggestions though! I went and watched the trailer for that film. Looks very cool. I'll have to find that somewhere and check it out.

That's another thing I want to do when I get back to Reykjavik. Catch a movie before I have to fly out.
Thanks again.
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Boone

Hi there,

Is the east fjord roads closed in winter? I would like to visit the following places in early march next year (self drive) and would love to know whether the places below are possible. I am coming from Hofn and if the places below are not accessible, can i head to Mývatn instead?

Stokksnes (see Mountain Vestrahorn)
Djúpivogur
Fáskrúðsfjörður (French Village)
Neskaupstaður
Seyðisfjörður
Stay a night at Egilsstaðir

Lagarfljot Lake
Hike to Hengifoss (Route 931)
- Litlanesfoss waterfalls
Dettifoss Waterfall
Selfoss Waterfall
Ásbyrgi Canyon

Appreciate your advice. :)

Thanks

Although there is an all year road network including the ring road and roads to all but the smallest settlements, bear in mind that weather happens and you can be held up from time to time until the road is cleared. Keep an eye on www.road.is for current road conditions and www.vedur.is for the weather forecast so you don't head out when bad weather is expected. So you can certainly visit the Eastfjords in winter, but you have to allow rather more time than you would in summer in case of delays. Most of the places you mention are perfectly accessible, aside from these occasional weather-related delays.

Whether you can get to Dettifoss/Selfoss in your own car in winter is bit of a toss-up. Sometimes you can, sometimes you can't. The road closes from time to time, but unlike roads to places where people live, this one can close for several weeks at a time. You can get to Asbyrgi, (although you might have to walk a bit further) but only via the coast road, not by the direct road from Dettifoss, that road is closed for the winter and doesn't reopen till about June.

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