Iceland review - 2015, Page 82

80 ICELAND REVIEW
THE
PEACEFUL
EAST
East Iceland is the only part of Iceland where
the reindeer roam free, and Seyðisfjörður is
the country’s only car and passenger ferry
connection to the European mainland. The boat
is called Norröna and she comes to the charming
town every Tuesday, from late March to late Octo-
ber (there is also a winter service but by freighter).
The east offers swimming pools to remember;
first to come to my mind is the pool on the banks
of a salmon river in Selárdalur in Vopnafjörður,
and the pool in Neskaupstaður with a view of
Norðfjörður fjord and Hellisfjarðarmúli moun-
tain. Here you have hiking routes to die for, like
walking around Lake Lagarfjót (or Lögurinn), pass-
ing the biggest woodland in Iceland, Hallorms-
staðaskógur, and one of the country’s highest
waterfalls, Hengifoss, framed by columnar basalt.
The mountain backdrop of Borgarfjörður eystri is
unique, with light rhyolite mountains on one side
and the oddly-shaped Dyrfjöll on the other. Vis-
iting Stórurð with its gigantic ice-age rocks and
the abandoned farm in Húsavík cove on foot is
an experience to remember. Don’t forget to climb
the highest non-glaciated mountain in Iceland,
Snæfell (1,833 m; 6,014 feet), an old dormant
volcano with panoramic views, including of the
nearby brand-new Holuhraun lava, and big parts
of the North and East Iceland region.
Offshore, just outside Djúpivogur lies Papey,
with no inhabitants, one church and thousands
upon thousands of puffins, reigning over the
small, green and beautiful island, with its amazing
view towards the mainland and its fjords.
The East Fjords, with their big mountains stand-
ing proud and rising straight up from the ocean,
are home to charming fishing towns with very
different atmospheres. One of them, Mjóifjörður
in the eponymous fjord, has a population of just
23. The fjord has both landscape and atmosphere
that beg you to come back, again and again.
And coming back is easy: all roads in the region
go through Egilsstaðir, its service center, with the
region’s airport, connecting East Iceland to the
whole world… out there.
FROM THE FJORDS
TO THE MOUNTAINS
SPECIAL PROMOTION
BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON.