As you drive up the Eastern Ring Road in Iceland, you will see beautiful coastline, unique lighthouses, charming towns, and many fjords. Be prepared to drive around all of the fjords. The snow falls deeper; the green that was trying to peak through to the West was still covered by a white blanket. It wasn’t until we went East of Höfn that we saw wild reindeer for the first time. They ran across the road the way you expect white-tailed deer in America to do.
If you are driving the Ring Road, there are a few stops along the Eastern road that are worth making. I recommend stopping anytime you feel curiosity pulling you. Iceland is a place to explore, not a place where you need to plan every step. Even so, I will tell you everywhere we went, what we saw, and what we did!
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A Lighthouse and a Beach
Driving East we encountered our first tunnel. There are a few tunnels around Iceland that take you straight through mountains instead of around them. Some of these are very long and make me a bit uncomfortable. Not because they are difficult to drive, but because I don’t like being underground. We drove for quite a while around fjords and by mountains and beaches until we came upon Hvalnes Lighthouse.
This bright orange lighthouse is hard to miss. The wind almost knocked us down when we got out to explore, but it was worth it. Not far past Hvalnes, you will come upon a few stops where you can walk out on the beach of Fauskasandur. You will see some more stone trolls, and it is a great area for bird watching. While there aren’t many exotic birds in Iceland in March, I enjoyed watching a flock of ducks ride the waves.
Continue driving around the fjords, keeping an eye out for reindeer. Apparently, you can sometimes spot arctic foxes out here, but I never saw one. I imagine they are very elusive creatures.
Djúpivogur and More Lighthouses
When you come upon the town of Djúpivogur, I recommend making a stop. This is a cute little town with a harbor and lighthouse. We also stumbled upon a row of stone pedestals with shiny stone eggs on top. This is called Eggin í Gleðivík, or the Eggs at Merry Bay. I later learned that the eggs are made of granite and there are 34 in total. Each egg represents a local bird. Who knew?
When you drive down the row of eggs, at the end you can look out and see the Djúpivogur Lighthouse. It is a cute square orange lighthouse with a red top. Once you pass Djúpivogur, you will drive around Berufjörður. As you make your way past the fjord you will see another lighthouse named Streitisviti, which is a tall cylindrical lighthouse. The white lighthouse stands far off the road. You are welcome to walk out to it, but the wind kept us close to our car.
Past this, we did a long stint of driving. We only stopped in Stöðvarfjörður for gas before heading up to Egilsstaðir. The drive is long, but I never felt like long drives in Iceland were that bad. I love good scenery, and Iceland has a plethora of it. You will pass through a particularly long tunnel between Fáskrúðsfjörður and Reyðarfjörður (much to my dismay).
Traveling to Iceland? These posts can help you plan your trip.
Exploring Reykjavik and the Reykjanes Peninsula
Southern Iceland: What to See and Do
Going Beyond the Wall in Iceland: An Ice Cave Tour on Vatnajökull
Past Egilsstaðir
Once you reach Egilsstaðir, the valley you will see sweeping before you is a new and welcome sight compared to the glaciers and fjords that aren’t even a days drive behind you. You could easily base yourself in Egilsstaðir and spend a few days in this area.
Fardagafoss
Following road 93 past Egilsstaðir, you will go up and find beautiful views, waterfalls, and yet another charming town. Not 15 minutes from town, the first waterfall you will come across is Fardagafoss. This waterfall will require you to hike a bit. It takes less than half an hour to get there at a leisurely pace. I recommend wearing crampons in the snow if you have them. We left ours in the car and missed them about halfway up the hill. It is not a strenuous walk, though and you can do it without them.
As you walk up towards the falls, look back towards Egilsstaðir to see the valley below. This might have been one of my favorite views in Iceland. You can see the small town of Egilsstaðir and the valley that surrounds it. The Lagarfljót Lake, and the mountains in the distance with the sun peaking through the clouds make for a magical view. It was flurrying a bit when we were up there, but that just added to the effect.
Fardagafoss falls in front of a cave. It is said that a lady troll once called it home. She had a pot of gold and hid it in Gufufoss, the waterfall downriver. There is another legend that the two waterfalls are connected by a cave. There is a story about a cat being put in one side of the cave and sealing it shut, and then someone saw the cat come out the other side. In another story, a famous outlaw narrowly escaped capture by hiding in the cave behind Fardagafoss. This particular waterfall has a very interesting history!
Skutafoss and Gufufoss
As you continue down road 93 you will see two more waterfalls along the road. As you drive towards them you will go between the mountains and start to notice that the yellow poles marking the sides of the roads are taller. That is because snow really piles up out here. We had good road conditions, but I imagine that they could get pretty bad in the winter.
The first waterfall you will see from the road is Skutafoss. These are twin waterfalls that you can see from the road. Shortly after Skutafoss, you will see Gufufoss, which was nice and frozen for us in March. This is where the cat was put in the cave and is also where the lady troll stored her pot of gold. It is said that you can see the pot’s handle from the river sometimes.
Seyðisfjörður
This small artsy town at the end of road 93 is beyond charming. I wish I could have spent more time here. We drove all around the town, seeing impressive street art, a lovely church, cute homes, and even some Icelandic horses. We had hoped to see the iconic rainbow-colored street, but alas, it was covered in snow. Though we could see a little peek of the colors through the snow. The charm wasn’t lost on us.
After exploring and snapping some pictures, we stopped in the grocery store to grab some snacks before we headed back to Egilsstaðir. I would love to come back and stay a few days in Seyðisfjörður, however, it would be an easy place to get snowed in during the winter. Make sure that you check the weather before heading here. You don’t want to get stuck! Or do you?
The City of Egilsstaðir
As we drove back to Egilsstaðir, we noticed a tall stack of rocks that seemed to serve some purpose, so we stopped to take a look. Tall cairns can be seen all over Iceland, and they were traditionally used as trail markers. These helped people find their way back when the roads were nonexistent.
Egilsstaðir is a place that I will definitely be returning to. Some of the places that I wanted to visit are only open in the Summer. We stayed at Hotel Valaskjalf, which is a great hotel with a lit up tree just outside. We decided to have dinner at a cafe called Salt, which had an interestingly diverse selection of flatbreads, sandwiches, and wraps.
If you have the time, the East Iceland Heritage Museum is located here. We didn’t make it in time to go, which was unfortunate because they had a reindeer exhibition at the time. You can also go to the Information Center of East Iceland to learn more about the area. If you are just passing through, Egilsstaðir is a great place to stop and fill up with gas, grab a bite to eat or pick up some groceries.
Lose the Crowds
Once we passed Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon the crowds started to become smaller and smaller. We were the only people at Fardagafoss and only saw another car pull in as we were leaving. Seyðisfjörður was quiet and peaceful. I honestly enjoyed our time in the less crowded areas the most. Maybe because I am a quiet person, I am the happiest when I travel to peaceful places like this. Though, I am sure the number of tourists picks up in the Summer months.
Do you enjoy traveling to quiet places?
If you are traveling around the entire Ring Road, make sure that you check out my 10-day driving route. It can help you out with your trip planning.
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Wow, Keri! You did all this in one day?! Amazing. I love how beautifully you describe all the places. It sounds so peaceful, yet adventurous since you’re on this road trip.
I personally love and hate quiet places. Love to enjoy a quiet place without the crowds as it is more intimate and allows time to reflection. I enjoy staying home, having the house to myself and getting quiet time. As a city girl, the stillness of unknown places in the middle of nowhere creep me out. I’m used to busy city life. I can though appreciate the beauty of quiet places.
Love all your Iceland photos. Hope to be able to visit one day!
It is safe to say we were exhausted by the end of most of our days in Iceland. So much to see and so little time!
I have heard that same thing from other people I know from big cities! I grew up in a small quiet town so I tend to really love being in the middle of nowhere. I have an aunt who was always terrified when she visited us because it was too quiet and she thought someone would murder her in her sleep. And she was from Memphis! Way scarier to me. We get used to living in certain places, and it really does make a difference when you travel!
Thanks so much! I hope you make it to Iceland someday!