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Discovering the Charms of East Iceland: From Egilsstadir to Hofn on Day 6 of Your Journey

This day from our Iceland Ring Road tour was dedicated to east Iceland!

We planned to explore this part of the island, to see some fishermen’s villages and enjoy the magnificent landscape!

We chose accommodation a few kilometres away from Egilsstadir in a very remote area near lake Lagarfljót.

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Mountains in Eastern Iceland
Mountains in Eastern Iceland

We spend the night at 1001 nott Hotel Egilstadir.

The view from our room was amazing!

From our bed, we could see the mountains mirroring Lake Lagarfljot.

What an incredible way to start your day!

Egilsstadir 1001 nott Hotel
Egilsstadir 1001 nott Hotel

East Iceland from Egilsstadir to Hofn

As we were expecting a relaxing day with not that many things to do, we took our time to enjoy the view from our accommodation.

For that day we planned to visit some fisherman villages and drive along the fjord.

We were lucky to have a sunny day with a blue, clear sky!

We stopped many times on our way to the next accommodation because the landscape was spectacular!

We just could not get enough of the view!

Landscape in East Iceland
Landscape in Eastern Iceland

How the road meandered through the fjord and how the ocean embraces the land created incredible images!

In one of our stops along east Iceland, we managed to reach by foot down at the beach and from down there the nearby mountains looked very imposing and massive.

The contrast between the black beach and the mountains covered by snow emphasise the beauty of the landscape!

I felt so tiny in this impressive world!

Landscape Mountains in East Iceland
Landscape Mountains in Eastern Iceland

In the water, right near the visited villages, we saw many fish breeders full with tasty salmon.

Seydisfjordur, Breiðdalsvík and Djúpivogur are three beautiful and small fisherman villages along the fjord.

Stay safe while abroad

  • medical safety abroad
  • medical assistance including COVID-19
  • emergency medical evacuation
  • trip interruption -up to $5.000
  • travel delay - up to $100/day

Although the villages are located in a magnificent area, they don’t have many inhabitants because life in that part of the country is pretty hard!

Even from the morning, we planned to have lunch in one of these 3 magnificent villages.

We enjoyed the view and our time spent in each village. Finally, the lunchtime caught us in Djupivogur.

There we eat a very tasty and fresh fish!

From the restaurant window, we could see the small port of the village, a representative place for Iceland fishermen villages.

It was such a relaxing day! There are not many things to do in East Iceland so you have the whole day just to admire the scenery and enjoy your time spent away from your home!

East Iceland Landscape Mountain
Visit Iceland Landscape Mountain

As you might know, from late September to March it is the best time to see Northern Lights in Iceland.

We wanted so much to see them!

We watched closely the weather forecast and the Aurora Borealis activity and we hoped to be lucky enough to see the Green Lady dancing on the sky.

We chose again a remote accommodation, outside the city with no lights hoping that this will increase our chances to see the Northern Lights.

East and South of Iceland are good places to see the Northern Lights.

We were lucky that night! Booking our overnight stay at was a very good choice!

Seljavellir Guesthouse Northern Lights
Seljavellir Guesthouse Northern Lights

According to Aurora forecast, there were high chances to see it.

Not long after it gets dark the Northern Lights appeared in the sky.

The way it looked and it moved over the sky made me think of a spirit who is trying to get itself free from the clutches of heaven.

I have no words to describe my feeling when I saw Aurora Borealis.

I was amazed, shocked and anxious at the same time when I saw the Northern Lights on the Icelandic sky!

Our detailed guides for choosing the best time of year for northern lights in Iceland:

I have experienced very intense and unique feelings!

Iceland Ring Road by car Trip
Iceland Ring Road by car Trip

I read a lot of stories about people hunting aurora who spent entire nights in cold and dark just for a few moments of beauty.

I could not believe my eyes that from our room we could see the aurora. It seemed very easy but it was the only night when we had the opportunity to see this magic phenomenon.

Even now, when I am writing I have goosebumps!

I am so grateful for those magic moments when Aurora showed up on the sky and for what East Iceland offered us!

Next day on our Journey we went from Hoffn to Skogafoss. Continue reading our Iceland adventure here:

We wrote some more detailed articles on this subject here:

Logistical tips and tricks for your trip

Book your accommodation

We always use Booking.com as they have the best price-quality ratio and they offer a wide range of hotels, guesthouses, apartments, and villas to choose from.

You will find here all types of accommodations, from the cheapest ones to the most luxurious.

Don't forget travel insurance

We never leave home without HeyMondo Insurance or Safety Wings Insurance as they offer the best services and a good value for money, plus COVID coverage.

When we go for longer trips around the world we get Globelink Insurance as it offers a good cover for an affordable price.

Travel insurance will always protect you against unexpected events and cost like illness, COVID, injury, theft, or travel cancellation.

We never go on any trip without travel insurance and there were many cases when we had to use it.

Renting a car
We like to explore a country on our own and a car gives us the mobility and freedom to do that.

We always rent our car from Discovercars as they have free cancellation 48 hours prior to starting date and a wide range of car rental companies and options to choose from all over the world.

Tours and attractions
When we are looking for some adventure or we simply want to break up the monotony and discover new places, we always use GetYourGuide.

We love it because we always find the most amazing experiences, with free cancellation and a large variety of activities and tours to choose from.

Airplane tickets and holiday packages
Expedia is our ally when searching for the best price for airplane tickets as it works as an aggregator for a huge number of airlines and we always find the best price for our flights.

Travel tip: use Expedia when you are searching for holiday packages as they have many last-minute offers and great discounts for hotels, flights, and even the whole holiday packages.