6 Best Sights in East Iceland and the Eastfjords, Iceland

The road from Reyðarfjörður leads around the Hólmanes peninsula, which is overlooked by the towering 985-meter (3,232-foot-high) Hólmatindur peak. There’s a parking area with benches and viewing platform if you want to pull over and take a photo. The hike to the top of Hólmatindur is challenging, but the views are incredible. There’s also a popular and easy two-hour trail that loops around the nature reserve. Look out for eider ducks, geese, and other birdlife, which make their home there during the summer.

Dubbed the king of all mountains in Iceland, Snæfell, which translates as “snow mountain,” is Iceland's highest peak not sitting under a glacier, with a summit reaching 1,833 meters (6,014 feet). While its status as a “probably extinct” volcano is still a topic for debate, no one disputes its beauty. Those visiting Snæfell, which is part of Vatnajökull National Park, may encounter wild reindeer who have made the deserted expanses around the mountain their primary habitat. The route to the rangers' hut at the base of the mountain is accessible only by vehicles with 4WD.

While en route to Borgarfjörður Eystri look out for the magnificent mountain range Dyrfjöll, featuring a remarkable gap in the middle; the name translates to "Door Mountain," with the gap being viewed as a door. Reaching heights of up to 3,727 feet, it’s an ambitious setting even for experienced hikers, but the views from the top are extraordinary.

Not to be confused with the sea stack of the same name on the Vatnsnes Peninsula in northwest Iceland, the Hvítserkur of the east is a distinctive mountain. Dark streaks (basaltic dykes) run across its bright surface, making it look like a work of art.

Some say you haven't truly experienced Skaftafell until you've conquered the twin peaks of Kristínartindar. Standing at 3,212 and 3,694 feet, the views from the vertigo-inducing summits, which are connected by a narrow path along a jagged ridge, are the best in the region, taking in the vast expanse of Skaftafellsjökull, Morsárdalur, and Skeiðarársandur. The trail to Kristínartindar is a challenging six to eight-hour round-trip (approximately 11 miles) from the visitor center. Access is closed usually starting from mid-September and over the winter because of snow, ice, and windy weather. Due to meltwater in the spring, the path stays closed until around May or early June, depending on conditions.

A distinctive rhyolite mountain on the south side of the fjord, Sandfell beckons experienced hikers. It's a steep round-trip hike to the 1,157-meter (3,796-foot) summit that can be done in around five hours.