Go Slow and Savour in Iceland

Heading east along the ring road, your route passes a succession of natural wonders. It really is a drive to savour. You’ll traverse mysterious moss-covered lava fields and vast coastal gravel plains where braided rivers flow from the interior to the sea. Before long the Vatnajokull icecap appears ahead – a great frozen wilderness that smothers entire mountains. Glaciers emerge along its flanks and at Jokulsarlon they calve icebergs into coastal lagoons. Step from your car to admire the natural phenomenon, take a boat trip to see the icebergs up-close, or walk on the nearby black-sand beach where icebergs, tumbled and polished by the sea, have been washed ashore as sparkling crystal sculptures. It’s a long, but riveting, drive (around seven hours) to reach the East Fjords in one day. The roads are excellent and, during mid-summer, you can enjoy 24 hours of daylight. However, you may wish to break the journey and spend a night in a hotel near Vatnajokull National Park. When you reach your accommodation in Neskaupstadur, settle in for a week enjoying the idyllic East Fjords. Replenish your supplies at the town’s shop or supermarket and explore its museum, art gallery and cafés. The East Fjords are a walker’s paradise – follow reindeer trails high into the mountains, delve into hidden valleys or roam the fjord-riven coastline. There are plenty of trails for you to discover on your own, or we can organise a hike with a private guide. A full-day’s walk in the towering wilderness of Borgarfjordur Eystri is highly recommended. This is also rewarding touring country. A winding road hugs the coast of the East Fjords, connecting small villages like Seydisfjordur and Djupivogur with their colourful fishing boats, clapboard houses, quirky crafts scene and excellent seafood restaurants. Head inland (driving yourself or joining a superjeep tour) and you’ll discover one of Iceland’s rare forests before reaching the 128m plume of Hengifoss and mighty Snaefell, King of the Mountains.

Heading east along the ring road, your route passes a succession of natural wonders. It really is a drive to savour. You’ll traverse mysterious moss-covered lava fields and vast coastal gravel plains where braided rivers flow from the interior to the sea. Before long the Vatnajokull icecap appears ahead – a great frozen wilderness that smothers entire mountains. Glaciers emerge along its flanks and at Jokulsarlon they calve icebergs into coastal lagoons. Step from your car to admire the natural phenomenon, take a boat trip to see the icebergs up-close, or walk on the nearby black-sand beach where icebergs, tumbled and polished by the sea, have been washed ashore as sparkling crystal sculptures.

It’s a long, but riveting, drive (around seven hours) to reach the East Fjords in one day. The roads are excellent and, during mid-summer, you can enjoy 24 hours of daylight. However, you may wish to break the journey and spend a night in a hotel near Vatnajokull National Park. When you reach your accommodation in Neskaupstadur, settle in for a week enjoying the idyllic East Fjords. Replenish your supplies at the town’s shop or supermarket and explore its museum, art gallery and cafés.

The East Fjords are a walker’s paradise – follow reindeer trails high into the mountains, delve into hidden valleys or roam the fjord-riven coastline. There are plenty of trails for you to discover on your own, or we can organise a hike with a private guide. A full-day’s walk in the towering wilderness of Borgarfjordur Eystri is highly recommended.

This is also rewarding touring country. A winding road hugs the coast of the East Fjords, connecting small villages like Seydisfjordur and Djupivogur with their colourful fishing boats, clapboard houses, quirky crafts scene and excellent seafood restaurants. Head inland (driving yourself or joining a superjeep tour) and you’ll discover one of Iceland’s rare forests before reaching the 128m plume of Hengifoss and mighty Snaefell, King of the Mountains.

In pictures

Hildibrand Hotel, Neskaupstadur

Hildibrand Hotel is a contemporary style apartment hotel located in the heart of Neskaupstadur, a beautiful fishing village in Nordfjordur.

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From the East Fjords, drive over the top of northeast Iceland, still following the Ring Road, to reach Akureyri – the base for your third week in the country. It’s a four-hour drive from Neskaupstadur, so easily doable in a day. Along the way, you may want to stop at Lake Myvatn or take a detour to witness Dettifoss – Europe’s most powerful waterfall. Both are easily reached from your base in Akureyri so don’t worry if you’d prefer to head straight to your apartment at Saeluhus. Stretch your legs by walking into town, enjoying a meal at one of Akureyri’s restaurants and stocking up on fresh supplies for your next week of self-catering. North Iceland has its fingertips on the Arctic Circle and its feet firmly planted in the rugged Highlands of the interior. It’s a region where seasonal extremes are heralded by the midnight sun and the northern lights. From Akureyri, you can join boat trips searching for humpback whales in Eyjafjordur and visit the world’s northernmost botanic gardens. An hour’s drive north along the coast of Eyjafjordur takes you to the historic fishing village of Siglufjordur, while Godafoss (Iceland’s ‘mini-Niagara’) is just a 30-minute drive to the east. In fact, based in Akureyri, you are right at the heart of Iceland’s Diamond Circle. Linking five major highlights – Godafoss, Lake Myvatn, Dettifoss, Asbyrgi and Husavik – the concentration of natural wonders on this 250km route is mind-blowing. Imagine driving from Central London to Southampton and back (a similar distance) and stopping along the way to gaze at hissing fumaroles and bubbling mud pits, spotting whales, dolphins and gannets, hiking through lava flows and feeling the spray from colossal waterfalls misting your face. Mighty Dettifoss and Godafoss make the most noise in North Iceland, but don’t overlook forest-cloaked Asbyrgi canyon and the wild expanse of Skjalfandi Bay where Husavik has established itself as Europe’s whale watching capital. Lake Myvatn, meanwhile, is teeming with birdlife and dimpled with volcanic craters and twisted lava fields. The Nature Baths here are just one spot we can recommend for a therapeutic geothermal soak.

From the East Fjords, drive over the top of northeast Iceland, still following the Ring Road, to reach Akureyri – the base for your third week in the country. It’s a four-hour drive from Neskaupstadur, so easily doable in a day. Along the way, you may want to stop at Lake Myvatn or take a detour to witness Dettifoss – Europe’s most powerful waterfall. Both are easily reached from your base in Akureyri so don’t worry if you’d prefer to head straight to your apartment at Saeluhus. Stretch your legs by walking into town, enjoying a meal at one of Akureyri’s restaurants and stocking up on fresh supplies for your next week of self-catering.

North Iceland has its fingertips on the Arctic Circle and its feet firmly planted in the rugged Highlands of the interior. It’s a region where seasonal extremes are heralded by the midnight sun and the northern lights. From Akureyri, you can join boat trips searching for humpback whales in Eyjafjordur and visit the world’s northernmost botanic gardens. An hour’s drive north along the coast of Eyjafjordur takes you to the historic fishing village of Siglufjordur, while Godafoss (Iceland’s ‘mini-Niagara’) is just a 30-minute drive to the east. In fact, based in Akureyri, you are right at the heart of Iceland’s Diamond Circle. Linking five major highlights – Godafoss, Lake Myvatn, Dettifoss, Asbyrgi and Husavik – the concentration of natural wonders on this 250km route is mind-blowing. Imagine driving from Central London to Southampton and back (a similar distance) and stopping along the way to gaze at hissing fumaroles and bubbling mud pits, spotting whales, dolphins and gannets, hiking through lava flows and feeling the spray from colossal waterfalls misting your face.

Mighty Dettifoss and Godafoss make the most noise in North Iceland, but don’t overlook forest-cloaked Asbyrgi canyon and the wild expanse of Skjalfandi Bay where Husavik has established itself as Europe’s whale watching capital. Lake Myvatn, meanwhile, is teeming with birdlife and dimpled with volcanic craters and twisted lava fields. The Nature Baths here are just one spot we can recommend for a therapeutic geothermal soak.

In pictures

Saeluhus

This group of 40 stylish and spacious studio apartments and houses is found on the outskirts of Akureyri, offering a great self-catering option for those spending a few days in Iceland's second city.

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It’s a five-hour drive from Akureyri to your final destination – Glacier Lodge on West Iceland’s Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Often described as ‘Iceland in miniature’, this extraordinarily beautiful 90km-long finger of land juts into the North Atlantic – its spine jagged with mountains, its coastline notched with rocky coves, and its tip dominated by the ice-capped volcano, Snaefellsjokull. Based at Glacier Lodge, you are in a prime spot to explore the peninsula’s coast and interior. Walking trails to view the sea stacks, arches and bird cliffs of Arnarstapi and Hellnar are virtually on your doorstep, while the volcanic craters, lava fields and black-sand beaches of Snaefellsjokull National Park make a superb day out by car. You can also drive to the fishing village of Olafsvik to join a boat trip in search of orca, sperm whales, pilot whales, puffins and gannets, and we can even arrange for you to go snowmobiling on the icecap. Other highlights on Snaefellsnes include iconic Kirkjufell mountain and Stykkisholmur with its seafood restaurants and golf course. A two-hour drive inland, meanwhile, takes you to Husafell where you can discover the mysterious Lava Falls (a waterfall that pours from under an ancient lava flow) and join an unforgettable ‘Into the Glacier’ tour exploring a man-made tunnel deep inside the Langjokull icecap. Leaving Glacier Lodge it’s only a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Reykjavik – plenty of time to linger at Hvalfjordur or perhaps take a detour to the Golden Circle. To round off your month in Iceland, we can arrange for you to spend a few nights in Iceland’s capital.

It’s a five-hour drive from Akureyri to your final destination – Glacier Lodge on West Iceland’s Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Often described as ‘Iceland in miniature’, this extraordinarily beautiful 90km-long finger of land juts into the North Atlantic – its spine jagged with mountains, its coastline notched with rocky coves, and its tip dominated by the ice-capped volcano, Snaefellsjokull.

Based at Glacier Lodge, you are in a prime spot to explore the peninsula’s coast and interior. Walking trails to view the sea stacks, arches and bird cliffs of Arnarstapi and Hellnar are virtually on your doorstep, while the volcanic craters, lava fields and black-sand beaches of Snaefellsjokull National Park make a superb day out by car. You can also drive to the fishing village of Olafsvik to join a boat trip in search of orca, sperm whales, pilot whales, puffins and gannets, and we can even arrange for you to go snowmobiling on the icecap.

Other highlights on Snaefellsnes include iconic Kirkjufell mountain and Stykkisholmur with its seafood restaurants and golf course. A two-hour drive inland, meanwhile, takes you to Husafell where you can discover the mysterious Lava Falls (a waterfall that pours from under an ancient lava flow) and join an unforgettable ‘Into the Glacier’ tour exploring a man-made tunnel deep inside the Langjokull icecap.

Leaving Glacier Lodge it’s only a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Reykjavik – plenty of time to linger at Hvalfjordur or perhaps take a detour to the Golden Circle. To round off your month in Iceland, we can arrange for you to spend a few nights in Iceland’s capital.

In pictures

Glacier Lodge, Snaefellsnes

Located in a spectacular rural location near to Hellnar, Glacier Lodge offers magnificent views of Snaefellsjokull to the north and a panorama across Faxafloi bay to the south.

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