Two Days in Egilsstadir: The Practical Guide to East Iceland's Hub

Day one: the lake, the waterfall and the forest

Egilsstadir sits at the western end of Lagarfljót, the long lake that runs south towards the highlands, and the town itself takes about an hour to walk end to end. Start at the East Iceland Heritage Museum on Laufásvegi, which explains the region's farming and fishing history and the reindeer that roam the eastern highlands, then drive the 27 kilometres south on Route 931 to Hengifoss. The car park sits at the foot of a steep 2.5-kilometre trail that takes most people 45 minutes each way; the reward is a 128-metre waterfall dropping into a canyon of striped basalt and clay layers. Wear proper shoes — the path is rough after rain.

South of Hengifoss the same road continues into the Hallormsstadarskógur forest, Iceland's largest, where marked trails around Atlavík and the campground make a gentle afternoon. If you would rather not walk far, the drive along the lake alone is worth it. Back in town, the pick of the restaurants is by the old airport at Hótel Valaskjálf, which serves lamb and char through the evening; the town's small cluster of guesthouses and the newer hotels along the ring road fill quickly in July and August, so booking a room in Egilsstadir before you arrive avoids a late-night drive.

Seydisfjördur, 27 kilometres east over the Fardagafoss pass on Route 93, is the obvious half-day trip. The road climbs to a plateau then drops steeply into the fjord, and the drive takes around 30 minutes in good weather. The village's rainbow-painted street up to the Blue Church is the photograph everyone takes, but the more interesting hour is spent at the old herring-era warehouses and the ferry pier where the Norröna calls weekly from Denmark. On the way back, stop at Fardagafoss for a 20-minute walk to the falls, then eat in Egilsstadir rather than the village, where evening options are thin outside high summer.

What to skip and when to come

The East Fjords coast road south towards Djúpivogur is superb, but it is 260 kilometres of winding single-carriageway with few fuel stops; if you have only two days, do not try to bolt it onto an Egilsstadir stay. Equally, Vatnajökull and the glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón sit about four hours' drive south-west, so treat them as a separate leg of your trip. Within reach, the highland road F910 towards Snæfell is only open in summer and suits 4x4s; ordinary cars should stay on the sealed ring road. The months to aim for are June to early September for the full range of roads and long daylight.

Where to stay and how to arrange the days

Egilsstadir has the widest choice of accommodation between Akureyri and Höfn, from guesthouses near the town centre to larger hotels on the ring road's edge, with rates climbing sharply in July. Book two nights rather than one: a single night leaves no room for a wet day, and the weather here changes fast. I would stay in town rather than in Seydisfjördur, because Egilsstadir has the petrol stations, supermarket and pharmacy, and the fjord village is half an hour away. From the town you can reach Hengifoss in 30 minutes, the forest in 20 and Seydisfjördur in 30 — a base that saves you hours of driving.

Fill your tank in Egilsstadir before heading anywhere east or south; the next reliable station may be far away. The town's airport at Héraðsflugvöllur has daily flights to Reykjavík and makes a one-night stop feasible if you are short on time. Reserve a table in the evening during July, and keep a waterproof layer in the car whatever the forecast says — the lake's microclimate produces sudden squalls.