Part 4 Itinerary: A Day of Backtracking and Driving
Day 5: Glacier Lagoons and East Iceland
We were originally supposed to visit Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, Diamond Beach, and Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon during the previous day. Since we had to push back Vik one day, we readjusted this part too. So, we backtracked, drove an hour back from Höfn to the glacier lagoon, then headed to Vestrahorn, and then onward to our hotel in Mývatn.
Not too bad.
Just that our original 5.5 hour drive now turned into a 7.5 hour drive. That's excluding time spent at any of these stops, too, so we were booking it as fast as we could to get back on schedule.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Diamond Beach
Vestrahorn
There are also a number of hiking trails you can go on in this area.
Driving up East Iceland
A good portion of the drive up east Iceland is right by the coast, so you'll see breathtaking views of the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.
(At least, according to D. I have to confess I fell asleep for a bit during this drive and woke up occasionally when D told me to look at the view.)
You'll see beautiful views of the fjords, pass by quaint towns, and drive through areas surrounded by waterfalls again:
I wish we had allocated more time to this area, maybe split up the drive into two days to explore more of the surrounding waterfalls and hikes.
Additional Places to Visit
- Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon: This is a smaller and less touristy glacier lagoon but just as beautiful and only 10 minutes away from Jökulsárlón.
- Hengifoss: This is Iceland's third highest waterfall, which was also featured in Game of Thrones.
- Húsavík: You can go whale watching here!
- Seyðisfjörður: Detour here and you'll find a charming and artsy town with amazing backdrops of mountains and another waterfall, Gufufoss.
- Borgarfjordur Eystri: For the hikers, consider stopping by here for scenic trails.
If you're interested in heading up north, check out "Part 5 Itinerary: The North"!