So heading on the ring road east from Myvatn (read about Myvatn here)

There’s not much around, no petrol stations, towns not really anything. So half way along the road we took a detour of about 30 mins on a really bumpy road.

Studlagil canyon

We were headed to visit Studlagil canyon, A canyon in the middle of nowhere which is formed of basalt columns. We parked up and started towards the trail, which we found out was just a “path” cut into the hillside and a loose rope to help you up & down. (It was only wide enough for 1 so passing was fun)

We had the opportunity to carry on down towards the bottom of the canyon but I got to scared as it was so steep and I slipped a couple of times. But i kind of wish i did.

We eventually arrived in Egilsstadir for our night stop and civilisation. We stayed at Lake house Gisthusid, which was a wonderful hotel and had an amazing dinner that night. I would like to go back to the town as there seemed to be quite a lot to see and do in the area.

Seydisfjordur

Seydisfjordur is a town only 30 mins away from Egilsstadir and is situated on the coast. A steep winding road up and over the neighbouring mountain is the only way to get there. Its also a port for cruise ships and ferries to other countries. Its a very pretty town with attractive houses set around a small lake. Seydisfjordur is also home to the Insta famous church with the rainbow path.

Driving through the fjords

So leaving Egilsstadir we travelled south down the ring road weaving in and out of the fjords. It was a 4 hour journey but boy what a journey. The views were incredible. Plenty of small villages dotted the route with petrol and food stops. We found this beach next to the road, and it was completely deserted.

So many places to stop and have a look. One of the parking spots at the side of the road had a waterfall behind it! The drive that day was probably the best of the entire trip.

Jokulsarlon

This is my favourite place in Iceland and possibly out of everywhere I’ve been before! I know it’s a bit extreme but seriously it’s so beautiful here. It’s the main reason i wanted to come back to Iceland. We couldn’t visit in the winter as tour buses don’t go that far from Reykjavik because of the few daylight hours. Jokulsarlon is a tidal lagoon next to a glacier, so when pieces of ice break off from the glacier they float around in the lagoon. The grey bits in the ice are ash from the volcanoes.

You can also see seals swimming around the floating ice, boat trips are also available on this lagoon.

Eventually when smaller pieces break apart they end up getting washed out to sea and finally get washed up onto the beach. This beach is called Diamond beach, because the pieces of ice are crystal clear and the sand is black, its just gorgeous. The first day we were here the ice washed up were quite small, but the next day we drove past and i shouted STOP, the pieces of ice were huge. So if you have time its definitely worth coming back another day.

To get to the beach just walk under the road bridge. A tip, it’s so busy there so park at the beach and walk back towards the lagoon. We had to queue for a space at the lagoon.

As with most popular attractions around the world, you see photos of the sights with no one around and presume its quiet, but believe me this is one of the popular ones. You just need to push to the front to get the photos. (and we went out of the busy season!)

Fjallsarlon

Fjallsarlon is another glacial lagoon but not connected to the sea. A lot less busy than the popular Jokulsarlon but worth a stop. There’s walking trails either side of the lagoon and you can take a boat ride up the the glacial wall which is massive. It’s a pretty place to stop and stretch your legs.

Skaftafell national park

The national park hosts waterfalls, glaciers and wooded areas. I recommend a couple of days here as there is so many walks and hikes to do. We chose the walk to Svartifoss, it was a 90 min round trip hike to get there, quite steep in places to get up. This fall is surrounded by the basalt columns that you see in so many places in Iceland.

Around the town Kirkjubaejarklaustur were a few smaller sights. Foss a small fall with lots of little drops.

Kirkjugolf, basalt columns broken off which now resemble a floor, nicknamed the church floor you can see why. It looks like it’s man made, totally worth the short stop.

Stjornarfoss is another pretty fall located next to the town, you can also walk up quite close to the bottom of the fall.

Fjadrargljufur canyon

Fjadrargljufur Canyon was my second favourite place to visit in the whole of the country. I’d seen photos of it and it just looks like it could be in a scene from Jurassic park, I expected to see Pterodactyls flying around the corner. It was quite easy to find, except we turned off too soon and ended up driving on an F road to get to a car park. Anyway the main car park is at the lower end of the 2km long canyon. You can walk along side and onto various viewing platforms to capture this incredible place. But the best view is right at the end to look back through the giant fissure. It is believed to be about 2 million years old!

From here read about the South West Iceland