While planning for Iceland, we were able to find tons of information about places to stop and things to do… until we got to the east coast. Unless you are doing the entire ring road or planning a Langoustine fishing trip, the East Coast seems to be scarce on people’s Iceland itineraries. What a shame.

We spent the night in Hofn which is a small fishing town. It was our favorite hotel of the entire trip (more on that later) and we feasted on Langoustine which is like smaller Lobster. We got some language tips from a waitress that doesn’t meet out of owners very often. The next morning, we were greeted with beautiful views of the glacier.

We headed north on the Ring Road as we weaved in and out following Fjords. We saw animals everywhere. We saw other cars and people about once every 30 minutes. The views were so incredible.

The road climbed up mountains and then back down them. We snuck through the middle of one in a giant tunnel. The road would turn to gravel every once in a while and we just couldn’t believe that this was part of our adventure. It was our longest day in the car, but the time flew by.

Do you see the tiny town across the water in the picture above? Don’t let the snow fool you either, it was beautiful weather – in the mid 50’s. Once we headed northwest away from the water, we felt like we were driving on another planet. We were headed to the central part of the northern coast, so we cut through part of the highlands following the Ring Road. This is definitely the most barren and untouched part of the island. I was on the hunt for trolls.

Looking through these pictures takes me back. I would recommend traveling around the entire island to anyone that’s planning a trip there during the warmer months. It’s incredible seeing places that so many people never get to see. I think the wild, wild east is the best way to describe it. But replace cowboys with fisherman.

Have you ever visited somewhere that people don’t seem to go?