East Iceland

Austurland sees the fewest tourists of any Icelandic region, partly because it is farthest from Reykjavík — most people fly into Egilsstaðir (about an hour from the capital) rather than drive. The town of roughly 2,500 sits in a broad valley at the head of Lagarfljót, a long glacial lake said to hide a serpent. Just inland is Hallormsstaður, the country's largest forest and its first protected woodland, with 40-plus km of trails; across the lake, a two-hour hike leads to Hengifoss, one of Iceland's tallest waterfalls. The signature drive is over the pass to Seyðisfjörður, an old trading port turned arts town with clapboard houses, a Norwegian-era heritage and the Smyril Line ferry to Europe. Wild reindeer, introduced in the 18th century, graze the eastern highlands and are most visible in autumn and winter.