Three Days in Iceland’s Eastfjords: Choose Between Puffins, Hiking and Boat Trips

ICENAVI · EASTFJORDS 3 DAYS MAP Four locations, three practical days

Egilsstaðir Supplies/Vök Baths Seyðisfjörður Harbour/RIB Borgarfjörður eystri Route 94/Puffins Hafnarhólmi Birdwatching platform

Arrange the three days around your entry point, not a checklist of sights

From Mývatn in the north, Route 1 to Egilsstaðir is about 165 km and usually takes two and a half to three and a half hours, depending on stops and road conditions. From Höfn (pronounced roughly “HUPN”) in the south, the drive north to Egilsstaðir on Route 1 is about 250 km and commonly takes three to four hours. Arrival day also includes check-in, fuel, breakfast shopping and a weather check, so it should not carry another remote fjord.

Egilsstaðir’s job is to make tomorrow optional: supermarkets, fuel, medical services and Vök Baths are concentrated here. Route 93 to Seyðisfjörður is about 27 km, while Route 94 to Bakkagerði is about 70 km. Ask here about the next day’s meeting time, cancellation deadline and road status; one night buys you decision space for the rest of the three-day plan.

Day one: supplies, the lakeside and an evening you can cancel

If you arrive in the afternoon, complete two practical jobs first: put breakfast, water and lunch for the next day in the car, then check when the road authority’s information was last updated. In settled weather, Vök Baths works well as a finish. Its official hours and entry rules change by season, so leave enough time to drive back to the hotel before booking. If the wind rises, drop Vök and protect day two with dinner and an early night.

For accommodation, choose an Egilsstaðir room with parking, flexible cancellation and an early breakfast rather than paying a premium only for a lake view. Move to Seyðisfjörður only once the boat trip on day two is confirmed. Compare Seyðisfjörður and Egilsstaðir accommodation, then use Lake Hotel Egilsstaðir to check room type, breakfast and whether the spa fits the plan.

Day two: Seyðisfjörður village and a RIB boat, or puffins via Route 94

The most important split in a three-day version comes on day two. Seyðisfjörður has Rainbow Street, the blue church, the harbour and a short waterfall trail, all close together in the village. When the RIB has a fixed meeting time, stay by the harbour the night before so you do not have to cross Fjarðarheiði after the trip. Wind and sea spray will wet your clothes; allow at least an hour and a half for returning to your room, showering and dinner.

The other branch follows Route 94 into Borgarfjörður eystri and Bakkagerði. Egilsstaðir to the village is about 70 km, commonly around an hour and a half each way in summer; roadworks, slow vehicles and low cloud require more time. The puffin-watching platform at Hafnarhólmi is close, but puffins are seasonal: mid-April to mid-August is the stronger window, and after August you cannot plan around a photograph. For more detail, see the Borgarfjörður eystri guide; if birds are the only aim, the harbour and a village walk are enough.

Day three: give the full daylight window to the trail

The landforms around Stórurð and Dyrfjöll are compelling, but this is not a quick roadside photo stop. Meltwater, mud, wind and cloud base affect the trail, and the return can take anything from several hours to most of a day. Check local trail information before leaving, and carry grippy shoes, dry clothes, water and an offline map. Treat returning to your accommodation before dark as the boundary, rather than treating the final viewpoint as a milestone you must reach.

If you saw the puffins on day two, choose a shorter Víknaslóðir entrance, a coastal walk or village art on day three, then return to Egilsstaðir in the afternoon. Returning from Bakkagerði to Route 1 means retracing Route 94 and commonly takes one and a half to two hours. If the next day means whale watching around Mývatn or catching an activity, an Egilsstaðir base for the final night reduces morning pressure. See the first morning when travelling from the Eastfjords into the north for this trade-off.

The month changes the shape of a three-day plan

June to August brings very long daylight, so put puffins in the evening and hiking in the morning. In September, daylight contracts and Routes 94 and the trails need an earlier finish. May can bring snow and mud; puffin season is just starting, and boat trips may not run every day. After October, do not copy a summer three-day plan: use villages, supplies and Route 1 as the main structure, adding fjord branches only when they are open that day.

Eastfjords weather is often local. Egilsstaðir can be clear while Fjarðarheiði is foggy; a calm harbour does not rule out a cancelled offshore trip. Before breakfast each day, check the Icelandic Met Office, Umferðin and SafeTravel, and record “forecast looks workable” separately from “the road is open”. Check each activity’s refund and rescheduling terms; a seasonal date on a ticket page does not guarantee that it will run on your day.

Choose accommodation by the activity meeting point, not the photograph

Egilsstaðir suits travellers who need supermarkets, fuel and access to the northern and southern exits the next day. Seyðisfjörður suits harbour activities and an evening in the village. Borgarfjörður eystri suits two days of puffins and hiking. One base for every night saves a luggage move but repeats the pass drive on Route 93 or 94. Two nights by the coast followed by a final inland night is generally easier to manage than three different villages when delays appear.

As a rough summer range, start with 18,000–35,000 ISK per person per night for a double room, then add breakfast, parking, activities, fuel and dinner. Weekends with events such as Bræðslan or an ultramarathon can change availability and prices early. When checking campervan and hotel costs, include showers, wet clothes, electricity and late-arrival reception; a cheaper campsite does not remove the cost of moving on.

What to cut first when the three-day plan tightens

When weather worsens, cut the remote Mjóifjörður branch first, then high viewpoints, keeping any paid activity that is close to your accommodation. If the boat is cancelled, do not immediately drive after another fjord. Stay in Seyðisfjörður for the harbour, museum and pool, or return to Egilsstaðir for supplies, and decide again the next day. If mud or snow makes the trail unsuitable, use a short village route and save your energy for the return drive.

If someone in the group is travelling with children, has knee problems or dislikes boats, replace the RIB with a slow village day; there is no reason to add risk for the sake of having three highlights. If photography matters most, leaving one dawn open is more useful than adding another waterfall. If puffins are the priority, staying near Hafnarhólmi is more direct than adding another night in Egilsstaðir.

Separate activities that can move by a day from trails that need a full daylight window

Write down four time boundaries before you leave

1. What is the latest departure time from your accommodation if you are not to drive Routes 93/94 in the dark?
2. If the RIB is cancelled or Stórurð is closed, which activity can replace it that day?
3. Where is the last settlement where you can buy a proper meal, fuel and water?
4. Are you heading to Mývatn, Höfn or the East Iceland airport next day, and which exit should your accommodation serve?

Once these four answers are written down, three days in the Eastfjords stop being a wish list in which every name must fit. Put the Seyðisfjörður boat, Borgarfjörður puffins or Stórurð trail in the lead and let weather and energy decide the rest. For more base options, see the Eastfjords destination hub and the two-day version; make the final call by nights, not by the number of sights.

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