Iceland’s easternmost region is the stuff of legend and myth. It’s thought that the Romans may have ventured to its wild climbs in antiquity, searching for the fabled Greek outer world of Thule. If they did, then it’s likely that they weren’t disappointed and arrived just as awestruck as first-time visitors do todayas they drifted in through the ferry ports of Seyoisfjorour or the tiny runways of Egilsstaðir. Here they would find themselves amidst the looming volcanic giants of the Baroarbunga system (where hiking routes and lava pools abound), the jagged peaks of the Vatnsnes Peninsula (where marine wildlife-spotting is at its finest), and the soaring ridges of the mighty Hvannadalshnukur summit (the highest in the entire country).

Your East Iceland tour guide will point out the striking way the region meets the chilly northern Atlantic—rising dramatically from the water in fjords of ice and carved rock, forming the rugged Seyðisfjörður and Hornafjorour valleys along the way. Further inland, the primeval landscapes of Vatnajökull National Park dominate the backcountry, throwing up superlative wonders aplenty, from the powerful Dettifoss cataracts to the colossal reaches of the park’s eponymous glacier-the largest on the entire continent. And then there are the quaint fishing villages that dot this picturesque terrain, with earthy fish restaurants and local craft stores.