Eyjan

North Iceland


Eyjan is an island-like mesa covered with low, scrubby forests and small ponds.You can walk a 7km trail around Eyjan from Karl og Kerling to Vesturdalur. From Karl og Kerling, follow the river south to Kallbjarg, then turn west along the track to the abandoned site of Svínadalur, where the canyon widens into a broad valley, and follow the western base of the Eyjan cliffs back to the Vesturdalur parking area.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby North Iceland attractions

1. Karl og Kerling

0.66 MILES

Karl og Kerling (‘Old Man’ and ‘Old Woman’), two rock pillars, believed to be petrified trolls, stand on a gravel bank west of the river, a 2km return…

2. Hljóðaklettar

0.69 MILES

The bizarre swirls, spirals, rosettes, honeycombs and basalt columns at Hljóðaklettar (Echo Rocks) are a highlight of any hike around Vesturdalur and a…

3. Rauðhólar

1.62 MILES

The Rauðhólar (Red Hills) crater row, just north of Hljóðaklettar, displays a vivid array of colours in the cinder-like gravel on the remaining cones. The…

4. Gjástykki

8.16 MILES

This remote rift zone at the northernmost end of the Krafla fissure swarm was the source of the first eruptions in 1724, and was activated when…

5. Víti

15.72 MILES

The ochre crater of Víti reveals a secret when you reach its rim – a cerulean pool of floodwater at its heart. The 300m-wide explosion crater was created…

6. Leirhnjúkur

15.94 MILES

Krafla’s most impressive, and potentially most dangerous, attraction is the Leirhnjúkur crater and its solfataras, which originally appeared in 1727,…

7. Krafla Power Station

16.85 MILES

The idea of constructing a geothermal power station at Krafla was conceived in 1973, and preliminary work commenced with the drilling of holes to…

8. Hverir

21.17 MILES

The magical, ochre-toned world of Hverir (also called Hverarönd) is a lunar-like landscape of mud cauldrons, steaming vents, radiant mineral deposits and…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "iceland/vesturdalur/attractions/eyjan/a/poi-sig/1500211/1325584",
      "destination": "North-Iceland",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Iceland",
      "region": "North-Iceland",
      "position": "superzone"
    }