Neskaupstaður, the easternmost town in Iceland, is more picturesque and remote than Reyðarfjörður and Eskifjörður, and its surrounding coastline is full of wonderful bird cliffs, sea caves, inlets, and pebble beaches. Fjarðaferðir Ocean Adventure (tel. 864-7410; www.fjardaferdir.is) offers sightseeing and sea-angling tours, while Kayakklúbburinn Kaj (tel. 863-9939; www.123.is/kaj) leads kayak trips.
As with all the Eastfjords, peninsular hiking trails offer great coastal scenery. A good hiking map with trail descriptions in English is Gönguleiðir á Fjarðaslóðum, number II in the Gönguleiðir á Austurlandi series.
If you have a strong flashlight and pass near Eskifjörður, consider poking around Helgustaðanáma, an abandoned spar quarry. Iceland spar, a type of calcite that can be cut along different planes to make light prisms, has been used in everything from microscopes to machines studying the emission of light from atoms. The shaft is 80m-long (62 ft.), and the calcites shimmer in the light. (Taking anything is illegal.) To get there from Eskifjörður, take the gravel road east of town along the coast. After 9km (5 1/2 miles), a sign for Helgustaðir, and a marked trailhead, park at the informational sign about the quarry and walk 10 minutes uphill.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
