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Austurland offers a variety of family friendly experiences and activities. All family members should find something of interest while exploring Austurland and there are plenty of rest-stops along the way to stop and stretch, take in the scenery and breathe in the fresh air. Here are some suggestions that we feel will hit home with even the youngest family members.

Arboretum in Hallormsstaðar Forest
The Arboretum in Hallormsstaðaskógur Forest has about 80 species of trees and shrubs from all over the world, and the museum is unique in Iceland. It is best to enter the tree museum from the car park by the main road, where there are also toilet facilities, and follow the footpath through the museum. It is recommended to spend 2 to 3 hours exploring the museum and enjoying the outdoors. It is also ideal to bring a packed lunch, which is fun to eat by the river.
Stafdalur
Stafdalur ski resort in Seyðisfjörður is located near road nr 93 between Egilsstaðir and Seyðisfjörður. In the area are 3 skilifts and hills for all kind of skiers. Beginner’s lift is a rope lift 100 meters long and only open on weekends and holidays. Lift nr 1 is a tow lift 900 meters long and has 190 meters vertical drop. Lift nr 2 is a tow lift 700 meters long and has 160 meters vertical drop. Stafdalur has a nordic ski track which is about 5 km long. Ski and snowboard rental is on the area and a hut for all guests.
Tjarnargarðurinn Park
The Frisbee golfcourt is found in this recreationa area. Frisbees can be found at the camping site in Egilsstaðir. 
Selskógur
Selskógur the small forest on the eastern outskirts of Egilsstaðir, mainly consists of birch but also numerous rowans. Inviting woodchip trails of various lengths lure the wanderer to stroll through the peaceful surroundings.  A football field and a playground are among other recreational options in the area.
Álfkonusteinn Hiking Trail
Above the farm Bustarfell in Vopnafjörður stands a large rock called Álfkonusteinn (Elf Stone). It is relatively easy to walk from Bustarfell to the rock, and an interesting legend related to the stone. It claims that a district magistrate’s wife at Bustarfell was once led in her dreams by an elf into the stone. There she came to the aid of an elf-woman in childbirth, who paid for the assistance with a beautiful gold-plated cloth. The cloth is neatly made, exotic and unique in this country, and is now owned by the National Museum of Iceland.
Kárahnjúkar
The Power Plant at Kárahnjúkar is the largest construction project in Icelandic history and the most significant electricity production in the country. The Kárahnjúkar Power Plant was built to produce energy for the aluminum plant at Reyðarfjörður. A trip to Kárahnjúkar is an ideal road trip for the family. A paved road runs from Fljótsdalur to the Kárahnjúkar dam.  The Kárahnjúkar area is ideal for outdoor activities. It is fun to see the Kárahnjúkar Dam itself and the Hálslón Reservoir. When Hálslón fills up and overflows, the Hverfandi waterfall appears at the western end of the dam, where the water plunges about 100 meters into Hafrahvammahljúfur. The waterfall is mighty and can become more powerful than Dettifoss. There are also fun hiking trails in the area; for example, there is a great hiking trail along Hafrahvammagljúfur and to Magnahellir, but to get to the starting point of the marked hiking trail, you need a four-wheel-drive car. 
Kárahnjúkavirkjun
A large power plant has been built at Kárahnjúkar, to supply the aluminum plant in Reyðarfjörður with energy. The Kárahjúkar power plant is the largest construction project in Icelandic history and, at the same time, the most significant electricity production in the country.  A trip to Kárahnjúkar is an ideal road trip for the family. A paved road runs from Fljótsdalur to the Kárahnjúkar dam.  The Kárahnjúkar area is ideal for outdoor activities. It is fun to see the Kárahnjúkar Dam itself and the Hálslón Reservoir. When Hálslón fills up and overflows, the Hverfandi waterfall appears at the western end of the dam, where the water plunges about 100 meters into Hafrahvammahljúfur. The waterfall is mighty and can become more powerful than Dettifoss. There are also fun hiking trails in the area; for example, there is a great hiking trail along Hafrahvammagljúfur and to Magnahellir, but to get to the starting point of the marked hiking trail, you need a four-wheel-drive car.  
Tvísöngur Sound Sculpure
Tvísöngur sculpture, by artist Lukas Kühne, mixes concrete, nature, and sound to create an interactive tribute to Iceland’s unique tradition of five-tone harmony.  The installation piece looks like a grouping of interconnected cement bubbles from afar. Up close the five segments are quite large, ranging from roughly 6 to 12 feet tall and can be entered via rounded arches built into the walls. Once inside the stark industrial domes, visitors will find that they have each been designed to resonate at different harmonies as the wind blowing in off the cliff rushes through the openings. The collective effect is almost as though the wind itself is playing a giant instrument. The five chambers of the piece are meant to recall the Icelandic musical tradition of quintal harmony, with each dome reflecting a tone in the tradition. Juxtaposed with the serene and stark surroundings, it seems as though Iceland itself is creating the music. Tvísöngur is a permanent work and is meant to keep the country’s musical traditions alive, which is not an easy thing to do simply with concrete.
Þvottaá
The farm Þvottá is the southernmost farm in Álftafjörður. Around the year 1000 the renowned Saga personality Hallur Þorsteinsson, or Síðu-Hallur, lived there. He received the priest and missionary Þangbrandur, who spent the winter with him. Síðu-Hallur and his whole household were baptized in the river by the farm and since then it was named River Þvottá (The Wash River). The farm gets its freshwater supplies from the so-called Þangbrandur Well, where the missionary probably held services at St. Michael’s Mass with the people of Þvottá attending the day before they were baptized. A ruin by the well was declared inviolate. Þvottá was a church site until 1754 and a parsonage for a long time. The old cemetery is still visible. Mt Mælifell (487m) is closer to the sea and north of it are Sellönd (Summer Pastures). The whole area is rather colourful because of the rhyolite intrusions and quite a few basaltic dykes decorate the landscape. These formations were created by the ancient and extinct central volcano, which has now mostly disappeared under the Álftafjörður Bay. Traces of several minerals were discovered in the area, gold, platinum etc. By Þvottaá, there is a monument to the adoption of Christianity and the area is vell suited for outdoor activities. 
Turf Houses by Hjarðarhagi
The old sheep houses by Hjarðarhagi are the remains of a six-house cluster, but the other houses were removed around 1970 due to proximity to the ring road. Today, these remaining houses have been renovated in their original form. The houses were in use until 1980 and are called Efstahús and Miðhús.
Hólmanes
Between Reyðarfjörður and Eskifjörður you can visit the Nature reserve Hólmanes. This is an ideal place to enjoy a good walk either down to the sea or up the hills. Birds and remarkable rock formations can be enjoyed in Hólmanes. With luck, you could stumble upon a herd of reindeers. Powered by Wikiloc
Horseback Riding
Íslenski hesturinn er uppáhald margra og þekktur víða um heim sem fyrirtaks fararskjóti. Víðsvegar um Austurland eru hestaleigur þar sem boðið er upp á lengri og skemmri ferðir og þær sniðnar að þörfum hvers og eins. Það er einstök og öðruvísi upplifun að njóta austfirskrar náttúru af hestbaki.
Héraðssandur
Sænautasel
The farm of Sænautasel, situated up in the highland of Jökuldalsheiði, was inhabited from 1843-1943. In the years 1875-1880, however, it was left abandoned as a result of the lavish ashfall emanating from volcano Askja during an 1875 eruption.   Rumour has it that the farm served as a model for "Independent People", the most popular novel of Iceland's only Nobel Prize winner, Halldór Laxness. Now rebuilt, the interior and exterior of the turf buildings are open to visitors during the summer. Guided tours help reveal the conditions of earlier Icelandic generations. Refreshments in traditional style are offered in the summer time.  
Hafnarhús
At Hafnarhólmi in Borgarfjörður eystri a new, magnificent building was unveiled in 2020. Not only had there been a lack of facilities for fishermen and other dock workers of Borgarfjörður harbor - but also for the enormous number of tourists who make their way to the puffin nesting ground in Hafnarhólmi each year. The municipality, therefore, decided to host a design competition in collaboration with the Association of Icelandic Architects for the construction of a new facility in the area. The winning submission came from Anderson & Sigurdsson architects. The house is plain and fits well in with the surroundings, but still is an attraction in itself and catches the eye of everyone who visits the area.
Eggin í Gleðivík - The Eggs in Merry bay
Eggin í Gleðivík (the eggs in Merry is an outdoor artwork by artist Sigurður Guðmundsson (b. 1942). The artwork has 34 replicas of eggs of nesting birds that nest in the vicinity of Djúpivogur and reflects the strong connection that Djúpivogur has with nature. The work is especially for the site. The eggs stand on concrete pillars that previously supported a landing pipe between the pier and the smelter. Eggin í Gleðivík are a popular tourist attraction and has become one of Djúpivogur's landmarks.
Búðará Canyon and Waterfall
BÚÐARÁRGIL AND BÚÐARÁR FOSS  A BEAUTIFUL WALKING PATH FROM THE CENTER OF REYDRAFJÖRÐUR  Búðarárfoss can be found above Reyðarfjörður. The waterfall is full of water and falls down Búðarkletta, the river flows down through the center of the urban area of Reyðarfjörður. A pleasant footpath up the Búðarárgil, from the city center up the Búðar river. The route leads i.a. past the Icelandic War Years Museum. The camp cliffs are very majestic as they are maintained, rock pigeons (Colombia livia) have their abode there, there is also a common raven (Corvus corax) and down in the moor there are quite a lot of stilts (Oenanathe oenanthe), mouse shrike (Troglodytes troglodytes) and snow tit ( Plectrophenaxnivalis). Soon after, you come to Búðarárfoss and above it is the Reyðarfjörður Electricity Dam. The electricity supply was established with the joint effort of the townspeople in 1930. Even higher is Svínadalur. 
Páskahellir Cave
Páskahellir is a small cave by the seaside of Neskaupstaður Nature Reserve, with pillow lava and rock tunnels. You can also find holes that were probably formed by prehistoric trees. A forest that used to grow here was most likely destroyed by lava around 12 million years ago. After that, erosion by the sea formed the cave itself. Legend has it that by visiting Páskahellir on Easter morning, you can see the sun dancing over the ocean waves when rising. The name Páskahellir can easily be seen as a result of this folklore. The walk from the entrance of the Nature Reserve to the site is about 10 to 15 min. Wooden stairs lead down from the walking path down to the cave, but please note that climbing down can be tricky and must be done with caution.
Helgustaðanáma Hiking Trail
The Iceland spar mine in Helgustaðaland can be found on the way from Eskifjörður to Vöðlavík, and a footpath leads to it. Helgustaðanáma is an old Iceland spar mine in the land of Helgustaðir in Eskifjörður, which was protected as a natural monument in 1975. Helgustaðanáma is one of the most famous spar mines in the world, where spar was excavated from the ground from the 17th century until the first half of the 20th century. Most of the Iceland spar in museums around the world comes from the mine at Helgustaðir, but some of the largest and purest specimens of spar in the world were found in Helgustaðanáma. Iceland spar is a particularly clear crystal of the rock calcite, but the rock played a vital role in developing various studies on the properties of light. Today the Iceland spar is protected, and it is strictly forbidden to remove it from Helgustaðanáma.