Egilsstaðir: the lake monster of Iceland's eastern fjords

The Lagarfljót Lake, according to local legend, harbors a serpent-like monster first documented in written records as early as the fourteenth century.

Just minutes away, Hallormsstaður Forest, Iceland's largest despite the country's tree scarcity, offers hiking trails unusual for the Icelandic landscape.

Moving toward the eastern fjords you reach colorful fishing villages nestled between mountains that plunge steeply into the sea.

In the evening, wild reindeer, unique to Iceland and introduced by Norwegians in the eighteenth century, graze near Egilsstaðir during winter.

The Lagarfljót monster, first documented in an Icelandic chronicle from 1345, remains one of the world's oldest lake monster legends, preceding Scotland's Loch Ness account by centuries.

Iceland's reindeer, introduced by Norwegians in the eighteenth century for herding, survive today only in the wild in the eastern region around Egilsstaðir, the only ones in the entire country and observable during guided winter excursions.