Date of trip: July 3rd – 9th, 2021
We did this trip last minute when the country had just opened for tourism after Covid. We had planned to go to Alaska those dates but it was the time when there was no rental cars available in the US so we found a great deal to Iceland and went for it! We did not plan anything in advance and decided just to rent a van and camp along the ring road. Unfortunately we did miss our connection and had one less day than planned but at least we did not have a set itinerary that was impacted.
A few general recommendations before I get into the itinerary:
Timezone: We went during the summer when it was daylight nearly 24 hours per day. We opted to stay on eastern time which was very helpful in avoiding jet-lag and crowds but we had to plan ahead a bit for food stops etc. Going during covid we did not do many touristy tours or activities due to timing or restrictions.
Attire: You’ll need comfortable, athletic type clothing only. Wind and rain gear are definitely necessary. I took 5 pair of thick athletic leggings and that was primarily what I wore. I had one pair of thin hiking pants but they really weren’t warm enough on most days. I recommend taking rain pants to throw over leggings. I used them several times for both wind and rain. I had a lightweight columbia rain proof jacket, a patagonia puffer and then an oversized carhartt rainproof parka. All my clothes were quick dry athletic gear. I took an athletic quick dry northface scarf and two beanies. Two baseball hats which I always take to keep rain out of my face and eyes. If you look at the actual temperature you think it’s warmer than it felt. But with the wind and rain, we were really cold most of the time. Then weirdly hot one day when it was sunny. I took flip flops for showering, duck boots for casual walking and rainproof hiking boots. I didn’t take any cute outfits at all. Dont forget your wool socks!
Packing necessities for van travel: Camping towels. We needed them for showering and campsite stuff but also we used them just to dry off after downpours. So even if you’re doing hotels I think they’d come in handy. Be prepared to be soaked and need to rotate clothes. We also used our towels at the lagoon we went to bc they charge like $20 a towel. I packed some ziplock bags of a few sizes which I used for food, keeping electronics dry and also for carrying dry clothes around. Reusable grocery bags are useful as well.
Driving necessities: The van required a cigarette plug charger for the car with the non-lightning cables. You’ll need to purchase gas gift cards at a gas station while there. Everyone warned me about this and it was true. American cards didn’t work at the pay at the pump gas stations because we aren’t issued pins. Someone said a bank card with a pin would work but it did not for us. The times when gas stations were actually open (the ones in rural areas close early), we bought pre-paid gas cards to use when they were closed.
Miscellaneous: The gnats were insane at a bunch of places. Like 1000s swarming you at all times even in the rain. Someone told us about it and they bought face nets but I was like that’s dumb. Till I got there and ate a meal’s worth of gnats. Make sure you pay attention to road closures. I’ve linked a website you can check live updates on road conditions.
https://safe.is/driving-conditions/
Van: We used GoCampers Iceland and I highly recommend them. Great support, helpful advice. We did get the full insurance as damage to vehicles is common in Iceland due to the wind. We did not have “F” road access which means there were certain roads we could not travel (which was abundantly clear as we were driving). We took a yeti cooler as a carryon and so glad we did because the refrigerator in the van stopped working (which actually led to me getting food poisoning one night). The van came equipped with a heater, hot-plate and a French press for coffee and a sink. We rented linens and some camping chairs from the company. We did bring extra pillows and sleeping bags for warmth.
Reality of how the van looked most of the time
Campsites: We did not plan any campsites in advance and so glad we left this part flexible. I drew a map ahead of time and used a blog as a guide but we adapted based on recommendations or just places we stumbled into. Last minute campsites were not a problem. You can either pay online or a ranger will eventually come to obtain payment if you get there too late (most of the spots where locals visit were like this). You do need ISK currency for hot showers. We never got any coins so we took a lot of cold showers until visiting a spa.
I used this blog as a rough guide but not all our sites were listed.
13 Best Campsites In Iceland | What Do You Sea
Expenses: We did not eat at restaurants due to timing so food was not expensive. Netto grocery stores were well-priced and had everything I needed, LaMarca included (and cheaper than my local grocery store). We drove the whole ring road and spent $250/300 on gas. Some people said expect to pay $700 but it wasn’t that way for us. Campsites were very reasonable, at most $30 per night. The van for 7 days cost $1465.
This was the sketch I did prior to the trip to organize campsites and recommendations. I actually ended up pulling it out often to guide our next stops.
Itinerary
Day 1: After several travel mishaps, we landed in Reykjavic around 10am and on the road by 11am. We stopped in Reykjavik center for groceries at Netto then hit the road (I will say after the difficult trip, I had to be convinced not to take a nap in the grocery store parking lot). Drive time was 58 minutes to our first stop at Fagradalsfjall Volcano. We were lucky because the volcano was erupting so we decided to do the volcano hike. I’ve linked it below. Parking was easy but the hike was pretty difficult, climbing 1500 feet up loose rocks to the volcano viewing. Due to active flow, rangers directed traffic for safety.
FaFagradalsfjall Volcano Route C on AllTrails
Next we headed to the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss and Gljufrabui. (1 hr 50 minute drive time) There was plenty of parking and the trails are easy to follow. You will get soaking wet due to mists from the falls but the views are well worth it.
https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/seljalandsfoss
Just driving in Iceland, the scenery is outstanding. I’ve included some pictures from along the route.
From the waterfalls we stopped at Reynisfjara Beach to stretch our legs and check out the basalt columns (1 hour drive time from Seljalandsfoss).
We decided to try to make it to a campsite near Vik based on a recommendation from the van company. It was a 1 hour drive from Reynisfjara beach. You will drive through Vik then into the mountains. The drive was stunning and I’ve included some photos. It is difficult to enter Pakgil into google maps due to the difference in characters, but I’ve linked it below. You can also enter “Thakgil campsite”.
Thakgil Campsite – Happy Campers
This was the coolest campsite. It was the one site where we had warm water for a shower for once. The views were astounding, you camp in the valley between two mountains. We were one of the only people there and most seemed to be locals.
Day 2: We did a hike that the ranger there suggested to the top of a glacier. I’ve linked the two all trails hikes that seem to go the route but we just used a paper map from the ranger station (and almost got lost in a white out). The trailhead was at the campsite. The views all the way were other-worldly. We got confused on one of the ascents but luckily the ranger was watching and just hopped up 500 feet to show us the way :).
Þakgil: Remundargil – Vatnsrásarhöfuð on AllTrails
Þakgil – Full Guide + Best Hiking Trails 2024
Þakgil – Mælifell on AllTrails
This is where the ranger had to save us. He kept telling us just to “trust the moss”
Walking on the glacier
After the hike, we hit the ring road on our way to our next campsite near Hofn.
First stop was the Yoda Cave- Gígjagjá (50 minute drive time). It was a nice beach and you can walk inside the cave (which indeed looks like yoda).
From Yoda cave, we drove to see Diamond Beach and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon (2 hour 15 minute drive time).
From the lagoon, we drove to our campsite near Hofn. I’ve linked the campsite below:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/p6Rxa6GaoEvSCzuL7?g_st=ic
We were barely at this campsite, but it was comfortable and convenient. But this is also where we first learned we would be taking cold campsite showers without ISK coins.
View from nearby the campsite ⬆️
Day 3: We hit the road early and our first stop was Stokksnes peninsula with Vestrahorn mountain range. There is a short trail with stunning reflections of the mountains. There is also a movie-set from an old viking movie you can check out. There is a little cafe and you pay a small fee to walk around as it is private property.
Stokksnes Travel Guide | Guide to Iceland
We had planned to find a campsite near Egilsstadir so google maps sent us off the ring road from Vestrahorn and although the drive was a little scary, we stumbled into the most beautiful waterfall hike (1 hr 45 minutes from Vestrahorn).
Here are the coordinates of the waterfall.
64.80413° N, 14.55944° W
It looks to be called Snaedalsfoss waterfall.
Views along the road ⬆️
From here, we went to Egilsstadir to a campsite we planned to use for the evening but when we got there, it was essentially a nice urban parking lot so we grabbed a pizza from Askur Pizzeria in town and hit the road. We ended up stumbling into Logurinn Lake (Lagarfljot) and Hallormsstadur campsite. I’ve linked these below. Highly recommend this serene spot! The legend has it that this lake has the Lagarfljot Worm, a monster similar to the Loch Ness monster. The water is milky due to sediment and makes for a very unique sunset spot.
Lagarfljót Travel Guide | Guide to Iceland
https://www.iceland-dream.com/guide/east/lagarfljot-logurinn-lake
Day 4: We left our campsite and headed to our first hike to Hengifoss waterfall just around the north side of the lake. I’ve linked the AllTrails below. It took us around an hour and a half for a 3.2 mile out and back trail to the waterfall. This was the only time I was hot the whole trip. If you have more time, I suggest hitting the fjords near Egilsstadir to view all the puffins. We missed that and I regret it.
Hengifoss via Litlanesfoss on AllTrails
From hengifoss trailhead, we drove to Studlagil Canyon (1 hour 20 minute drive time). This area claims to have the largest number of basalt columns in Iceland, and with the turquoise waters, makes for beautiful scenery. Because we were there during Covid, we were essentially alone but I’ve read where now you should go very early to avoid thick crowds.
https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/studlagil-canyon-iceland
This is a 6 mile relatively easy out and back trail with views of the columns and also a waterfall. Make sure you park at the second parking lot which shaves off the boring part of the hike just along the gravel road and saves quite a bit of time. We did the long route unfortunately but others mentioned the short route was only slightly over 3 miles. This is the trail with the worst of the gnats. So if you opt to buy a face next, don’t forget it here.
Studlafoss waterfall near the start of the hike ⬆️
Stuðlagil Canyon on AllTrails
From Studlagil Canyon, we made our way to Dettifoss and Selfoss waterfalls (1 hour 40 minute drive time).
Views from the drive ⬇️
There is a two mile out and back trail with viewpoints of both waterfalls. It’s a pretty easy walk but you will get soaking wet. I was thankful I wore my waterproof parka.
Just to give an idea of necessary attire ⬆️
Dettifoss Waterfall – East Side on AllTrails
After the waterfalls we made our way to the next campsite at Asbyrgi campground (30 minute drive). This was another amazing campsite with views of “The Wall” from Game of Thrones.
Ásbyrgi campground
This was the evening I had food poisoning (you cannot in fact eat hummus that has been in a cooler 5 days). I’ll attest that the bathrooms were very nice and convenient.
Day 5: We took the morning slowly since I had been so sick. We wandered around the campsite and imagined we were in Game of Thrones defending the wall. There were a few miles of easy trails you could stroll.
Once I was feeling better we took off for Viti Crater (1 hour drive time). You park and take a short walk up the crater for views of the vibrant lake. Gnats were horrible here as well. We used our surgical plane masks here but they weren’t gnat proof enough.
Viti Crater Lake on AllTrails
Then we did this nearby 2.7 mile lava field hike with lots of sheep on the trail.
Krafla on AllTrails
From the Krafla hike, we drove 15 minutes to our next Game of Thrones set location: Grjótagjá cave. It’s beautiful geothermal hot spring cave in the middle of a volcanic field. Parking lot was right there and quite easy to navigate.
View from above ⬆️
https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/grjotagja
I found more information here:
https://icelandtravelguide.is/locations/grjotagja/
After the cave, we decided we finally deserved a hot shower and headed to the Myvatn Nature Baths. You have to experience a spa in Iceland. Most people do the Blue Lagoon but since we had the van we decided to go off the tourist path and try out Myvatn. The scenery from the pool was gorgeous and very relaxing. I’ve linked the website. Make sure you bring your own towel to avoid an extra fee.
Myvatn Nature Baths | Geothermal Baths Iceland
After the spa, we headed toward Godafoss Waterfall (45 minute drive).
Scenery along the drive ⬇️
Once you park at Godafoss, can see the view almost immediately or you can complete a 1.7 mile hike around the falls.
Goðafoss Waterfall on AllTrails
Notice the rainbow!
After the falls, we started toward our next campsite I found on the GoCampers map which was a 3 hour 30 minute drive from the falls. It’s called Illugastadir Campground. We were the only ones there and it looked to be private property but we found a sign welcoming campers and a way to pay for the site.
It was one of the most beautiful campsites. We slept on a cliff overlooking the sea on the Vatsnes peninsula.
Illugastaðir farm campground – Iceland The Beautiful
Day 6: The Vatsnes peninsula is famous for seal watching so we walked along the coast near the campsite and managed to see a few seals (poorly pictured below from my iPhone 12).
After leaving the peninsula, we started the long drive back to Reykjavik (3 hours).
Upon arriving to Reykjavik we walked around the city and headed to our last campsite in town to clean up and prepare for the flight home. The Reykjavik Eco campsite had very nice showers, kitchen, dining area and laundry.
Visual representation of the 6 days of driving.
Given our abbreviated trip and missed connection, there are things we missed like Thingvellir national park and the west peninsulas. Also due to covid we really did not do many of the cities or towns along the drive, or of course organized tours. When I built a trip for my mom I made sure to include those things in her itinerary. She did a great tour via airbnb called the funky Iceland history tour I’ve linked below.
https://www.airbnb.com/slink/QcOrGmtF
If you added those to the itinerary I’d say you need 3 more days and I would probably recommend starting with Thingvellir then completing the ring road then maybe ending with the Snaefellsnes peninsula. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help with your trip!
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