Iceland: Ring Road
Trip dates May 20th, 2022 -May 29th, 2022
Things to note:
We flew from Chicago because it was much cheaper and we took a red eye hoping to sleep on the plane. That means we had 8 full days in Iceland.
In May, it never got fully dark. Being from the Midwest, this was difficult to get used to. We would find ourselves hiking at 9:30pm without even realizing it. We often had to remind ourselves to stop and actually find a place to sleep for the night even though the sun was still out. That being said, with the time change and constant sunlight, we did not get much sleep on this trip.
People say the weather can change in seconds there. We were very lucky and only experienced this once but it is very real so be prepared! One sunny hike it randomly started hailing for about 5 minutes and then stopped. It was strange, but could have been worse.
We rented a camper van from Campervan Iceland. There was 3 of us- my husband, our friend, and myself. The top of the van popped up forming a bed and the seats in the back laid flat making another bed. Our van had internet, GPS, a stove, fridge, and generator. However, most campsites had hook ups where we would plug in and not have to worry about the battery. The van came equipped with some basics, but they offered rentals for sleeping bags, chairs, etc. We found it cheaper to bring a checked bag with the stuff we already had at home rather than renting this gear. We’re not ultralight campers though, so weight is something else to consider. Oh, and Bryce really wanted to remind everyone to take videos/pictures of any rentals before you start your journey. This saved us big-time when we returned the van. Damage from rocks and wind is very common so it’s wise to have proof of previous damage.
All of the campsites are on a first come, first served basis which freaked me out since I am such a planner. Luckily, we had no issues and always found a spot. The campsites were very trusting. We would often get there after hours and would be greeted with a sign to pay in the morning, which of course we did. I do not think we had one nasty campground bathroom. All of them were very nice, some like a hotel bathroom which was shocking! You did have to pay for most showers, so you will need to exchange cash at the airport or your bank.
Sadly, I did not write down any restaurants we went to. We ate a lot of camp food since we were camping, but when we did eat out, we would just pick places at random and read reviews online. A lot of towns were small and you only had one option. Almost every town had a bakery (bakari) which had pastries and sandwiches.
There were SO MANY free natural hot springs! I didn’t write all of these down, but we would look them up each day to see if any were close by. I think we found one almost everyday. Using the term “hot pot” helped us find more when searching online.
The people of Iceland were so friendly. Almost everyone spoke English so it was not a challenge navigating, even though the names of places were so daunting. However, you will quickly learn “foss” means waterfall.
Iceland is such a magical place and I would love to go back in the winter to experience the northern lights.
Our Itinerary
Day 1:
1. Start at Keflavík Airport and pick up van
2. Fagradalsfjall, Iceland
Volcano hike- this volcano has been very active since 2021
3. Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River- Reykjadalur, Iceland
Free thermal river you can get in. They have places to “change”, but you are exposed. Nudity in Iceland is much more accepted, which can be awkward for us modest Americans.
4. Skógafoss, Iceland/ Kvernufoss Waterfall- Evindarhólar, Iceland
These are 2 waterfalls that are down the road from each other. Skógafoss was by a campground, which is where we stayed for our first night.
Day 2:
1. Sólheimasandur, Iceland
Plane Crash Hike- This was kind of a boring hike down a long gravel road where you can actually walk around in the plane. There was a van taking people to the site, but I’m not sure how much it cost.
2. Loftsalahellir Cave- Dyrhólavegur, Iceland
Yoda Cave- When you get inside the cave, and look out to the ocean, it looks like Yoda!
3. Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon- (QRGF+QHJ) Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland
2 mile hike with beautiful glacier blue water and green moss on the canyon walls
4. Svartifoss- Skaftafell, Iceland
Waterfall with black columnar basalt formations around it
5. Fjallsárlón, Iceland
Glacier lake, neighbor to Jökulsárlón!
6. Jökulsárlón, Iceland
Glacier lagoon- We saw sooooo many seals here. It was very entertaining.
5. Diamond Beach
This is across the road from the glacier lagoon. It’s a black sand beach with ice chunks that look like glass.
6. Vestrahorn Camping- Stokksnes, Iceland
We stopped here for the night. In the morning we went to a cafe they had and explored a little Viking village on their property.
Day 3:
1. Djúpivogur
Town in Iceland with cute homes. We stopped for lunch here.
2. Seydisfjordur, Iceland
Small town with that has the rainbow road and cool murals painted on buildings. We went to a few local shops here as well.
3. Gufufoss
Large waterfall right outside of Seydisfjordur
4. Rjúkandafoss
Short hike to a waterfall
5. Camped at Egilsstadir and Egilsstadastofa Visitor Center- Egilsstadir, Iceland
Day 4:
1. Stuðlagil Waterfall and Canyon- Egilsstadir, Iceland
Canyon- We hiked to the canyon, but I believe there is a way to drive to it. It felt odd because we were hiking on someone’s farm. However, that was the path and the trail was fairly busy.
2. Dettifoss
Second most powerful waterfall in Europe!
3. Hverir- (J5RR+978) Reykjahlíð, Iceland
Geothermal spot- It smells like sulfur, but was very neat!
4. Mývatn Nature Baths
Similar to Blue Lagoon just less crowded and cheaper. Definitely worth a visit.
5. Stayed at Hlíð ferðaþjónusta Campgrounds for the night.
Day 5:
1. Grótagjá- (J4G8+FQW) Reykjahlíð, Iceland
Geothermal cave- This is a Game of Thrones film spot. They wouldn’t allow people to swim in it because the water was too hot. I don’t think Jon Snow would say that was the hottest part, though…
2. Lake Mývatn and Skútustadagrig pseudo craters- (848) Reykjahlíð, Iceland
Volcanic lake with craters that were created by steam which is unusual
3. Goðafoss Waterfall, Iceland
Waterfall along ring ring road that is HUGE
4. Hang out in Akureyri, Iceland
5. Reykjafoss- Vindheimamelar, Iceland
Waterfall of course!
6. Fosslaug- Varmahlíð, Iceland
A hot spring you can walk to and enjoy.
7. We found camping in the town of Varmahlíð
Day 6:
1. Kirkjufellsfoss, Iceland
Another Game of Thrones film spot. This was one of my favorite stops to take photos.
2. Saxhóll Crater- (V32G+95F) Hellissandur, Iceland
Old volcano you can hike up
3. Djupalonssandur
Black lava beach- It was so peaceful to sit and watch the waves.
4. Arnarstapi Camping for the evening!
Day 7:
1. Thingvellir National Park
Tectonic plates- People scuba dive between the plates
Gullfoss - Iceland’s “most famous” waterfall
Strokkur- Large geyser that erupts every 5-10 minutes
2. Kerid Crater, Klausturholar, Iceland
A crater with really blue water
3. We found camping outside of Reykjavik called Moss
Day 8:
1.Videy
An island outside of Reykjavik where we hiked and enjoyed dessert and coffee. You take a ferry to get there and back.
2. Explored Reykjavik
Went to The Icelandic Phallological Museum aka Penis Museum. It was recommended to us and honestly was so educational and hilarious. They even have a cafe, bar, and a gift shop with great puns!
3. Stayed in the same campground outside of Reykjavik
Day 9:
Travel day! The plan was to stop at the Blue Lagoon, but it was packed and we could not get reservations for our desired time. Instead we wandered around Keflavik, where my husband, Bryce, used to live since his dad was stationed there in the Navy. There wasn’t much to see, but it was still nice to see where Bryce started school, where my father-in-law worked for 2.5 years, and where my sister-in-law was born! Then we returned the van and made the long journey back to Chicago… then drive back to Louisville. It was a BRUTAL travel day!
I hope you find this helpful! I am writing/editing the itinerary almost 3 years after the actual trip so things may have been missed. The three of us spent so long planning this trip. We looked at hundreds of itineraries to piece together ours and still changed it along the way. Please feel free to email me or DM me on Instagram if you have any questions!
Photos taken by: Dani, Bryce, and Shelby
