16 DAYS ICELAND
We have been traveling Iceland in 16 DAYS as a roadtrip in a rented caravan. It’s been an amazing time and exactly the way I would recommend people to travel to Iceland. We were mostly driving along the ring road which makes it super easy to navigate. In Iceland, most sights are located directly at the ring road. I need to put one thing first before sharing the travel plan with you: When we travel, we are always aiming for a lot of input. It’s not comparable to an all-inclusive holiday in a hotel. With that said, we are aiming for making the most of every single day. Does that sound good to you? Then you’ll love this travel plan. Watch the MAP BELOW, each color of the spots defines another day! To us, it is always the better option to explore a lot of things instead of coming home from Iceland knowing that we’ve missed a lot of amazing places.
There’s a service called Polatsteps. There you can follow other people’s journeys and be inspired for planning your own ones.
Here’s the link to my profile. I will update more journeys there in the future, so make sure to follow me there!
DAY 1 ARRIVAL - CAR RENTAL STATION - BUYING SUPPLIES - HEADING TOWARDS GOLDEN CIRCLE - CAMPING.
All of these things above take a lot of time at your first day. The renting process for a caravan is more time intensive than when you are renting a car. Everything will be explained, which is not only bad but pretty good when you are camping for the first time.
Right next to Keflavik Airport we went to a supermarket called BONUS, as you can see on the map below. However, it consuming a lot of time since you will always be calculating how much a product costs in your currency and then you will always find yourself in a short state of shock. Grab what you need and search for a place to stay for this day.
We tried wild camping on this first day. It’s been horrible since other people honked at us every then and now during the night.
Try to find a camping site, e.g. the one in Reykjavik. Its also open in winter. Get an overview of camping sites here!
DAY 2 - ÞINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK - KERID CRATER - GREAT GEYSIR - GULLFOSS!
Today you will explore the Golden Circle. This area is one of the most touristic spots. Pretty good for starting a trip and slowly being introduced to the Icelandic loneliness. There will be the Þingvellir national park with continental plates, the Kerid crater, the big Geysir und the overwhelming Gullfoss. A lot to go for! Watch the blog post to read everything you will need to know.
DAY 3 - SELJALANDSFOSS - GLJÚFRABÚI - REYNISFJARA BLACK BEACH - PLANE WRECK (optional)
This Day you will see the first pretty impressive waterfalls. Seljalandsfoss is the one you can walk behind and Gljúfrabúi is not only hard to pronounce, no it’s also hard to access. It’s a waterfall in a cave. IN A CAVE! There you can get some epic Instagram moments.
Afterwards, you can go to Reynisfjara Black Beach. This is beautiful! You can also visit the Plane Wreck – We didn’t have time for that. IF you do not plan to camp at Skogafoss you will also want to stop there. Skogafoss is amazing and is located between Seljalandsfoss and Reynisfjara Black Beach. We first went to Reynisfjara and then back to Skogafoss for the overnight stay. We explored Skogafoss at the very next morning. And that’s a good idea since it’s very crowded after 11 am in the morning. Camping there will allow you to explore the place before all the tourists arrive in the next morning.
Watch my blog posts here:
–
DAY 4 - SKOGAFOSS - SÓLHEIMJAJÖKULL ICE CLIMBING
camping at Skogafoss Camping the night before is perfect for integrating a Glacier Ice Climbing Session to your trip.
In the Morning, we went up Skogafoss and enjoyed some amazing views without any tourists around. Do that as well everything later than 11 am means crowded places since this spot is pretty touristic. Afterwards we went to our booked ice climbing tour at Solheimajökull. That’s fun and when do you have the possibility to go ice climbing? Afterwards, we went to the Hot Pot Seljavallalaug – brr it’s been pretty cold! We spent the night back at Skogafoss camping.
–
–
DAY 5 - FJAðRÁRGLJÚFUR CANYON - SKAFTAFELL - SVARTIFOSS
Good Morning and up to Fjaðrárgljúfur. This canyon can be a highlight of your whole Iceland experience. However, when I arrived there, it was pouring in the rain and super foggy. What a pity. Maybe you are luckier? Drive the short way from the Ring Road to the parking lot of the canyon and walk along the side of this amazing place. I just can imagine how this has to look like when it’s sunny. Afterwards, go on driving until you reach Skaftafell Nationalpark. There is a camping site where you can stay over night. But before settling down, hike to the beautiful and Svartifoss waterfall. A great and short hike. You will love this. Watch my blog posts below:
‘
DAY 6 - FJALLSÁRLÓN - JÖKULSÁRLÓN - GLACIER LAGOONS!
MY FAVORITE DAY!
First, drive to Fjallsárlón, a huge glacier lagoon. You will think this is beautiful – and it is, but you will be amazed by the even more wonderful Jökullsárlón. However, Fjallsárlón is still worth a visit for sure! After you have been there, just drive to the huge Jökulsárlón parking lot, where you can park your car. My tip if you are there with a caravan: Use the parking lot at the sea side and park in a way in which you can eat your lunch with a sea view! The experience of this place depends on the weather. We first had super dark clouds at Fjallsárlón thus everything was a bit grey but still beautiful. While being at Jökulsárlón the sun came out and everything was enlightend in the most beatiful light. We decided to drive to the small town Djupivogur to camp on a camping site. Read my blog posts below:
DAY 7 - EASTFJORDS - SEYÐISFJÖRÐUR - GUFUFOSS - DETTIFOSS - SELFOSS
Get up early! This day requires a lot of driving. But don’t worry, its like these roads were made to amaze people! The views you can get there are probably better than most things you have had on a road. Depending on your time, think about driving the longer routes along the fjords. Or just a few maybe, since the views you can get there… you know the rest.
We went to the city Seyðisfjörður. The weather was not very good and the city was empty. If you want to visit a city – do it, otherwise – skip it, since its a long additional drive. 🙂 However, next to Seyðisfjörður is the waterfall Gufufoss. Its huge and impressive but in relation to icelandic benchmarks just average. Then drive into the north towards Dettifoss and Selfoss waterfall! The roads to the north are breathtaking! I could explain it here, but just read the blog posts below :-).
‘
DAY 8 - HVERIR - BLUE LAKE - GRJÓTAGJÁ - HVERFJALL - SKÚTUSTAÐAGÍGAR - GOÐAFOSS
This day is full of things to do! However, most sights are located right next to each other. You should get up early, though, since it is just amazing how the geothermal area Hverir looks before the tourists arrive and after the sun rose. This day will be super overwhelming, we just loved it there and it takes position 2 in our most favorite days :-). Watch my blog post below.
‘
DAY 9 - AKUREYRI - VATNSNES - HVITSEKUR - SEAL WATCHING
This day is very optional. You can visit Akureyri if you want to. There are some cozy cafes on the main “shopping street”. It’s one of the largest cities in Iceland… with about 18.000 inhabitants. However, we just spend one or two hours there since it was time for some civilization and a good cappuccino after more than a week of living in a camping car.
Afterwards you can drive along the edge of the peninsula Vatnsnes. It is famous for seal watching. Plan your trip to be there during the right time. There are 80 km of hard gravel road in front of you. With a caravan, this feels like hell and if it rained before, your car will look as hell as well. We had some super bad weather there – no seals, just gravel – therefore no blog post :-(.
DAY 10 - SNAEFELLSNESS - KIRKJUFELL - SKARÐSVÍK BEACH - DJÚPALÓNSANDUR - ANARSTAPI - BUÐAKIRKJA -
Great things are about to happen!
Go for the iconic Kirkjufell and its beautiful waterfalls for some instagrammable moments. Afterwards, drive along the edge of the peninsula and definitely hold at Skarðsvík beach. It’s such a beautiful scenery there. Then, drive along the coastline and hold at Djupalonsandur, where you can do a short walk along the rough coast. Afterwards, hold at Anarstapi, where you can see the famous stone bridge over the sea. If you like to, visit Búðakirkja as well. Watch the blog post below for more information!
DAY 11 - GLYMUR HIKE!
Adventure time!
Drive towards the parking lot where the hike to the second highest waterfall in Iceland, Glymur, starts. This hike is fun and accompanied by breathtaking views all along the way. You should really do this if you are up for a good hike! Watch the blog post below.
DAY 12 - REYKJAVIK
It’s time to see Reykjavik! You can stay overnight at the camping site in Reykjavik. If you are good on foot you can visit the city by foot from this camping site. Enjoy the city and spend the day in Reykjavik. The city and the main shopping streets are pretty small for a capital. Watch my blog post below.
DAY 13 - MORNING IN REYKJAVIK - REYKJADALUR HOT SPRINGS
how about having breakfast in a cozy cafe instead of in your caravan for one day? That’s the perfect possibility today. Go out for breakfast in Reykjavik and then visit the beautiful hot springs of Reykjadalur outside of Reykjavik! Watch the blog post below about how to get there and what you can expect from these hot springs. There is a great camping site for the night. GATA free camping. You can pay what you want at this cozy farmhouse. Please leave something for their efforts they put into this place. Blog post below.
DAY 14 - GRAENAVATN HIKE - WILD HORSES - GEOTHERMAL AREA!
Drive to Grænavatn, a nice tiny lake on the Reykjanes peninsula. There is a small parking lot for a few cars only, where you can hike to a small but beautiful geothermal area. On the hike, we met a lot of wild Icelandic horses which was an incredible experience. Afterwards, do a 1-minute drive to the north until you reach the big parking lot of Krýsuvík, a breathtaking and huge geothermal area. I just love these places. For the night, how about driving back to GATA free camping? Blog post below!
DAY 15 (AND MAYBE 16) - LAST DAY WITH ACTION!
Depends on when your return flight goes, you will have a lot of things to do left.
Drive to another geothermal area, called Gunnuhver. Now you have seen a lot of geothermal area, you can also skip this.
What you shouldn’t miss are the cliffs of Valahnúkamöl. The rough scenery with waves crashing into the walls is just amazing. Dont forget to turn around. You will have a great view on a really nice lighthouse with the geothermal steam in the background. Instagram is calling here! What we didn’t do but definitely is an option is the famous but expensive Blue Lagoon! You will also need to bring back your car and get to the airport or a hotel if your flight is departing early in the next morning as it has been the case for us. Watch my blog post below, which is the same as for the day before.
16 DAYS ICELAND
We have been traveling Iceland in 16 DAYS as a roadtrip in a rented caravan. It’s been an amazing time and exactly the way I would recommend people to travel to Iceland. We were mostly driving along the ring road which makes it super easy to navigate. In Iceland, most sights are located directly at the ring road. I need to put one thing first before sharing the travel plan with you: When we travel, we are always aiming for a lot of input. It’s not comparable to an all-inclusive holiday in a hotel. With that said, we are aiming for making the most of every single day. Does that sound good to you? Then you’ll love this travel plan. Watch the MAP BELOW, each color of the spots defines another day! To us, it is always the better option to explore a lot of things instead of coming home from Iceland knowing that we’ve missed a lot of amazing places.
There’s a service called Polatsteps. There you can follow other people’s journeys and be inspired for planning your own ones.
Here’s the link to my profile. I will update more journeys there in the future, so make sure to follow me there!
DAY 1 ARRIVAL - CAR RENTAL STATION - BUYING SUPPLIES - HEADING TOWARDS GOLDEN CIRCLE - CAMPING.
All of these things above take a lot of time at your first day. The renting process for a caravan is more time intensive than when you are renting a car. Everything will be explained, which is not only bad but pretty good when you are camping for the first time.
Right next to Keflavik Airport we went to a supermarket called BONUS, as you can see on the map below. However, it consuming a lot of time since you will always be calculating how much a product costs in your currency and then you will always find yourself in a short state of shock. Grab what you need and search for a place to stay for this day.
We tried wild camping on this first day. It’s been horrible since other people honked at us every then and now during the night.
Try to find a camping site, e.g. the one in Reykjavik or “GATA free camping”. These are also open in winter. Get an overview of camping sites here!
DAY 2 - ÞINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK - KERID CRATER - GREAT GEYSIR - GULLFOSS!
Today you will explore the Golden Circle. This area is one of the most touristic spots. Pretty good for starting a trip and slowly being introduced to the Icelandic loneliness. There will be the Þingvellir national park with continental plates, the Kerid crater, the big Geysir und the overwhelming Gullfoss. A lot to go for! Watch the blog post to read everything you will need to know.
DAY 3 - SELJALANDSFOSS - GLJÚFRABÚI - REYNISFJARA BLACK BEACH - PLANE WRECK (optional)
This Day you will see the first pretty impressive waterfalls. Seljalandsfoss is the one you can walk behind and Gljúfrabúi is not only hard to pronounce, no it’s also hard to access. It’s a waterfall in a cave. IN A CAVE! There you can get some epic Instagram moments.
Afterwards, you can go to Reynisfjara Black Beach. This is beautiful! You can also visit the Plane Wreck – We didn’t have time for that. IF you do not plan to camp at Skogafoss you will also want to stop there. Skogafoss is amazing and is located between Seljalandsfoss and Reynisfjara Black Beach. We first went to Reynisfjara and then back to Skogafoss for the overnight stay. We explored Skogafoss at the very next morning. And that’s a good idea since it’s very crowded after 11 am in the morning. Camping there will allow you to explore the place before all the tourists arrive in the next morning.
Watch my blog posts here:
–
DAY 4 - SKOGAFOSS - SÓLHEIMJAJÖKULL ICE CLIMBING
camping at Skogafoss Camping the night before is perfect for integrating a Glacier Ice Climbing Session to your trip.
In the Morning, we went up Skogafoss and enjoyed some amazing views without any tourists around. Do that as well everything later than 11 am means crowded places since this spot is pretty touristic. Afterwards we went to our booked ice climbing tour at Solheimajökull. That’s fun and when do you have the possibility to go ice climbing? Afterwards, we went to the Hot Pot Seljavallalaug – brr it’s been pretty cold! We spent the night back at Skogafoss camping.
–
–
DAY 5 - FJAÐRÁRGLJÚFUR CANYON - SKAFTAFELL - SVARTIFOSS
Good Morning and up to Fjaðrárgljúfur. This canyon can be a highlight of your whole Iceland experience. However, when I arrived there, it was pouring in the rain and super foggy. What a pity. Maybe you are luckier? Drive the short way from the Ring Road to the parking lot of the canyon and walk along the side of this amazing place. I just can imagine how this has to look like when it’s sunny. Afterwards, go on driving until you reach Skaftafell Nationalpark. There is a camping site where you can stay over night. But before settling down, hike to the beautiful and Svartifoss waterfall. A great and short hike. You will love this. Watch my blog posts below:
‘
DAY 6 - FJALLSÁRLÓN - JÖKULSÁRLÓN - GLACIER LAGOONS!
MY FAVORITE DAY!
First, drive to Fjallsárlón, a huge glacier lagoon. You will think this is beautiful – and it is, but you will be amazed by the even more wonderful Jökullsárlón. However, Fjallsárlón is still worth a visit for sure! After you have been there, just drive to the huge Jökulsárlón parking lot, where you can park your car. My tip if you are there with a caravan: Use the parking lot at the sea side and park in a way in which you can eat your lunch with a sea view! The experience of this place depends on the weather. We first had super dark clouds at Fjallsárlón thus everything was a bit grey but still beautiful. While being at Jökulsárlón the sun came out and everything was enlightend in the most beatiful light. We decided to drive to the small town Djupivogur to camp on a camping site. Read my blog post below:
DAY 7 - EASTFJORDS - SEYÐISFJÖRÐUR - GUFUFOSS - DETTIFOSS - SELFOSS
Get up early! This day requires a lot of driving. But don’t worry, its like these roads were made to amaze people! The views you can get there are probably better than most things you have had on a road. Depending on your time, think about driving the longer routes along the fjords. Or just a few maybe, since the views you can get there… you know the rest.
We went to the city Seyðisfjörður. The weather was not very good and the city was empty. If you want to visit a city – do it, otherwise – skip it, since its a long additional drive. 🙂 However, next to Seyðisfjörður is the waterfall Gufufoss. Its huge and impressive but in relation to icelandic benchmarks just average. Then drive into the north towards Dettifoss and Selfoss waterfall! The roads to the north are breathtaking! I could explain it here, but just read the blog posts below :-).
‘
DAY 8 - HVERIR - BLUE LAKE - GRJÓTAGJÁ - HVERFJALL - SKÚTUSTAÐAGÍGAR - GOÐAFOSS
This day is full of things to do! However, most sights are located right next to each other. You should get up early, though, since it is just amazing how the geothermal area Hverir looks before the tourists arrive and after the sun rose. This day will be super overwhelming, we just loved it there and it takes position 2 in our most favorite days :-). Watch my blog posts below.
‘
DAY 9 - AKUREYRI - VATNSNES - HVITSEKUR - SEAL WATCHING
This day is very optional. You can visit Akureyri if you want to. There are some cozy cafes on the main “shopping street”. It’s one of the largest cities in Iceland… with about 18.000 inhabitants. However, we just spend one or two hours there since it was time for some civilization and a good cappuccino after more than a week of living in a camping car.
Afterwards you can drive along the edge of the peninsula Vatnsnes. It is famous for seal watching. Plan your trip to be there during the right time. There are 80 km of hard gravel road in front of you. With a caravan, this feels like hell and if it rained before, your car will look as hell as well. We had some super bad weather there – no seals, just gravel – and therefore no blog post :-(.
DAY 10 - SNAEFELLSNESS - KIRKJUFELL - SKARÐSVÍK BEACH - DJÚPALÓNSANDUR - ANARSTAPI - BUÐAKIRKJA -
Great things are about to happen!
Go for the iconic Kirkjufell and its beautiful waterfalls for some instagrammable moments. Afterwards, drive along the edge of the peninsula and definitely hold at Skarðsvík beach. It’s such a beautiful scenery there. Then, drive along the coastline and hold at Djupalonsandur, where you can do a short walk along the rough coast. Afterwards, hold at Anarstapi, where you can see the famous stone bridge over the sea. If you like to, visit Búðakirkja as well. Watch the blog post below for more information!
DAY 11 - GLYMUR HIKE!
Adventure time!
Drive towards the parking lot where the hike to the second highest waterfall in Iceland, Glymur, starts. This hike is fun and accompanied by breathtaking views all along the way. You should really do this if you are up for a good hike! Watch the blog post below.
DAY 12 - REYKJAVIK
It’s time to see Reykjavik! You can stay overnight at the camping site in Reykjavik. If you are good on foot you can visit the city by foot from this camping site. Enjoy the city and spend the day in Reykjavik. The city and the main shopping streets are pretty small for a capital. Watch my blog post below.
DAY 13 - MORNING IN REYKJAVIK - REYKJADALUR HOT SPRINGS
how about having breakfast in a cozy cafe instead of in your caravan for one day? That’s the perfect possibility today. Go out for breakfast in Reykjavik and then visit the beautiful hot springs of Reykjadalur outside of Reykjavik! Watch the blog post below about how to get there and what you can expect from these hot springs. There is a great camping site for the night. GATA free camping. You can pay what you want at this cozy farmhouse. Please leave something for their efforts they put into this place. Blog post below.
DAY 14 - KLEIFARVATN HIKE - WILD HORSES - GEOTHERMAL AREA!
Drive to Grænavatn, a nice tiny lake on the Reykjanes peninsula. There is a small parking lot for a few cars only, where you can hike to a small but beautiful geothermal area. On the hike, we met a lot of wild Icelandic horses which was an incredible experience. Afterwards, do a 1-minute drive to the north until you reach the big parking lot of Krýsuvík, a breathtaking and huge geothermal area. I just love these places. For the night, how about driving back to GATA free camping? Blog poss below!
DAY 15 (AND MAYBE 16) - LAST DAY WITH ACTION!
Depends on when your return flight goes, you will have a lot of things to do left.
Drive to another geothermal area, called Gunnuhver. Now you have seen a lot of geothermal area, you can also skip this.
What you shouldn’t miss are the cliffs of Valahnúkamöl. The rough scenery with waves crashing into the walls is just amazing. Dont forget to turn around. You will have a great view on a really nice lighthouse with the geothermal steam in the background. Instagram is calling here! What we didn’t do but definitely is an option is the famous but expensive Blue Lagoon! You will also need to bring back your car and get to the airport or a hotel if your flight is departing early in the next morning as it has been the case for us. Watch my blog post below, which is the same as for the day before.