ICELAnd in a campervan

 7 day guide : september 2019

Do I recommend Iceland? YES! Whilst there are a myriad of tours that you can do, Iceland is definitely best if you hire a campervan, or at least have a means of travelling around on your own schedule - as you'll definitely be tempted to stick around at some of the beauty spots and take in all the appreciation of nature. For me, if you’re doing a trip that involves natural beauty - they’re really best away from the crowds so you can hear your footsteps against the rock, the waves crashing the shore, the wind dancing on foliage of a plant. I was lucky enough to have 8 days, 7 nights and to travel around in a group of 4. Planning a trip like this could be a bit overwhelming, so here's how we did our trip - hope these are handy tips for those planning a week long adventure!

And for those of you who have already been: we did miss a lot because of time constraints, so let me know some spots you’ll have me check out for the next time I’m there!

Quick notes

Is it cheap? It’s comparable to Switzerland, London, any Australian city. Luckily as a young professional, I was able to be a bit carefree about money, but I’m not too sure I’d feel the same way if I was in my backpacking days. One of the benefits of having a campervan is that you can have your groceries whilst on the road. I’ll try and put a rough money breakdown.

Do I need to go on F roads? Not if you are going on a weeklong trip. Staying on the main road -barely- gets you to all the hotspots. An F road is basically a mountain road: unpaved gravel tracks that are not maintained. You’ll need an AWD to get to these - typically they have large potholes, or large rocks, or big puddles on their paths. In saying that though, some of the main roads even aren’t great, although the main ring road is all bitumen the entire way.

Are the roads crowded? Yes and no. They aren’t empty, but you won’t be stuck in traffic. The tourist hot spots are full of people, but to us never a to a point where it was inconvenient. In saying this, our favourite spots were the ones where there was no one around, where we had the place all to ourselves.

DAY 1: Keflavik Airport, Golden Circle (Kerid Crater, StRokkur, Gulfoss), Seljalandsfoss

After arriving into Keflavik Airport, the transport hub of Iceland at 8:20am we were picked up by the lovely people at KuKu Campers where we were then transported to their office about 30 minutes away - closer to Reykjavik. For us - the 8 day car hire for an Automatic Campervan that could sleep 5 was €1,600. Iceland is extremely windy - if you’re travelling from overseas make sure you have Travel Inusrance that includes wind damage (we needed it - more on that later), as Icelandic policies will exclude wind damage. After we picked up the campervan, we decided to do a big shop at the nearby supermarket, had lunch at KFC, then off to our first destination! One of the big advantages of having a campervan that we found is that you can cook at any scenic location on your journey at any time, meaning you didn’t have to race around the place looking for restaurants, and also there was no time lost with checking in and out of hotels. By 1:00pm we were ready to go!

We had 7 nights in Iceland which is barely enough time to complete Iceland’s Ring Road, which is the circular highway that is the “highlights” tour of the island. It’s 1,333km long, so if you wanted to, you could race through and do the entire drive without stopping in a single day, but that wouldn’t be enjoyable at all. Our aim was to see some of the things on the Golden Circle, before heading off to Seljalandsfoss to stay for the night.

The Iceland Golden Circle refers to a circle of road that loops from Reykjavik through the Icelandic countryside, winding about 300 km (or 190 miles) between the various attractions. Usually when people come to Reykjavik for under 5 days, they can do a day trip (or 2) to get a taste of Iceland since it’s close to the capital. It’s definitely worth seeing, but the stops in the Circle do have a “tour bus/flag in the air” vibe to it.

Our first stop was Kerid Crater, a striking volcanic crater lake filled with milky blue-green water amid stark black and deep red slopes. It was a short walk down to the water, but other than looking at the lake it wasn’t that interesting. Next on the journey we visited Strokkur, a fountain type geyser that typically erupts into the sky every 6 - 10 minutes. Its usual height is 15-20 metres, although it can sometimes erupt up to 40m high. Our final stop on the Golden Circle was Gulfoss, a large cascading waterfall which is one of Iceland’s most famous. The stops on the Golden Circle were great to ease ourselves into travelling and sightseeing around Iceland, however the attractions seemed very tourist based as opposed to being immersed in nature.

Whilst we were at Gulfoss, the sun started to set so we made our way over to the Hamragarðar Campground, which is short walk from Seljalandsfoss. There is a small fee to be paid, but this is a proper campsite with toilets, hot water with showers, cooking facilities, a washing machine and even wifi. As our campervan came with a portable gas cooktop, we set up some tables outside, cooked, and had some pasta for dinner before finishing up for the day. It was really easy to convert the campervan to sleeping mode - what an exhausting but exciting first day. Strange to think that just 12 hours ago we were collecting our luggage off the plane!

Photo 1: Kerid Crater
Photo 2: Strokkur brewing and ready to explode..
Photo 3: Gulfoss
Photo 4: Our little portable home on wheels!
Photo 5: Home for the night. We (inadvertently) set up right in front of a waterfall (Gljufabrui)
Photo 6: Up close and personal at Gljufabrui

DAY 2: Seljalandsfoss, Gljufrabui, Skogafoss, Solheimasandur Plane Crash, Reynisfjara, Skaftafell

What a scenic view to wake up to! A short walk away is Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, where we had a fantastic time enjoying the waterfall. The public path actually leads you behind the waterfall, so we got a little sprayed with the splashes from the waterfall, but it was refreshing in the morning being within nature and not having any one else around. We got to the waterfall at 8:00am, and stayed for about an hour. As we were walking back to our campervan, we could see cars and cars start to roll in - looks like we woke up at the right time!

When we got back to our campervan, we could see a bunch of people hanging around, so was wondering what was going on. Turns out we had parked our campervan very close to the entrance of Gljufrabui, a hidden waterfall that is tucked behind a small canyon like crevice. After some breakfast, we explored the area, then finally left the campsite at 12:00pm. Iceland’s sights have a tendency to have you lingering around in some of the nature spots, so make sure you allow for plenty of time!

A short drive away is Skogafoss, one of Iceland’s biggest and most beautiful waterfalls with an astounding width of 25 meters (82 feet) and a drop of 60 meters (197 feet). Due to the amount of spray the cascade produces, at least one rainbow is present any time the sun emerges from behind the clouds. The land underneath the waterfall is very flat, allowing visitors to walk right up to the wall of water. This will get you drenched, although, on a summer’s day, it can be quite tempting. Skógafoss can also be viewed from the top as a steep staircase leads to an observational platform above the cascade. There’s a small walk that we were tempted to do - but with such a big to'-do list upcoming we wistfully had to let it go.

Our next destination was the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck. In 1973 a United States Navy DC plane ran out of fuel and crashed on the black beach. Fortunately, everyone in that plane survived. The plane remains there to this day. To get here, we needed to park then walk an hour one way to reach the site. The sand is black and unlike anything I had seen, although because it was extremely windy, the walk was a bit annoying. Even more annoying was reaching the destination and seeing people everywhere. We took a quick snap of the plane crash site then explored the beach area, watching the foamy white waves crash onto the black sand. This was the much better activity to do at this spot, before the one hour trek back to the car.

Just in time for the sunset, we found ourselves at Reynisfjara Beach, also featuring black sand and enormous basalt stacks that looked like someone chiseled away at. There’s also a little cave like mouth that is accessible from the beach - however we had to be careful not to get swept away by the incoming waves. As the sun set, we made our way to the Skaftafell Campground where we stayed for the night. This is also a paid campsite featuring all the facilities for showers, cooking, and the like.

Photo 1: Seljandsfoss
Photo 2: Seljandsfoss - from behind the waterfall!
Photo 3: Skogafoss Hiking Trail
Photo 4: Skogafoss waterfall
Photo 5: Solheimasandur Plane Wreck
Photo 6: Reynisfjara Beach

DAY 3: Svartifoss, Falljokull, Jokulsarlon, Hofn

After waking up in the morning, we walked over to the Svartifoss Waterfall - which is already a part of the Skaftafell National Park. It is 20 metres tall, and black columnar basalt formations beautifully frame the waterfall and give it its name, “Black Fall”. From afar it looks like a big heart. On the way to the main waterfall, it is a short but pleasant walk where you also pass by some smaller waterfalls as well. The hike is 5.5km and should take about 90 minutes to complete the circular loop.

After our lunch, we did a guided glacier tour of Vatnajokull, which is also a part of the Skaftafell National Park. It is one of the biggest glaciers in Europe, with breathtaking views to thice-covered highest peaks of Iceland rising more than 2,000 metres. The glacier has been scenery for dozens of movies and TV shows such as James Bond, Interstellar, Batman, and Game of Thrones. We put on our helmets and explored the region - even pausing to sip on a fresh stream that was formed by ice melting.

After our glacier hike, we stopped by Jokulsarlon, an ice lagoon that has pieces of ice broken down from glaciers floating around in it. We could even pick up some smaller pieces. We saw some seals frollicking around before heading off to stay in Hofn for the night. Unfortunately, it started to bucket down that night, so we thought cooking in a facilities of a campsite to be a good idea, but it seemed everyone else had that idea. The common areas were way too full, and power outlets all huddled over - good thing we had our portable gas cooker to make some pasta at our campervan! (All safety precautions taken, of course!).

Photo 1: Svartifoss
Photo 2: Look how happy I am on top of Vatnajokull!
Photo 3: Drinkable glaciers!
Photo 4: Sunset at Vatnajokull
Photo 5: Vegetation at Vatnajokull
Photo 6: Jokulsarlon

DAY 4: Eastern Coastal Drive

We didn’t really have anything to tick off our list today, so decided to take a fairly relaxed day driving along the coast line and taking it easy. After a jam packed first three days, it was really nice to just go at our own pace and meander through. We treated ourselves to lunch in a restaurant for the first time, and got some really good photos on the drive. Although we didn’t get to see many specific sites - the easy relaxed vibe of today made it one of the most memorable. There was a white misty aura hanging around for the entire day - but strangely enough just made the drive even more scenic.

There are a few spots to see, but it’s best to stop by at whatever pickles your fancy and to stretch your legs every so often at a beach here and there. There are many scenic black sand beaches and waterfalls along the way - I would recommend stopping at Faukasandur beach. It wasn’t on our list or anything but we wanted to have a car break: luckily we did, as I managed to get this great shot of me running next to a seemingly floating black rock.

Unfortunately for us, we did take a stop that we would regret! Seeing a large waterfall in the distance (Folaldafoss), we drove towards it, and carelessly opened the car door. It was super windy that day, and… the wind unhinged our car door. We did our best to fix the door, and got it back on its hinge, but for the rest of the trip the door would creak and clank against the side panel. As we found out, all car hire companies in Iceland typically exclude wind damage insurance… but luckily for us our travel insurance covered the repairs. So our advice to you would be to check how windy it is before you open any doors!

That night, we felt like we wanted to relax, so we tried to find a natural hotspring where we could enjoy and stretch out our souls after being on the road for a while. We found a blog that recommended Grjótagjá, which is also known as the “Jon Snow cave” - being the cave where Jon and the wilding Ygritte consummated their relationship, in the HBO series Game of Thrones. Unfortunately… the blog that we found was outdated, when we went in the water was way too hot to dip more than our feet in. We would find out later that the water there is continually getting hotter due to the geothermal activity happening in the area, and will one day reach boiling point. We splashed around for a few minutes before the heat got unbearable, then headed off to Dettifoss where we stayed the night.

Photo 1: Me jogging along the Icelandic beaches. I quite like this shot!
Photo 2: Our little campervan looking tiny next to the mountainous landscape
Photo 3: Misty driving along the sea.
Photo 4: There are some art pieces you can find along the drive including this red chair
Photo 5: Faukasandur
Photo 6: Sunsets at the beach

DAY 5: THE DIAMOND CIRCLE

DEttifoss, Lake Myvtan, Dimmubogir, Hverfjal, Námafjall Geothermal Area, Godafoss

Today was unexpectedly going to be my favourite day on my Iceland trip! Most of the research we had done focused on the Golden Circle, or many of the sites that we covered in Days 1, 2 or 3. Indeed, when you google Iceland, those pictures will be the first ones that come up. But today we were exploring the Lake Myvatn area, or the Diamond Circle. Many of these places were so unlike anything I had ever seen before - and luckily for us only a few minutes all away from each other! We found that although this circle is clearly intended for sightseers, it definitely felt more private and more enjoyable than the sites on the Golden Circle.

First off, we awoke to the most powerful waterfall in Europe Dettifoss, where we had set up for the night before. Technically you aren’t allowed to pull over and sleep anywhere you wish, and especially not at a tourist site, but we had arrived so late and so exhausted we felt like it would be unsafe to continue driving any further. So we were treated to a beautiful sunrise sight!

Next up we visited the Namafjall Geothermal Area, where we felt like we were in some surreal planet. There were smoky sulfur fields emitting white smoke, against backdrops of orangey-red landscapes that blended with milky cremes and whites. Walk a few minutes over, then the landscape would change to greyish blue. And we had such perfect weather, this was all juxtaposted against a very blue sky. We didn’t intend to come here - we just passed a sign on the road but it was one of the most magnificent things we have experienced.

Next on our visit list was Dimmubogir, which is a lava field created by a volcano that erupted years and years ago. As lava flowed across the area, it passed over a lake, causing it to boil. This both quickened the cooling of the lava and caused pillars of steam to shatter parts of it. After it solidified, Dimmuborgir area became defined by large stacks of rock and many caves and caverns, caused by bubbles of intense steam. It was lovely walking around the lava formations and seeing the vegetation slowly crawling over and making its home over the igneous rock.

We then dropped by Hverfell, a large crater which is also a result of a volcanic eruption 3,000 years ago. With a diametre of a kilometre and a depth of 140 metres, it is a dramatic site to behold; it is, in fact, one of the largest explosion craters in the world. I felt like I was on the Moon walking around here - except a very windy moon with a very blue sky.

That evening, we made our way to Godafoss where we had a lovely time up close and personal with another waterfall. The golden hour at this time at this waterfall was beautiful and I highly recommend as a spot for watching the sunset. As darkness hit, we took our phones out again and tried to find another natural hot spring. I don’t know what blogs we end up finding but we did find one… that was in the middle of no where. We followed the instructions, parked the car where the blog told us to, then started a little walk carrying our towels and wearing our swimming gear. About ten minutes into walking in the dark, a strong wind started to blow, and not long after that it started to rain. Not giving up, we walked another 15 minutes and yes! we made it to the hot spring. Unfortunately… when we got into the warm hotspring (which was amaaaaazing), the wind was getting worse and the rain getting heavier, and all our clothes and towels got super wet. We were there for about an hour hoping the rain and wind would subside and when neither didn’t, we had to hurry our way back to the camper, scampering along in the dark. So it was awful at the time, but definitely a really funny travel story I always think about.

Photo 1: The scenery around Lake Myvatn
Photo 2: Dimmubogir
Photo 3: Namafjall Geothermal Area
Photo 4: Hverfell Crater Mountain
Photo 5: Namafjall Geothermal Area
Photo 6: Godafoss

DAYS 6 & 7 : Skagafjörður, GRETTISLAUG, Borgarbyggð reykjadulur, Tectonic plates dive, Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik

Waking up in Skagafjordur, and not yet scarred from our experiences with trying to find a hot spring, we did a quick deetour and found ourselves in Grettislaug, which is a staffed hot spring. It offers accommodation, and also a natural hot spring for those who just want to relax with the views of snow capped mountains in the background. It is a bit out of the way but if you can get there, it’s highly recommended! On the way there are also friendly alpine horses that are happy to come and say hello on the road on the way here.

We had a big drive back to Rejkjavik today, and on the way we thought maybe we could make it to Borgarbyggd Reykjadulur, which is another hot spring, but this one is on the Golden Circle. Unfortunately we could not sit in this one, as it turns out the swimmable part is about a 30 min walk, and we had to be up early the next day, so we slept early tonight.

On day 7, we had to get up early, because we were going to go scuba diving at Thingvellir, which is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet (or rather move away from each other.) We were up bright and early and it was a fantastic experience diving and seeing what is essentially very young and fresh earth. After the dive, we were finally going to make it to Reykjavik for the first time this trip, where we had lunch at a restaurant, then off to everyone’s favourite Instagram spot - the Blue Lagoon! The Blue Lagoon is a must for everyone visiting Iceland, and it is a bit touristy, but I don’t mind it at all - it helps that you get 3 drinks with your entry and a face mask. A perfect way to end the trip. Don’t forget to book your stay!

It was our final night in Iceland, so we treated ourselves to dinner out, and had a few drinks to celebrate. What an amazing seven days!

Photo 1: Me admiring the mountains at Grettislaug
Photo 2: I have no idea where this is but it was one of the stops we had on the way back to Reyjavik.
Photo 3: The steaming hot springs at Borgarbyggd Reykjadulur, unfortunately too shallow where this pic was taken
Photo 4: Thingvellir National Park on a clear crispy morning
Photo 5: We quickly stopped by Hallgrímskirkja, but it was full of people. Worth a stop though!
Photo 6: Me having an amazing time at the Blue Lagoon!

DAY 8 : OFF TO LONDON, & FINAL THOUGHTS

We had an early flight the next day, so we drove to the Airport, dropped off our campervan then headed off to our next stop, London, where I’d spend the next few years of my life. It was an amazing experience to travel in a camper at our own leisure, and to truly be wowed at all the scenery and sights along the way.

Iceland was amazing. I hope to see you again!

Note: feel free to contact me for notes, recommendations or advice! I will be happy to provide some.