Our Ultimate Iceland Photography Road Trip

14 Mar

22 minute read | Written by Erin Roche

Iceland, the land of fire and ice, JB’s famous music video, Earth’s only place you can swim between two tectonic plates, and home to (allegedly) the happiest people in the world - what a place. With so many natural wonders on one tiny island (Iceland is 95 times smaller than the US!!), you may feel overwhelmed with how to tackle an Icelandic road trip. So that’s what we’re here for…

In this itinerary, we will share with you all our tips and tricks, places we stayed, things we saw and enjoyed, and regretted, on our 18 day winter road trip, all to help you with your ultimate Iceland road trip planning.

So let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: We only recommend products & services we know and trust and all opinions are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, might earn us a commission.

First things first

There are a few things we want to mention before we get into the good stuff! Firstly, we took our road trip in October 2021 which means we were impacted not only by the usual limitations of Icelandic winter, but also by the pandemic. Many campsites were closed for both these reasons, which meant our options were limited. Therefore there may be some better options for your own trip.

We went on this road trip to soak in and experience all Iceland has to offer, as well as create beautiful eye-catching content for our Instagram page, @thewaytowherever, and in partnership with our van rental company Camp Easy! This meant we spent a bit longer at many destinations, compared to the other van-trippers who, much more time-efficiently, rocked up, got their pics and headed off to their next spot. So, if you want to really soak in each place, you can follow our itinerary to the tee or you can throw a few of our suggested stops into the mix, to get a few more places ticked off the to-see list!

We’ll breakdown each day and what we saw below, and at the bottom of this blog, you can find some recommendations if you don’t have two full weeks to tour the country!

*For our budget calculations, 1000ISK is equal to just over $10AUD.

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Car, campervan or tour!?

Campervan

Pros - fully self sufficient (minus toilet), can plan more spontaneously (don’t have to reach accommodation by a certain time), don’t need to pack up and check in/out everyday, cheaper campsites than accommodation, can stay in cool locations, can cook own food to save money

Cons - hard to drive/navigate, may be uncomfortable (particularly in winter), can get messy, petrol costs

Car

Pros - best for hotel / guest house stays, comfortable trip, easier to drive and navigate

Cons - less self sufficiency, more pre planning required, potentially more expensive (if adding hotels), reduce accessibility on certain roads, petrol costs

Tours

Pros - expert insight, minimal planning, time efficient, potentially less stressful

Cons - extremely curated, touring with many people and visiting only packed spots, unlikely to see everything on your wish list

Day 1: Let’s get to Iceland

So you’ve just arrived at Keflavík Airport (KEF), which is in fact not the domestic-only airport in the capital Reykjavík. We found KEF to be super easy to navigate, with fast wifi to help you solve any issues you may encounter upon arrival, including finding your shuttle bus. Prior to picking up your luggage, you’ll pass through duty free which is your last stop to get alcohol and some snacks for much cheaper than you’ll find anywhere else in the country. Luggage collected, travel documentation checked, and you’re free to head out!

If you’ve rented a vehicle, the transfer process will probably be a bit easier. They usually send a shuttle bus to collect you from KEF.

We rented with CampEasy, one of Iceland’s leading rental companies, and chose them for a few reasons. We chose the Easy Clever 4X4 X, which is an “eXperienced” van so it has a bit more mileage on it and 4X4 capability, for a lesser price. Some perks of CampEasy:

Winter safe with 12+ hours of heating and high quality insulation
Easy Guide tablet including live chat, internet hot spot, tracking device, weather and road condition maps, navigation, and suggested sights, activities & a set of preloaded itineraries
Live warnings - we received a text and email when there were dangerous winds in the south to avoid the area
High quality, modern vans equipped with everything you need to be self sufficient
CampEasy office had a pantry with some necessities that you could take for free! Salt, oil, spices, sauces - all things you don’t want to buy, but likely would, even for a short trip! Note: we’ve heard that this is common at most camper van offices

We arrived later in the afternoon, so after getting acclimated in our van and a quick stop at a small Bónus supermarket in Reykjanesbær to stock up the esky and pantry, we were off to our first campsite in the Reykjanes Peninsula (where KEF is located), wrapping up day one!

Where we stayed: Grindavík Camp Site (2000ISK/pp) - fast wifi, kitchen well stocked, warm showers and heated bathrooms

Sights to see in the area: Brimkettil Lava Rock Pool, Krýsuvík, Valahnúkamöl, Fagradalsfjall (volcano)

Helpful hint: From day 1, get familiar with roads.is to check road conditions before setting off on each leg of your journey! Road conditions change quickly in Iceland and you don’t want to get caught out in a dangerous situation.

Day 2: Heading to Snæfellsnes Peninsula

It is time to set out on your first official journey of the trip! We decided to head straight to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula after a quick check of the weather on vedur.is. The weather changes so quickly that this isn’t the most reliable way to plan your trip, but it’ll give you a quick indication of what you could expect around the country.

Our first impression of Iceland driving (coming from two Aussies who’ve never driven on the right side of the road), simple to navigate, well signposted, and almost all roads outside of Reykjavík are single lane roads - phew, easy!

Snæfellsnes, like the entire country, can be conquered as a loop - we decided to head clockwise around the peninsula starting from Borgarnes, and unfortunately our weather check in the morning backfired, as we were quickly met with extreme winds and solid rain.

Thanks to having a van, we were able to shelter in our heated home on wheels with some badly cooked Mac ‘n’ Cheese to wait out our first taste of Icelandic weather. When the rain eased, we were able to quickly visit Búðakirkja, a tiny picturesque black church usually backed by snow capped mountains, as well as Ingjaldshóll, an iconic church with a perfect leading road making for a great shot. Weather permitting, there are so many more incredible things to see in the peninsula, but sadly the weather wasn’t on our side this day.

After a rainy day on the road we headed to a campsite before dark, and upon arriving, found nothing. We rocked up to a mud pit - no facilities, no people, no information. Maybe it was just because it was winter (advertised as a year-round site), but we can’t recommend Campground Grundarfjörður from our experience.

We were able to find another campsite, located right next to Ingjaldshóll (fools, right?), so we drove 30 minutes back to where we’d been that afternoon and were elated to find a very decent, open, campsite for the night.

Where we stayed: Hellissandur Camping (1500ISK/pp) - clean kitchen, nice shower and toilet facilities.

Sights to see in the area : Arnarstapi & Gatklettur, Hellnar Church, Lóndrangar Hiking Trail, Selvallafoss

Helpful hint: If you check on Google Maps, Route 1 or the ‘Ring Road’ is one of the only roads you’ll see. It’s well developed and the only way to get around the country, and conveniently, almost all tourist sights are located along the road or only a slight detour away. In fact, Snæfellsnes Peninsula was one of the only times we followed a main road that wasn’t Route 1!

Day 3: Mountains and Canyons

Waking up on day three, the weather on the peninsula was much the same as the day before, rain and wind. So we decided to cut our time here short and make our way off the peninsula to continue our road trip.

Before leaving the peninsula, we ventured to Kirkjufell, arguably the most famous, and probably the most photographed, mountain in the country. This is an iconic spot, and would be a great place to try view the northern lights for a truly Icelandic travel experience.

Kirkjufell has one main spot where you can grab a picture with the waterfall ‘Kirkjufellsfoss’ lined up perfectly in front of the mountain, but don’t think you’ll be here alone. Arriving shortly after sunrise, we weren’t all that surprised to see a few cars here already, but the constant flow of tourist traffic in and out was mind blowing. The number of tourists here shouldn’t impact your photos as there is plenty of room along the side of the waterfall to take pictures.

From Kirkjufell, we headed off on a roughly 3 hour journey to Kolugljúfur Canyon. We travelled north along the Ring Road, which meant the rest of our trip would be in a clockwise journey around the country. You can go either way around the country - there’s really no difference on which way you choose, we chose solely on the weather we were expecting.

Kolugljúfur Canyon was at the end of a bumpy, unsealed road which indicated that it should be completed by 4WD only, but to our surprise, a small 2 door hatchback was waiting for us at the end. If you are driving a 2WD, be cautious on this route. The canyon is located right next to the parking space, with a convenient viewing platform next to the carpark and another over the bridge. Our DJI Mavic Mini controller didn’t connect to the drone here, so we had to get creative with our photography and used the bridge as a vantage point to capture some cool pictures.

Weather conditions suggested we were going to be hit with snow and icy roads overnight, so we chose to tackle the long drive to Akureyri in the dark, instead of staying closer to Kolugljúfur at Hótel Húni. There’s a large Bónus supermarket in Akureryi for groceries.

Where we stayed: Camping Hamrar (1800ISK/pp) - massive site, lots of areas to park in, free wifi works in communal areas (showers, kitchens), nice views.

Sights to see in the area: You can add on the Westfjords as a multi-day detour if time permits.

Helpful hint: Grab petrol whenever you can! Even if your tank is only a quarter empty, the petrol stations are few and far between in some places around Iceland, so it’s always better to top up than hit empty with no help nearby (more on how to use the pumps below!)

Kirkjufellfoss looking at Kirkjufell mountain

Day 4: Icelandic Fishing Villages

Day 4 took us to two of Northern Icelands fishing villages, Hauganes and Húsavík. In Hauganes you can find the Hauganes Hot Pot (opens at 9am & cost 1000ISK/pp - cash or card accepted). This was the perfect spot to relax in this unusual boat shaped hot tub perched on the beach - be sure to go for a dip in the (literally freezing) sea water if you want the local worker to dub you a ‘Viking’!

Húsavík is the oldest settlement in Iceland, and has recently become more well known across the globe for its role in the 2020 movie ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’. Honestly, we wouldn’t recommend a detour to this small town unless you are visiting Iceland in whale season, in which case it’s one of the best spots to catch a glimpse of over 20 whale species in the area.

Where we stayed: Lífsmótun Camping - now called CJA camping on Google Maps (1500ISK/pp for a site further away from facilities or 1800ISK/pp for closer) - the owner creeped us out, showers were ok, kitchen facility cold in winter as door kept open, wifi worked close to facilities

Sights to see in the area: Ásbyrgi Canyon, Akureyri Church, Laufás Turf Houses (open May 13 to October 1), Geosea Thermal Baths

Helpful hint: Along Route 1 to the east of Akureyri is the Vaðlaheiðagöng tunnel, which costs 1500 ISK to pass through. You need to pay the toll on tunnel.is 3 hours before or after entering the tunnel, or your rental company will receive the bill. To skip this cost (if you’re trying to save money wherever possible like us), when travelling east from Akureyri go left at the roundabout before the tunnel on Route 83 and continue on as it changes to Route 84, and vice versa if travelling west into Akureyri, soon you will pop out and meet the tunnel traffic at the other end, adding about 10 minutes onto the otherwise $15 journey.

Day 5: Waterfall of the Gods and Mars on Earth?!

We were up bright and early to hit one of the main tourist spots in the North, Goðafoss. Its carpark is located right along Route 1 and you can use the east or west side car parks (our photos are taken from the west side of the falls).

From here, we took off in the search for outer space on earth, and we certainly found it. Mývatn, and its surrounds are not to be missed, particularly the geothermal site Hvevir. Hvevir makes you feel like you’ve stepped out of your van and straight onto Mars, with bubbling mud pots and steaming fumaroles. Note: the area is wet and muddy especially if you venture down the designated paths and don’t just stick to the viewing platforms, so bring a plastic bag to put your shoes in once you’re done visiting this spot! There are many things to see in the area, and we would have spent a few days here if time permitted.

Buckle in for a spectacular scenic drive as you continue east - there are some great spots to pull over and admire the view safely.

Where we stayed: Guesthouse Skjöldólfsstadir (1500ISK/pp) - communal showers, hot tub included, warm kitchen area with power plugs, not allowed to sit in hotel area unless you use restaurant

Sights to see in the area: The entire drive from Akureyri is incredibly scenic! + Aldeyjarfoss, Mývatn Nature Baths, Grjótagjá, Viti Volcano Crater, Hverfjall, Dettifoss (we weren’t kidding, there’s a lot to see)

Helpful hint: Despite the effortless looking Instagram pictures that are seemingly taken from the side of the road, it is not possible to just pull over anywhere in Iceland. Almost all of Route 1 is single lane in each direction with next to no shoulder. It is unsafe for you and for fellow drivers if you stop on the side of the road just to get ‘the shot’. There is no counting the number of sensational spots to take photos in Iceland, and we guarantee you’ll be able to find incredible views with a safe shoulder or carpark to pull into somewhere down the road.

Day 6: First Icelandic Hike

From last nights campsite, we set off on a 30 minute drive to the parking lot of the next adventure, Stuðlagil Canyon. To get to what we think is the best spot for experiencing the canyon, and by best we mean inside the canyon, you should enter ‘Stuðlagil (East Side Parking)’ into Google Maps. Once you’ve arrived to the East Side Parking, there is a bridge in front of you that you can cross either by driving or walking. Turn right after the bridge and after another five minutes driving/30+ minutes walking , you will reach a large dirt field for parking. From here, we walked the track all the way to Stuðlagil, and it took about 30-40 minutes.

There are a few ways you can view the canyon itself. The first, from above. Once you’ve made the hike in, you can stand on top of the basalt columns and look down into the incredibly unique canyon. Or if you’re after a bit more immersion, you can scramble down into the canyon and find yourself at the base of the basalt, along the waters edge. If you choose this option, be careful of ice and be sure to use the black safety rope to help you down.

If a hike isn’t your thing, you can instead go to the Stuðlagil Canyon Parking (there are toilets here), take the stairs down to the viewing platform and observe from there.

Note: Possible Instagram Vs Reality moment here! If you’re travelling in the winter, there’s a possibility you won’t be met with the striking blue water you see on the internet, instead it may be a murky brown. This is due to glacial water being washed down with the rain. We visited in October and were lucky enough to be met with blue, but consider this if the blue water is the only reason you want to visit!

From Stuðlagil, we continued our way east as our plans for day 7 involved a hike in the area of Egilsstaðir. A quick time filler around here is Seyðisfjörður, a small town at the inner most point of one of Icelands eastern fjords. It’s known for its rainbow street leading to the doors of a pastel blue church, and also for its international arts community.

Where we stayed: Hengifoss Guesthouse (1500ISK/pp) - nice restaurant and hotel area, one accessible bathroom (shower and toilet in one), large communal area with kitchen and couches not open likely for winter

Sights to see in the area: Vok Baths, The Arctic Henge (out of the way but you’d most likely visit from this area), East Iceland Heritage Museum

Helpful hint: Bónus, Netto & Krónan are the supermarkets that you will most likely visit in Iceland. Krónan are predominantly in Reykjavík area, whilst you’ll find Netto and Bónus a bit more randomly around the country. Prices are likely to blow your mind for meats & cheeses but dry goods, soups, and cup noodles are a bit more reasonable - more in our budget blog about this. Egilsstaðir is a super convenient stop with a Bónus, Netto and a N1 (petrol station) all right across the road from each other.

Stuðlagil Canyon, from the base of the canyon

Parking lot where you will start Stuðlagil hike from

Day 7: Fjords after Fjords

This day held one of the most scenic drives in Iceland. But first up was one of the more challenging walks you’ll experience if you’re visiting Iceland in the winter, to Hengifoss.

The Hengifoss Guesthouse is only a 6 minute drive to Hengifoss, which makes for a cruisy start to the day. Hengifoss has a large carpark with free public toilet. The hike up to the falls took about 3 hours return, and we spent plenty of time up there capturing the gorgeous waterfall, which has incredible layers of red rock behind it, making it one of the more interesting waterfalls you’ll see on your travels. You’ll also get the added bonus of seeing Litlanesfoss on the hike up and back, but be sure to look up the mountain and continue onwards to Hengifoss.

Once you’ve made it to the viewing platform for Hengifoss, you can venture onwards to get closer to the falls - we’d recommend allowing at least 45 minutes to 1 hour to add on this adventure. We didn’t even make it half way, and it was a super scrambly journey.

If you’re unfit like us, you’ll be glad to have a day of relaxing in the car ahead of you, with some of the best views of the trip. The goal for the day was to make it down to Höfn for sunset, which from Hengifoss is about a four hour drive.

This can quickly turn into a 6 or 7 hour drive with the amount you’ll want to stop. We stopped at one of Iceland’s 104 lighthouses (it was bright orange and adorable) and pulled into a driveway next to the most perfect puddle reflecting the East Fjords jagged peaks.

Where we stayed: Viking Cafe Camping (2000ISK/pp) - no kitchen, amazing showers and bathrooms, stay here and get free entry to Stokksnes Beach (see tomorrows information)

Sights to see in the area: Klifbrekkufossar, Djúpivogur Hot Pot, Eystrahorn/Hvalnes Lighthouse

Helpful hint: If you’re travelling in winter (any time outside summer), many of the longer hikes are closed as they are only accessible via F Roads, which are also closed due to winter conditions. This means that many of the waterfalls are easily visited with just a short walk. If you’re travelling in summer, there are many more sights in the Icelandic highlands accessed via F Roads (4WD only) to add onto your trip!

Day 8: Try again later…

After a crazy night of wind and rain battering the van, we woke up to, no surprise here, wind and rain. One of the places we were looking forward to most, and the reason we stayed at Viking Cafe Camping, was not looking good. If you Google ‘Stokksnes’, you’ll see the most beautiful mountain reflections in stark wet black sand, and unfortunately that’s not what we saw out of our van that morning.

Stokksnes Beach and its neighbouring ‘Viking Village’ is accessed by purchasing an 800ISK ticket from the Viking Cafe, but if you stay overnight here, you’ll get the access as part of your camping fee! Because of the rubbish weather, we didn’t want to waste our paid access, and instead set off in search of better weather.

And better weather we did not find. We checked out Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach, arriving in the early morning, and were able to snap a few tourist pics, but we weren’t thrilled with the conditions, so we eventually headed back to Stokksnes in the hopes of a magnificent sunset to turn our day around. We used our access pass to visit the beach and enjoy the afternoon, as we chose to stay here another night, meaning we’d get another access pass for tomorrow.

If you aren’t after specific conditions for the purpose of photography, this day would’ve been totally fine as long as you’re happy to cop a bit of rain and wind (and honestly you’re in Iceland, so you should be prepared for this). But for us, it just wasn’t what we wanted at these locations, so we decided to do it all again tomorrow.

We drank an absurdly priced hot chocolate with Baileys at the Viking Cafe to chill out and felt absolutely no chill upon paying a whopping $43 for the two small drinks.

Where we stayed: Viking Cafe Camping (2000ISK/pp)

Sights to see in the area: Hoffel Hot Tubs, Ósland

Helpful hint: Every trip to Iceland should leave contingency space for wet weather days. It is almost guaranteed that you’re going to get rained out at least once in Iceland. Try not jam pack everyday, or have some alternate plans in case the direction you are travelling is copping less than ideal weather.

Day 9: Let’s try that again!

Stokksnes behaved the next morning with cloudy but manageable weather. Honestly, even in poor conditions, this place is an absolute must see! The stark contrasts of the white sea foam, black sand and golden dune grass, with a backdrop of dramatic mountain peaks seriously cannot be skipped.

Your Stokksnes entry card also gets you into the abandoned Viking Village which was created for a film that was never shot, it’ll only take you about 5-10 minutes to walk to the site from the designated carpark.

We visited Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach again, this time in the late afternoon for sunset. We’d probably say sunset was a more enjoyable experience. By 9:45am (with the sun rising at about 9:05am), the carpark was totally packed at Jökulsárlón, whereas in the afternoon, most (but definitely not all) of the tourists had cleared out for the day. In saying that, it’s a great spot to take photos and visit at any time of the day as there lots of room along the shore, edge of carpark, and up the hill overlooking the lagoon, to spread out and enjoy the view. There’s also free public toilets at Jökulsárlón next to the parking lot.

For the rest of our trip, most of the drives are kept to about 1 hour or so, so you’ve done a lot of the long hauls - yay! Continuing west along the south coast, it’s time to get into the good stuff (and the stuff you should do if you only have a week).

Our campsite for the night, Skaftafell Camping, gave us one of the most exciting nights of our trip because… we saw the Northern Lights! By absolute luck, Erin was busting to use the toilets and pestered Jackson to take her to the bathroom (scaredy cat or just smart?!). When we arrived back to the van, there was some strange whispy looking clouds overhead, so we thought we’d whip out our phones and try the night mode long exposure to see if we were just tripping out, or if maybe it was more than just a cloud. And we couldn’t believe our luck! Make sure to keep your eyes out for anything unusual if it’s a clear night, as the northern lights can sometimes be nearly invisible to the naked eye.

Where we stayed: Skaftafell Camping (1700ISK/pp) - okay showers, outdoor sinks for washing up, includes parking fee for visiting Skaftefell and Svartifoss

Sights to see in the area: Glacial rivers along the coastline (if you’ve got a drone), Skaftafellsjökull or Svínafellsjökull for glacier hiking

Helpful hint: There is an electronics store in Höfn called Martölvan ehf if any of your tech equipment fails you on this trip! They’ve got batteries, inverters, adaptors, tripods, SD cards, phones - almost anything you could need.

Jökulsárlón Perspective 1: From next to carpark, in the morning.

Jökulsárlón Perspective 2: shot taken from the hill above, just after sunset.

Jökulsárlón Perspective 3: Shot towards the ocean, at sunset.

Day 10: The most beautiful place in Iceland!

Day 10’s first sight was conveniently located exactly where we woke up. Svartifoss is a waterfall located about a 30 minute walk uphill from your campsite, and is a beautiful spot with dark lava columns backing the falls. As the camp fee including parking, you are able to use the Skaftafell & Svartifoss parking lot, however after moving our van, we realised we’d taken ourselves further away from the walks entry point.

The walk is well developed and we’d consider it to be easy, with great viewing points from numerous spots at the top to see Svartifoss.

We set out for our next spot after giving Glacial Goodies, the fast food van at the base of Svartifoss’ hike, a try and we weren’t disappointed. Although extremely expensive like most other restaurant / cafe food in Iceland, the hot chips (1000ISK) were thoroughly enjoyed.

Múlagljúfur Canyon is undoubtedly one of Icelands best spots and until now it remains relatively unknown. The road in is unmarked and there is little evidence of tourist destruction… for now. We are certain that this place will become even more popular over the coming years and likely become significantly more developed and touristed, so we are glad we managed to see it in almost total solitude!

When visiting this spot, there is a small river crossing on the road in, which may not be suitable for all vehicles particularly if the river is high. To find the starting point, park when you can’t drive any further, walk up towards the road and begin hiking upwards. You’ll come across a few stakes along the 40 minute walk to lead the way and you’ll cross two streams, the second is likely to get your feet wet, so wear waterproof shoes.

If we did Iceland again, we’d probably set aside a whole day to visit this place. You honestly couldn’t get sick of the views and there are numerous peaks you can hike to. We shot part of CampEasy’s clothing campaign here so we didn’t venture past the first viewing point, but from chatting with others who made it up and back, it sounded incredible. Pack a picnic and soak in the serenity… This place is next level.

Where we stayed: Kirkjubaer II Campground (1600ISK/pp) - 300ISK/pp for 5 minute timed shower, no taps working so needed to wash in toilet sinks, no kitchen or communal sitting space

Sights to see in the area: Dverghamrar

Helpful hint: In winter, many campsites turn off their external taps to prevent them from freezing, so if you are planning on cooking, try find campsites with inside kitchens that should have running water!

Múlagljúfur Canyon, showing the other peaks on the left.

Day 11: Never ending lava fields

This was a super cruisy day in our itinerary, mostly just a few touristy spots along the road, with no big walks or massive sights to tick off.

Within five minutes of the campsite is Stjórnarfoss, which was pretty underwhelming with what we’d seen so far, and what’s to come. This stop is included on most tours itineraries as a spot to stretch your legs on the way to Jökulsárlón so its obviously nice, but really nothing special.

Next up along Route 1 is the Eldhraun Lava Field which is spectacular with 565 square kilometres of moss as a result by a volcanic eruption in 1783. It is very important that you do not touch, step on, or sit on the moss. It is extremely sensitive and can take decades to heal, if the damage is not irreparable. There are clear paths that allow you to walk through sections of the fields and you can still capture great content from the safe zone of a respectful tourist.

Another interesting stop along Route 1 on Day 11 is Fjaðrárgljúfur. All three of these spots are within about 20 minutes from each other, so as we said, a super cruisy day.

Unfortunately Fjaðrárgljúfur was unbearably windy when we visited so we didn’t stay long, however you can normally walk along the top of the canyon, enjoying the beautiful views from safety of the carefully constructed tourist path (again stick to it). This spot became so busy from a certain pop stars music video that Icelandic Tourism was forced to close it down for a while to preserve the natural area, so check if the area is open before visiting and be respectful of the rules when you visit.

After these quick stops, it's time to make your way towards Vík which means the beginning of some of the really good, but much more touristy, stuff.

Vík has a petrol station as well as a large Krónan, which may be a good place to stock up for the next leg of your journey.

Where we stayed: Skógar Campsite (1500ISK/pp) - showers cost to use, bathrooms not well kept, no kitchen facilities, essentially paying for a carpark, but great views

Sights to see in the area: Laufskálavarða, Gígjagjá (Yoda Cave), Loftsalahellir Cave, Katla Ice Caves (tour), Vík í Mýrdal Church,

Helpful hint: Try to always park into the wind so the wind doesn’t blow your car doors off, and if that’s not possible always hold your door as you open it (don’t let it fly open).

Day 12: Black Beaches Galore

Staying at Skógar Campsite gives you the most perfect start to the day, waking up with Skógafoss at your feet. We got out to see this 60m curtain fall as soon as the sun was up and we’re grateful we did. We were able to appreciate the sheer force of the fall, without the excessive volume of tourists that arrived shortly after. By 9:30am the carpark was filling up quickly with tour buses. Be sure to pack a rain jacket for Iceland not only for the rainy weather but also for the powerful falls.

Our next stop of the day treated us to the first of our south coast beaches. Sitting atop Dyrhólaey will give you perhaps the best beach view in Iceland, with black beach, blue water, and mountains spanning as far as the eye can see. The carpark is located only a five minute walk from the main view point. There is a specific spot that is not roped off where you can get great photos making it look like your hanging off the edge, don’t jump any fences.

We spent a lot of time at Dyrhólaey shooting for the CampEasy campaign, so you could definitely condense the time spent here and add in some more sights on this day.

Next up was the famous, and deadly, black beach Reynisfjara. This spot was the busiest of any places we visited on our trip no matter what time of the day we visited (we visited three times). It is truly spectacular so it’s really no surprise.

Unfortunately, it is also one of the most dangerous spots for tourists in Iceland, as there are ‘sneaker waves’ that have claimed four lives in the last 10 years, including one in the weeks following our visit. There are warning signs galore on the way into the beach, you should take these seriously, keep a great distance between yourself and the waves, and always keep an eye on the water.

There are also a few unmarked roads near the Reynisfjara carpark that look tempting… our advice - don’t go down there. We thought another car going down there meant it would be fine for us, and we got stuck! The sand was so much softer than expected.

Where we stayed: Skógar Campsite - can’t beat the location in winter

Sights to see in the area: Kvernufoss, Sólheimajökull

Helpful hint: Pack a pair of slides that you can wear your socks with to get around campsites - believe us, you’ll be grateful to slip your toasty warm toes into your sandals and get around comfortably. The thong and sock combo was not efficient!

Skógafoss, before the tour buses arrived

Reynisfjara Beach, check @thewaytowherever for how we created this image, without going near the water

Day 13: Reynisfjara & Plane Wreck

Because the previous afternoon was so busy at Reynisfjara, we thought we’d give it another chance. So we took off in the dark from Skógar Campsite, and to our absolute disappointment, the car park was already half full. The sun rose on this day at 9:15am, and in a video we filmed at 9:40am, we counted 75 people, only in the spot directly in front of us!!! We can’t believe how busy it was, considering it was winter season and during a pandemic - definitely don’t expect to be here alone.

Our next stop was one we tossed up for a while, the wrecked plane on Sólheimasandur. The 7km return hike from carpark to wrecked plane doesn’t sound too bad, but it was one of the hardest walks we did in Iceland. It took us about 40 minutes to hike out, and about 1 hour to hike back. And honestly, we were pretty underwhelmed. The hike is gruelling across a large flat plain with Icelands obscene winds smashing you from every direction and absolutely nothing to see for the whole walk. The plane itself is cool to see, but the walk doesn’t seem worth it for the 10-15 minutes you’ll spend here. If you’re short on time, this is one to skip.

We really enjoyed spending time at Reynisfjara, and had some concepts in mind to shoot for CampEasy, so we decided to spend another sunset at the black beach.

If you’re planing this trip, you could set off earlier to Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi, or visit Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool this afternoon.

Where we stayed: Hamragarðar Camping (at Seljalandsfoss) (1500ISK/pp) - no showers in winter, warm kitchen with lots of seating room and electrical plugs

Sights to see in the area: Thórsmörk (summer only), Landmannalaugar (summer only), Sigöldugljúfur (4WD summer only), Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands)

Helpful hint: The petrol stations use pre-paid fuel pumps so you must choose a fixed amount in ISK before preauthorising your debit/credit card, and then filling your vehicle. We wouldn’t recommend using the “fill” option as they’ll preauthorise your card for about 20,000ISK ($200) and it can take about a month to come back to you. Your card will need to have a pin for it to work, so be sure to set this up before arriving to Iceland. If your card fails, you can buy an N1 pre paid fuel card to use for fuel purchases.

Day 14: The Oldest Swimming Pool in Iceland?!

We started our morning taking some campaign photos for CampEasy at Seljalandsfoss, which is an absolutely spectacular waterfall in the South of Iceland. You can even walk the whole way behind it, for a full 360 degree view. It got busy here super quickly, so we knew we’d stay another night here to capture some shots just for us early the next morning.

Make sure you visit Seljalandsfoss’ neighbour Gljúfrabúi, just a 5-10 minute walk from the main falls carpark. After a few busy days of seeing lots of sights, we were keen for a midday relax and opted for the Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool, which is allegedly the oldest swimming pool in Iceland. We had read the change rooms were disgusting and the pool was less than ideal, but we gave it a shot and were pleasantly surprised. The change rooms were nothing special but they weren’t dirty when we visited, and the pool was a sort of luke warm yet comfortable temperature. Definitely nothing like the hot pots we’d visited but still worth a visit. It also had the best views of any hot pot or pool we visited. Hint: there’s a secret hot pot about a 10 minute walk behind the pool!

After that, you could head off in the direction of Reykjavík to get in some extra time in the Golden Circle (we visit on Day 15 and didn’t have enough time to enjoy it).

Where we stayed: Hamragarðar Camping (1500ISK/pp)

Sights to see in the area: Head to the Golden Circle

Helpful hint: Check the weather warnings daily and take them seriously. We saw a post on Facebook of a man who had pulled over due to strong wing warnings and his back windscreen and windows were still completely shattered from flying rocks. The morning after reading about his situation on Facebook, we actually woke up, looked out the van window and coincidentally, he was parked right behind us at the campsite - his damage was no joke!

Gljúfrabúi, 5-10 minute walk from Seljalandsfoss

Day 15: Road Trip Wrap Up

This day was for prioritising the last things we wanted to see and making sure we made the most of it. We spent a few hours soaking in the sheer force of Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi, before slowing meandering our way up into the Golden Circle, but not before a quick stop at one of our must see hot pots.

Hrunalaug Hot Spring was a great place to spend our final road trip afternoon, we stayed here a good few hours. There is a few spots to take a dip, and we’d recommend trying to get into the small plunge pool in front of the change rooms. Honestly this place would be uncomfortable when busy, so try arrive here early or outside peak season. There is a donation box at the entrance - help to support the locals who maintain the springs.

If you arrived earlier or the day before, you’ll be able to squeeze in most of the sights of the Golden Circle on this day. After doing a full lap of Iceland, we weren’t that interested in the Golden Circle, which is why we left it for the day we had to return the van. But if you are interested in seeing it, some sights are listed in ‘sights to see in the area’.

Where we stayed: Thingvellir Tourist Information Centre carpark (1300ISK/pp) - there is a campsite here, but we stayed in the carpark because the campsite was totally empty and there was no directions or signage to show where to park, plus the carpark was closer to the toilets.

Sights to see in the area: Kerið Crater, Silfra Snorkelling, Gullfoss, Brúarfoss, Öxarárfoss, Laugarvatn Fontana

Helpful hint: You should carefully research the time of year you are travelling and pick based on what suits you best. From late April to August, Iceland will get between 16 - 22 hours of sunlight per day, and from October to February, the max daylight hours will be 9 but it can get as low as just 4 hours of daylight. The driving conditions are also more challenging throughout winter, so take this into consideration.

Day 16: Say goodbye to your home own on wheels

After seeing so many incredible sights around Iceland over the past two weeks, we’ll admit the Golden Circle disappointed us. But loads of people have great things to say about this tourist track, so you can make up your mind about it.

We spent our final day taking a quick look at Thingvellir National Park, which was super icy and difficult to walk around. We also quickly checked out the famous Geyser, which we’ll admit was cool to see. You don’t often see a hot spring shoot water over 20 metres into the air.

We gradually made our way back down to the Reykjanes Peninsula, where we dropped off our van and said goodbye to our time on Iceland’s roads.

It was time to finally see Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, so we jumped on the shuttle from CampEasy to the airport, before boarding a Gray Line bus to the city. There’s a few stops you can choose to disembark at for free, which we obviously chose, and it was pretty conveniently located close to our accommodation.

Where we stayed: Guesthouse Pavi (17438ISK or $180AUD for 2 nights) - comfortable beds, shower water had sulphuric smell, wifi decent, good location for walking

Sights to see in the area: You could visit Blue Lagoon on this afternoon while you still have a car.

Helpful hint: All of our batteries (phones, laptops, camera) lost charge very quickly whilst in the Icelandic cold, so charge whenever you can, and try keep at least one phone charged in case of emergency.

Day 17 & 18: Exploring Reykjavík

Our flight back to Scotland was at about 9pm on Day 18, so we had two full days to explore Reykjavík. After creating content all day, every day during our road trip, we were after two very chill days knowing we’d be getting straight back to work when we arrived in Edinburgh.

So we decided to take it easy and spend our time exploring Reykjavík on foot, drinking hot chocolates and coffees, and visiting one of the famous Lagoons. There are also loads of incredible homewares stores and tourist shops to poke around in.

We visited the iconic Hallgrímskirkja and appreciated how much the design looked like many of the basalt column structures we’d seen around the island. You also can’t miss a quick stop at the Rainbow Street in the city centre.

The biggest decision we made whilst in Reykjavík was which lagoon to visit: Sky Lagoon or the famous Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon, whilst obviously the popular choice amongst tourists, would set us back about $350 AUD total for the basic entry package plus Reykjavík pick up and airport drop off. Whilst we were prepared to spend this for the visit, we would’ve ideally gone from Reykjavík to Blue Lagoon, and then to the airport for our flight. However they offer only one transfer to the airport, at 2:30pm. With a 9pm flight, this obviously wasn’t ideal.

We researched the newly opened Sky Lagoon, which for just over $200, got us entry to the pool plus the ‘Seven-Step Ritual’. The best news, we could get a local bus there and back for just $4.50 per person per trip. This meant we could do it on our first day in Reykjavík, and have a super relaxed last day in Reykjavík before our flight on Day 18.

We can’t recommend Sky Lagoon enough - it was the perfect, relaxing spot for our final splurge in Iceland, and the Pure Package is definitely worth the extra money. We spent over five hours here, soaking it all in.

Another thing to mention is the age limit difference between Blue Lagoon (2 years old) and Sky Lagoon (12 years old) - this may influence your decision.

Some restaurants/cafes we tried in Reykjavík:

Grái Kötturinn: delicious breakfast, massive servings, very small place so can be hard to get a table
Lebowski Bar: food was not worth the price, wouldn’t recommend
Kaktus Espressobar: great coffee, servings pastries and sandwiches + vegan eats
Ban Thai: great hearty Thai food
Eldur og Ís: delicious crepes and ice cream, long wait time as it was very busy
Devito’s Pizza: great late night eat, large delicious pizza

Where we stayed: Guesthouse Pavi

Sights to see in the area: Sun Voyage, Whale Watching Cruises, Reykjavík Maritime Museum, FlyOver Iceland

Helpful hint: If you want a quick snack on the go during your travels, most petrol stations sell (delicious) hot dogs for about 300ISK ($3) - this can quickly add up if you do this a lot (like us), but if you’re in a rush to make it somewhere, this can be a good option so you don’t have to pull over to cook.

That's it!

If you’ve made it down here, thank you so much for reading

Honestly, we can’t even describe how much we loved Iceland. There are such diverse landscapes all over the country, you’ll feel like you’ve visit 10 countries in 1, not to mention outer space as well.

We loved the time of year we chose to go - the days were a perfect length that we didn’t run ourselves absolutely ragged, and the weather wasn’t too harsh, but we’d love to go back in summer to have access to the F roads and some of the longer hikes!

If you don’t have quite the time or budget to spend as long as we did in Iceland, say you only have 7 days, we’d recommend sticking to the south coast. You’re going to be able to see glaciers, lagoons, waterfalls, black beaches, geysers, hot springs, all without rushing! We’d recommend going as far east as Höfn, and turning around at this point to make your way back.

Ultimately, there is such a wide variety of things to see and do in this country, it all comes down to personal preference! We hope this itinerary has shown you how much there is to see, and helped you to schedule out your trip a little better.

The Way To Wherever