Iceland | OUR TRIP
Did you just decide to travel to Iceland, but you still have to figure out how to best schedule your trip? This post describes our travel itinerary and it might give you some inspiration.
Tips & Tricks
Here you can find some tips & tricks on how to visit Iceland. They are based on our mistakes and on the lessons we learned during our adventure.
OUR MISTAKES
When we planned our trip to Iceland, we had this idea in mind: hike the Laugavegur and Hornstrandir trails, while also being able to visit the country by driving on the ring road. However, when looking back, we think we should have put more focus on the planning of the trekkings only.
This is why:
Iceland is big
Sure, if you have enough time and money to take it easy and enjoy both the trails and the ring road, go for it! However, although we had an amazing holiday, we ended up chasing time on the ring road. We are also not used to drive for hours and hours, so we were quite tired at the end of each day.The weather is unpredictable
If you are planning to hike on the Laugavegur and/or Hornstrandir trails, don’t do the same mistake we did… plan one or two spare days for completing each trail, in case you’ll have to stop and rest because of sudden bad weather.Our schedule was not flexible enough
The biggest mistake we did was to book ahead public transports, accommodations and car rental for right after the completion of a trail. You really need to consider that heavy rain and poor visibility could force you to stop while on trail, and flexibility is essential for shifting your schedule of a day or two!
CAR RENTAL
We personally think that renting a car is the best way to travel through the country. Although very expensive, a car will allow you to visit Iceland in the most efficient way, while being independent and having the freedom to decide what to visit, depending on the weather and your preferences.
This Car Rental Search Engine provides a good overview of the available rental companies, cars and prices.
When renting a car, you must make sure to pick one that can actually drive you to the places you want to visit. We found this amazing website of Epiciceland incredibly useful for our research!
These are the three types of roads in Iceland:
Asphalt roads
If you are planning to drive only along the ring road no. 1, a 2WD vehicle is enough.F-roads without river crossings
There are many gravel roads deviating from the ring road no. 1, which lead to touristic attractions. These roads are in good conditions and can be driven with any type of 4WD (4x4) cars.F-roads with river crossings
For driving on this type of roads, for example to reach Askja Volcano or Landmannalaugar in the Highlands, you must rent a 4WD (4x4) car with a good ground clearance. On the website of Epiciceland you’ll find everything you need to know regarding cars and river crossings on these types of roads!
ACCOMMODATION
There is a big choice of accommodation options in Iceland, including hotels, bed&breakfasts, guest houses, hostels, and campings.
This was our accommodation strategy along the ring road:
Accommodation type
We decided to go for a mixture between hotels, guesthouses and campings. Hotels and guesthouses were expensive, but allowed us to rest while feeling cuddled and comfortable in a warm bed. Campings were however the cheapest and most flexible option, as we were just parking the car and sleeping in our tent, without feeling the urge to reserve a spot ahead.Booking
We booked ahead just a few hotels / guesthouses for the dates that we were sure not to miss out, for example the evenings right before or after a trekking. However, while on trail, we didn’t like the loss of flexibility that this pre-booking process led to. Therefore, if you are heading to Iceland to experience the wilderness of the trails, we would recommend to stay flexible and stick to campgrounds even after your hike… it is cheaper, you don’t need to worry about booking, and you can adjust your hiking plans according to the weather.Planning
While on the road, we were mostly planning our accommodations two days in advance. We simply decided where to go next by zooming into Google Maps and finding an accommodation near an attraction that we wanted to visit… if no hotel or guesthouse was available, we just picked a campground.
APPS
We recommend to download the following apps on your phone:
Vedur
For checking the weather forecastSafeTravel
For checking road conditionsParka
For paying some of the parking spots at the attractions along the ring road
Travelling to Iceland
DAY 1
01.08.2023
Flight from Zürich to Reykjavík
We catched our Icelandair flight from Zürich (Switzerland) to Reykjavík. While on the flight, we were asked if we wanted to purchase a bus ticket to the city center. The bus was a Flybus operated by Reykjavík Excursions, and it stops at the hostels/hotels announced by the clients… so of course we bought the ticket!
Once we checked-in at our hostel in Reykjavík, we proceeded with our to-do-list for the preparation of the Laugavegur Trail:
We left our bags containing normal clothes in this locker inside a parking lot.
We resupplied for water and fresh food (bread, cheese and cold cuts) at this small Extra Supermarket, which was close to our accommodation.
We purchased two gas canisters (230 g), one for each of us, in one of the many Icewear Shops.
We withdrew cash (15’000 ISK) at one of the many ATMs in the city center.
Aaand finally, it was time to relax and enjoy our evening… off to a quick dinner and to bed!
ACCOMMODATION
Kex Hostel Reykjavík
FOOD
Dinner: Brass Kitchen & Bar
Laugavegur Trail
DAY 2 - DAY 5
02.08.2023 - 05.08.2023
Laugavegur
On the 2nd of August, we woke up very early and walked to the BSÍ Bus Terminal to catch our Reykjavík Excursions Bus to Landmannalaugar, our starting point of the Laugavegur. The bus ride was long and took approximately 5 hours, including a 30 minutes break for a much needed coffee.
We then spent 4 amazing days on the trail, hiking from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk. Here you can find further information about the Laugavegur stages.
DAY 6
06.08.2023
Back to Reykjavík
On this last trekking day, we initially planned to hike the Fimmvörðuháls Trail from Þórsmörk to Skógar, where we would have then catched a bus to Reykjavík.
However, due to heavy rains and poor visibility, we decided to give up. With heavy hearts, we hopped on a bus at Þórsmörk (Básar) and drove back to Reykjavík in the early afternoon.
ACCOMMODATION
Grettir Guesthouse
FOOD
Lunch: Camping Básar
Dinner: Reykjavík Fish
Ring Road | part 1
After hiking the Laugavegur Trail and coming back to Reykjavík, we rented a car and spent 8 days exploring the country by driving along the Ring Road… our next trekking destination? The Hornstrandir Trail in the Westfjords!
DAY 7
07.08.2023
Volcanoes in Reykjanes
At 07:30, we catched a FlyBus from the BSÍ Bus Terminal to Keflavík Airport, where we picked up our rented car, a Dacia Duster from Lotus Car Rental.
We then drove immediately to Reykjanes… our goal was to visit the Litli-Hrútur Volcano, which just started erupting one month before our arrival. We left the car at the Parking P1 and followed the pink hiking trail, passing by the eruption sites of 2021 and 2022. The view of the craters and the black lava fields was out of this world… we felt like walking through Mordor!
At the end of the pink trail, we decided to continue hiking to see the Litli-Hrútur eruption site… the path was not official, but it was safe, easy and followed by many people. Of course, due to our bad luck, the volcano stopped erupting 2 days before our visit… we couldn’t believe it! However, it was so worth seeing the still fuming volcano from the top, although no red lava was flowing out of it anymore.
We had a picknick lunch at the Litli-Hrútur viewing point and headed back to the parking lot… it was a long hike, 10km to the volcano and 10km back… we were also caught by rain on the way back but were really happy about this adventure!
We then drove along the sunny coast towards our next destination, the Greenhouse Hotel… a perfect place for resting after a week of great adventures!
ACCOMMODATION
The Greenhouse Hotel
ACTIVITIES
Hiking in Reykjanes
FOOD
Lunch: picknick
Dinner: The Greenhouse Hotel
DAY 8
08.08.2023
Háifoss, Skógafoss, Reynisfjara
In order to survive our Ring Road trip, we decided to take it easy… instead of visiting all the main attractions of the island in a hectic way, we just picked a few for each day, spent some time in that area and enjoyed it!
Our first stop was Háifoss, a very tall waterfall with a 128 m drop, surrounded by a mystical green canyon. We were mesmerized by the mysterious vibes of the canyon, so we decided to hike down to the bottom of the waterfall. We had our picknick lunch and spent almost 3 hours there… it was so worth it!
It was time to start driving again… direction Skógafoss! We stopped for a quick coffee break at a cozy bookstore/coffeeshop, and for resupplying at a supermarket.
We got emotional when reaching the bottom of Skógafoss… this was the location where we were supposed to finish our Laugavegur Trail adventure… and it was epic! The waterfall was powerfull and strong, so full of energy!
We then decided to give a ride to Vík to a couple of hikers who just finished the trail… we visited together the black sand beach of Reynisfjara. It was funny to chitchat about trails while watching puffins flying from the cliffs to the ocean and back.
It was already 20:00 when we finally headed to our camping for the night, Þakgil, located under the glacier of the Katla Volcano and reachable after a 40 minutes off-road drive. This was one of the most epic campsite locations ever!
ACCOMMODATION
Þakgil Camping
ACTIVITIES
Háifoss, Skógafoss, Reynisfjara
FOOD
Lunch: picknick
Dinner: cooked at Þakgil Camping
DAY 9
09.08.2023
Hike in Þakgil, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
The weather was awesome… the sky was blue and no clouds were on the horizon. We therefore decided to spend time to explore the area around Þakgil, as there were many hiking trails around the campsite. We chose the yellow path: a 17 km long trail with elevation gain/loss of 600 m, for the duration of 6 hours.
We started climbing the majestic green valley at around 09:00… on top of the ridge, the landscapes completely changed and became rockier. The wind suddenly became stronger and colder, a clear sign that we were approaching the ice sheet covering the Katla Volcano. Suddenly, the glacier appeared in front of us… we were speachless… it was huge and the contrast between the white of the ice and the black of the lava was out of this world!
Fun fact:
We witnessed something incredibly amazing along the ridge, as we noticed tiny water droplets elegantly flying in front of us. Apparently, below the ridge, there was a waterfall that we couldn’t see and the wind was blowing the drops upwards in random directions… gravity seemed non-existent. The tiny droplets were reflecting the light of the sun and seemed like magical colorful glitters, like Spice on Arrakis (from the book “Dune”). We felt so lucky to have noticed it!
At the northern edge of the yellow path, we decided to keep walking off-trail to get as close as possible to the glacier. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see a glacier edge so close, with a huge waterfall flowing out of it, and blocks of ice detaching and falling down for meters, making a very loud noise.
As we returned to the campsite of Þakgil, a long roadtrip was awaiting us, as we were going to drive until the Vestrahorn Camping. However, we took some short breaks on the way, for quickly checking out the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, visiting the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and taking pictures of the huge glacier of Skeiðarárjökull.
When we finally arrived to our destination, the campsite at Vestrahorn was packed, but we were lucky enough to find a spot, squeezed between other tents. I was KO, so tired from the day we just spent, but happy to be with my love and to live such a special adventure with him :)
ACCOMMODATION
Vestrahorn Camping
ACTIVITIES
Hike in Þakgil, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
FOOD
Lunch: picknick
Dinner: Pakkhús Restaurant
DAY 10
10.08.2023
Hengifoss, Vök Baths
We needed to rest and not to go on any big hike today. We therefore took our time for having breakfast at the Viking Cafè at the Vestrahorn Campsite, before heading back to the Ring Road.
We drove to Hengifoss, the tallest waterfall of Iceland… we were so looking forward to see the huge drop! We first had a delicious lamb soup from the Hengifoss Food Truck, and then started a 30 minutes climb to the waterfall. The colors of the rocks behind the water were stunning… the red stripes on the black stone are definitely symbolizing Hengifoss!
It was time for a much needed relaxing experience… we drove to the Vök Baths, and spent the next hours relaxing at these gorgeous geothermal pools, at times jumping in the lake Urriðavatn to cool down. This is a must-do if you want to relax!
In the late afternoon, we drove to our destination, the camping of Seyðisfjörður. This campsite was also packed, because the ferry for Danemark was leaving the harbor the next morning, but the village was so cute and picturesque!
ACCOMMODATION
Seydisfjördur Camping
ACTIVITIES
Hengifoss, Vök Baths
FOOD
Lunch: Hengifoss Food Truck
Dinner: Skaftfell Bistro
DAY 11
11.08.2023
Askja
After a quick stop at Egilsstaðir for resupplying and for a fuel refill, we started driving again… our adventure for the day was to reach the Dreki Campsite and hike to the crater of the Askja Volcano! We decided to go along with this plan just after checking the weather forecasts and the road conditions and making sure to understand if our car model was able to survive this off-road expedition, since it included river crossings.
Note:
If you are curious about the apps / websites we used for retrieving information about weather forecast and road conditions, you can head to the section “Tips&Tricks“, at the top of this page!
The off-road drive was long (5h 30min)… but so exciting! We drove our 4x4 Dacia Duster on the roads F905 and F910, hence along the recommended and “easiest” roads on the way to Askja. The roads were anyway no joke… they were very rough at times and crossed 3 rivers. Luckily, we queued behind two other cars and tackled the road and rivers together.
Fun Fact:
”The Last One CLOSE IT!”
This was a sentence that an Italian guy driving one of the cars to Askja screamed at us, once he opened a gate to cross a bridge. As we were the last car passing, we needed to close the gate behind us. This wouldn’t be funny in a normal situation, but for us it was hilarious… this guy was so motivated and excited by the off-road adventure, and for us it seemed like watching an action movie… the loud river in the back, the guy running towards us, the sentence screamed at us with such passion! Of course we never stopped repeating this sentence for the whole duration of our holidays!
Once at Dreki, we planned to first hike along the red A-2 trail (3 hours) to Víti Crater and to then walk on the shorter blue A-1 trail (30 minutes) to reach the parking lot. At the parking, we were kind of hoping to find a good soul to hitch-hike back to Dreki.
Once we started hiking, the desertic landscapes reminded us of Star Wars and we picked up a good pace while singing the soundtrack of the movies. We reached the top of the crater after 2h 30min, and the Crater Lake Askja opened up in front of us… it was so special!
We also hiked down to visit the smaller Víti Crater. Unfortunately, authorities did not recommend to bathe in it, because of the recent increased activity of the Volcano and of the very acidic pH of the water in the crater. However, the views were stunning and it was a once in a lifetime experience to see the two craters filled with water!
Unfortunately, no car was leaving once we arrived at the parking lot… we started hiking back on the road, hoping that someone would drive by at some point. In the end, we ended up walking all the way back to Dreki, 8 km along the road… but we had so much fun, as we talked and talked and laughed a lot!
In the evening, we were suddenly attacked by a storm of very annoying midges. We therefore cooked in a rush and I bet we were kind of funny to watch… as we couldn’t stay still without being attacked by the insects, we constantly moved our bodies in the most bizarre and non-elegant ways ahah!
ACCOMMODATION
Camping Dreki
ACTIVITIES
Drive to Askja, Hike to Askja Crater
FOOD
Lunch: picknick
Dinner: cooked at Dreki
DAY 12
12.08.2023
Mývatn, Geosea Baths Húsavík
Today was an easy day, with no main touristic attractions to visit.
We first drove back to the main road no. 1, by following the roads F910 and F905 once again. We then decided to stop for lunch at the Vogafjós Farm Resort, where we enjoyed an amazing meal with fresh and local products. The restaurant was awesome, and you can even see the barn with the cows from the table!
We then quickly visited Lake Mývatn, where we fought against thousands of tiny midges, who actually gave this name to the lake. In the afternoon we finally reached our destination, Originalnorth Campsite, a nice place at the shore of the glacial river Skjálfandafljót, offering well equipped and furnished Yurtas for accommodation.
In the evening, we drove to the charming town of Húsavík, where we first enjoyed fresh fish for dinner and later headed to the amazing Geosea Thermal Baths. The baths were out of this world! We relaxed in the warm infinity pools, overlooking the ocean during sunset… what a bliss!
ACCOMMODATION
Originalnorth Campsite
ACTIVITIES
Mývatn Lake, Geosea Baths Húsavík
FOOD
Lunch: Vogafjós Farm Resort
Dinner: Gamli Baukur
DAY 13
13.08.2023
Goðafoss, Whale Watching Húsavík
After a very good sleep under the warm and cozy heating blankets of the Yurtas, we had a quick breakfast at the campsite and drove to Goðafoss. The place was full of tourists, as the attraction is easily reached by foot from the parking lot. However, the waterfall was different than the ones we had visited before… it was broad and not so tall, but so powerfull!
We then headed back to Húsavík. The drive took a while… we got lost because I was feeling lazy and did not fulfill my navigation duties… upsi!
After enjoying a quick fish&chips at the harbor, we hopped on a classic wooden boat for a whale watching tour that we booked the previous day (we chose the “Whales and Puffins” tour, organized by North Sailing).
During the boat trip, we first headed to a small island, the nesting place of thousands of puffins. It was amazing to see them flying all around the cliffs and to learn interesting facts about these funny and chubby birds. We were told that not many whales were spotted in the morning, and were therefore incredibly lucky when a humpback whale came to the surface for breathing, before elegantly fluking the tail and diving back into the ocean.
The final drive to our accommodation, Hótel Blönduós, was epic… the sun was setting right in front of us, coloring everything with a magical golden light. The host at the hotel was very nice and warmly welcomed us… we immediately felt at home and had a very good night sleep.
ACCOMMODATION
Hótel Blönduós
ACTIVITIES
Goðafoss, Whale Watching Húsavík
FOOD
Lunch: Húsavík Fish and Chips
Dinner: Akureyri Backpackers
DAY 14
14.08.2023
Hellulaug Natural Pool, Dynjandi Waterfall
We felt really tired and decided to sleep in and have a late breakfast at the hotel, which, by the way, was the best one we had so far!
Once again, we were on the road, driving towards the West Fjords of Iceland! We stopped for bathing in a natural geothermal pool called Hellulaug, close to Flókalandur… it was very clean and it felt so good to jump into warm water with great views on the fjord.
Shortly after this rejuvenating break, we reached our main attraction for the day, the Dynjandi waterfall. We were stoked while admiring the power and beauty of this huge and elegant waterfall… it was incredibly tall and large, and the water was falling onto many rock terrasses… the best one we have seen in Iceland, definitely worth visiting!!!
We then drove to Ísafjörður for resupplying before hiking the Hornstrandir Trail, which we planned to start the next day. Our accommodation for the night was the Fisherman Hotel at Suðureyri, a small hotel in a charming fishing town close to Ísafjörður.
ACCOMMODATION
Fisherman Hotel
ACTIVITIES
Hellulaug Natural Pool, Dynjandi Waterfall
FOOD
Lunch: picknick
Dinner: Fisherman Hotel
Hornstrandir Trail
DAY 15 - DAY 17
15.08.2023 - 17.08.2023
Hornstrandir
At 09:00, we parked our car in Ísafjörður and catched a Borea Boat at the harbor, together with other adventurous hikers… it dropped us off at Hesteyri at around 12:00, since it stopped a few times on the way due to different touristic tours and trail starting points booked by other passengers.
We then spent 3 special days hiking on this remote and wild trail. Here you can find further information about the Hornstrandir Trail.
Ring Road | part 2
After hiking for 3 days on the Hornstrandir Peninsula, we catched a West Tours Boat from Hornvík to Ísafjörður, where we picked up our car and continued our adventure on the road!
DAY 17
17.08.2023
Back to the Road
After reaching the harbor by boat, we quickly drove to Holt Inn, our accommodation for the night. We had a much needed warm shower, and headed to Flateyri for dinner. We really liked this small town, which has a very interesting history about fishing and avalanches, shown on the boards along the streets.
ACCOMMODATION
Holt Inn
FOOD
Lunch: picknick on the Hornstrandir Trail
Dinner: Vagninn
DAY 18
18.08.2023
Icelandic Horse Riding, Látrabjarg
First thing in the morning after breakfast, we headed to Thingeyri, where we booked an Icelandic Horse Riding Tour from Simbahöllin. The horses were great and so gentle… we went for a stroll along the Sanda River, and experienced both the trot and the canter… it was an amazing and relaxing activity!
We then chilled for a while at the cozy Simbahöllin Coffee House. While tasting cookies and waffles, we found out that this place is giving the opportunity to young people from all over the world to spend time there while volunteering… good to know, right?!
We kept driving and stopped for a quick lunch at Bíldudalur, before heading to our hotel in Patreksfjörður.
Since we arrived there quite early in the afternoon, we decided to go out again and drive off-road to visit the Látrabjarg Cliffs. These amazing cliffs are used as nesting place from thousands of birds! We walked along the ridge and spotted a few cute puffins… we have no doubts anymore, puffins are definitely our favorite birds! We also realized to be incredibly lucky to photograph them, as most of the puffins already left their nest and flew to the open sea for the winter months.
We drove back to Patreksfjörður and went to dinner at an Icelandic restaurant… it did not look promising from outside, but the fresh lamb and cod were the best we have eaten during our entire trip! Iceland never stopped to surprize us with its beauty, even when we were not expecting anything exciting :)
ACCOMMODATION
Fosshotel Westfjords
ACTIVITIES
Horse Riding, Látrabjarg cliffs
FOOD
Lunch: Vegamót Bildudal
Dinner: Stúkuhúsið
DAY 19
19.08.2023
Rauðasandur Beach, Ferry
To shorten our long drive back to Reykjavík, we decided to book a ferry from Brjánslækur to Stykkishólmur, operated by Seatours Eimskip.
Before reaching Brjánslækur, we decided to visit Rauðasandur, a huge and stunning sandy beach. We then drove and catched our ferry at Brjánslækur… it was a 2h 30min boat trip to Stykkishólmur that allowed us to rest a bit.
We then continued by car to Reykjavík. When we finally arrived to our accommodation, we were tired and out of energy. We were already feeling the call to the “real world”… it was approaching fast, and we both didn’t feel ready to go back to our “routine” life.
After dinner, the most magical sunset showed up. It seemed like Iceland wanted to say goodbye to us, but in a comforting way… it gave us hope, hope that everything was going to be allright… it made us dreaming of more trails and adventures in the outdoors.
ACCOMMODATION
Blue House B&B Iceland
ACTIVITIES
Rauðasandur Beach, Seatours Eimskip Ferry
FOOD
Lunch: ferry
Dinner: Forréttabarinn
Coming Home
DAY 20
20.08.2023
Flight from Reykjavík to Zürich
We had our flight back home at 07:00 in the morning, way too early… needless to say that we were so tired and moody as we woke up at 03:00 and drove to the airport to drop off our beloved Dacia Duster.
At 04:30, we were at the airport and started queueing up for checking in, security checks and, most importantly, COFFEE.
On the flight, we listened to music and thought about the adventure we just experienced. We felt really lucky to have witnessed the magical and breathtaking wonderlands of Iceland… we fell in love with the wilderness and the beauty of the country. While hiking, we also had time to think… think about what we would like our lives to be and how to follow our dreams. This adventure gave us the energy and motivation to come back home with new and crazy ideas for our future!