The Land of Fire & Ice: Ring Road
Iceland’s popularity has exploded and I’m not surprised why. For anyone who loves the outdoors, this country is unique, magical, and has so much to offer. I knew my sister was also inclined to tackle Iceland, so we decided to book the trip during July 4th week to conquer Icelan'd’s famous Ring Road - Route 1 that goes around the entire country.
Logistics -
Flights: We were flying right after WOW Air (the budget airlines from the U.S. to Iceland) closed its doors. We ended up fying IcelandAir, which although more expensive, was still comfortable and reliable
Car Rental: Knowing that we were doing the Ring Road, we knew we needed a car. We ended up renting a 2WD from Reykjavik Auto. Note that automatic cars are more expensive there, but we didn’t know how to drive a manual. Be sure to request automatic if you need one.
We opted for the standard CDW insurance as well as gravel/sand protection. This ended up being important since we did incur a few cracks on the windshield from driving
We also purchased a WiFi stick for peace of mind.
Gas is expensive - save up.
Actually, this entire country is expensive. Worth it, but save up!
Day One
The nice part about flying from the U.S. is that you can catch a redeye, having you arrive in KEF airport early in the AM, with an entire day still ahead of you.
Route: KEF —> Blue Lagoon —> Þingvellir National Park —> Selfoss
I highly recommend stopping at the Blue Lagoon after landing - a zen and relaxing way to start off the trip. A few tips for visiting The Blue Lagoon
You can make reservations here. Out of the three packages to choose from, we just chose the Comfort one which is $56. I’m not one for needing luxury on trips, so this was more than enough!
Don’t bring a bathing suit you love. The minerals in the water sometimes can damage the coloring of the bathing suit
If you get your hair wet, it might be slightly crinkly afterward. To avoid that, leave conditioner in your hair while you go into the lagoon, or tie your hair up to avoid it getting wet.
After a refreshing start to the day, we had some sight-seeing to do in Þingvellir National Park. This was only a 1 hour 15 min drive from the Blue Lagoon, but there might be some traffic given that you’re driving past the capital city, Reykjavik.
First stop in Þingvellir: Öxarárfoss Waterfall. You can pretty much just put in the parking lot in Google Maps for this waterfall and it will take you right to it.
Afterward, we had a 14:00 appointment to go snorkeling. I know, you might be thinking that we’re crazy to go snorkeling in a country where it’s as cold as it is in Iceland. However, The Silfra Fissure is a rift between two tectonic plates - the North American and European. So, while you’re snorkeling, you can touch both tectonic plates. Additionally, the water is the clearest you’ll ever swim in. I couldn’t recommend this experience more! And just so you know ,the wetsuit keeps you pretty darn warm, and they’ll give you hot chocolate after.
Logistics -
You can make an appointment here. Note that there are several tour operators and I’ve heard good things about all of them.
The completed registration form will provide the GPS coordinates of where to meet. If I remember correctly, you’ll meet in the P3 parking lot in the National Park. You will see a small area where several buses are parked with wet suits. You’ll know you’re in the right place.
There are 3-4 times/day you can choose from in order to fit it best into your schedule.
After warming up after snorkeling, we had a 45 minute drive to our Airbnb in Selfoss. This accommodation was one of my favorites in Iceland and right in the middle of Icelandic farmland. The host essentially turned these barrel-shaped cottages into cozy, welcoming, and comfortable “tiny homes.” It’s amazing just how much she managed to fit into those barrels. There is a separate cottage that functions as the bathroom (very clean!) and kitchen as well for cooking. The owner also has a few cats and dogs, all of which were very friendly.
One quick thing on Iceland summers - the sun never sets. Or it does (at 23:00), but it never gets fully dark. Because of this, several of our days involved midnight sun chasing, meaning, you need to be awake pretty late to catch that sunset. That being said, there were many days we went to bed at 21:00 and set out alarms for sunset (crazy, I know).
We headed to a small coastal town called Eyrarbakki, just 20 minutes away from our Airbnb. The sky & flowers were absolutely gorgeous here.
Day Two: Golden Circle & More
If you’re looking to tackle The Golden Circle, Selfoss is a good base for that. Note that if you’re not driving, there are several tours from Reykjavik that will take you out here. Also, if your base is in the capital, the Golden Circle will be ~3 hour drive, so just be mindful of that as you plan!
Route: Kerið —> Gullfoss —> Geysir —> Bruarfoss
Other Attractions in the Golden Circle I’ve Heard About: Friðheimar (tomato greenhouse with unlimited tomato soup and grilled cheese) & Secret Lagoon
As you can see, not a lot of driving as most of these attractions are relatively close together.
First stop: Kerið. There is a small admission fee and note that there will be little bugs swarming you because of the summer season. I found that as long as I kept walking, I could pretty much avoid them in my face. If you stand still, you’re doomed. I wouldn’t let this deter you completely, just pointing this out so you’re aware! We had a gorgeous warm, sunny day, so nothing was going to stop us from embracing it.
Second Stop: Gullfoss. One of Iceland’s mightiest waterfalls. Due to its accessibility, it can get very crowded, but it was still awesome to walk along the entire waterfall for multiple different viewpoints.
Third Stop: Geysir. We honestly didn’t spend much time here. Strokkur Geysir is located here, which errupts pretty much every 8 minutes.
Fourth Stop: Bruarfoss. When I look back on my entire trip, this hike/waterfalls is one of my favorites. After a day filled with easy walking, my sister and I were in need of a good hike. While this waterfall is slightly out of the way (not on typical Golden Circle itineraries), it was SO worth it. Glacial blue waters and clear skies made it one of the most perfect hikes.
Put Bruarfoss Official Parking Lot into Google Maps. This will take you to the right trailhead and it’ll be right next to the Bruarfoss River.
The hike isn’t strenuous, but ~4 hours roundtrip (out & back hike). It’s relatively flat, so you don’t have to worry too much about elevation gain.
If the pictures below don’t convince you to go, I don’t know what will.
And that wraps up our Golden Circle adventure. However, we did have one last epic waterfall waiting for us at Midnight Sun. Details below -
Location: Þjófafoss
About 1 hour from our Airbnb in Selfoss. Finding this was a bit tricky, so bare with me as I attempt to give you directions. The drive there is on Route 26 which was BEAUTIFUL. However, if you put the waterfall in Google Maps, you’ll see there’s a dotten line from the main road. This is where I will tell you to switch to satellite view because you’ll want to zoom in & try and find what looks like a gravel road. It will be a small opening in a field of purple flowers. I’m not going to lie, we had to drive back & forth a bit before my sister managed to find it.
The gravel road to the actual waterfall is bumpy. We had a 2WD so I think we drove ~5mph. But, so incredibly worth it.
Day 3: Waterfalls Galore in Southern Iceland
Today’s route took us from waterfall to the next, along the Southern coast. The best part is that each waterfall is so different from the other, so it’s impossible to get tired of it.
Route: Seljalandsfoss —> Gljúfrabúi —> Skógafoss —> Dyrhólaey
Today was the rainiest day of the trip, so we had to bust out the rain pants. One note about Iceland: Buy rain pants (you’ll thank me later). Not much driving today, either, which is great so you can spend more time outdoors exploring.
First Stop: Seljalandsfoss. This was about 55 minutes from Selfoss. There is a pretty big sign for the parking lot so it’s hard to miss. Just note that you have to pay for parking here! This waterfall is nifty because you can go behind it, so you get some pretty cool angles of the waterfall.
Second Stop: Gljúfrabúi. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go far for this one and you can stay parked in the same parking lot.. Keep following the path (away from the parking lot), and you will find an entrace for this waterfall. You may have to wade through water in a mini-cave to get here, but it’s absolutely wild as it takes you up close to the base of the waterfall (slightly in the splash zone, so rain pants come in handy!)
Third Stop: Skógafoss. Just 26 minutes away, this waterfall is one of the most powerful ones I’ve visited, and the hike to the top & around the area was so beautiful. This was definitely my favorite of the day. I highly recommend taking the steps up to the top and following the trail along the river leading to the waterfall. You’ll come across lush rock formations and several other waterfalls. I promise you, it doesn’t get old.
Fourth Stop & Final Stop: Dyrhólaey. This viewpoint takes us close to the town Vik, where we needed to be for a tour the next day. There is a lighthouse at the top and we were able to get spectacular views of the Icelandic coast, with it’s sharp black sand beaches. Note that there are two parking lots - one for 4WD and one for 2WD, so be mindful of signs!
After a long, beautiful, rainy day, soups in Vik were just what we needed. Vik is the largest city in the south, so a good base for several adventures in the area. We grabbed dinner at The Soup Company. Heads up - the soup comes with unlimited bread. Confirming I ate a lot of bread.
Accommodations: MIÐ-HVOLL COTTAGES. I loved these cottages! They are slightly outside the main city center, and we had access to a private black sand beach.
Day 4: Volcanoes Meet Ice
Route: Katla Ice Cave —> Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach —> Fjaðrárgljúfur —> Svartifoss —> Hof
We had a busy day, but also a fantastic day. We started off the morning wandering around the private black sand beach, also playing fetch with the dog on the farm.
First Stop: Katla Ice Cave. This is one of the few ice caves suitable for visiting in the summer, so we jumped on the opportunity. A few nuggets of information below -
You can make a reservation here. This one is pricey, but I think very worth it given how great our experience was.
Tour sarted at 11:00 in the morning and lasted around 4 hours.
You’ll be told to meet at one of the gas stations in Vik. We were fine parking there for the day.
Tour provided all safety materials such as crampons, gloves, and helmets.
The base of the ice cave was used as a set for several Star Wars movies!
After the tour, we had 3 other attractions to hit before making our way to Eastern Iceland where we had more tours scheduled for the next day.
Second Stop: Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. Definitely one of the most famous beaches in Iceland, so expect hoards of people. The basalt columns along the beach, as well as jagged rock formations in the water make for some epic shots. At this point in the day, it started to rain again, so we didn’t stay long.
Third Stop: Fjaðrárgljúfur. No one knows how to say it, but it’s a beautiful canyon. Unfortunately, tourists are no longer able to go to the bottom of the canyon as it was vandalized in the past. However, walking along the canyon at the top was equally as beautiful
Fourth Stop: Svartifoss. This will take you into the Skaftafell National Park in Eastern Iceland, home to some of the world’s most epic glaciers & adventures. Since our hotel was in Hof, we wanted to break up our drive a bit and try out a small waterfall hike. Out and back, the hike was ~1.5 hours. We definitely cut it close with the national park hours, but it was worth it. Also - remember to pay for parking. We forgot and received a nice parking ticket in the mail after landing back in the U.S.
Acommodations: Skyrhúsið Guesthouse. This is a hotel-like guest house with private rooms & shared bathrooms. Check-in was seamless and the kitchen was well-stocked for snacks to take with us.
Day 5: Unlimited Glacier Views
Today was another busy day (can you tell we like to jampack our vacations?) We had 2 tours scheduled so we on a tight schedule, but everything worked out perfectly.
Route: Skaftafell —> Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon —> Diamond Beach —> Höfn
First Stop: Skaftafell. We started the day with a glacier hike & climb. Casual. It was an intro to ice climbing tour, so don’t worry about needing experience. We booked here. Just park in the National Park Visitor’s Center area and find the shack with the tour company name. This was such a wild experience, as I had never ice climbed before. The technique was pretty tricky, but by the 3rd climb, you do get the hang of it (sorta). I definitely struggled with using an ice axe, but the tour guide did a great job of showing technique and helping out. My knee was throbbing from previous hikes, but my sister rocked it!
Second Stop: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. We booked a 16:00 boat tour since we wanted to give ourselves enough time to rest from the ice climb. We booked here. I highly recommend taking a boat tour because it will allow you to get up close to glacier chunks floating in the lagoon.
Third Stop: Diamond Beach. This was essentially right across the road from the lagoon parking lot, so we just walked. The reason it’s called Diamond Beach is because glacier chunks float back to shore, so it looks like gigantic diamonds twinkling in the sunlight. It’s beautiful & such a crazy scene seeing waves crash against huge chunks of glacier washed up ashore.
As you can see, we truly lucked out with weather on this day. The glacier hike/climb likely wouldn’t have been as enjoyable if it was pouring down rain, so all in all, we were so happy with the tours we signed up for. The best part about this area of Iceland is that everything is pretty close together. There was little driving involved today, so not worth sharing a map.
Acommodations: Airbnb in Höfn. This was a larger town in the area, so easier to find restaurants with food.
Day 6: Icelandic Fjords
This day probably had the most driving, so be mindful of the gas in your car. This part of Iceland isn’t as populated, so fewer gas stations. Most car rentals will come with a map of all gas stations in the country, so just keep an eye on it. I’m telling you this because we almost ran out of gas and our collective anxiety was high. So, do yourself a favor and just fill up the tank even if you hit half tank. As you can see, this route takes you through several towns along the coast, so if you have more time, definitely research hotels to stop off at.
Route: Vestrahorn Mountain —> Stuðlagil Canyon —> Goðafoss —> Akureyri
First Stop: Vestrahorn Mountain. This mountain range is very close to Höfn (~15 minutes). Note that you will have to pay a Viking $9USD. I’m not joking, there’s someone dressed as a viking there. They will lead you closer to the black sand beach near the mountain range where you can find parking.
Second Stop: Stuðlagil Canyon. Let me tell you right now finding this beautiful canyon isn’t easy. There’s no easy way to find it in Google Maps, so we relied solely on other blogs detailing it for us. So, I’ll do the same for you.
As you’re driving along Route 1, taking exit 923. Follow this road for around 10 minute and you will eventually see a sign calling out several different names of farms. You will want to take this road (see map below)
You will want to keep driving until you get to the 3rd farm called Klaustursel. Take this road down the hill until you see a small pedestrian bridge across the river. You obviouslyi can’t drive over this, so park right before it. There is no formal parking lot or trailhead and while it might seem sketchy parking on farm property, it appears that everyone does it.
To start the hike: Cross the bridge and turn right. This gravel trail will essentially take you along the cliff edge that follows the river. You may have to jump over a few fences, but keep going for ~2km until you reach Stuðlafoss, a beautiful basalt column waterfall on your left. This will be a good indicator that you’re going the right away.
Keep walking until you see the gravel road gear off sharply to the left. That’s when you stop following the gravel path, and you cut right to get yourself closer to the grassy cliff edge. This is when you’ll start to see the basalt columns along the river.
You’ll know when you’ve hit the best part of the canyon to climb down. Just be careful because the basalt rocks can get very slippery, so go slowly.
Third Stop: Goðafoss. The drives between attractions are long, but you can’t even get mad because the views out the window are stunning. This waterfall was right off the Ring Road, so much easier to find.
Accommodations: Airbnb in Grenivík. This was a little outside of the largest city in the North, Akuryeri. We loved staying here because it was on a farm once again, so got to see the horses and dogs on the property. It also has a hot tub!
Day 7: Northern Iceland (Continued…)
This day was less driving, but still a chunk, so give yourself an early start if you’re following a similar itinerary. We were hitting up a few spots throughout the North which are much more remote.
Route: Akureyri —> Hofsós —> Reykjafoss —> Hvitserkur —> Kirkjufell Mountain
We started the day driving into Akureyri for breakfast. This part of Iceland is also really well known for whale watching & dog sledding, so if that’s your style, I’d recommend checking it out! We decided to visit the Botanical Garden to walk around & grab coffee there.
First Stop: Hofsós. This is 1 hour 30 minutes from Akureyri and takes you to one of Iceland’s northernmost towns. There is a geothermal pool overlooking the water, but since it was drizzling, we opted to just scurry around the basalt columns along the beach. The steps down to the beach are right by the parking lot to the pool. This reminded me of Vik, just with no tourists, so perfect.
Second Stop: Hvitserkur: 2 hours driving. This is one of the coolest rock formations I’ve seen, so worth the drive. The last 20 minutes or so are straight gravel, so drive carefully. I was convinced we would get a flat tire, but we managed to make it through. There are multiple trails leading you down to the beach to get up and close to the rock formation.
Third Stop: Reykjafoss. Just another waterfall off the side of the road.
Fourth Stop: Kirkjufell. For Game of Thrones fans, this is one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland since it was in the show. As we were driving closer, the clouds started to clear, and we were in for an epic Midnight Sun.
Accommodations: Airbnb in Grundarfjörður. I highly HIGHLY recommend styaing here if you can. It is right next to Kirkjufell and you have a perfect view from the deck of the cabin of the mountain. If I ever go back to Iceland, I’m coming back here again & I wish I had stayed in this li’l spot of Iceland longer.
Day 8: Last Day of Icelandic Bliss
Today was dedicated to covering the Snæfellsnes Peninsula before heading back to the airport for our late night flight, which was essentially a loop.
Route: Djúpalónssandur —> Hellnar —> Arnastapi —> Bjarnafoss (Pictures in order below)
This peninsula is pretty easy to cover in a half day, seeing as we still had a 3 hour drive back to the airport from here.
Even before leaving, I already decided that I’ll have to come back & visit Iceland. 2 reasons why:
This country would be entirely different in the winter, blanketed in snow. I’m prepared to freeze.
The Iceland highlands. This requires coming only in the summer and a 4x4, but it’s supposed to be incredibly stunning.
Carve in time to explore the bigger cities like Reykjavik.
I guess this means I have to go back to Iceland twice, right? I don’t hate the idea. Overall, my Iceland trip did not disappoint at all. While it was ambiitious to tackle the Ring Road in a little over a week, I never felt too rushed or stressed out. Driving in Iceland is easy and the beautiful views are never-ending. If you love getting out in nature, this is the trip for you.