THE ULTIMATE ONE WEEK ICELAND ITINERARY

THE ULTIMATE ONE WEEK ICELAND ITINERARY

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Looking for the ultimate one week Iceland itinerary around Ring Road? If so, you’ve come to the right place! We visited Iceland in early August 2022 and set out to travel around the country on the infamous Ring Road (Hwy 1) in a camper van. In this blog, you will find details on the following:


RENTAL VEHICLE

Cozy Campers (The Highlander Camper Van – 4×4)

I did a LOT of searching around for the right camper van for us. There are definitely cheaper ones out there, but I found Cozy Campers to have the nicest looking and cleanest vans – they also had almost all 5 star reviews. Although Ring Road is suitable for all vehicles, I highly recommend getting a 4×4 vehicle in Iceland.

Quite a few stunning sights require going on gravel roads and F-roads. Four wheel drive is mandatory by law to drive on F-roads. The overall van cost with insurance was about $2900 for 7 nights. Cozy campers included our bus/taxi from the airport to their location to pickup the van as well. Another big plus was that our van came with a tablet and WiFi hotspot. We had service 97% of the time – even in pretty isolated areas of the country.

Not interested in a camper van? Check out other affordable rental vehicle options by clicking here.



AIRFARE

We flew Iceland Air direct out of Chicago into Reykjavik. The flight was about 6 hours and it was really nice to have a direct flight. We got to the airport 5 hours early, but somehow my luggage didn’t make the flight, so that was a bummer to start out. I did have my swimsuit and stuff packed in my carryon thankfully, so I would recommend doing that in case it happens to you. 😉 Also pack your hiking shoes in your carry on! We booked the flights 9 months in advance and paid $1400 total for 2 people with luggage included.

Looking for flight options into Reykjavik? Click here to see some of the best flight deals into Reykjavik!



FOOD

We weren’t sure how many restaurants there would be on Ring Road so we bought a lot of packaged food in the US and brought it in our luggage (Pasta, Oatmeal, etc.) because I read a lot regarding how expensive food in Iceland was. After a couple days, we scrapped the camping food and ate out at restaurants the rest of the trip. Honestly, we didn’t find food to be as expensive as everyone said. We did share a lot of meals, which was perfect for us. Iceland doesn’t have a ton of authentic food – they have a lot of American/European food. We saw lots of burgers and pizzas offered at restaurants and everything we ate was good! Also, tipping isn’t customary in Iceland and tax was included in the menu prices where we went. On average, I’d say for one meal and two beers, it was about $40-$50. In the US, with tax and tip, it would cost close to that. Yes, everything is a little more expensive than Iceland, but not as dramatic as I thought.

Here are some photos showing where we stopped for food and I’ll talk about the places in more detail later in this post.



CAMPSITES

None of the campsites really “wowed” us, but they weren’t terrible either. They were basically all a field to park your vehicle with bathrooms (some had showers/food too.) Our camper van tablet had an app called “Park4Night” that we used to find campsites based on our location for the day. I also mention our specific campsites in the detailed Iceland itinerary later in this post. We didn’t have any trouble with campsites being full and they all accepted credit cards for payment. Most campsites were between $20-$30/night for 2 people. (You pay by the person at most of them.)

Not into camping? Check out these hotel accommodations in Iceland.



GEOTHERMAL SPAS

We visited 4 different geothermal baths (hot springs) – The Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon, Myvatn Baths, & Vok Baths. The Blue Lagoon & Sky Lagoon were both my favorites (and also double the cost of the other two.)

The facilities and overall amenities of the Sky Lagoon were the best (it’s also the newest of them all), however, there’s just something so unique about the “blue water” at the Blue Lagoon, so it’s a tie for me!

The Myvatn Baths were basically a cheaper version of the Blue Lagoon – the water was still that pretty blue, but the changing facilities weren’t as nice and the whole spring smelled pretty bad of sulphur.

The Vok Baths were neat, but they were pretty shallow and not as warm as the others I felt. Both the Vok Baths & Myvatn Baths did not include a towel with the admission unlike the Blue Lagoon & Sky Lagoon as well. Check out this post showcasing 20 different hot springs in Iceland for more inspiration!

Here are some pictures at the different geothermal spas we visited throughout our trip. There are more details too in the Iceland itinerary below.





OTHER TIPS & FACTS

  • Currency is ISK
  • Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere (little to no cash is needed)
  • Iceland drives on the same side of the road as the US (a US drivers license is accepted to drive)
  • Layers of clothing are a must! The weather can change quickly and it’s good to have layers to shed or add on quickly.
  • Rain gear is a must as well
  • In the summertime, they have the “midnight sun” where it’s light out almost all the time. In August, we had about 5 hours of dawn/dusk, but it never got fully dark
  • You can drink the water from almost anywhere – to cut down on plastic waste, water is free almost everywhere and the tap water is good to drink
  • Most vehicles use diesel and it is expensive – we paid about $9.30/gallon of diesel
  • This trip is geared towards Iceland in the summertime (June-September.) Many roads close in the wintertime and Iceland is a very different experience in the winter time!
  • Are you wondering what to pack? Check out this separate blog for an Iceland Summer Packing List



OUR ICELAND ITINERARY

We flew into Reykjavik, shuttled to our vehicle pickup and then set out on our 8 day Iceland itinerary full of adventure. Majority of our route was based along Ring Road with several diversions on F-Roads. Reminder that in order to drive on F-Roads in Iceland, you must have 4WD – it is illegal if you don’t.

There are so many beautiful places in this country and you could easily spend weeks fully exploring around Ring Road. However, I was still content with our 8 days. Of course, we would have loved more time, but driving around Ring Rd in a week is definitely manageable and enough time to see so many cool places. With that said though, we are adventurous people and like to be on-the-go. So we were on the move a lot – just something to keep in mind depending on your travel pace preference.

Below is a picture of our Iceland itinerary route around much of Ring Road. We started with the south side and drove counter-clockwise around the country. The south side was the most dense/action packed area, so we wanted to hit that first, but one can drive whichever direction they desire.

ICELAND ITINERARY SHORTCUT



DAY 1: VAN PICKUP, BLUE LAGOON, KERID CRATER

We flew out of Chicago and took an overnight flight, so we arrived to the Keflavík International Airport (KEF) around 9am (Iceland time.) Upon arrival, we followed our shuttle instructions provided by Cozy Campers (our vehicle rental company.) Our rental cost included the Fly Bus transportation from the KEF airport to the BSI Bus Terminal in Reykjavik, which was about 45 minutes. Then, we had to take a taxi from the bus terminal to Cozy Campers, which was also included with our van rental cost.

Once we arrived to Cozy Campers, we were able to unpack our stuff and get settled into our van/home for the week. We were also able to leave our physical suitcases at Cozy Campers, so we didn’t have to have them in the van all week. This is where our travel packing sets came in handy – I truly recommend these for any vacation!

Suitcase Packing Sets Link

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Once we got settled, we headed to a BONUS grocery store in Reykjavik to pickup some snacks and meals for our trip. Our van had a small refrigerator so we were able to get some cold items like Skyr yogurt (a local Iceland yogurt that was tasty) and more. Our camper van also came with a mini stove, plates/bowls and utensils. We cooked a few meals in our car, but ended up eating out for most lunches/dinners.

After the grocery store, we were ready for our first true Icelandic activity – the Blue Lagoon! (FYI – I did book our Blue Lagoon reservations a few months ahead of time as I’ve heard it can sell out.) The Blue Lagoon offers several different packages and we did the Basic Comfort Package. It was $85 USD/person and included one free drink, the silica mud mask and a towel. The price does vary by date/time though.

Upon arrival to the Blue Lagoon, we checked in and went into the men’s/women’s locker rooms. The locker rooms had a modern style and we were each given a wristband that served as our keycard to open our locker. Prior to entering the lagoon, it is customary that you shower to clean any dirt/toxins off your body to keep the lagoon clean. Once we entered the lagoon, we were in awe – the water is truly as blue in person as it looks in the pictures! There is plenty of space to explore around in the lagoon and they have a bar, a silica mud mask station and plenty of nooks for relaxing. You can also purchase additional drinks inside the lagoon using your wristband too. We probably spent 2 hours in the lagoon before continuing on our journey. Overall, while the Blue Lagoon may seem like a “touristy” thing to do – I still recommend it. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before and who doesn’t like a spa day?!

By this point, it was about 7pm (and still light) so we headed to the Kerid Crater next. The Kerid Crater is a beautiful, mossy covered crater in southern Iceland. It formed by a cone volcano that erupted and emptied its magma reserve – the weight of the cone collapsed into the emptied magma chamber and created the crater we see today. It was about a 1.5 hour drive from the Blue Lagoon to Kerid Crater and the crater is open during daylight hours. Entrance to the crater itself is 450 ISK (~$3 USD) a person and you just pay with cash or credit card right at the entrance. The money goes towards path maintenance and visitor information. At the crater, you can hike around it in a 10-15 minute loop and/or hike down to the water level (~10 minutes one way.) The hike down to the water is steep, but there were gravel stairs so it wasn’t purely dirt path. We spent about 45 minutes at the crater before heading to our campsite for the night. Below are the coordinates to the crater and link to their main website:

GPS Coordinates to Kerid Crater: 64.04132553315853, -20.885119725053784
Kerid Crater website: https://kerid.is

After a day full of travel and adventure, we headed to our campsite for the night, which was Arnes Campground. It was about 40 minutes away from the crater and cost 1800 ISK (~$13 USD) per person per night.

GPS Coordinates to Arnes Campground: 64.04289526798952, -20.253266822088523

Are you enjoying this one week Iceland itinerary? If so, check out my other blogs here



DAY 2: GJÁIN VALLEY, HAIFOSS, SIGÖLDUGLJÚFUR, LANDMANNALAUGAR

Our second day was another day packed full of sight seeing and adventure. (I just like to call this out since this may not be everyone’s pace.) Located about 40 minutes from the town of Arnes, our first stop of the day was Gjain Valley. We drove to the parking lot (coordinates below) and then took an easy 10-15 minute hike to the valley/waterfalls. The last mile of the drive was on an F road, so make sure you have a 4×4 vehicle for this one. The road itself was flat gravel, but was a little bumpy and filled with pot holes.

In the valley, you will find the Gjarfoss waterfall and Rauoa river along with basalt columns, lush vegetation, lava caves and maybe even some magical spirits. Stories say that locals have a strong sense natural spirits here such as elves, tolls, etc. This valley is also where a Game of Thrones episode was filmed. (Season 4, episode 5.) As far as time to spend at this place, one could spend anywhere from 30 minutes walking around to a few hours just taking in the beauty. It was really calm and quaint when we were there – I wish we would have packed a lunch to enjoy while there. We spent around an hour total including the hike in and out before heading to our next stop – Haifoss waterfall.

Gjain Valley parking lot GPS coordinates: 64.149054, -19.736256

The drive from Gjain to Haifoss is about 30 minutes and while the road (332) is technically not an F-road, it is still highly recommended the people have a 4WD vehicle due to it being a semi-rough gravel road. Haifoss is one of my favorite waterfalls in Iceland – well, technically two. Haifoss is on the left in my first picture and Granni is on the right. Upon parking in the lot, you may not see the waterfalls, but if you follow the path for about 5 minutes, you will walk up to an amazing sight. Even if you only have time for a quick stop, it’s worth it! There is also a hike down to the bottom, which I have not done, but have read it takes about an hour round trip. One other thing to note is that there are no railings and you see the waterfall at the edge of a very high cliff – so if you are traveling with children, this is something to be cautious of.

Haifoss GPS coordinates: 64.207826, -19.686765

We spent ~30 minutes at Haifoss and then headed towards Landmannalaugar – but stopped at the gorgeous Sigoldugljufur waterfalls on the way. Haifoss to Sigoldugljufur is about an hour drive and then it’s another 1-1.5 hours to get to Landmannalaugar. You will need a 4WD to get to these waterfalls (and Landmannalaugar) as they are located on F-roads (F26 to F208 to F224) that were bumpy, gravel roads. Upon parking (coordinates below), you will have to take a short 0.6 mile hike across the road on the gravel path until you arrive at these beautiful falls. We went in the summer and they were such a vibrant and pretty blue color! I’d recommend allowing about an hour to hike and view this location.

Sigoldugljufur parking lot GPS coordinates: 64.160853, -19.157560

After that stop, we continued on our way to Landmannalaugar. Landmannalaugar is a valley full of colorful rhyolite mountains and hot springs. Upon our arrival to the valley, we made sure to park before the river crossing. We did watch several vehicles go through the river successfully, but it wasn’t a risk we wanted to take. They also have a nice walking path with bridges to cross the river/hot spring streams and it was about a 10 minute walk to the bathrooms/main buildings.

Landmannalaugar is a popular spot for hiking including the famous Laugavegur Trail, which is a 34 mile trail that leads to the valley of Thorsmork. We definitely did not do that hike, but attempted the hike up Mt. Blahnúkúr (also called the Blue Peak.) This is a 3.8 mile hike round trip and it leads to some beautiful views of the rhyolite mountains. Unfortunately, we made it about halfway, but the weather was not good. It was very windy/rainy and we were getting sand blown in our eyes, so we decided to turn around halfway. I was super bummed we weren’t able to finish this one because it looks so cool at the top! This hike also isn’t the best for those afraid of heights – the path was easy to follow, but it was quite steep. Here is a link showing photos of the full hike and describes it in more detail: https://www.earthtrekkers.com/how-to-hike-blahnukur-landmannalaugar-iceland/

Landmannalaugar GPS coordinates: 63.9830, -19.0670

Once we got back to the base from our hike, we walked around the hot springs (and watched people swim in them.) Then, we decided to head to our campsite for the night, which was about 3-3.5 hours away. There are a couple different ways to get to and from Landmannalaugar, but when leaving, we made sure to take the same roads out that we did in to avoid river crossings. (I have read that the other roads have some river crossings, which we wanted to avoid.)

Langbrók was our campsite for the night and it’s in the town of Hvolsvöllur. It was another field of camper parking, but they also had a cozy bar/lodge, which is where we paid. The cost was 1200 ISK (~$9 USD) per person per night.

Are you enjoying this one week Iceland itinerary? If so, check out my other blogs here



DAY 3: SELJALANDSFOSS, GLJUFRABUI, NAUTHÚSAGIL, SKÓGAFOSS, SÓLHEIMAJÖKULL, VÍKURFJARA BLACK SAND BEACH, SMIÐJAN BRUGGHÚS, GÍGJAGJÁ, FJAÐRÁRGLJÚFUR

Day three was a day full of waterfalls and beautiful southern Iceland sights, but it involved less driving. (More stops, but closer together.) Our first stop of the day was about 30 minutes from our campground and it was the popular Seljalandsfoss waterfall. Seljalandsfoss is not far off of Ring Rd and while they do have a paid parking lot (about $5 USD), it gets busy so you may have to wait for a spot. There are bathrooms, food/snacks, and a gift shop here too. One of the unique features of this waterfall is that you can walk/hike all the way around it! It’s a short distance and about a 15 minute walk around (without stopping.) However, be prepared to climb up and down some slippery rocks when going behind the waterfall. Although this waterfall happened to be one of the more crowded locations we visited, it was still really neat to see. However, what I loved even more about this stop was the hidden waterfall just to the left of it – Glufrabui. Many people visit Seljalandsfoss, but miss Glufrabui! If you are looking at Seljalandsfoss, hike about 1/4 mile to the left on the gravel trail and you will be greeted with this “secret” waterfall at the end. Bring your rain jacket though because this waterfall has a good spray – and be prepared to walk on a few wet rocks to get there. In my opinion, it’s a must see!

Seljalandsfoss parking lot GPS coordinates: 63.61581349622825, -19.99258859539425

After visiting the waterfalls, we checked out the gift shop near the parking lot and then headed off to the Nauthúsagil waterfall next. This waterfall is definitely not Iceland’s biggest or most powerful, but it was one of my favorites. It’s similar to Glufrabui (above), just a little more quaint and overall unique. You can get to this waterfall from Seljalandsfoss (about 20 minutes) if you keep driving on road 249 north until the road turns to gravel. Once the road turns to gravel, keep following the it until you see a wide parking area on your right. Road 249 does technically turn into an F road for about the last 10 minutes, but it was just flat gravel with no river crossings. Once you arrive in the parking lot, you will hike around 1/2 mile along the river and enter the canyon. Once in the canyon, prepare to walk in the shallow river or step on rocks to get across certain points. Towards the end, there is a small waterfall that you have to climb up using the chains that are built into the rocks. I know that sounds scary, but it’s really not that bad! After the chains, you will have arrived at this beautiful destination. We spent an hour at this location (including the hike in and out.)

Nauthúsagil parking lot GPS coordinates: 63.67436901406264, -19.859001757670818

Next up was another widely-famous waterfall in Iceland – Skogafoss, which was about 40 minutes away. You can see this waterfall from Ring Rd and while it’s generally busy, there is a ton of parking here, a restaurant and hotel. The restaurant had reasonable prices we thought. We had a bite to eat and a drink there. From the parking lot, you can walk right up to the waterfall (another good time to bring your rain jacket if you want to get close!) Also, if it’s a sunny day, you are bound to see at least one rainbow, if not multiple.

After visiting the waterfall from the bottom, you can visit the waterfall from the top if you desire. I will warn you, it is quite a few stairs, but worth it if you have time! Once reaching the top of the stairs, we hiked along the river about 1/2 to 3/4 a mile and saw some more rapids and waterfalls. The trail does keep going for many more miles, but we turned around when we felt right. I’d recommend anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours at Skogafoss depending on if you just want to see the waterfall or explore a little bit.

Skogafoss GPS coordinates: 63.52781818186021, -19.513072836816395

After many waterfall sights on the trip thus far, this next stop, Solheimajokull, was a change in scenery and our first glacier of the trip. Solheimajokull is an outlet glacier about 20 minutes from Skogafoss that is easily accessible. Once parked (parking was about $5 USD), there is a 10 minute walking trail that takes you up to the foot of the glacier. If you want to explore the glacier in more depth, there are several different tours that can take you hiking on the glacier and in the ice caves dependent on time of year. Including our walk, we spent about 30 minutes at this location.

Solheimajokull parking lot GPS coordinates: 63.53046933262963, -19.37016392533257

Our next stop was the Víkurfjara black sand beach, which was 30 minutes away from the glacier and in the town of Vik. There are two black sand beaches in Vik – Vikurfjara and Reynisfjara. Reynisfjara is known for its beautiful basalt columns and is world famous. It’s also dangerously known for its sneaker waves and several deaths have occurred there. That shouldn’t shy you away from visiting it though – just make sure to never turn your back to the ocean. The other black sand beach, Víkurfjara, is the one we visited. I read that Víkurfjara was similar to Reynisfjara, but less crowded, which is why I chose to visit only Víkurfjara. There were only a few other people at Víkurfjara, however, if I were to go back, I would definitely visit Reynisfjara as well for its basalt columns, which I felt Víkurfjara lacked. We made the stop at Víkurfjara a rather quick 15-20 minute stop, but it would be a nice quaint spot for a picnic too if interested. However, if you’re not feeling a picnic, I highly recommend Smidjan Brugghus – a burger/brewpub right in downtown Vik. They had great burgers and beer – I had the cherry vanilla sour and it was delicious!

Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach GPS coordinates: 63.413929369703496, -19.013846430062483

Restaurant website: https://smidjanbrugghus.is

After dinner, we took another short 15-20 minute drive to Gigjagja, which is also known as “Yoda Cave.” It has this nickname because the outline of the cave looks like the Star Wars character Yoda. The parking is right by the cave, so this was a quick 15 minute stop for us to grab a picture before moving onto our last stop of the day – Fjadrargljufur Canyon.

Gigjagja GPS coordinates: 63.417410494937066, -18.76470870412985

After a 40 minute drive, we got to the canyon right around sunset time (9-10pm) and boy was it beautiful! Fjadrargljufur Canyon is 300ft deep and over a mile long. From the parking lot (coordinates below), you can hike up a path along the canyon for some beautiful views. While there were some people going near the edges of the cliffs, there is also a viewing platform with railings near the end of the path for those looking for a safer option. It was about a 15 minute walk one-way. There is also a hike you can take down into the canyon, which requires wading through the shallow river – we did not do this though. Fun fact: This canyon is featured in Justin Bieber’s “I’ll Show You” music video, which I have in the link below.

Fjadrargljufur Canyon GPS coordinates: 63.77126299686284, -18.171602564990362
Justin Bieber’s music video containing the canyon: https://youtu.be/PfGaX8G0f2E

After the canyon, we headed to our campsite in the Skaftafell region of Vatnajökull National Park, which was about an hour away. During the drive, we drove past Lomagnupur, which is a famous rock/mound known for some really great photo opportunities. However, it was dark enough where we weren’t able to get any cool shots with our cameras, so we kept driving. During the daylight though, this can be a quick 5 minute stop at a pullout on the side of the road. Once we arrived to our campsite, we paid the flat camper van fee of 5000 ISK (~$36 USD) and went straight to bed since it was pretty late.

Campground link: https://www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/en/areas/skaftafell/tjaldsvaedid-i-skaftafelli

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DAY 4: MÚLAGLJÚFUR CANYON, DIAMOND BEACH, GLACIER LAGOON, HENGIFOSS, VÖK BATHS

The Skaftafell region of Vatnajökull National Park has visitor center right by the campsite that we visited in the morning. There are also several hikes that begin here, but we opted to continue with our travels. If you are staying in the area for longer though, the the Svartifoss waterfall looks like it’d be worth the visit. It’s a waterfall surrounded by beautiful basalt columns. To get there is about a 3.6 mile hike round trip (circular route.)

Our first stop of the day was about a 45 minute drive away – Mulagljufur Canyon. The parking lot is down a short gravel road right off of Ring Road, but I don’t think it’s marked, so make sure you have the coordinates below in your GPS. The parking lot is small and unmarked as well, but the road comes to an end, so it was easy to tell when we had arrived. To start the hike, we climbed up the small rocky hill and then saw the hiking path from there. The trail markers were worn down, which made it a little confusing on what path to follow, but based on our experience and other online posts, all the paths connect back up and lead to the canyon. The hike from the start to the end point of the trail is 2.35 miles one-way. Along the way, there are two river crossings and about 1000 ft in elevation gain, so I would rate this as an easy-to-moderate style hike. We were able to step on rocks to cross the river without getting our shoes wet, although that may not always be the case depending on weather. After about 1-1.5 miles, you start to see the canyon and then the rest of the hike is along the canyon wall. The first waterfall that people generally see in the canyon is Hangandifoss. Then, the one deeper in the canyon (that you will get closer to if you do the full hike) is the Mulafoss waterfall. We hiked along the canyon wall, but didn’t quite make it to the end of the trail because there was one part that was a little steep for us, so we decided to turn back around. Overall, I’d allow 2-3 hours for this hike depending on how far you go.

GPS Coordinates to Mulagljufur Canyon parking lot: 63.99283168550832, -16.43519864310993

After the canyon, we took a short 20 minute drive to Diamond Beach. This is a black sand beach full of icebergs that have broken off the nearby Jökulsárlón Glacier and washed ashore. We took a few pictures here and soaked in the sunshine for about 20 minutes. Swimming is not allowed here because of dangerous waves, tides and cold water. After the beach, we headed to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon which was a 5-15 minute walk across the street (and a bridge, depending where you parked.) Glacier Lagoon is full of icebergs from the Jökulsárlón Glacier too and we could see the glacier in the distance. At the lagoon, they have several shops containing souvenirs and food. They have kayak and boat tours that you can take right up to the glacier if wanted, but I would recommend scheduling those in advance.

Diamond Beach and the Glacier Lagoon were very popular areas filled with tourists – but once we headed east from here, we definitely got away from the populated areas. So this leads us to our next stop, which was Hengifoss waterfall. The waterfall was about a 4 hour drive from Glacier Lagoon, but it was so scenic filled with mountainous terrain and the ocean. Unfortunately, the weather started to turn rainy for the last hour of our drive and when we arrived to the waterfall parking lot (coordinates below), the clouds were too low for us to see it. We had also planned to hike along/up to the waterfall, which is about a 1.55 mile hike each way (3.1 miles total) but didn’t do that either because of the clouds. I was really bummed we couldn’t see the waterfall and it’s red clay and basalt layers – so if you get the chance on a nice day, I would take advantage of it!

GPS coordinates for Hengifoss parking lot: 65.07337880985762, -14.880587916124531

Since we couldn’t see the waterfall, we headed to our next appointment a little early – the Vok Baths! They have two floating infinity pools in Lake Urriðavatn along with a steam bath, cold mist tunnel, cold pool and a couple of other warm pools. Our tickets to baths were about $47 USD/person and included a drink at the tea bar. It did not include a towel though, so bring your own or be prepared to pay extra to rent one. Overall, we enjoyed the Vok Baths – the only thing to callout is that the water temperature can vary a little bit. The water was still warm, but I wish it would have been a little hotter.

After the baths, we stopped at Askur Pizzeria and enjoyed their large selection of pizzas and beer. Then, we headed to our next campsite for the night, which was only about 5-10 minutes away.

Campsite for the night: https://campegilsstadir.is

Are you enjoying this one week Iceland itinerary? If so, check out my other blogs here




DAY 5: STUÐLAGIL CANYON, DETTIFOSS, SELFOSS, MÝVATN NATURE BATH

After a full night’s rest, we headed to one of my favorite places in Iceland – Studlagil Canyon! This is a canyon surrounded by gorgeous basalt columns with the Jokla River rushing through it. Fun fact: this canyon became uncovered when a nearby hydro-electricity plant opened in 2009 causing the water level to decrease by about 25 ft. However, it wasn’t even discovered/known until 2016 when a group of sheepherders found it. Anyways, it was about an hour from our campsite and if you plan to visit, it’s important to know which side you want to visit – the east or west side. The west side has a parking lot with ~130 steps leading to a viewing point with railings. If you’re looking for a quick stop, visit this side. This is also the only side with bathrooms. However, if you want a full view of the canyon and are willing to take a hike, visit the east side hands down! To get to the east side, follow the coordinates below – there are several different parking options though. The coordinates will lead you to the first parking lot before the bridge. You can cross the bridge (we did) and drive up to the next parking lot to save about 30 minutes in walking. However, it’s a pretty rough road filled with pot holes, so it’s advised to have 4WD. From the first parking lot, it’s about a 60 minute hike one-way and from the second parking lot it’s about a 30 minute hike one-way to the canyon.

Studlagil Canyon west side (viewpoint): 65.16456268876753, -15.311365687241636
Studlagil Canyon east side (hike into the canyon): 65.18925843898116, -15.250422237604736

Depending on where you park, you will either drive or hike past Stuðlafoss Waterfall on the way to the canyon too. This waterfall runs down stacked basalt columns, and is a good sneak peak of all the basalt columns you’ll see at the canyon.

The hike to the canyon was an easy, flat gravel path. Once you arrive, there are several branches of paths for viewing the canyon from the front and even going down by the rocks. We did go down by the rocks for some of our pictures, but it’s advised that you have shoes with good traction because the rocks are wet & slippery! To get to the lowest level of rocks, there was a rope to help too. Being at the bottom of the canyon was so surreal and stunning. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Overall, we probably spent 45 minutes at the canyon before we headed back to our car.

Next up, we headed to Europe’s most powerful waterfall, Dettifoss. It was about 2.5 hours from the canyon and we came up road 864 from the south. The gravel road in was extremely bumpy though – like one of the worst on the trip. Leaving the waterfall heading the north was much better, but I would recommend taking the paved road (862) on the other side of the river/waterfall instead.

At the waterfall, we probably spent 20 minutes walking around and taking pictures. Regardless if you visit on the east or west side, there is an additional 0.9 mile hike (one-way) you can take from Dettifoss to another waterfall named Selfoss. We opted out of this hike because it was rainy, cold and the path was filled with large pools of water. However, from pictures, Selfoss looks really pretty. It’s not as powerful as Dettifoss, but it much wider. If the weather is nice, I’d give the hike a try! The signs at Dettifoss are well-marked pointing you to where Selfoss is.

Once we got back to our car, we were ready for some dinner! We were craving some sushi and went to Hlodufell Restaurant & Bar in northern Iceland. I can’t remember what rolls we ordered, but we enjoyed our dinner.

Our final activity for this adventure-filled day was a nice relaxing evening at the Myvatn Nature Baths. These baths are less-expensive version of the Blue Lagoon. The water is a similar bright blue color and tickets are around $50/person. The Myvatn Baths are a great way to soak in some of Iceland’s geothermal waters on a budget, but I still recommend doing the Blue Lagoon if you had to choose between the two. Our ticket at the Myvatn Nature Baths included a locker and entrance to the lagoon. Beverages and towels are extra. The towel rental is around $7-8/towel, so it’s economical to bring your own. They do have a swim-up bar in the lagoon too, there just weren’t any included drinks in the ticket price. Aside from the warm watered lagoon, the facility had steam baths and some additional “hot tub style” pools. One big thing to callout here is the strong sulphur smell. While we smelt sulphur in quite a few place in Iceland, it was really strong here – just something to keep in mind if sensitive to smells.

We stayed in the lagoon until near closing time (10pm) and then headed to our campsite for the night. Our campsite was called Hlíð ferðaþjónusta and cost around $16/person.

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DAY 6: GRJOTAGJA, VITI CRATER IN KRAFLA, HVERIR, GOÐAFOSS WATERFALL, FOREST LAGOON, AKUREYRI, HVERAVELLIR, KERLINGARFJÖLL, HVERADALIR, GULLFOSS

In the morning, we first headed to Grjotagja (20 min away), which is a lava cave located in northern Iceland near Lake Myvatn. The cave may look familiar to those that are Game of Thrones fans as it was part of a scene in season 3, episode 4. At Grjotagja, there is also a geothermal spring in the cave. However, the temperature is unpredictable and as a result, swimming is no longer allowed. We found this to be a pretty quick stop and spent about 15 minutes walking around here. It wasn’t busy, so we were able to park rather close to the cave and walk on it.

Next up, we drove for about 30 minutes to the parking lot of the Viti Crater. The Viti Crater is located in the Krafla volcanic area which is 6 miles wide and 55 miles long. Krafla is one of the most active volcanic regions in Iceland and has had 29 eruptions recorded in history as of 2024. The initial eruptions were back in 1724-1729. Then more recently, there were 9 eruptions from 1975 and 1984.

The crater itself is filled with bright blue water and is easy to see if in the Krafla area. The walk from the parking lot to the edge of the crater is just a couple minutes. I have read that there used to be a hike around the crater that seems to be barricaded off hallway through now, but cannot confirm. It was really windy/rainy when we visited, so we snapped a few quick pics and then went on our way to visit the Krafla Visitor Center.

Viti Crater Parking Lot GPS Coordinates: 65.71771577961668, -16.757561515724905

The Krafla Visitor Center is free of charge and on the way to and from the Viti crater. It’s not super big, but inside there are a few exhibits that explain the geothermal power plant & past volcano eruptions. If you have time, it’s worth a quick visit I feel.

Krafla Visitor Center: https://www.landsvirkjun.com/visit/krafla-visitor-centre

After the visitor center, we drove to Hverir, which is a geothermal area filled with smoking fumaroles, boiling mud pots & steam vents. It’s an out-of-this world location and you truly feel like you’re on another planet like Mars with the orange-ish soil. It also smells delightful – just kidding, it smells strong of sulfurous gas (aka like rotten eggs.) Anyways, there is a parking lot at Hverir (with a small parking fee) that is connected to the paths to walk around by all the mud pools & steaming vents. We probably spent 15 minutes walking around, before we headed back to our van (it was pretty windy and cold.)

There is 1.7 mile loop called the Namafjall hike that looks worth taking if time allows (and the weather is maybe nicer.) The hike leads up and around Namafjall Mountain and is appears to offer pretty views of the surrounding area.

Hverir Parking Lot GPS Coordinates: 65.64180824335568, -16.806864827763143

After Hverir, we hopped back on Ring Road and headed west to the Godafoss waterfall. It was about a 50 minute drive and we found it to be easily accessible. There is an east and west parking lot both right off Ring Rd and we parked in the west lot.

From the west lot, the waterfall can be seen immediately and there is a nice viewing platform too. Along with the viewing platform, there is also a pedestrian bridge you can walk to from either parking lot. You are further away from the waterfall on the bridge though. Right by the bridge (on the east side of the river) is a cafe/gift shop and gas station. We stopped in the shop/cafe to look at souvenirs and grab some snacks/coffee. They had all kinds of Iceland magnets, cups, clothing, etc. to buy too.

Godafoss West Parking Lot GPS Coordinates: 65.68561642235842, -17.545296178174297

The next destination on our list was the town of Akureyri. Right before entering the town though was the Forest Lagoon. We heavily debated if we wanted to do another lagoon or not (since we already had done three with another one booked back in Reykjavik.) Ultimately, we decided not to buy tickets for the Forest Lagoon, but we did stop by to take a look since it was right on the way. If I were to go back, I would definitely do this lagoon next time! It was fairly new when we visited and had a modern-woodsy vibe to it.

Then we continued our journey into the town of Akureyri. In total, it was about 35 minutes from Godafoss waterfall. We found a parking spot downtown and walked around the downtown streets. While exploring, we decided to grab a burger and shake at “Taste” and enjoyed the food there followed by some shopping and picture-taking on the colorful street. There were a few cruises in port while we were there too, but it didn’t seem overly-crowded or anything. Our original plan was to camp just outside this town, but we were on a roll and ahead of schedule, so we decided to continue west into the highlands.

We took Ring Rd to F-35 and the drive from Akureyri to Hveravellir (our first stop) was about 4 hours. Road F-35 connects northern and southern Iceland and Hveravellir is the halfway point between Akureyri and Reykjavik. Please note that Hveravellir is different than Hveradalir. We go to Hveradalir later in this day, but I want to call out that they are two different places although the spelling is very close. I know it was easy for me to get them confused when I was doing my research initially. Anyways, the drive to Hveravellir was fairly flat, but it was on a gravel F road, so we had to take it slow.

Hveravellir itself is a geothermal hotspot nestled between two glaciers in the western highlands. There are smoking fumaroles, bubbling water holes and even one hot pool that people can soak in. There is a nice little walking path to safely check out the nature of the area. We probably spent 10-15 minutes walking around it and taking pictures. At this location, this are also some huts and campsites to sleep at if desired. For us, it was cool to see the fumaroles on a smaller scale, but 15 minutes was enough here before we were ready to continue our journey through the highlands.

Hveravellir GPS Coordinates: 64.86612610794121, -19.553739085690587

Our next destination in the highlands was Kerlingarfjöll and Hveradalir, which was a little over an hour away. Kerlingarfjöll is the name of the mountain range and Hveradalir is a geothermal wonderland located within the range. We drove to the Highland Base Resort, which was actually in the process of being built/upgraded when we visited, but is now complete. From the Highland Base Resort, there are many different hiking trails and you can find more about them on their website below. The place we really wanted to visit was the Hveradalir geothermal area. To get there, one can hike the 3.1 mile (one-way) trail or take a 10 minute drive from the Highland Base per Highland Base’s website.

For time purposes, we opted to do the drive. We followed the road up the mountain and as we got higher, the weather wasn’t good and we were essentially in the clouds so visibility diminished. Unfortunately due to this, we ended up turning around and didn’t make it to Hveradalir. I was so bummed as the pictures I’ve seen of Hveradalir look absolutely sunning and out-of-this-world. If I go back to Iceland, going back here will definitely be on my list and I’d love to stay at the new resort too! Even with the low visibility at the top, what we could see of the Kerlingarfjöll mountains was still beautiful and impressive.

Highland Base Resort: https://highlandbase.is

After a full day of adventure, we were ready to head to our campsite for the night, which was a little less than 2 hours away. We followed F-35 south and this southern part was much smoother than the northern part.

Just a few minutes away from our campsite was the Gullfoss waterfall lookout, so we made a quick pit stop there before arriving to the campsite. Gullfoss is along the “Golden Circle” route in Iceland, so we figured it would be less busy visiting late in the day rather than the next morning. At Gullfoss, there a paved parking lot (small fee) and it’s a short walk to the overlook point to see the waterfall. There are also more hikes people can do to get closer to the waterfall.

Gullfoss Parkling Lot GPS Coordinates: 64.3251373027774, -20.125182046775574

After the waterfall, we tucked in for the night at Skjól Camping. This was one of my favorite campgrounds during the whole trip. It had a cozy bistro/bar, nice bathrooms and a trampoline-like inflatable thing to bounce on. The cost was also relatively cheaper from what I remember was around $11/person.

Campsite: https://amazingtours.is/skjol-camping/

Are you enjoying this one week Iceland itinerary? If so, check out my other blogs here


DAY 7: GEYSIR HOT SPRING, THINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK, REYKJAVIK, SKY LAGOON


Our last full day of adventure consisted of Golden Circle sightseeing followed by downtown Reykjavik and the lovely Sky Lagoon. The Golden Circle is one of Iceland’s famous scenic routes with many landmarks and historical places along the way. Kerid Crater and Gullfoss are part of the Golden Circle and we stopped at those landmarks on previous day’s of this trip. The Golden Circle also consists of Brúarfoss, Geysir Hot Spring, and Thingvellir National Park.

We skipped Brúarfoss because at the time we visited it was a 4.4 mile round-trip hike and we just weren’t feeling it. However, in April 2023, a new road/parking lot was built and it’s only a 5 minute walk to see the walls. Brúarfoss is known for it’s beautiful blue color, so I’d recommend checking this one out now that there are multiple options to see it.

The Geysir Hot Spring was our first stop of the day and it was only 5 minutes from our campsite. There is a large parking lot (free), visitor center, gift shop, and restaurant on site. The hot spring/geysir area is across the street from the parking lot and has about 15 minutes of paths to walk around on.

There are two famous geysers at this location – one is called “Geysir” (also have seen it called Great Geysir) and the other is called Strokkur. (Great) Geysir stopped erupting in the early 1900s and then an earthquake generated some more eruptions in the early 2000s. Today, the eruptions are rate, but hey, you never know what you’ll see! The other geyser, Strokkur, erupts every 5-10 minutes though! Between the geysers and gift shop, we spent around 45 minutes at this location.

Thingvellir National Park was next on our agenda, which was about an hour away. The National Park is famous for its history and geology. Geologically, the Mid-Atlantic Rift runs right through the park, which is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. In fact, one can even snorkel/scuba in-between the plates in the park (pictured below.) We didn’t do it, but the visibility in the water is supposedly incredible and exceeds a few hundred feet. The park has several paved paths to walk around and enjoy the nature. We spent around an hour here.

By this time, we were hungry for a late lunch and headed to downtown Reykjavik (1 hour away.) We found an Italian restaurant that we thought was really good called Grazie Trattoria. After lunch, we had to stop by the infamous rainbow road downtown too! Although we didn’t spend a ton of time in downtown, it had a cute/charming city vibe to it.

After walking around, we headed to the Sky Lagoon for our 4pm reservation. As discussed earlier in this blog, I felt the Sky Lagoon had the nicest facilities of each geothermal spring we visited. (Blue Lagoon was a very close second.) Our admission was similar in price as the Blue Lagoon – it was around $85/person for the “Pure” package although pricing varies by date/time. That included spa admission, one drink (alcoholic or non), a towel, and “The Ritual.” The Ritual included the steam room, sauna, energizing mist and a cleansing scrub.

Although The Sky Lagoon doesn’t have the famous bright blue water like the Blue Lagoon, it has a gorgeous infinity hot pool overlooking the ocean. If you are visiting Iceland and having a hard time deciding which lagoon to do, I’d recommend splurging and doing both!

We spent a few hours at the spa before heading back to downtown Reykjavik for some dinner and drinks. As a Wisconsin-ite, my husband and I love trying new breweries. We went to Brew Dog and I got a flight to taste a variety of beers. I was impressed with the selection and enjoyed the taste of my beers and the environment. For dinner, we splurged since it was our last night and went to a steakhouse called Bryggjan Brugghus. We were also thoroughly impressed with dinner here too – the service, food and wine were all fantastic.

Campsite in Reykjavik for the night: https://www.reykjavikcampsite.is

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DAY 8: VAN DROP-OFF & TRAVEL DAY

Unfortunately our amazing trip had to come to an end. We dropped off the camper van by the required time (11am or 12pm) at Cozy campers and headed to the airport. Our flight didn’t leave until early evening, so we had quite some time to spend at the airport. We didn’t think it would be bad, but the Icleand Air counter wouldn’t let us check our bags until 2 hours before the flight. So unfortunately we had to wait before going through security until we could check our bags and there’s not much space in the airport to hangout in that area. People were sitting on the ground all over the place. Once we were finally able to check our bags and got through security, the airport was much nicer. Just something to keep in mind if you have to go to the airport early (& dependent on airline I’m sure.)

Overall, that’s a recap of our entire week in Iceland and our Iceland itinerary! If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I truly hope this provides value to you in some sort of way. If there are any questions or comments on things that have maybe changed since I visited or you just want to say hello, please feel free to comment below!


If this one week Iceland itinerary interests you, I’d also recommend giving my Banff blog a view. Check it out here!

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