FROM PARIS TO THE SOUTH OF FRANCE - a 10 day adventure
Iceland, one of the most freeing and adventurous trips I’ve ever taken. For 9 days I was able to escape the crowded, noisy life in the city and trade it for quiet drives through fjords, amazing views of waterfalls, and dips in hot springs under the midnight sun. As someone who loves the great outdoors and stunning scenery, this trip was an absolute dream.
My goals for the 9 days were simple – to see, do, and take in as much of this beautiful country as I could in the limited time I had. It’s a fast paced itinerary with some days more hectic than others, but if you follow along it will guarantee you an experience of a lifetime.
Logistics
- Length/Pace: 9 days, fast paced
- Vehicle: 2WD campervan
- Accommodation: Campsites
- Budget: $2000 – $2500 for 2 people
- Season: Summer
Itinerary OVERVIEW
DAY 1 // Thingvellir National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss, Seljalandsfoss, Gljufrabui, Skogafoss, Seljavallalaug
DAY 2 // DC-3 Planewreck, Dyrholaey, Reynisfjara, Fjadrargljufur
DAY 3 // Skaftafell National Park, Jokulsarlon, Diamond Beach
DAY 4 // Stokksnes, East Fjords
DAY 5 // Seydifjordur, Borgarfjordur Eystri, Dettifoss
DAY 6 // Hverir, Grjotagja, Hverfjall, Dimmuborgir, Myvatn Nature Baths, Godafoss
DAY 7 // Glaumbaer Farm, Kirkjufellsfoss, Snaefellsjokull, Arnarstapi, Budakirkja Black Church
DAY 8 // Ytri Tunga, Olkelduvatn Mineral Spring, Glymur, Reykjavik
DAY 9 // Reykjavik, Blue Lagoon, Airport
ARRIVAL + PREPARATION
AIRPORT
Arriving to Iceland is quick and easy. We landed in Keflavik on the morning of Day 1 at 10 AM, and went through customs and baggage claim in under 30 minutes. First thing on the agenda is getting to your campervan’s pickup location. Assuming your camper is in Reykjavik like ours was, the most affordable way to get into the city from the airport is by public transport. There are a few bus options, all of which are conveniently located in front of KEF’s arrival gate. We took Flybus, the cheapest option by far, which drops you off at different locations in Reykjavik (including the BSI bus terminal, where our camper was) at different price points. You can buy tickets in advance online or when in person the day of for around 3,400 isk one way. Flybus only takes card transactions, but has free wifi and no restrictions on luggage.
STOCKING UP
After picking up the camper, we took advantage of our stop in Reykjavik to stock up on food and supplies for the trip. We made sure to go to either a Kronan or Bonus, which are the biggest and cheapest grocery stores. To start, we bought around 1-2 days worth of snacks and groceries to cook quick meals with.
Dining out in Iceland will pretty much drain your wallet. If you’re not looking to spend around $30-$40 on an entree every day, cooking your own meals is pretty much the way to go. Our campervan rental, like most, came with a cooler, portable gas stove, a pot, dishes, and utensils. Most of the campsites we stayed at also provided campers with a kitchen to cook in. Read more about our camping food here.
DAY 1 | GOLDEN CIRCLE + SOUTHern coast:
Total Drive Time: 5 hours 15 minutes | Accomodation: Vik Campsite
DAY 1 introduction
Day 1… our craziest, most ambitious day. With only 9 days, we wanted to do and see as much as possible. In our logic, we figured we would have the most energy and adrenaline on day 1, but we still felt pretty worn out when we finally ended our day around 4 AM. Feel free to split this day up into two if you need to.
Our Iceland journey started with the famous Golden Circle. Made up of a group of sites a short drive outside of Reykjavik, the Golden Circle attractions are close by and convenient to get to but extremely tourist heavy.
These sites can be driven in a loop that takes you back to Reykjavik, or in a path that leads you to the start of Route 1. Although some points of interest may feel a bit overrated, others are areas that locals say every first timer should experience. If you’re really limited on time, I’d say skip this. But if you can, pick and choose a few that will fit into your schedule. We chose to visit the three main sites: Thingvellir National Park, Geysir/Stokkur, and Gullfoss.
Thingvellir national park
Thingvellir is a really cute park, with most of its main attractions being a 20-30 minute stroll from the visitor center. I’ll be honest, there are more stunning and impressive areas in Iceland. However, the park’s historical and geological features are what truly make it one of the most fascinating places in Iceland.
For one, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. The first Icelandic parliament was formed here in 930 AD and continued to serve as its meeting place until 1798. The park is also where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates run through. Massive earthquakes in the past caused the plates to rip the land apart, consequently creating the stunning faults and fissures that exist today.
At Thingvellir, we walked down the Almannagjá fault line (they filmed scenes of Game of Thrones here!), and went to see the Silfra fissure that was created by a rift between the tectonic plates. Filled with glacier water purified by lava fields, the fissure holds the clearest water in the world. We were able to go down to the viewing platform to dip our hands in, but if you want you can book a snorkeling or scuba diving session in between the tectonic plates! We decided to skip the Öxarárfoss waterfall due to a lack of time, and stopped by the church on our way back to the parking lot instead.
- Drive from Reykjavik: 45 minutes
- Time spent: 45 minutes
- Cost: 500 isk per car parking fee
GEysir + stRokkur
Next stop on our agenda was Geysir and Stokkur, two popular geysers an hour from Thingvellir and en route right before Gullfoss. This was our first peek into Iceland’s geothermal activity. The area is filled with these really cool small boiling mud pits. Geysir is going through a dormant period right now, but a two minute walk over is Strokkur, Iceland’s most active geyser. Currently, it erupts every 7 – 10 minutes or so. We didn’t spend a lot of time here, but seeing the eruption and other bits of geothermal activity from the ground was both interesting and fun. There is definitely a splash zone, so be careful if you have a camera out.
- Drive from Thingvellir: 1 hour
- Time spent: 20 minutes
gullfoss
One thing I’ll never forget is the sight of my first Icelandic waterfall. Gullfoss is one of the most iconic waterfalls in Iceland and easily one of my favorites out of the whole trip – probably largely due to the shock factor on how massive this thing is. The rumbling from the falls can be heard all the way from the parking lot. When you finally see it, it’s mind blowing. Talk about a first impression?! There are two viewing platforms, an upper and lower level. The lower level allowed us to walk up to the edge of the falls, and get a great view of the colossal amounts of water that crashed down. As we got closer, the rocks became pretty slippery and it felt like we were walking through a storm from all the mist, but the view and experience was entirely worth it.
- Drive from Geysir/Strokkur:
- Time spent: 45 minutes
seljalandsfoss
The Seljalandsfoss waterfall is the first stop on Ring Road, and is easily an Icelandic fan favorite. Although this waterfall is on a much smaller scale than Gullfoss, it’s still just as stunning and unique in its own right. The cool thing about Seljalandsfoss is that you can walk behind it. There’s a short footpath that leads you to a small cave right behind the falls, and around to the other side.
We ended up arriving to Seljalandsfoss right around sunset, giving us a pretty magical view behind the waterfall. Zilin decided he wanted to try some fresh glacier water, so he ended up venturing down to the base of the falls (which is also easily accessible) to fill our bottle. Can confirm, natural Icelandic water tastes crisp, fresh, and purer than any bottled water I’ve ever had in the states.
- Drive from Gullfoss
- Time spent: 30 minutes
Gljúfrabúi
- Walk from Seljalandsfoss: 10 minutes
- Time spent: 15 minutes
Skógafoss
Time spent: 45 minutes
Seljavallalaug swimming pool
Time spent: 2 hours?? 30 min hike each way
vik campsite
Vik was one of the best campsites we’ve been to our entire journey around the Ring Road and as our first campsite, it set our standards pretty high. Honestly, as far as campsites go, all of the more popular ones in Iceland have been pretty clean and accommdating. Due to the recent boom in tourism, many have renovated and updated their amenities.
Bathrooms/Showers:
We got pretty lucky with Vik. They built entirely new bathroom and shower facilities during the winter/fall of 2018, so by the time we visited they were practically new. I’m talking cleaner than my apartment bathroom back home, which is really impressive. One thing to note is that the showers are split by gender, but aren’t private. There are four showerheads, so depending on the time you go you might be shampooing with three other people. If you’re weird about that, just go at an off time (after 10 am in the morning, or 12 am at night) and you’ll probably be alone. Another big note is that it’s 300 isk for a 5 minute shower, and the machine only takes 100 isk coins so stock up!
- Cost: 300 isk
- Time: 5 minutes
- Cleanliness: Very new
- Water: hot enough
day 2: southern coast
Total Drive Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
DC-3 Planewreck
Time spent: 2 hours, 45 min each way but we cheated, 3.8 km one way
dyrholaey
Time spent: 1 hour
scenic picnic location
Time spent: 1 hour
7:20 – 7:40 in secret cave thing, then 20 longer at the top of the mountain thing
reynisfjara beach
Time spent: 45 minutes
Fjaðrárgljúfur
Time spent: 45 minutes
skaftafell national park campsite
We decided to spend a night at the Skaftafell Campsite due to convenience since we planned a huge day hike the next day. The Skaftafell convenience level is through the roof. The campsite is a five minute walk from the visitor center, and is actually where the hiking paths for the national park start. To paint a picture of how close this is for you, you can literally trek to a peak of a mountain and walk down the path straight into your sleeping bag. No long drive after a strenuous climb to find accommodation – it’s literally right there when you’re done.
day 3: southeast coast
Total Drive Time: 2 hours
Skaftafell national park
8 hour hike
jokulsarlon glacier lagoon
20 minutes
diamond beach
30 minutes
hofn campsite
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day 4: east fjords
Total Drive: 3 hours 45 minutes
Kaffi Hornid
1 hour
stokksnes
1.5 hours
east fjords
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egilsstadir campsite
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day 5: northeast
Total Drive Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Seyðisfjörður
Time spent: 1 hour
Borgarfjörður Eystri
TIme spent: 30-45 minutes
dettifoss
Time spent: 1 hr with walk to selfoss
Hlíð Campsite
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day 6: north + myvatn area
Total Drive Time: 2 hours
hverir
45 minutes
Grjótagjá Cave
15 minutes
Hverfjall Crater
45 minutes
dimmuborgir
30 minutes
myvatn nature baths
1.5 hours
godafoss
30 minutes
hamrar campsite (akueyri)
day 7: west + Snæfellsnes peninsula
Total Drive Time: 7 hours
Glaumbær Farm & Museum
30 minutes
Kirkjufellsfoss
45 minutes
Snæfellsjökull National Park
45 minutes? or 30 i forget
arnarstapi
45 minutes
Búðakirkja Black Church
30 minutes
Ólafsvik Campsite
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day 8: glymur + reykjavik
Total Drive Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
ytri tunga
1 hour
Ölkelduvatn Mineral Spring
15 minutes
Glymur waterfall
2.5 hours
Reykjavik
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reykjavik street food
1 hour
reykjavik campsite
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day 9: blue lagoon + airport
Total Drive Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Reykjavík Breakfast
1.5 hours
blue lagoon
3 hours
Keflavík Airport
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planning your trip:
- Campervan Guide
- All About Campsites
- Tips + Tricks
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