We are two couples (32, 26, 34 and 41 years old) and we were already thinking about going on a weekend trip to Iceland for quite a while. We thought the country and nature may be best explored by camping, so we decided to rent a Camper to travel together and have a mini vacation with the other couple. Rent.is was recommended to us by some trustworthy friends so we rented one of their popular VW California Camper for 4 nights of travel. The price was very good and they provided us with a lot of information before our trip. So now we were looking forward to our trip to Iceland even more. Since all of us have been to the country before, just not around the Westfjords, we chose that as our destination of focus to travel to and sees sites. We departed from Frankfurt and traveled to Keflavík (Reykjavik) on August 23rd, 2019.
Right after landing we were picked up inside the Airport building and brought to the Rental Car office which is just a 3-5 minute’s drive away. Die Guys were super nice and friendly, and gave us all the information we needed and they also let us take our keys. 4 friends, 4 nights, our road trip. Off we go.
We were stopping by in Reykjavik to see the city and have some snacks – as mentioned before, we have all been to the country of Iceland one or more times already. Our next stop was in Borgarnes to grab some food and drinks and delicious Icelandic candy (=Nammi). Borgarnes is about an hour northern of Reykjavik, and there we spent one night on the campsite. It is so the best having our own mobile hotel for so many days. There are 4 spacey sleeping places in the car, 2 in the bottom after you lay down the backseats and 2 more inside the open roof of the car. We just decided to switch so that everybody could have a good nights sleep in one of the beds while on vacation. It was the best to wake up close to nature in the morning and have a breakfast spot right next to the car.
The morning after we started our drive further northwest. It was drizzling a tiny bit and the sky was cloudy, but this could not stop us from having a good vacation. The landscape was amazing and we found, after a short while of driving on our way to Patreksfjordur from the south end of Borgarnes, a nice hotpot (a little swimming pool and natural hotpot, both just open air). We were really lucky to sit in our high VW California car and be able to check out the pot down there right next to the road.
The busy summer season was probably already over so we were the only ones there to enjoy the pot. It was incredibly beautiful to sit in the hot water, enjoy the view and a beer. There was even a little house with a shower and toilets next to the hotpot. Everything was super clean and freshly renovated. We were asked by a sign to pay a small amount for maintenance, so it was not free, but that was of course totally fine for us to get access to these amenities.
Further on our way, we were heading to Raudarsandur, which would be our next camping sign on our Iceland trip. After reaching the campsite, we parked our car and checked out all the camping equipment which it comes with. Dishes, plates, pots, cutlery, water can, chairs, table… everything was there and smartly packed. Furthermore, sleeping bags, sheets, pillows and all that let us of course safe a lot of luggage. We bought a disposable barbecue and sausages, bread and salat, cheese and marshmallows. It was just an amazing time. Raudarsandur is one of the most beautiful vacation sites. Unfortunately, the popular cafe house there was already closed due to the winter season. We saw endless golden beaches there, and from there you get to be surrounded by the best Icelandic mountains. Right behind you get to see a bigger seal colony lying lazy in the golden sand.
Suddenly the sky cleared up and we enjoyed our BBQ with a wonderful sunset. From Raudarsandur it’s best to take a drive to see Patreksfjordur or Látrabjörg. Raudarsandur is just a little south of both travel destinations, but even taking a tour of each would be a great time.
On day 3 we were driving further through the fjords in direction of Sudureyri. We were stopping many times and astonished incredible bays and landscapes. Some of them we really didn’t expect to see on our trip to Iceland, more likely seen on a trip in the Caribbean islands. The Westfjords is one of the most beautiful sites in the country. We chose Sudureyri, because we were interested in some tours about fishing and food and because it’s located pretty close to Isafjördur. There is a small campsite and a bar/restaurant in the town which can both be reached by short walking distance. There we spent our last nights, before we our vacation ended and went back to Germany.
The world is still all right in Isafjördur. At least it seems to be… A nice and cozy Westfjord city with some of the best places to eat, some bars and a charming fjord. At a very close distance you can see the stunning and popular Dynjandi waterfall. There are also amazing nature arounds, in almost every corner you travel to of the Westfjords. Especially in some places where you can ‘t even find mobile phone or internet connection. In Iceland, you can be so unbelievable close to the breathtaking nature of the Westfjords.
From some places in the Westfjords you can even spot the east coast of Greenland. And many bird cliffs can be visited very close, also to see some of the famous puffins. We were not in a hurry or rushing during our trip and decided, not to drive through all Fjords and see the most possible. One of my most important travel tips would be to take a break from your daily business to just be close to nature and to visit a national park in Iceland. It is the best way to feel and enjoy nature when you travel in a camper, then if you were to drive by bus or car and stay in a hotel or guesthouses. When you have your own travel camper you are able to travel at your own time and tour places at your own speed. If you like a certain location, you can spend extra time there, it is up to you.
We didn’t see everything we wanted to on this trip, but we will come back to see the rest on another Iceland holiday when we have more vacation days. Our next trip to Iceland may include things like the beautiful northern lights, the blue lagoon and a tour of the golden circle. However, Iceland is a beautiful country and if you ever get a chance to travel and check it out, rent a camper with Rent.is and stay connected with nature while you travel.
Many thanks to the Guys from Rent.is Car rental. We were super happy with our California Camper and are looking so much forward to our future holidays to Iceland.
