DAY 1: RENTING THE VAN AND DOING THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
DAY 2: HOT SPRING MORNING AND DRIVE EAST THROUGH WATERFALLS
DAY 3: GLACIER HIKE AND MORE ADVENTURES EASY
DAY 4: THROUGH THE FJORDS
DAY 5: NORTH TO MÝVATN
DAY 6: HOT SPRINGS & THE NORTH
DAY 7: BACK TO THE SOUTH & PARK
DAY 8: FLY OUT
CAMPING IN ICELAND
An ambitious and slightly ambiguous idea for 1 American and 1 Japanese living in Europe for 8 years with pretty much no camping experience whatsoever. Looking northwest, Iceland had sat on our top 3 to-visit locations for several years, but never seemed to win in the debate on how to spend our summer holidays; the sea and sunshine always managed to take priority over what we imaged to be a bit colder and probably much icier adventure in the north.
Earlier this year, a college of mine showed me photos of her trip to inclined in a camper van. Now, there was an idea! Iceland- notoriously vast and expensive- seemed much more manageable when home and transportation turned into one cute solution that was just big enough for two without turning into one of those massive white caravan that take over all roads in Europe in the summertime. We picked a time- July. We picked a caravan- a new model! We picked a route essentially the entire Island, across the 1 Ring Road, in eight days. Let’s do this.
DAY 1: RENTING THE VAN AND DOING THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
Suspicions confirmed- the weather in Iceland in the summer is cold and pretty unpredictable. About 100km into our first day behind the wheel of our camper van, we had gone through two complete sun and rain cycles. We were keen on checking off a much of the Golden Circle and opted to pass through Þingvellir National Park as the rain poured down and make our way to Geyser and Gullfoss Falls, spending night in a campsite tucked in between the two for the first night.
DAY 2: HOT SPRING MORNING AND DRIVE EAST THROUGH WATERFALLS
Packed up the camper van and and started the morning with a short hike behind Geyser before taking a dip in the Secret Lagoon Hot Springs. Our plan was to check off several sightseeing spots
during a slow trip east to Skaftafell. We started at the Kerið Crater Lake, continued to Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrafoss, and finally Skógafoss. Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrafoss proved to be
two of the biggest highlights of the trip- the latter behind a smaller waterfall just behind Seljalandsfoss open to a bit of exploration!
DAY 3: GLACIER HIKE AND MORE ADVENTURES EASY
Day was glacier day! We had booked a glacier hike up one of the glaciers near Skaftafell with a private tour company that took us up above the clouds. We were luck to have the sun open up as
we followed our guide up the glacier- untouched for several days due to bad weather preventing guided tours. Back at our camper by early afternoon, we headed east stopping off at the stunning
Fjallsárlón and Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon before one last hot spring dip and a night in a small camping site near Höfn.
DAY 4: THROUGH THE FJORDS
Our 4th day was spent driving across the Eastern Fjords that start just after Höfn and stretch up Iceland’s eastern coast. We used the morning to restock food at the supermarket in town before
tracking up the coast. We stopped off near Þvottárskriður where a large beach made of extra-fine black pebbles spread out like a small sand bar out into the ocean. From that point on we took the 1
until it diverged into inland and we continued on the Fjord route, driving across wide inlays of water up to the fishing town of Seyðisfjörður, where we spent the night.
DAY 5: NORTH TO MÝVATN
After a early rise in Seyðisfjörður and a kick stop-off at a local bakery in Egilsstaðir, our journey continued through northeast Iceland towards Mývatn lake, stopping first at Dettifoss, the most
powerful waterfall in Europe, and Námaskarð, a bubbling pit of sulphur springs that singled our entrance back into Iceland’s volcanic side. Just over the hill from Námaskarð, Mývatn lake showed
a more serine side to Iceland’s volcanic past, the lake and its surrounding rolling green hills regrouping over an eruption that occurred over 200 years ago.
DAY 6: HOT SPRINGS & THE NORTH
Starting the day early to get ahead of the other tourist in the area,we made our way to the Mývatn Nature Baths, getting there just as they opened, enjoying a warm soak with beautiful views of the
lake. From there, we took a small hike through Dimmuborgir, an area next to the lake that featured oddly-shape rock formations. As the area began filling up, we left the town, driving west as we
looked to slowly make our way back to the Airport over the next two days. We opted to spend the night at a small campsite in Sæberg, and drove across northern Iceland along the way, stopping
north of Skagaströnd to search for seals oh the shoreline before calling it a night.
DAY 7: BACK TO THE SOUTH & ÞINGVELLIR
Our last full day in Iceland! We didn’t have enough time to properly explore the West, so we choose to head back to Þingvellir National Park for a proper hike in the area and camp out there
for our last night. Þingvellir National Park is a pretty historical place in Iceland and after we walk across most of the well-marked places, we found ourselves in an isolated hiking trail following deep cracks in-between the two tectonic fault lines. This was a beautiful and quiet hike which proved to be a great way to finish off our one week adventure in Iceland.
DAY 8: FLY OUT
With a few hours open in the morning before we were due to drop the camper van off, we decided to check out the south-western tip of Iceland before finishing the drop. After a quick stop-off at
Gardur lighthouse, we cleaned up the camper and dropped it off, wrapping up an amazing adventure in a very special place. Traveling Iceland with a camper van was the right choice; we definitely couldn’t have enjoyed the trip without it!
Thank you camper van! What a ride!
Read more: Puffin Tours Iceland in a Camper Van
Happy Camping! #CamperStories
ICELAND TRAVEL GUIDES
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