Yes you read that right, ENGAGEMENT trip ?
Three days ago my boyfriend asked me to marry him during our road trip in America and now we heading off to the magical Iceland!
We departed Los Angeles on 27th May and flew directly to Reykjavik. After we have landed we headed straight to the exit. We saw a friendly young man who was waiting for us, and he brought us to the place where we could pick up our camper van and so our journey could begin!
We had zero plans and pretty much chased the best weather and photography spots we could find. This type of travel has its pros and cons, but if you see our pictures, I think it’s worth the try.
We started with the famous ‘Golden Circle’. We drove against the usual route, and the difference in traffic was noticeable. First we went to Kerið Crater Lake. There is an entrance fee of 400 KR per person but it’s totally worth it. The sun was shining and the color of the lake was gorgeous!
After this stop we drove to one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland ‘Gullfoss’. I totally understand why it’s so popular, this waterfall is incredible! We slept nearby, so we could see this waterfall also during sunrise. The first night in our camper van was perfect! You heard the wind blow, but we were warm in our camper van. Blessed!
Unfortunately it was extremely cold the next morning, but we wanted to have the perfect pictures, but we are tangible and made all the pictures were we dreamed off! After this long stop we went to ‘Geysir’. A stop you must do! The Strokkur Geyser erupts frequently. First you see a big blue bubble that forms with every eruption. It’s fun to watch and it gave us beautiful pictures. We spent a lot of time here, it’s a really special experience.
The penultimate stop of the day was Þingvellir National Park. This is also very beautiful, but there were so many tourist that we liked it less.
Our last stop was the Guðrúnarlaug Natural Hot Pool. (Google maps: Hotel Edda Laugar in Sælingsdalur, 371 Búðardalur, 371 Hvammur) We had to drive more than 2 hours, but it was amazing! A private hot spring in the middle of the nature, what do you want more? Ow I know, ice on the top of the mountains! And hell yeah, we had that to! After a nice diner (PASTA ?) we went to bed.
We really love our camper van, our mini home for the coming days!
The next morning, we started our drive east along the Ring road. We made our way to Goðafoss. The weather was what we hoped for and the perfect blue sky gave us beautiful pictures.
After this we spent the day checking out all the craters and geothermal spots nearby Mývatn.
We stopped by the visitor center, but we had a few unwelcome friends there. There are ton of flies!!! But beyond the fact that there are more flies here it is also very beautiful! We made a walk around the crater and the lake had the same beautiful color as Kerið Crater lake, something you must do despite the flies! You can’t skip The Hverir Geothermal Area either. It’s impossible to miss because you’ll feel like you’ve landed on another planet. The smell of sulfur is overpowering in this area, but the area is really cool. It has also a steam vent that seems to perpetually be spewing into the air, and it makes a powerful noise. It’s an awesome experience to walk through the desolate, bubbling landscape!
Finally, we headed out to explore the waterfalls ‘Dettifoss’ and ‘Selfoss’, they are within walking distance of each other. Dettifoss is really overwhelming. I heard that it’s the most powerful waterfall in Europe by volume! He is gigantic! Selfoss is also beautiful, but when you see Dettifoss first, almost every waterfall is a bit less.
After a much-needed sleep-in the following day, we had an amazing view from where we camped! You can see it on the picture!
Today we have to drive a long distance, we’re going to Jökulsárlón. I have to admit, this is the place I most looked forward to, and it did not disappoint me! I was initially worried if there would be enough ice, but as you can see on the picture, it clearly wasn’t an issue. Like almost every day we were also today very lucky with the weather. There was no cloud in the air and the ice was shining in the sun! So stunning! We drove a little further in search of a good place to sleep and found one with a view of a waterfall. We made dinner, watched a movie and went to bed.
The next morning we found out that we had forgotten to take a picture with the name LEEN. This is my fiance (so nice to type fiance) his sister. She died 10 years ago in a car accident, and we write her name in all countries where we go on vacation. The ice crystals were therefore ideal to make her name, you can see it in the picture.
This took us a long time and it was already noon. We were hungry and the nearest store was still a lot of driving. Therefore, we decided to eat nachos with cheese sauce, MMM that tasted good! After this delicious meal we had strength again to explore the beautiful landscape of Iceland. Our next stop was Fjaðrárgljúfur. No idea how to pronounce this, but this was again super nice! It is a very narrow canyon with a beautiful double waterfall at the end. It was nice and warm outside, so we took a break and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
After we had sufficiently enjoyed the sun we headed south to the black sand beaches of Dyrhólaey. Apparently they close the road after 7 pm and you can only enter the next morning after 9 am. Bummer… So we search a place to sleep and went the next morning.
Already the last day ☹. We started the day good with a stunning view on the Arch which stretches out the sea and made pictures of the black sand beach. I never saw a black sand beach before, therefore it was very special!
Further we made a quick stop at Skógafoss. This waterfall is also awesome, but we have to hurry. We really want to go to Seljalandfoss and spend some time there, and we have to catch our plane in time. We made a good decision to stretch enough time for this waterfall. It is very nice here. The waterfall flows over a cave and has an easy to walk dirt path running all the way behind it. We got stunning pictures behind the waterfall and had a lot of fun, but be warned, you will get wet! ?
Now we have arrived at the moment when I am writing our travel story. We have to drive another 2 hours to Reykjavik where we are going to eat, and then we have to return our great camper van.
It was a fantastic way to celebrate our engagement!
It was a fantastic camper vacation!
Iceland you were great!
By Tessa Debaeke (from Belgium)
In Iceland May 27 – June 3 2018
PS: the camper van WiFi device is amazing! That little thing had almost everywhere service. We always used google maps and stayed connected to social media along the way!
Read more: Planning a trip to Iceland?
Happy Camping! #CamperStories
ICELAND TRAVEL GUIDES
If you like what you see, please subscribe to our YouTube channel!
