Day 1: Let the adventure begin!
Our Journey begins in Reykjavik…
Flying out of Toronto, Canada, we landed in the beautiful capital city of Reykjavik, excited to begin our journey around the country.
First things first, picking up our RV! We were so exhausted; we could hardly wait for our home on wheels! As we walked to our vehicle, I’m sure the surprise on our faces was comical…
This looks a little small to be an RV? Where is the shower? There must have been a mix-up. We quickly learned, however, that we had, in fact, rented a Camper van. Oh boy!
After a little convincing that this was a much better option, we conceded, and set off to begin our journey!
Read more: Gas stations in Iceland
Following the infamous Ring Road counter clockwise, our first destination was straight to the Blue Lagoon for some R&R after a long night’s flight.
It was a relaxing day of enjoying the hot springs, mud masks, and taking in the scenery. Little did we know this was just the beginning! Stopping for some supplies at Krónan, and enjoying a quick coffee at a Bakari, we were off to Selfoss to camp for the night.
Read more: Where to camp in Iceland
What a lovely town it was! With a beautiful waterfront and a couple of roosters – you can’t get any better than that! It was the perfect place to spend our first night.
Day 2: Waterfalls, Waterfalls, Waterfalls…and a Cave!
We were up and at ‘em after our first real night in Iceland, heading off to our first sightseeing destination – the Raufarhólshelli Lava Caves.
From there, it was a series of driving to various sightseeing destinations along the southwestern part of Iceland. We stopped at Brúarfoss Waterfall to do a mini hike. We then drove over to Gullfoss Waterfall – which looked very similar to a water fall we have back home, Niagara Falls. This waterfall seemed to stretch on for miles though!
Finally, we stopped at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, where we hiked all around and behind it. The waterfall was incredible – there was even a rainbow to top it all off. It looked like a picture from a post card!
The last stop of the day was Dýrhólaey. Just as we had done many times before, we plugged the address into our GPS, only this time to find ourselves driving up a mountainside on a dirt road. This was a first! Thankfully, the view at the end was well worth the slightly nerve racking drive up…
An endless coast, the mountains in the background, a beautiful sun starting to set – we felt like we were in a movie.
Our final trek was to Vik for the evening, where we enjoyed a delicious lamb sandwich at Halldórskaffi restaurant. We could check our first Icelandic food off our list of “must eats.” Although we had such a long day, we decided to drive to Skaftafell so that we could get an early start on our day tomorrow.
Thank goodness for long daylight hours…
Day 3: Hiking in Skaftafell
We woke up, made a great breakfast, and off we went on our hike through Vatnajökull National Park to a glacier…6 hours later, we returned!
Our legs were sore, we were tired, but it was well worth the trek! The scenery was gorgeous and at the end we enjoyed our lunch by a glacier!
After an exhausting day, we decided to relax for the evening and make a nice dinner at our campsite.
Maybe this Camper van isn’t such a bad idea after all… we were quite enjoying the flexibility and freedom it offered. We had a comfy bed, a fridge, and a hot plate all on wheels – what more did we need!? Oh, and don’t forget the free WIFI.
Day 4: Höfn
The next day we drove up to the charming little coastal town of Höfn. The weather was perfect for wandering around! We couldn’t believe our luck.
We explored the many shops and restaurants, tried some delicious Skýr cake, walked along the waterfront, did some exercising at the outdoor gym, and finally set up shop at the campground.
Day 5: A Glacier Lagoon, Mývatn and a Night in Akureyri
The next morning was an early one – 6 am wake up, quick shower, breakfast, and off on a 5-hour drive towards Akureryi. Along the way we stopped at the Jökulsárlón – Glacier Lagoon. The pieces of ice formed a beautiful crystal blue pattern that was completely breathtaking.From there, we were off to Mývatn!
We started the day off with a hike to the top of the Hverfjall crater. And boy, was that a steep trek up! Very satisfying to be able to reach that height and see the remnants of an explosion that is thought to have occurred at least 2500 years ago!
We then went on to explore Grjótagjá, a small lava cave with a thermal spring inside. Very cool!
That afternoon, we drove the rest of the way to Akureyri, staying the night at the campground and spending the next day there as well.
Read more: Camp like a boss
Day 6: Akureyri
Akureyri – what a quaint little town! We loved the shopping, the food, the people – pretty much everything about it! Plus, we finally got to see some trolls!
The Icelandic lamb soup (kjötsupa) was amazing! We also made sure to try the famous fish and chips from Akureryi Fish and Chips, as suggested to us by a local resident. Not a disappointing meal yet!
Day 7: Þingvellir National Park
Unfortunately, our trip is coming to an end. Another long trek to our next destination, but the scenic drive getting there made it breeze by! Endless sites of waterfalls, ocean and mountains. This is definitely a view we could get used to.
We even got to know a couple of Icelandic songs, which have obviously made it to the top of our playlist.
We finally arrived at Þingvellir National Park and hiked around the picturesque landscape.
Day 8: Snorkelling in Silfra and a Night out in Rekjyavik
Snorkelling through the Silfra Tectonic Plates turned out to be one of the best activities so far! The water was clear and clean with amazing visibility; however, the temperature that day was about 2-3C… and we were told that this is on the warmer side?! But hey, we grew up swimming in the Great Lakes, so what’s a little chilly water?
Once our faces adjusted to this shockingly cold temperature, there was no stopping us! Not to mention, once we got out, we were hardly wet, thanks to some amazing layering of wet/dry suits underneath! That was a definitely a welcomed surprise.
We drove back to Reykjavik that afternoon to spend our last night exploring the largest city.
The roads were a bit winding, and we had a hard time navigating the street signs, but we eventually found our way there and what a day it was!
The shopping was amazing – we both purchased authentic Icelandic items: a rabbit fur scarf and a lamb’s wool blanket. A cozy reminder of our time in Iceland.
Read more: How to drive in Iceland
But we couldn’t leave Iceland without trying the country’s famous hot dogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur! And let us tell you, those were genuinely the best dang hotdogs we’ve ever tasted! Too bad the line was too long for seconds.
We capped the night off with a crepe from Eldur and Is before heading back to rest for our flight home.
Day 9: Home
A sad day for us, but we couldn’t have imagined a better vacation or a better destination than Iceland. And we couldn’t have done it without our beloved Campervan – it turned out to be the perfect little home for us!
Read more: Around Iceland in a Camper
Happy Camping! #CamperStories
Iceland Travel Guides
If you like what you see, please subscribe to our YouTube channel!
