By Sandra Schuster
Camperstory Winner September 2024
My best friend Resi and I were ready for a new adventure. We are living a busy life in Vienna, with busy jobs, busy socializing schedules, and sometimes also a busy dating life. It was time for a cool & slow down. Quite quickly we agreed that Iceland is the place to be. Friends told us, it was a magical land, so we flew to Iceland on 15th August 2024.
Honestly, we weren’t well prepared – we only did the minimum of preparation, but we were maximally motivated.
Most important to us was a car we could rely on and a tent above our heads (literally, as we went for a rooftop tent). With Rent.is we found the perfect organization to take care of our needs. So off we went!
We started with the Golden Circle and really went in circles – we came by Selfoss 4 times, as we had some trouble finding our way. When we finally left Selfoss behind we drove to the Highlands (Landmannalaugar). That was STUNNING! We live in Austria and are used to beautiful hikes in the Alps, but the Icelandic mountains stand out on their own! The variations in color, differences in soil and stone & the changes in plants and flowers were unbelievably glorious! We hiked by some volcanic stone fields, geothermal areas, and picturesque streams. Around every corner we were like “Wow, that is pretty” – we said that again and again.
We did multiple hikes and they varied from:
- “Uh, what a lovely hike on the moon!”
In the natural Reserve around Ofaerufoss - “Today we are conquering Mars!”
In the mountains of Landmannalaugar - “I am a Hobbit!”
Reykjadalur Valley - “Labyrinth of Waterfalls!”
Waterfall Circle – Laugarfellsvegur
It was amazing to breathe in the cool Icelandic air while moving through nature. But it was not always easy as pie – after 10 kilometers of hiking we had a protein bar every 500 meters 😀 The next day our muscles were sore and we were more than happy for one of Iceland´s natural hot springs.
We went to the following hot springs:
- Landmannalaugar
there is a free hot spring on the camping basis
amazing atmosphere, crystal clear water – nature at its best!
5* out of 5 - Free Hot Spring close to the Highland Base at Kerlingarfjöll
If you walk from the resort hotel to the left, there is a beautiful trail with blue water dripping over orange stones. If you get to the end of it, you will be surprised by a lovely hot spring. We didn´t bring our bikinis, so we jumped in naked! Worth it!
4* out of 5 - Thermal River of Reykjadalur
Absolutely worth the one-hour hike! We were blessed with sunny weather and spent 3 hours chilling and bathing in the sun.
We would go again any time!
5* out of 5 - Nature Baths of Myvatn
Close to the end of our trip we were feeling quite low in energy and spent some money to recharge in the Natural Baths of Myvatn. We went into the water three times and Resi nearly finished reading a whole book on this relaxing day!
Very lovely but we were missing some loungers/sunbeds.
4* out of 5 - Hot Spring of Fosslaug
We took a short walk to the hot spring while passing a stunning waterfall. The hot spring itself has slightly muddy water but we used that to push ourselves to dive into the ice-cold river nearby! A once in a lifetime experience – we were clean afterward but also frozen to the bone 😀
3* out of 5
After long and exciting days, we were very pleased to lie down in our rooftop tent. Basically, the only thing we knew before we came to Iceland was, that it can get cold. But we were still shocked when we actually faced the bitter cold. The first few nights we had to find out how to keep warm. We tried every sleeping bag “myth” we found on the internet – it definitely doesn´t work if you sleep in your bag naked. 😀 On the third night we finally found out how to stay warm and cozy. We stuffed the ends of our sleeping bags with clothes, put on four layers of jumpers, trousers, and jackets, and slept like a baby.
The rooftop tent of your Jeep Renegade was very easy to handle – it took us 30 seconds to put up and 40 seconds to put down.
We spent a lot of time in our car as we did a whole circle around Iceland. We both enjoy driving the car (especially a Jeep 😉) and it never got boring. The landscape changed from barbaric volcano cracks to flowy grass hills, romantic coastlines, and vast grey sand deserts (perfect for apocalyptic movies!). During our rides, we marveled at landscapes, listened to great podcasts (Kaulitz Hills – Senf aus Hollywood, Carpe Diem, Girls Gotta Eat, KICPOD), and sang a great variation of songs. When it came to local radio stations, we mostly listened to K100 and found out that Icelandic people must be fans of Dua Lipa because every hour you hear a song from her 😊.
Apart from the beautiful hikes and the “standard” Iceland sights (Diamond Beach, Black Beach, Godafoss, Thingvellir, Studlagil Canyon, Svartifoss, etc. …), these were our three highlights:
- GLACIER WALKING TOUR
At Vatnajokull, we were doing a glacier walking tour which was very informative, interesting and beautiful. We drank ice-cold glacier water straight from a stream and were surprised that – due to the missing minerals – the water does not hydrate you. So, if we ever do a hiking tour on a glacier, we now know to bring mineral/vitamin tablets. - WHALE WATCHING TOUR in Husavik
On a rainy day, we set off on a boat to find some whales. We were lucky enough to catch the blow of a humpback whale and followed it along. A lovely experience to watch whales in their natural habitat while sailing in the wild nature.
Resi was less lucky. While I saw the fin and the tale of a whale, she only saw the railing. Resi got seasick and spent most of the trip trying to keep her breakfast down… that didn´t really work though 😀 - LOBSTER SOUP at Seabaron/Seagrefinn in Reykjavik
We had to add this to our list because it was absolutely delicious! We tried to save money by buying groceries at BONUS (the best shop ever!) and cooking for ourselves like real campers do 😉
But this lobster soup was worth the treat! Lovely small restaurant with a cool history and cute atmosphere!
We had the best time in Iceland! The beauty of its nature is beyond compare! After nearly 16 days of traveling through the land of ice and fire, we feel recharged, down to earth, and ready to get back to our busy lives! 😊
OUR TIPS for FUTURE ICELAND TRAVELLERS:
- Bring a speaker – the radio does not always have reception
download podcasts, music, and audiobooks in case there is no internet - Don’t buy salt – you can get it at nearly every camping site for free 😉
- Use the sunny days to get out, move your body, and experience nature because there WILL be rainy days, that is for sure!
- Have a good breakfast before a whale-watching tour 😉
- Bring 4 – 34 protein bars with you on a hike! Trust us, you will need it!
- Bring a thermos flask and a hot water bottle
you will be happy to heat up after a cold hike
Check out our travel vlog
Have a good one & and see you on the sunny side
Resi and Sandra
#VANcation #camperstories
