by vanessa
There are 13,000 kilometres between the asphalt of Córdoba, Argentina, and the lava fields of Iceland. This is the story of two Argentinians, one camper in Iceland, and the question we kept asking each other on the road: “Wait… did you see that?”
Why Iceland?
Whenever we told people we were travelling to Iceland, they would ask: “Why Iceland?” And, honestly, we never had a prepared answer. To us, it was obvious.
There was the midnight sun, a promise I had made to my mother when I was a child. We had dreamed of coming here together to see it, but she passed away last year. Standing beneath a sky that never quite became dark was also a way of completing a journey that had been left unfinished.
There was Björk, whose music had always felt like a landscape to me: strange, beautiful, volcanic and difficult to explain.
And there was the desire to travel differently.
Choosing a Camper in Iceland: Travelling Differently
We chose a camper because we did not want simply to travel across Iceland. We wanted to inhabit it.
Mate, Yerba and a Map of the World
Inside our small home on wheels, we carried an unexpected map of the world: a thermos bought in Spain, Argentine yerba mate, and a mug decorated with a map of Iceland, bought here.
Two Argentinians, rarely meeting other Argentinians on the journey, drinking mate inside a camper while travelling through Iceland. The image somehow summed up the whole trip: different geographies, cultures and memories gathered inside a small moving space.
The camper became our dining room, our bedroom, our shelter from the rain and, above all, our permission to change plans.
“Wait… Did You See That?”
Many times, one of us would suddenly say: “Wait… did you see that?” And the engine would go quiet.
It was not always a famous waterfall. Sometimes it was an emerald river, a fjord, a mountain covered in lupins, or a landscape that appeared in no itinerary. Many times, those unplanned stops became our favourite photographs.
Chasing Puffins and Football in the Rain
We also learned that fighting the weather in Iceland makes very little sense.
On the rainiest day of our trip, we went looking for puffins. We had decided that Icelanders don’t stop because of rain or cold (for us, Icelandic summer was simply the deepest version of winter), and we were determined to imitate them.
The puffins, apparently, had more common sense than we did. Not a single one appeared.
That same day, at Ytri-Tunga beach on Snæfellsnes, we were trying to find seals while Argentina was playing Egypt in the World Cup round of 16, and losing 2–0. Disappointed by both the football and the absence of puffins, we went back to the camper.
When we went back to the coast, Argentina had equalised.
Shouting after a goal at the edge of the world, soaked by the rain, laughing, surrounded by seals and puffins that had never appeared, became one of the real victories of the journey.
But if we had to say what we truly found in Iceland, we would say that we found two silences.
The First Silence: Vatnshellir Lava Cave
The first was beneath the Earth.
Inside Vatnshellir lava cave, on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, we descended into the planet’s interior. At the bottom, we turned off our lights.
The darkness was absolute.
And then the silence appeared.
It was not empty. It was dense and physical. The only sound was the rhythmic dripping of water onto the basalt. For a moment, the noise of our everyday lives, our worries and the distance between home and Iceland disappeared. There were only the two of us, listening to the Earth breathe.
The Second Silence: The Midnight Sun
The second silence was above us. It arrived with the midnight sun.
Our bodies told us it was time to sleep, but daylight continued outside. The clock moved forward, while the day seemed not to. Sometimes it was eleven at night. Sometimes one in the morning. And we were still awake, looking.
The silence of the cave was dark, deep and mineral. The silence of the midnight sun was luminous. But they had one thing in common: they made us stop.
What a Camper in Iceland Taught Us
Perhaps that is why the camper mattered so much. It allowed us to move between those two silences: to wake up beside a glacier, cook facing an impossible landscape, drive for hours and stop on a bend in the road because the world had suddenly become extraordinary.
Travelling through Iceland in a camper taught us that the best itinerary is not always the one you follow. Sometimes you need food, warm clothes, patience and a charged battery. And you need to leave room to change direction.
Our Advice for Renting a Camper in Iceland
Our advice to anyone renting a camper would be to add one more thing: before choosing where to spend the night, learn exactly what equipment your camper has. Knowing how long the battery lasts, how the heating works, what needs electricity and what can run independently can completely change your choice of campsite.
Because the best place to sleep is not always the most beautiful one. Sometimes it is simply the one that has exactly what your camper needs. And whatever you choose, check the forecast on the Icelandic Met Office website and road conditions on Umferdin.is before you set off each day.
So… Why Iceland?
And perhaps, now that we have travelled 13,000 kilometres, we finally have an answer to the question everyone asked us before we left: “Why Iceland?”
We could tell you. But perhaps we will keep the secret with the puffins who finally showed up, the sun that refused to go to sleep, and the lupins that crossed oceans long ago and decided to make Iceland their home.
Some things are better discovered than explained. Especially when, somewhere along the road, someone suddenly says:
“Wait… did you see that?”
The engine goes quiet.
And the journey begins again.
FAQ: Travelling by Camper in Iceland
Can you visit Vatnshellir cave on your own?
No. Vatnshellir lava cave on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula can only be visited on a guided tour, with helmets and lights provided. Book ahead in summer.
Where can you see seals on Snæfellsnes?
Ytri-Tunga, a small beach on the south side of the peninsula, is one of the best places in Iceland to see seals resting on the rocks, especially in summer.
What should you check before choosing a campsite with a camper in Iceland?
Know your camper’s equipment: how long the battery lasts, how the heating works and what needs mains power. If you need electricity, choose a campsite with hook-ups, and check opening dates outside summer.
Plan Your Own Trip by Camper in Iceland
The Fiat Doblo Maxi is a classic, economical camper for two, with a bed, a kitchen and a heater for those bright, chilly nights. Pick it up from Rent.is, just five minutes from Keflavík Airport, with free 24/7 shuttle service.
