{"id":4337,"date":"2020-10-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rent.is\/camperstories\/iceland-ring-road-adventure\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T07:02:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T07:02:51","slug":"iceland-ring-road-adventure","status":"publish","type":"camperstories","link":"https:\/\/www.rent.is\/de\/camperstories\/iceland-ring-road-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"Iceland Ring Road Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colin & Liza\u2019s 2016 Iceland Ring Road Adventure<\/span><\/h2>\n

Planning the Iceland trip<\/span><\/h3>\n

Day 1 \u2013 July 16th<\/span><\/h4>\n
Of course, technically, our adventure began long before we actually left for Iceland. You might say it began in 2004 when I (Colin) visited Iceland for 3 weeks on a business trip. During a long weekend on that trip, I and 9 of my colleagues packed into 2 rental cars and drove around the ring road<\/a> in about 30 hours with limited stops along the way. As you can imagine, this wasn\u2019t an ideal way to see the country. There just wasn\u2019t enough time to slow down and enjoy the experience. We stopped for food, bathroom breaks, gas<\/a>, and at a few waterfalls, but other than that we just kept driving. Since that trip, I always knew I wanted to return and experience Iceland the right way.<\/div>\n
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About a year ago, Liza and I began discussing going on a big vacation together. We\u2019d been dating for about 6 months at that point, and we both have a passion for travelling and seeing the world. But it wasn\u2019t until early this past spring that we settled on Iceland. The truth is, you can only resist for so long after following several Iceland-related Instagram accounts and seeing gorgeous landscapes being posted on a daily basis. We\u2019re only human!<\/div>\n
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In the months leading up to the trip we, of course, planned what we wanted to see and where we wanted to stop along the way. (Full disclosure: Liza is a much, much better planner than I am, and nearly all of the credit for this vacation and the pictures and videos we got as a result go to her<\/em>). This naturally led to a discussion about what kind of car we wanted to rent.<\/div>\n
We talked about renting a small car and staying in hotels\/guesthouses along the way. But both of us were intrigued by the idea of renting a camper van<\/a> and spending a least part of our trip camping. Right or wrong, something about camping<\/a> made the trip feel a bit more authentic to us. We ended up settling on a hybrid approach. We\u2019d get the camper van, and spend about every other night in it. Looking back, this was the perfect decision for us.<\/div>\n
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\"Renting<\/a>This brings us back to July 16th. Our flight left New York City at midnight and arrived in Keflavik at around 9:30am local Icelandic time. We both got around 3 hours of uncomfortable airplane sleep on the way. In spite of that, we arrived excited and ready to begin our vacation.<\/div>\n
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Looking tired but ready to hit the road!<\/div>\n
Our first day was pretty slow. But this was by design. We knew we\u2019d be tired from the trip and that we\u2019d probably need a day to adjust. We drove to Reykjavik and spent the whole day there sightseeing at our own pace. The first thing that put a smile on my face was how easy it was to find parking in the city! A part of me was a little concerned that we\u2019d get there, and I\u2019d be driving a camper van around in circles looking for a spot I could barely squeeze into. Well in that respect, Reykjavik is not New York City. Thank goodness!<\/div>\n
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\"Camper<\/a><\/div>\n
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After we got settled in, we headed back out and started walking around the city. We saw Hallgrimskirkja of course, and we enjoyed a good stroll down Laugavegur.<\/div>\n
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The Golden Circle!<\/span><\/h3>\n

Day 2<\/span><\/h4>\n
\"The<\/a>After getting a great night of sleep, we woke up early feeling refreshed and ready to hit the road. We made a couple quick stops before leaving Reykjavik. The first was at a bakery for coffee and breakfast (the bread was fresh out of the oven\u2026delicious!) and then we made a quick stop at Perlan, a gorgeous building and famous restaurant that\u2019s a little bit outside of the downtown area of the city. We had driven past it on our way into Reykjavik the day before and wanted to see it before we were on our way. Of course, not much was going on at 9 in the morning, but we were able to look around and get a great view from the balcony.<\/div>\n
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But before long, we were back in the van and ready for the next adventure. Our first stop was \u00deingvellir National Park. The hiking trails and \u00deingvellir Church were beautiful, and we got our first taste of Icelandic waterfalls at \u00d6xar\u00e1rfoss. Needless to say, there were many more to come during this vacation!<\/div>\n
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\"\u00d6xar\u00e1foss<\/a>\u00a0\"\u00deingvellir<\/a>\u00a0\"Gullfoss<\/a><\/div>\n
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From here we drove to Geysir and watched in awe as the geyser erupted every 5 \u2013 10 minutes. We must have watched it 3 or 4 times. Getting close was worth taking a little bit of spray! Our next stop was Gullfoss. It\u2019s hard to overstate the power and beauty of the scenery at this waterfall. We were able to witness green mountains, rocky landscape, crushing water, and a rainbow, all in one view.<\/div>\n
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\"The<\/a><\/div>\n
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Eventually we forced ourselves to move on and enjoyed a quick stop at Keri\u00f0, a volcanic crater that\u2019s several thousand years old. It\u2019s quite picturesque, especially from the top ridge.<\/div>\n
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At this point in the day\/evening, we were both starting to feel a bit tired, and we agreed it was probably time to head for our campsite in Stokkseyri<\/a> for the night. \u00a0After a stop in Selfoss for towels and a few groceries, we pulled into the campsite and claimed our spot.<\/div>\n
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\"Iceland<\/a>\u00a0\"Camping<\/a><\/div>\n
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We enjoyed dinner at a nice restaurant called Fj\u00f6rubor\u00f0i\u00f0 that was right on the water in Stokkseyri. After the meal I asked our waitress, \u201cWhat does the name of the restaurant mean?\u201d Notice I carefully phrased the question in a way that didn\u2019t require me to try to pronounce it myself! She responded, \u201cFj\u00f6rubor\u00f0i\u00f0?\u201d, and gave me a look, if only for a split second, that said \u201cIsn\u2019t it obvious?\u201d She went on to explain that the name means \u201cthe seashore\u201d as well as \u201ca table with four legs.\u201d She must have enjoyed the confused look on my face as I left!<\/div>\n
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Stokkseyri to V\u00edk<\/span><\/h3>\n

Day 3<\/span><\/h4>\n
Our first night at a campsite and in the camper van was a great success! The shower facilities in Stokkseyri were more than adequate and we successfully blocked out most of the light from Iceland\u2019s midnight sun. We stopped at the town\u2019s gas station for a cup of coffee on our way out of town (a morning requirement for Colin) and were on our way. We didn\u2019t know it yet, but this would end up being one of our busiest days on the whole trip.<\/div>\n
Shortly after turning back onto the Ring Road heading east we saw a sign for \u00deingborg Wool Shop off to the side of the road. We decided to stop in briefly. It was interesting to see the wool get spun into garments like mittens and sweaters. We were both impressed with the pride the people take in their work.<\/div>\n
A few miles down the road, we stopped again, this time at Urri\u00f0afoss. While this wasn\u2019t nearly the tallest waterfall we\u2019d see on this trip (or even today), the width of the river and sheer volume of water passing by were very striking up close.<\/div>\n
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\"Urri\u00f0afoss<\/a><\/div>\n
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After about 30 more minutes on Route 1, we turned off onto 261 and made a stop at Gluggafoss in the Flj\u00f3tshl\u00ed\u00f0 area. It ended up being well worth the detour. The area was almost completely free of other tourists and we got great views of another beautiful waterfall. Just down the road on our way back to Route 1, we stopped and saw a monument to \u00deorsteinn Erlingsson, an Icelandic poet who lived over a hundred years ago and was born right there in the local area.<\/div>\n
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\"Waterfalls<\/a>\u00a0\"Gluggafoss<\/a><\/div>\n
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Our next stop was at one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland. Visible from the Ring Road, there\u2019s a reason Seljalandsfoss is such a popular destination. Its beauty is undeniable and being able to walk around behind the waterfall was the icing on the cake. Of course, we were sure not to miss the slightly more hidden waterfall about a half kilometer away. This one ended up being a highlight of the entire trip. You can walk on the rocks into a cave and get a view of the waterfall from the inside!<\/div>\n
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\"Seljalandsfoss<\/a><\/div>\n
Seljalandsfoss\u2026the view from behind the water!<\/em><\/div>\n
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So far on our trip we\u2019d stuck pretty close to our itinerary. Of course there were small, unplanned stops, like at the \u00deingborg Wool Shop. Or, for example, when Colin desperately needed another cup of coffee or Liza needed her 8th bathroom stop of the morning. But in all seriousness, we had stuck to the script pretty well up to this point. But both of us noticed that Landeyjahafnarvegur was only a short drive away down towards the coast. We hadn\u2019t planned on a taking a ferry to the Westman Islands<\/a>, but it was still early afternoon at this point, so we thought it couldn\u2019t hurt to go down there and see if a short trip made sense and fit in our schedule. Well as luck would have it, the next ferry was leaving within 20 minutes of when we got there. We knew this would mean we\u2019d have a bit of a later night than we\u2019d planned, but we both agreed the adventure would be worth it. After the 30 minute ferry ride, we spent several hours on Heimaey, and were rewarded with great landscapes and even a puffin sighting!<\/div>\n
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\"Camping<\/a>\u00a0\"Puffins<\/a><\/div>\n
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When all was said and done, we were back in our van by 7pm and headed toward Sk\u00f3gafoss. This is undoubtedly one of the most photographed waterfalls in all of Iceland. And there\u2019s no question why. It\u2019s easily accessible, tall, powerful, and very visually impressive. On the path to the top of the waterfall, there are multiple side paths that allow to get a little closer to the side. The view is almost as amazing from the top as from the bottom!<\/div>\n
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\"On<\/a>\u00a0\"Sk\u00f3gafoss<\/a><\/div>\n
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Our last stop of the night was at a US Navy DC-3 aircraft that crashed on the coast in 1973. The US Navy and the Icelanders have left the plane in relatively untouched condition (which is almost unbelievable considering it\u2019s been resting there for over 40 years!). After parking in a small lot off the side of Route 1, it\u2019s a 4km walk (each way) to the DC-3. We got there pretty late (close to 11pm), and the fading light provided us with great photos.<\/div>\n
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\"The<\/a><\/div>\n
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At this point in the evening, we were pretty tired and had been on our feet the entire day. We finished up our drive to the campsite in Vik, pulled in before midnight, and were asleep quickly. Tomorrow would be another day of adventure!<\/div>\n
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Vik to H\u00f6fn<\/span><\/h3>\n

Day 4<\/span><\/h4>\n
How could we possibly top a day like yesterday? Well the truth is, it\u2019d be tough, and the weather wasn\u2019t exactly cooperating. It was pretty cold and rained most of the day as we made our way from Vik to H\u00f6fn. First on our list of things to see was Reynisfjara, the black sand beach<\/a> near Vik. We had originally intended to see this yesterday, but we ran out of time and energy. We made it this morning, however, it was so windy when we got there, that we only managed to stay outside for a few minutes. The view however, was impressive. But we\u2019re mostly glad we didn\u2019t get picked up and blown away!<\/div>\n
We warmed up in the van and made our way to Kirkjug\u00f3lf. This is a natural rock formation that looks as though it\u2019s a man-made church floor. Just down the road we saw Stj\u00f3rnarfoss, another impressive waterfall, but without nearly as many tourists as we\u2019ve become accustomed to seeing.<\/div>\n
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\"Kirkjug\u00f3lf<\/a>\u00a0\"Stj\u00f3rnarfoss<\/a><\/div>\n
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After jumping back in the car, we prepared ourselves for about another hour on the road. The 4G puck that came with the van made keeping ourselves entertained very easy. We were able to stream music from our phones and enjoy a good background soundtrack to the gorgeous scenery. Before we knew it we had made it Vatnaj\u00f6kull National Park. We enjoyed a great view of the glacier and made the hike up to see Svartifoss. Word to the wise: the hike is listed as \u201ceasy\u201d, but it was pretty steep uphill for almost 2km to get there. Fortunately, it was drizzling out, so it wasn\u2019t so obvious how much I was sweating when we got there!<\/div>\n
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\"Glaciers<\/a>\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/div>\n
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We enjoyed sandwiches in the van (being able to keep lunch meat cool the refrigerator was a godsend!) and once more hit the road, this time with J\u00f6kuls\u00e1rlon as our destination. When we arrive it was cold, raining, and overcast. We were a little disappointed to miss out on the view we\u2019d seen in so many pictures, but as you can see, we made the most of it!<\/div>\n
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\"The<\/a><\/div>\n
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This was our last stop of the day, and after turning up the heat in the van and doing our best to dry off, we set out for our last leg of the day. We were in H\u00f6fn by early evening.<\/div>\n
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