{"id":10815,"date":"2020-10-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rent.is\/camperstories\/camper-holiday-iceland\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T11:46:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:46:28","slug":"camper-holiday-iceland","status":"publish","type":"camperstories","link":"https:\/\/www.rent.is\/fr\/camperstories\/camper-holiday-iceland\/","title":{"rendered":"Nate & Justine’s Camper Holiday in Iceland"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0This is the story of two Canadians and our 8 day road trip through Iceland when the sun never set. \u00a0I\u2019m still day dreaming of Icelandic sheep ?. \u00a0 We decided to do our trip in a counter-clockwise direction, knowing that there were lots of popular sites in the South that we didn\u2019t want to miss out on. \u00a0We were super lucky and had nice weather our entire trip. \u00a0Of course, it was windy (thankfully we packed Gortex jackets), but it was mostly sunny and there was very little rain.<\/div>\n

DAY 1 – Reykjav\u00edk & Blue Lagoon<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Camper<\/a><\/p>\n

Camper and found our way immediately to the Blue Lagoon. \u00a0What better way to start a vacation?! \u00a0Once we were all relaxed from the warm silica and algae hot spring amid lava fields, we headed to Reykjav\u00edk, for a tour through the city. \u00a0We walked along the Old Harbour, Laugavegur Road & Bankastr\u00e6ti Main Street. \u00a0We went to the top of Hallgr\u00edmskirkja church and were rewarded with a panoramic view of the city. \u00a0We stocked up on food at the Bonus supermarket and Fr\u00fa Lauga farmers\u2019 market. \u00a0It was fun to take in the culture \u2013 the food, the fashion and the architecture. \u00a0We drove out of the city and saw our first glimpse of the purple Lupine flowers, not realizing that there would be millions of opportunities to take photos of them later on. \u00a0Still jet-lagged, we set up our first night of camp just outside of \u00deingvellir National Park, so we would be ready to tour the Golden Circle<\/a> in the morning.<\/p>\n

DAY 2 – The Golden Circle<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Breakfast<\/a><\/p>\n

We woke up rested after snuggling in our sleeping bags and had our first breakfast on the road. \u00a0We walked through the park and got to see where the first Viking parliament took place \u2013 the Al\u00feingi, or \u201call-thing\u201d. \u00a0 We watched brave souls snorkel in the Silfra fissure \u2013 swimming between tectonic plates! \u00a0We then stopped at Laugarvatn lake and dipped our toe in near some hot springs. \u00a0Geysir was a cool experience \u2013 we got too close waiting for the water to spew and got sprayed by it! \u00a0Gullfoss was our next stop with beautiful Golden Falls. \u00a0We then walked around the circumference of Keri\u00f0, a volcanic crater lake. \u00a0Near Hvollsv\u00f6llur, we stopped in at Eldst\u00f3 Art Caf\u00e9 to look at ceramics. \u00a0My favorite waterfall was Seljalandsfoss \u2013 it was whimsical site and you get to walk behind it. \u00a0This was a great site for us to have our dinner. \u00a0We walked further to the right and found Glj\u00fafrafoss, a waterfall hidden within a canyon. \u00a0That night, we stayed in Seljavellir and had a great view of the mountains before bed.<\/div>\n

DAY 3 – Driving in South Iceland<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"On<\/a><\/p>\n

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Our day started by walking between mountains to an exceptional bath in the secluded pool<\/a>, Seljalandslaug, which is filled by a natural hot spring. \u00a0Then, on to Sk\u00f3gafoss waterfall and we hiked along Fimmv\u00f6r\u00f0uh\u00e1ls trail, past a smaller waterfall behind the first. \u00a0We sat in the meadow overlooking that waterfall and it was such a peaceful and tranquil moment, sitting amongst the sheep in their pasture. \u00a0Later, we went to S\u00f3lheimaj\u00f6kull and snapped some photos of the tip of the glacier. \u00a0If we had had more time, we would have liked to walk to the plane wreckage at S\u00f3lheimasandur. \u00a0We stopped the camper van to allow some sheep to cross on our way to Dyrh\u00f3laey. \u00a0It is a neat place to get views of the black sand beaches<\/a>. \u00a0We continued on to Skaftafell (Vatnaj\u00f6kull) National Park and hiked up to see the unique basalt columns of Svartifoss (Black falls). \u00a0Every photographer\u2019s dream is J\u00f6kuls\u00e1rl\u00f3n lagoon with icebergs melting and heading out to sea. \u00a0We pulled over to watch these strangely shaped blue ice sculptures. \u00a0That evening, we stayed in the harbor town of H\u00f6fn and treated ourselves to langoustine pizza and pasta at Kaffi Horni\u00f0. \u00a0By that point, it seemed completely normal for us to eat our dinner at 10pm and then find a scenic place to park and call it a night.<\/div>\n

DAY 4 – On the road in East Iceland<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"East<\/a><\/p>\n

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We restocked on gas at Ol\u00eds \u2013 a wonderful gas station that gives you free coffee (!) and then went for a leisurely soak and few times down the waterslide at the H\u00f6fn public pool, which is by far one of the most fastidious aquatic facilities I have ever been to. \u00a0We then drove along the L\u00e6kjav\u00edk coast to Dj\u00fapivogur. \u00a0This was a quirky little fishing village where we spoke with locals that were selling natural items, such as rocks that they collected and polished, as well as whale bones that washed up on shore. \u00a0On the road, we got to see some seals sunning themselves on some rocks. \u00a0We then drove to Lagarflj\u00f3t lake, but didn\u2019t see the Lagarflj\u00f3tsormur, which is their Loch Ness monster equivalent there ;). \u00a0There, we hiked a steep incline that was well worth the effort. \u00a0We got to view Litanesfoss, followed by Hengifoss, which had layers of red clay between dark basalt layers. \u00a0Driving in the Eastern fjords was an experience in itself. \u00a0In Egilssta\u00f0ir, we picked up some chocolate licorice candy. \u00a0From there, we drove up into the clouds on a curvy mountain road, past a ski resort sign, that led us to Sey\u00f0isfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur. \u00a0This picturesque town is an artsy fjord basin, with lots of do, although we arrived after a long day, so we ate dinner there, then drove back over to mountain to find a spot to sleep on the outskirts of Egilssta\u00f0ir beside a bridge, by which point the sun had dipped down a little and given everything a photogenic pink hue.<\/div>\n
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Read more<\/strong>: Camping in Iceland<\/a><\/div>\n

DAY 5 – Northeast Iceland adventure<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

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We started our day with multiple short impromptu stops, one of which was to look at the restored centuries\u2019 old turf houses of Hjar\u00f0arhagi. \u00a0Then, we made our way North over the mountain plateau. \u00a0We made a much-needed pit stop at a guesthouse near Gr\u00edmssta\u00f0ir for coffee and homemade rhubarb cake. \u00a0We continued on to Dettifoss and walked along the edge of the waterfall while it had a rainbow. \u00a0We then drove to the Krafla geothermal power station and walked through active volcanic lava fields, just like one might expect in Mordor (for Lord of the Rings fans). \u00a0We viewed the eerie blue water of V\u00edti Volcanic Crater. \u00a0We ate lunch beside a random outdoor plumbed shower with constantly running warm water. \u00a0In the N\u00e1mafjall geothermal area, we were blown with warm sulfurous gusts from the steaming vents and mud pots of Hverir. \u00a0We popped our heads into the Grj\u00f3tagj\u00e1 cave (where Game of Thrones filmed<\/a>). \u00a0Then we restocked in Reykjahl\u00ed\u00f0, the town on M\u00fdvatn lake, and made sure to include Skyr yoghurt and dried fish jerky in our supplies. \u00a0M\u00fdvatn was very pretty with lots of birdlife. \u00a0The highlight was hiking through the Dimmuborgir \u201cDark Castles\u201d area – these unique lava fields look like faces and man made structures. \u00a0We were alone on the path and when we reached the \u201cKirkjan\u201d lava tube structure and felt a warm breeze, I had a strange sensation of being brought back in time, as centuries before me have gazed on that same bizarre natural monument. \u00a0We finished off the day with an evening soak in the M\u00fdvatn Nature Baths<\/a>. \u00a0We drove north away from town to find a place to eat and sleep and we were rewarded with a rainbow coming out of a mountain as our backdrop. \u00a0You can never have too many rainbows.<\/div>\n

DAY 6 – Whale watching<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Camper<\/a><\/p>\n

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We had a whale-themed morning. \u00a0We pulled into the harbour of H\u00fasav\u00edk and walked through the Whale museum. \u00a0We boarded a RIB-boat whale-watching tour<\/a> and were lucky enough to see cute little puffins, dolphins, humpback whales breaching, an unusual fin whale blue whale hybrid, as well as a quick peek at the elusive blue whale \u2013 the largest mammal in the world. \u00a0Let\u2019s ignore my sea-sickness. \u00a0We then travelled to Go\u00f0afoss (Gods falls). \u00a0You can never have too many waterfalls. \u00a0We stopped in Akureyri for Icelandic hot dogs and kept driving west. \u00a0We had dinner just short of Hvammstangi, the site of a Seal Center. \u00a0We sped along to Borgarnes and camped near a horse farm just outside of town.<\/div>\n

DAY 7 – Driving around Sn\u00e6fellsnes<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Camping<\/a><\/p>\n

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We started our last full day with a plan to drive around the Sn\u00e6fellsnes peninsula. \u00a0We stopped in Stykkish\u00f3lmur and walked up to the lighthouse for a great lookout point. \u00a0Just past Grundarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur, we gazed upon Kirkjufell (Church Mountain) right before fog went over its top from our vantage point of Kirkjufellsfoss. \u00a0We drove through the Sn\u00e6fellsj\u00f6kull National Park. \u00a0There, we walked up the 382 steps to the Saxh\u00f6ll crater (yes, we counted). \u00a0We walked along beach pebbles. \u00a0We walked through a small cave in the Hellnar Arch rock formation \u2013 the home of many seagulls, and continued along the boardwalk to Arnarstapi. \u00a0We relaxed at L\u00fdsuh\u00f3lslaug geothermal pool among the locals. \u00a0We arrived back in Borgarnes just in time to take in the Settlement Centre exhibits. \u00a0We learned about the history of Iceland\u2019s Viking settlers and we learned that all of the areas we just visited have a lot of farm names that originated from these first people. \u00a0By the lake in the dazzling sun, we dined on Icelandic lamb that we grilled on the stove and shared a little of it with a local cat. \u00a0We packed up and continued around the fjord Hvalfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur for some fantastic scenery. \u00a0It was midnight when we arrived at the Glymur waterfall. \u00a0Today was June 21, the Summer Solstice \u2013 what a way to end our trip. \u00a0We slept in a camping area beside a small waterfall and some settlement-era ruins.<\/div>\n

DAY 8 – Goodbye Iceland<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Camping<\/a><\/p>\n

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We packed up for the last time and drove back to Reykjav\u00edk. \u00a0We treated ourselves to a meal that included sandwiches with freshly baked bread from Sandholt bakery. \u00a0Then back on the plane to our home, but not before we saw everyone go crazy in the airport when Iceland scored against Austria in the 2016 Euro cup. \u00a0We had such a positive experience from beginning to end. \u00a0The Icelanders were very chatty and friendly and willing to share their beautiful country with us. \u00a0 Next time, we would love to come at a different time of year, to see what the winter<\/a> offers \u2013 such as a glacier hike, ice caves and the aurora borealis \u2013 who knows?<\/div>\n
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Nate & Justine<\/em><\/div>\n
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Read more<\/strong>: Katelyn & Gary Jones Iceland adventure<\/a><\/div>\n
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Happy Camping! \u00a0#CamperStories<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Iceland Travel Guides<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Iceland<\/a>\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/p>\n