Driving Iceland’s Ring Road: Eight days in a Campervan

A summer in the Nordic region would not have been complete without a visit to Iceland, notorious for its diverse landscape of black sand beaches, geothermal areas, lava fields and glaciers. The volcanically and geologically active country is a science nerd’s paradise. And this science nerd was going all in!

My friend and former colleague, Laura, joined me for this part of my trip. It took about two email exchanges of trip planning to decide that there is no better way to experience the country than to drive the ring road in a camper van for eight days – a bold move for two friends who had never even been on trip together before. But I’m all about bold moves lately. 

We booked our van through Campeasy, one of the many camper van companies in Iceland, and hit the road the morning after arriving in Reykjavík. The camper van had a cozy dining nook that converted to a king-sized bed and a fully equipped kitchenette, consisting of a single gas burner, dishes, a cooler that didn’t work, two cooking vessels and, of course, we threw in a wine key.  Our planning was mostly on the fly, eliciting advice from locals on best routes and sites to see. We used travel blogs, which provide a much more intimate experience, to choose our sites and food destinations. 

In Iceland you quickly learn that the weather dictates much of your decisions. The weather pattern throughout the country favored a clockwise drive, an atypical route as most visitors skip the northern and eastern parts of the country. This worked perfectly for us as our goal was to avoid as much tourist traffic as possible. We opted to follow the sunshine to see as much of the island as possible. Here are the highlights from our marvelous eight-day road trip.

DAY 1: SNAEFELLSNES PENINSULA

Our first stop was the Snaefellsness Peninsula, on the western coast. Before heading up the peninsula, we picked up groceries – mostly fresh vegetables, eggs and legumes. Given that cooking is one of the few activities for which I actually plan, I already had a mental file of several recipes I wanted to try in our camper van kitchen. I also happen to travel with a stash of Indian spice because…well, you know. I’m proud to say we were the best fed campers on the road.

As lunchtime rolled around, we spotted a cool food truck called the Secret Spot on Route 54 just before the town Eyja-og Miklaholtshreppur at the N1 gas station stop. The fish soup was heavenly as was the view. There’s just nothing like enjoying hot soup on a chilly day at a picnic table in the middle of nowhere.

Saxholl Crater was the star of this region. An easy climb up a set of stairs to the top of this cool volcanic crater yielded a unique view of the large lava field produced after erupting three thousand of years ago.

DAY 2: VATNSNES

On day 2, we drove north to the Vatnsnes peninsula, home of fresh skyr and seals. We read about Erpsstadir Dairy Farm serving fresh Icelandic skyr (their version of Greek yogurt but better) and ice cream on the way to Vatnsnes. The skyr had a silky smooth consistency and natural sweetness, more like a soft cheese than yogurt. It was reminiscent of labneh but thicker. Topped with a tiny spoonful of homemade jam, it was the perfect mid-afternoon snack!

Next up was seal watching at the nearby seal colonies. We dropped into the Icelandic Seal Center/Tourist Center, a great resource center for guidance on routes. Here we learned that the weather and time of day decide whether the seals come out to play. Fortunately, the cards were in our favor that day.

DAY 3: NORTHERN ICELAND

After a quick stop at Godafoss waterfall, about 3 hours away in the tiny town of Akuyeri, the next item on

the agenda was Icelandic horseback riding! This was the highlight of the day. Icelandic horses are gentler and stronger than American horses. It was the perfect first riding experience. I booked a one-hour ride with Polar Hester, a small family run farm. Although, you can do this pretty much anywhere in the country, the scenic views on this particular trail are hard to beat. 

Afterwards, we had lunch at the famous Vogafjos Cowshed Cafe, a restaurant attached to a cow shed…naturally. We arrive for a late lunch just in time to watch the cows get lined up for milking. Here we sampled another Icelandic specialty – geysir bread. The bread is buried in wooden casks then baked underground near a hot spring. The result is a cross between gingerbread and rye, served up warm with house-made butter. Simply divine.

DAY 4: MYVATN

The Myvatn region is a geothermal area characterized by a relatively high heat flow. The two notable sites here were Mount Namafjall, also called Hverir, and Krafla. Mount Namafjall is a region with boiling mud pools and steaming fumaroles with sulfuric gas. Between the red clay hills and cement grey mud pools, it felt at times as though we were walking on the moon.

Krafla is home to the Viti crater, an expansive lake-filled volcanic crater. The steep walk up the path was worth the amazing views. On a sunny day, reflection of the sunlight yields varying shades of a gorgeous indigo blue.

DAY 5: SOUTHEAST

A leak in the roof of our camper van dictated the next leg of our drive. We had to head to the town of Hofn to get to the mechanic for a roof inspection. There wasn’t much to see along the way. The redeeming part of this detour was stumbling upon a fish market near the mechanic and buying fresh caught Icelandic salmon to make for dinner. Our meal of pan seared salmon over ratatouille paired with a bottle of wine attracted much attention in the communal kitchen of the campsite that night!

DAY 6: JOKULSARLON AND THE SOUTH

Jukulsarlon was my favorite day of our journey. We started on an incredible hour-long glacier lagoon boat tour with Ice Lagoon Adventures.

We then visited the magnificent Diamond Beach across from the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. This black sand beach was studded with dazzling icebergs of all shapes and sizes that had washed up to shore.  Straight out of a fairytale, Diamond Beach is one of the most alluring places I’ve ever visited.

DAY 7: VIK AND THE SOUTHWEST

The town of Vik is home to another famous black sand beach. A walk along the beach provided a self-guided tour of towering volcanic basalt columns with puffins colonies interspersed throughout. The sand is remarkable and the water deceiving. Danger signs are positioned throughout the beach warning of sneaker waves that cause yearly fatalities. Nevertheless, we witnessed plenty of fools walking along the water and snapping pictures at their own risk.

After a short stop at the ridiculously touristy Skogafoss waterfall, we decided to check out the Lava Center museum in town for a volcanoes and earthquakes exhibit. It was well worth the trip down memory lane to elementary school geology class.

DAY 8: GOLDEN CIRCLE

Our last day was the one we both dreaded and anticipated. It was the day we visited the world-famous Golden Circle, along with every other tourist in the country. That said, Laura had the brilliant idea of heading out early in the morning under the working assumption that it would take a few hours for the tour buses to reach the area from Reykjavík.  Of the 3 sites we visited, the most memorable was Thingvellir National Park. One of the coolest experiences was walking through the mid-atlantic ridge where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates have separated due to volcanic eruptions over 24 million years ago. The walk through the ridge was surreal, and the scenery even more so. 

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend a visit to Iceland in any other way. We saw more of the country’s diverse landscape on our eight-day drive than most visitors who spend weeks in Iceland. Driving the ring road in a camper van and traveling like the locals was the ultimate way to experience Icelandic life!

For more pictures from the trip, check out my Iceland album. Thanks for following along!