Around Iceland in a Camper Van: Itinerary 2
- Lucy and the lens
- Sep 24, 2018
- 3 min read
Part 2 of our itinerary for a week road tripping around Iceland in a camper van! For Part 1, click here!
Day 4: Seydisfjordur, Diamond Beach and Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon
With the rain following us around the country, we decided to put nature on hold and check out the eastern fjord town of Seydisfjordur. It's a quiet little place with a pretty harbour and some warm spots to huddle over a mug of hot chocolate and play some board games!
We loved the Rainbow Path leading to the blue church: originally painted in support of Pride, it was left as it was, surely to cheer up cold travellers on rainy days!
Our next stop was the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, its clear blue waters a gathering ground for huge chunks of glacial ice. It was quite late when we finally arrived, so we actually camped right there on the banks of the lagoon!
In the morning, we took a wander on Diamond Beach, where smaller ice chunks washed in from the sea scatter the beach like jewels.
Day 5: Detifoss, Godafoss, Myvatn, Dimmuborgir
Today was a day of lava formations, mighty falls and thermal baths. We visited possibly the two biggest waterfalls of the trip: Dettifoss and Godafoss, located in the north of Iceland. We saw Godafoss during the day, but were still two of maybe ten other visitors, and visiting Dettifoss at 11pm meant we were the only ones there!
Another odd sight was the Dimmuborgir lava fields, a plain of bizarre rock formations and volcanic caves. Clambering around it was a fun way to spend a couple of hours: there are a variety of different trails ranging in length and difficulty.
The north's biggest draw for us was the Myvatn Thermal Baths, essentially a duplicate Blue Lagoon but for a fraction of the price and with a fraction of the tourists! We had the bright blue, steaming baths to ourselves for most of our visit!
Day 6: Hofsos, driving the north-to-west ring road
We spent a good part of the day exploring the beautiful coastal town of Hofsos, right up north in the Trollaskagi Peninsula and yet, somehow, boasting some of the sunniest weather we had on our trip! We were so glad to be dry, and even - dare I say it - warm, that we wanted to make the most of it before heading into the mountains during our drive west...where the temperature dropped below freezing as we drove!!
We were particularly struck by the fields of purple, swaying lupines stretching as far as we could see towards the mountains.
Then, of course, there were the basalt columns. I've never been to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, but Iceland's version in Hofsos was, I'm sure, a more solitary experience...we were once again the only ones there to enjoy them!
That night, we were still travelling late into the night, and were treated to the most spectacular midnight sunset that left us speechless.
Day 7: Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Kirkjufell, night-time Reykjavik
On our final day, we headed to the iconic Kirkjufell, followed by the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in western Iceland. The rain was chasing us once again, but it didn't diminish our excitement at seeing such a legendary slice of Icelandic nature! The peak of Kirkjufell, framed with the waterfall in the foreground, couldn't get any more perfect.
We also had another run-in with some Icelandic horses on this leg of the trip, which was totally fine with us!
We made it back to Reykjavik and said a half-sad, half-relieved goodbye to our camper van! We took a stroll around the city, encountering some Icelandic trolls that bore a strange resemblance to us after spending the week sleeping in a van in the rain!
We checked out the spectacular architecture of the Harpa Building, a concert hall and cultural centre that is worth a visit for its glass honeycomb design aside from anything else.
Not having booked a hotel that night before our early flight the next morning (too expensive!) we bunked down in a cinema for the evening, watching not one but two movies, before emerging at about 2am!
We then decided to take a hike to the Perlan building, perched on a hill with great views over the city. We arrived just in time to see the sun rise over Reykjavik, before heading back into the city to catch a bus to the airport, munching one last gas station hot dog on the way.
And that's how we spent a week exploring Iceland's ring road in a camper van! If you missed my post about the practical details of travelling Iceland by camper van, click here!
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