In September 2015 we went on a 2-week road trip across Iceland. We wanted to see as much of the natural wonders as we could in this short period of time. I (Sanne) can become obsessed if I have a new travel project. In the weeks before the trip I spent almost all of my time researching all the places we could go in these two weeks. I even wrote down all the distances in between the places I would like to go. Of course Herbert was afraid the trip would be too much planned. I assured him that I would not freak out if we had to skip places. Despite the bad weather we succeeded in seeing a lot of Iceland, however there are still many spots left unseen. In this blogpost we share our two-week Iceland itinerary with you!
The main road in Iceland is Route 1. This road is 1332 km long and leads all the way around the island. Iceland has more sheep than citizens, so be aware of sheep walking on the road! The weather changes rapidly in Iceland and it can cause roads to temporarily close. You can check out the road conditions and more information about driving in Iceland at road.is.
Day 1 – Blue Lagoon
At 13:50 we arrived in Iceland at Keflavik International Airport. Here we picked up our small but awesome 4×4 Suzuki Jimney. We decided to rent a 4×4 car because we wanted to drive into the highlands over unpaved roads. The first activity of our two-week Iceland Itinerary was a visit to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is about a 20 minutes drive from the airport. It was perfect to relax after a flight in this warm blue water. We booked a ticket in advance in order too avoid not being able to get in (it can be pretty crowded here). After this relaxing afternoon we drove to Guesthouse Hestheimar.
Blue Lagoon
Lava fields near the Blue Lagoon
Lava fields near the Blue Lagoon
Day 2 – Reykjanes Peninsula
During the second day we’ve explored the Reykjanes Peninsula. This is also the area where the Keflavik International Airport is located. Even though all tourists travel through this area on their way to Reykjavik, it’s actually not that crowded and definitely worth including in your Iceland itinerary. We’ve seen mud pots at Seltún, big lava fields along the road and some beautiful cliffs at Reykjanesviti! Read more about Reykjanes Peninsula in our previous post.
Sanne & The Lighthouse
Seltún
Gunnuhver
Coastline at Reykjanesviti
Coastline at Reykjanesviti
Coastline at Reykjanesviti
Day 3 – The Golden circle
On the third day we decided to drive around the famous Golden Circle. The Golden Circle consists of 3 natural gems that you can visit in 1 day. The 3 standard gems are: Gullfoss, Geysir and Thingvellir National Park. We knew it probably would be crowded and unfortunately we were right. Imagine standing with 80 people around a geyser waiting for it to burst so everyone can take a photo. This day was the most crowded day of our trip. The sights are beautiful though, and it is great to hop back into the car and continue along the Golden circle. Next to the typical sights we added two more: Bruarfoss and the Kerid Crater.
Gullfoss
Bruarfoss
Thingvellir National Park
Sanne at Bruarfoss
Day 4 – Landmannalaugar
We chose our guesthouse in Hestheimar because we wanted relatively good weather for our trip to the Highlands. We were flexible in choosing our activities on day 2-4. Day 2 and 3 were terrible in terms of weather conditions. We were relieved to see that on day 4 we had the opportunity to drive to and hike in Landmannalaugar. The only way to arrive in Landmannalaugar is by 4×4 over unpaved roads. Landmannalaugar is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The journey to arrive in Landmannalaugar is as exciting as the hike through the mountains. Shaken up after a bumpy road and a moonlike landscape you will arrive at Landmannalaugar and see amazing multicolored mountains and hot springs. Read more about Landmannalaugar.
Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar
Day 5 – From Seljalandfoss to Vik
Day 5 was a beautiful day full of waterfalls and black sand beaches. This area is one of the most beautiful areas in Iceland. It is quite crowded but definitely worth visiting. All the gems are close to each other and right along the ring road. We drove all the way to Vík where we stayed for 1 night at Hotel Edda Vik. Read more about this day trip along the South coast of Iceland.
Skogafoss
Dyrhólaey
Reynisfjara
Dyrhólae
Day 6 – From Vik to Hofn
This was the day we visited those great blue ice chunks at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. We drove from Vík via Fjadrargljufur (a massive canyon) to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. The amazing Jökulsárlón was one of the highlights of our trip! At the end of the day we checked-in at Seljavellir Guesthouse near Höfn. It was a bit off route, but there was no other accommodation available closer by. Read more about Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
The perfect place for a photoshoot
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Day 7 – Glacier Hike in Skaftafell
Our very first glacier hike was in Iceland. We booked a guided hike in Skaftafell. It is amazing to walk over the glacier and experience it from up close. We walked among big ice walls and deep crevasses. It was great! Read more about our glacier hike in Skaftafell. On our way back to Höfn we couldn’t resist but make another stop at the beautiful Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.
Skaftafell
Icefall at Virkisjökull
Day 8 – Driving from South-Iceland to North-Iceland
Day 8 was a day of driving over some epic and remote roads in the East of Iceland. The sights you will encounter on the road are as amazing as some of the typical hotspots in Iceland. At some parts the ring road was unpaved making it more adventurous. We decided to make a stop at a little town full of creatives in Seyðisfjörður. We drove for about 5-6 hours until we arrived at the Guesthouse Storu Laugar where the second part of our two-week Iceland itinerary starts.
Sanne & The Lighthouse II
Roadtrip East Iceland
Roadtrip East Iceland
Roadtrip East Iceland
Day 9 – Lake Myvatn
On our first day in the North we explored the area around Lake Mývatn. We’ve visited the ocher colored geothermal area Hverir, a lunar like landscape with lots of bubbling mud and steam. You should prepare yourself, somehow this geothermal area smelled more of rotten eggs than the other areas in Iceland. We’ve further visited the cave where John Snow made love with Ygritte in Game of Thrones and the Blue Lagoon of the North: Mývatn Nature Baths.
Hverir
Hverir
Geothermal Area near Mývatn
Mývatn Nature Baths
Grjótagjá
Day 10 – Jökulsárgljúfur National Park
On our second day in the north we visited Jökulsárgljúfur National Park. The park can be divided into three parts: Ásbyrgi, Vesturdalar and Dettifoss. When we visited Versturdalar we were completely alone in this big national park! We drove from the northern entry to Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe, via route 862. The road is unpaved with lots of holes and it’s one the most adventurous road we drove in all of Iceland. They were working on a new road though, so it might be better now.
Dettifoss
Herbert vs. Raudholar
Vesturdalur
Day 11 – Viti and Leirhnjukur
Leirhnjúkur is a fun and beautiful geothermal area. The earth crust is extremely thin and terribly hot. You’ll find beautiful colors and it’s a must see when you are in North Iceland. Unfortunately we couldn’t make any good photos because of the dense fog. Next to Leirhnjúkur you can find the Víti Crater. It is a brown crater with a green/blue pool inside. There is a path around the crater passing two smaller craters and another geothermal area. We loved it!
Vití crater
Day 12 – From North-Iceland to West-Iceland
It was time to continue and follow our itinerary to the West of Iceland. We decided to make many stops on the road towards Fossatún. We stopped at the beautiful waterfalls Goðafoss and Kolugljúfur. We decided to take a side trip to Vatnsnes Peninsula, a beautiful place where you’ve got a good chance at spotting seals! Here you can also find the 15m high rock Hvítserkur. It looks like a huge beast drinking water. We continued our trip to the great Fossatún Country Hotel where you can learn everything about trolls!
Goðafoss
Hvítserkur
Vatnsnes
Kolugljúfur
Day 13 – Snaefellsness
Wow, Snaefellsnes is great! We would have loved to spend more time in this area of Iceland. We went hiking near Arnarstapi and found some beautiful spots and churches. At the time we arrived at the famous Kirkjufell the strong wind turned into a storm making it impossible to keep te camera steady, so no photos of that beautiful place but it is a place you should include in your own itinerary!
Hellnar Church
Arnarstapi
Snaefellsnes
Herbert vs. Nature
Búðir
Day 14 – On our way back to the Netherlands
On our last day in Iceland we drove via Reykjavík, a city with great and cosy coffee places and the famous Hallgrimskirkja, back to Keflavik International Airport. Despite the weather we had an amazing trip! We are definitely coming back to explore Iceland in winter and we still want to visit the (by us) unexplored Westfjords! Feel free to ask any questions about our two-week Iceland itinerary in the comments below and have fun creating your own itinerary!
40 Comments
This is great, and of course beautiful photos. I just started my blog and it’s first post is on my trip to Iceland as well. I visited all the same spots, minus a couple you both visited and feel the same – that I can’t wait to get back to explore more. Especially the Western Fjords! My friends who live there told me about their favorite spots there. There’s just so much to see in Iceland! Thanks for sharing! : )
Hi Alisa, Thank you for your comment! I will check your first post about Iceland on your website. It is definitely a beautiful country. I suppose, we both should go back and explore the Western Fjords! 🙂
That would be awesome! I have some friends there too, to help guide us. Btw, I’ve been following Herbert for years, so meeting you both would be incredible at that. 🙂
Yet another vivid blogpost! I was almost going to Iceland for school last month but couldn’t due to some issues. So it was amazing to travel through and see Iceland in you guys’ point of you. Thank you!
Hi Emre! Thank you for your kind comment! Sorry to hear you couldn’t go last month, I hope another opportunity will rise soon! You can make amazing drawings there!
Hi Sanne,
Thank you for this very useful blog post! I am going to Iceland in a few weeks and I really want to see more of the west and north. The last time I went five years ago, we did days 1-7 of your itinerary, almost exactly the same 🙂 This time around we have only five days so I doubt we will make it all the way east.
Stunning pictures, of course, but that goes without saying!
Hi Deepa! Thank you for your kind comment! Iceland is amazing right? We’ve never visited Iceland in winter, curious what you will find. I will follow your next trip on IG, looking forward to your pictures! 🙂
Wonderful. A really excellent read and beautifully presented. I will use this…when I go.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you Gareth for your kind comment! Good to hear it 🙂 When you go I would love to see your pictures and your view on Iceland!
Impressive photography you got here of such mesmerizing views! Iceland looks breathtaking. Thank you for sharing! Safe travels x
Thank you Therie for your kind comment! Iceland is amazing, you should go there 🙂
Beautiful pictures! I would like to know the technic behind the pictures 🙂 Have you ever thought about making a post about the gear you are using?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Nicolas! Thank you for your kind comment! Maybe we will write a post about our gear in the future. What would you like to know? Our gear has changed a lot over the past few years. The photos in this post are shot with a Nikon D5100 and an iPhone 🙂 Nowadays we shoot with a Fujifilm XT-1 and XT-2!
Wow that’s really impressive and motivating, especially for me since I have a Nikon D5200. It means I should have been able to take the same pictures while I was there but they don’t look like that ahah!
Things I would like know is the gear used mainly the body camera (which you already told me) and the lenses. And maybe a little bit more about the technique and post-treatment.
Thank you
Wow! Stunning photos – makes me want to go to Iceland even more than I already do. Thank you for sharing! Is there anywhere you went that you would leave out of your itinerary or anywhere that you would have liked to stay longer?
Hi Jess! Thank you for your reply! Yes, we would have probably spend one day more in the west part of Iceland, Snaefellsnes, this is a beautiful place. We would have skipped one day in the North of Iceland. There are two other places we would have love to visit: the Askja crater and the Westfjords. We unfortunately couldn’t fit this in our itinerary, but hopefully will visit it one time in the future! I hope you will find your opportunity to visit Iceland one day!
I’m headed to Iceland this September and I can’t wait! What part of September did you travel in? It looks a bit cold and rainy but definitely bareable? We’re you able to see any aurora while you were there?
Hi Marin! We traveled to Iceland in the last two weeks of september. It was rainy and windy but it was definitely bearable! Unfortunately we didn’t see the aurora while we where there due to clouds. However it was possible to see the aurora during this time of year. When we where at the Southern part of the Island the aurora was visible in the North and vice versa. 🙂
Amazing photos! Your travel/photography blog is goals. We have an upcoming 2-week ring road trip in April, and this was very informative. I love your colour treatment on your images. Would you be interested in sharing some Lightroom techniques – like how you do your curve, and settings? Thanks so much!
King regards,
G
Hi Gautama! We’ve used mainly LR presets of VSCO Film.
Hi there,
I am planning a trip with my husband and 6 kids and I love your itinerary. I am a little confused about if we NEED a 4×4 vehicle though. For this itenerary, how often were you in the highlands on the f-roads? I noticed you indicated you went into the highlands for your trip to Landmannalaugar, is that the only spot you needed to go on the f-roads into the highlands? I am trying to decide if we should go with the 4×4 vehicles or if we could get away with a vehicle that is not cleared for the f roads. Although I would love to see Landmannalaugar, the cost of renting the 4×4 vehicles seems to be much higher, and with 8 of us we may need to rent 2 vehicles if we want to go that rout.
Thank you!
Hi Chelsea! Sounds like a good trip! The 4×4 was necessary for Landmannalaugar. A normal rental car is not insured on this f-road. If you would avoid f-roads a normal rental car would be fine. Have a great time!
Thank you guys so much. This overview is absolutely lovely — the photos and Maps are beautiful! I was wondering if you could comment on the benefits of going to Iceland in September vs earlier in the summer? Thank you!
Hi Natalia! When you’ll travel earlier in the summer it is probably more crowded. Moreover it is possible some roads are closed because of the snow that is melting from the winter. We have chosen September because it was a bit off-season.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful trip of yours. The photos are amazing. I have been to iceland twice in winter and I really hope can go back during summer time. Can you share with me where do you stay and for how many days you stay in each place? I saw there are some names in your post. Did you stay in more place more than one nights? We are planning to travel with kids and would like to find some central point that can stay for more than one nights while exploring the places around it instead of packing every morning and hit the road. Do you have any recomendation? Thanks
Hi Tracy! We’ve stayed in several places. We’ve stayed in Hestheimar for a few nights and in the North of Iceland for a few nights. I would choose a central point around Hestheimar (the southern part of Iceland).
This trip looks incredible – we are thinking of visiting Iceland in late August/ early September. How much do you think you spent for the two weeks? What were the highest costs? Thank in advance – Amy
Hi Amy, the highest costs were the accomodation and the rental car. I cannot remembet the exact costs.
The trip is incredible though! Have a lot of fun, you will be amazed 🙂
Hey Sanne I am going there in September with three friends and was wondering how much money we should budget not including the plane tickets?
(just a rough estimate to get an idea)
Hi Justin, it all depends on how many days you will travel, if you cook by yourself and/or what accommodation you choose. You could play with these variables to find your own budget.
Hi there your stories in the trip looks amazing and I can’t wait to do it myself. I’m thinking of leaving in the middle of August for 2 weeks and this itinerary looks perfect. I wonder if it’s possible you could give me an idea of what it costs for the two weeks and total to see if it fits it all into my budget. I will be traveling alone and renting a vehicle and staying at hostels and possibly camping which might save me a few dollars. But any estimates would be great. Thanks Joel
Hi Joel, it is really difficult for me to estimate your budget because we went in 2015 when tourism wasn’t that big yet. The food is relatively expensive though. If you would camp you definitely safe money, however it would probably be cold too 🙂 You could choose a regular vehicle instead of a 4×4 to safe money. The downside is you can’t go on F-roads with the regular cars.
Hi! We are planning a 12-15 days trip to Iceland this October/November. We chose these months to maximize our chances to see the Northern Lights. However we are concerned if these months would be too cold or if the days would be too short to do justice to the beauty that Iceland is.
Looking forward to your suggestions. Also, if we are keen on these months only, then which is better- October or November?
Thanks a ton!
Hi! That’s awesome! In October you’ll have some daylight too to visit beautiful stuff! We went half september and the northern lights were there, however we were unlucky with the weather. In November you’ll have the advantage of visiting ice caves! So, I think both times have their own advantages.
Hoi Sanne! Mooie blog. Wij willen deze zomer ook gaan en overwegen om ook het rondje te maken. We zouden dat willen doen in twee weken, maar willen liever niet in meer dan in 4 plekken overnachten om niet al te veel in beweging te zijn. Zou zoiets haalbaar zijn, denk je?
Hoi Thomas! Dat is zeker haalbaar!
Hi there,
Thanks so much for your beautiful, simple and thoughtful documentation of this trip and all others! I have visited your page already 5 times and am only beginning to plan our trip to Iceland. Your blog is a gem!
Dag Sanne,
Mag ik je iets vragen. Ik ga op 9 oktober a.s. met mijn zoon van 23 een week naar IJsland. We rijden een route door het zuiden, van Reykjavik naar Höfn (en weer terug natuulijk).
Waar ik me druk over maak……wat moet ik aan?? Skijack? Thermo ondergoed? winddichte jas? Wat is verstandig? geen idee. Kun jij me aan tips helpen?
Hoi Olga, wat leuk om dat samen met je zoon te doen! Het hangt natuurlijk van het weer af maar zelf had ik mijn ski-jas mee en een winddichte regenjas die ik met een dik vest aan kon. Neem vooral veel laagjes mee zodat je als het te warm is 1 laagje uit kan doen. Veel plezier!