In terms of the weather, I was lucky. It almost didn't rain. There was some snow in the north so keep that possibility in mind when traveling this time of a year. The van I rented wasn't 4x4 which might be a bit of a problem sometimes.
Also, keep in mind, this is just approximate. I was living in Iceland for some time so I skipped some parts (south coast, Highlands) on this roadtrip.
Date: 9th–14th October (6 days)
Price: 640 EUR
DAY 1
Reykjavík, Akranes, Laugarbakki
- 14:00 | Happy Campers van pick up in Njarðvík (take a Strætó bus from Reykjavík, it costs around 11 EUR)
- groceries in Reykjavík
- 17:00 | Akranes lighthouse
- 20:00 | Laugarbakki
camp: Camping Langafit (Laugarbakki)
- There was no staff (winter time), you have to leave money in a box (1.000 ISK in cash). There is a bathroom, WC and electricity.
DAY 2
Hvítserkur, Akureyri, Goðafoss
- 10:20 | Hvítserkur
- 14:20 | Akureyri
- 17:00 | Goðafoss
- 18:20 | Þingeyjarsveit
camp: Lifsmotun camping 12 EUR
- There is a bathroom, WC, kitchen, wifi and the staff seemed to be there for the whole year (owner with his family lives in a nearby house)
DAY 3
Mývatn, Námaskard, Hverarönd, Námafjall, Víti, Dettifoss
- 9:30 | Skútustaðahreppur (Mývatn, Námaskard)
- 11:30 | Leirhnjúkur
- until 16:00 in Mývatn Nature Baths 23 EUR
- 17:20 | Dettifoss
camp: Campground Möðrudal 11 EUR
- Kitchen was closed and there was only cold water (winter time). There is a cosy pub and reception in a nearby building.
DAY 4
long way back to the south, Stokksnes, Jökulsárlón
- A part of the Ring Road was closed so I need to use a different road and drive slowly with some stops back to the south. I wanted to see instafamous Stokksnes but you have to pay for it (around 1.000 ISK) which I found unreasonable and didn't go there.
- 18:30 | Jökulsárlón
camp: Skaftafell Camping 18 EUR
- Camp nex to the Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður National Park. It is more expensive because it is on the touristy side of Iceland (south coast). You have to leave the camp before 9am, if not you have to pay some extra money for parking in the national park area. I would rather recommend Svinafell Campground.
DAY 5
south coast of Iceland
- I stopped from time to time, but not that often because I knew it there really well (I wrote about my trips in this area in other posts).
- The south part of Iceland is a typical touristic destination. They usually don't go anywhere else when staying in Iceland for a shorter period of time. Therefore, it is much more expensive than other parts of the country. Because of that, I didn't stay in a camp overnight but I slept at home in Reykjavík.
DAY 6
Reykjavík area
- I will post a different post about traveling in the Reykjavík area. I cleaned the car, fill up the tank and I used my van to do some shopping in Ikea that was on the way to Njarðvík.
- 14:00 | I returner the van in Njarðvík (and I went back to Reykjavík by Strætó bus)
Reykjavík – Vík
|
187 km
|
2 h. 29 min.
|
Vík – Jökulsárlón
|
193 km
|
2 h. 26 min.
|
Jökulsárlón – Stokksnes
|
87 km
|
1 h. 16 min.
|
Stokksnes – Stuðlagil Canyon
|
249 km
|
3 h. 39 min.
|
Stuðlagil Canyon – Mývatn
|
125 km
|
1 h. 34 min.
|
Mývatn – Akureyri
|
87 km
|
1 h. 10 min.
|
Akureyri – Hvítserkur
|
205 km
|
2 h. 42 min.
|
Hvítserkur – Reykjavík
|
229 km
|
2 h. 59 min.
|
PRICE: circa 640 EUR
- Happy Campers van 377 EUR
- fuel 152 EUR
- tunnels 20 EUR
- camps 41 EUR
- Mývatn entry 23 EUR
- Strætó tickets 22 EUR
Food! Because I was living in Iceland half a year, I didn't buy food specifically for this roadtrip. However, it will be quite individual. Just keep in mind that Iceland is very expensive. The cheapest supermarket is Bónus, followed by Krónan and Netto. You can find these three supermarkets all around Iceland but not so often! It is better to do all your groceries in Reykjavík beforehand.