Best Things to Do in Iceland – Road Trip Guide

Things to do in Iceland

Itinerary:

Day 1 – Arrive – Blue Lagoon
Day 2 – Seljalandsfoss & Skogafoss waterfalls and Reynisfjara beach
Day 3 – Glacier hike and glacier lagoon (Skaftafel & Jökulsárlón)
Day 4 – Hike to a Reykjadalur hotspring and swim at secret lagoon
Day 5 – Gullfoss Falls, Geysir, Silfra Snorkeling
Day 6 – Reykjavik

Below is a map of our recommended route for things to do in Iceland.

Day 1: Blue Lagoon

Day 2: Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, and Reynisfjara

Don’t heed the advice of TLC and spend your day chasing waterfalls! Seljalandsfoss has 2 major waterfalls to view and the main one you can walk underneath. If you have a go-pro take it with you underneath the waterfall for some amazing photos. The other one you can hike up a short but difficult trail to get a better view.

Skogafoss Waterfall

After that, head to Skogafoss, a short 15 min drive. Skogafoss is one of Iceland’s largest waterfalls. The dramatic nature of the massive volume of water falling onto flat land is awe striking. While the view from the ground is great be sure to hike up to the top of the falls for some other sites. Hike up stream for about 10 mins to find some wonderful views of nature’s most beautiful green-walled rapids.

The final site to see today is Reynisfjara – the iconic black sand beach. The rocks on this beach look like planet Kryptonite from superman. Walk up and down the beach snapping plenty of photos of the gorgeous color contrasts. Keep your eyes open for puffins as they are plentiful in the summer months.

Night 2:
Camp at Skaftafell camp site.

Day 3: Glacier Hike and Glacier Lagoon (Skaftafel & Jökulsárlón)

Schedule a glacier hike with Icelandic Mountain Guides. Depending on the time of your hike, you can visit the glacier lagoon, Jökulsárlón, in the morning or afternoon. Our hike was in the afternoon so we drove to the glacier lagoon to cook breakfast at the edge of the lagoon. If you can do this, I highly recommend it, it was one of our favorite things do to in Iceland. Eating breakfast while watching icebergs calve is a memory I’ll never forget. Afterwords we spend an hour walking around the lagoon taking photos. While there are boat rides available, after speaking to some other travelers it didn’t seem necessary to pay for the ride.

Skaftafel Glacier Hike

After the glacier lagoon, head back for your glacier hike of Skaftafel. The hike of the glacier is a “cool” experience (pun intended). The leader showed us how to put on our crampons and how to walk safely with them. Armed with a pickaxe and crampons we felt like true vikings walking atop this frozen piece of history.

Night 3:
Camp at Hverageroi or Selfoss.

Day 4: Hike to a Hotspring and Swim in a Secret Lagoon

Start your day with a healthy hike in Hverageroi. This is an easy to moderate 2 hour hike that starts with a steep hill. After the first big hill the rest of the trail is rather easy. Be sure to bring your towel, swimsuit, and lunch. Most people soak in the natural hot spring river for an hour before deciding to head back.
After your hotspring soak, it’s time to head to another soaking area, the secret lagoon. To be honest, we skipped this part because of time constraints but many locals say it’s better than the blue lagoon and you don’t have to pay for it.

Night 4:
Camp at Skjol – Be sure to jump on the blow up trampoline!

Day 5: Gullfoss Falls, Geysir, Silfra Snorkeling

Starting the last day of wilderness before heading into civilization with a easy walk around Gullfoss! These picturesque falls were once a possible power plant. Fortunately, environmentalists stopped this action.

After enjoying Gullfoss, time to see nature erupting in Geysir. Here you’ll see a natural geyser erupting almost every 4 mins. Have your camera ready because this geyser isn’t always consistent. While we were there the eruption times varied from 2 mins to 8 mins.

Snorkling in Silfra Lake

The final viking act of Iceland is snorkling in Silfra lake. Silfra lake, which means silver, get’s it’s name from it’s almost silver appearance due to the clarity of the water. Here you’ll put on your dry suit with Dive.is (be sure to make a reservation here). Bring some long johns and wool socks. Not to worry if you don’t have any as they provide a full body insulation suit for under you dry layer. After the 45 mins it takes to put on your dry-suit, you’re ready to take the plunge!

Thoughts on snorkeling in Silfra:

Is it cold? Yes. But it’s bearable. It’s only a 30 min snorkel and they have hot chocolate afterwards. The only thing that was really cold was my lip. It went numb after 2 minutes!
How are the dry suits? They are a little awkward while in the water. You’re completely dry, except for your hands and head.

How is the visibility? It’s fantastic! This is why you snorkel here. You can see up to 100M in some places.

Day 6: Visit Reykjavik

Now that you’ve done the most viking thing possible, it’s time to head to Reykjavik for some beers, brauts, and depending on the time of year, some amazing sunsets. Did you know Reykjavik means smokey bay? The first settlers saw the steam from the local hot springs and that’s how Reykjavik got it’s name.

We visited Iceland in June which means the sun only sets for 2 hours and it never really get’s dark. On our way home from having a beer in Reykjavik at midnight, the sun was setting on the bay. One of the best ways for us to end our road trip in Iceland was watching the midnight sun set AT MIDNIGHT! Traveling through Iceland with a camper and plenty of time is a great way to complete our list of things to do in Iceland.

Special thanks to Kukucampers for providing our car. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely our own.