Our 9-Day Trip Itinerary Around Iceland’s Ring Road

Posted on September 24, 2018

I’ve been to Iceland a total of three times so far. The first was a 9-day trip around the famous Ring Road, which ended up being where my boyfriend and I would become engaged (more on that later!). The second trip was an impromptu 5-day excursion along the southern coast for our engagement photos. And the third, you guessed it, was for our wedding at Hotel Budir on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

After spending so much time researching all things Iceland, I’ve decided to put together a series of itineraries and travel guides, including a useful guide to renting a car in Iceland. In this post I’ve outlined the itinerary for our original 9-day trip to Iceland, as well as some tips for anyone considering doing their own self-guided driving tour of the Ring Road.

Before we get started, it’s worth mentioning that we decided to bring over camping gear so that we could camp half of the nights of our trip. During the summer Iceland can be a great place to camp, but if you’re thinking about doing the same I’d suggest you check out my related posts:

Travel Guide

If you’re looking for a good travel guide, I would suggest Rick Steves Iceland.

I am always a fan of Rick’s guides; his candid (and humorous) insight into what you should and, more importantly, shouldn’t do is always on point. It’s also filled with lots of interesting historical and cultural insights as well as all the necessary practical information like addresses and opening hours.

Click here to buy Rick Steves Iceland Travel Guide on Amazon.

Itinerary Overview

This itinerary starts and ends near the capital city of Reykjavik, which is most likely where you’ll be flying into since Keflavik is the largest international airport. Here’s an overview of our 9 days with the major points-of-interest:

Day 1 – Blue Lagoon and Snorkeling the Silfra Fissure

Day 2 – Geysir, Seljalandsfoss, DC-3 Plane Wreckage, and Skógafoss

Day 3 – Marriage Proposal (optional), Svartifoss, Jökulsárlón, and Hoffell Hot Tubs

Day 4 – The East Fjords

Day 5 – Seyðisfjörður, Hverir, and Whale Watching from Húsavík

Day 6 – Day Trip to Askja Caldera

Day 7 – Dettifoss, Dimmuborgir, Hverfjall, and Mývatn Nature Baths

Day 8 – Grettislaug Pool, Hvítserkur, Hraunfossar, and Vidgelmir Cave

Day 9 – Reykjavik

Day 1

Blue Lagoon and Snorkeling the Silfra Fissure

We spent our first morning recovering from jet lag at the famous Blue Lagoon. While there are certainly many other great hot pots and natural hot springs around the country, this one is located right next to Keflavik airport, making it an easy first stop after a red-eye flight. We even splurged and sign up for one of their in-water floating massages.

Tip: Book your tickets before your visit on the Blue Lagoon website and be sure to do this well in advance of your trip since popular time slots will fill up early!

Swimming in the geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon

After a few hours of recovery at the Blue Lagoon we made our way to Thingvellir National Park, where we had an excursion booked with Extreme Iceland to snorkel between the tectonic plates at the Silfra Fissure.

At just 4°C (39°F), this is definitely the coldest water I’ve ever been in, but the glacial meltwater also lends itself to amazing visibility — it’s said to be the clearest water in the world! Even with dry suits our limbs were pretty much numb, but luckily there’s not much swimming involved since the fissure is essentially a small river with a gentle current that carries you from one end to the other while you float along.

Dan and I in our dry suits before diving into the freezing water

Snorkeling between tectonic plates at the Silfra Fissure in Thingvellir National Park

After an action-packed first day, we were excited to get some rest at hotel Heradsskolinn. We had dinner at their restaurant and even tried reindeer for the first time — not bad!

Day 2

Geysir, Seljalandsfoss, DC-3 Plane Wreckage, and Skógafoss

The first stop of Day 2 was at the Geysir Hot Spring area, which is home to the first geyser known to Europe. The name Geysir originates from the Icelandic word geysa (to gush). Who knew!

The Geysir Hot Spring area actually has two geysers: Geysir and Strokkur. The original Geysir is little more than a bubbling pool of scalding-hot water and can go years without an eruption, but the neighboring Strokkur still sends boiling water an impressive 15-20 meters into the air every 6-10 minutes.

The Strokkur Geyser

After watching Strokkur erupt a couple of times, we headed to our first major waterfall of the trip, the beautiful Seljalandsfoss.

We first walked behind the falls for a photo-op and then followed a path the led us up the side of the falls. (We later determined this was likely a path made by sheep and probably not intended for hikers. Regardless, the view from the top of spectacular and worth the trek!)

Tip: On our first trip to Iceland, we missed the second “hidden” waterfall at Seljalandsfoss, called Gljúfrabúi. It’s hidden inside a cave and requires traversing a small river to visit, but it’s definitely well worth the effort. When you’re facing Seljalandsfoss, just turn left and follow the path for a few minutes until you see an opening in the cliff face. You’re likely to see others heading that way as well, so just follow their lead.

The view from behind Seljalandsfoss

The view from the top of Seljalandsfoss

After our first waterfall, we headed to our first natural “hot pot” of the trip, called Seljavallalaug. Unsure if we were in the right place or not, we parked our car and followed a river which eventually led to the pool. As is the case with most of the public hot pots, there was a small changing room and shower (everyone is encouraged to shower before entering).

Following the river to the Seljavallalaug geothermal pool

Swimming in the Seljavallalaug pool (the changing room is in the background)

Near the Seljavallalaug pool is the site of a famous plane crash, commonly referred to as the DC-3 Plane Wreckage. The plane is located in the middle of a vast black sand beach, where it crashed in November of 1973. Luckily all of the passengers survived the crash, but a decision was made to abandon the plane’s fuselage and it has since become a sort of off-the-beaten-path tourist attraction.

At the time of our first Iceland trip, it was still possible (though not encouraged) to drive off-road to the site of the plane crash. We actually saw someone get a flat tire on their way to the plane, which is likely why driving to the plane has since been totally banned. Now you have to park along the road in a small parking area and walk the 4km (2.5mi) to the plane. The jury is out on whether or not it’s worth the hike, but we were sure glad to see it!

Off-roading to the DC-3 Plane Wreckage with our rental Suzuki Jimney

The DC-3 Plane Wreckage

We took a break for lunch on the black-sand beach by the plane and then continued on our way to the second waterfall of the day: Skógafoss. This waterfall is an impressive 25 meters (82 feet) wide and 60 meters (197 feet) tall and is so powerful (and misty!) that it’s hard to get very close. Luckily you can take in the view from another vantage point as well; a staircase to the right side of the waterfall leads you to a viewing platform at the top.

Standing at the base of Skógafoss

View from the top of Skógafoss

At this point it was getting pretty late, but we still had enough light to make it to the small village of Vík, which is the halfway point along Iceland’s southern coast and where we planned to camp for the night. We headed to the coast in search of Reynisfjara beach. We instead stumbled upon a large puffin colony that had made its home for the summer on the cliffs of a peninsula called Dyrhólaey.

Puffin on the cliffs near Vik; the famous Reynisdrangar rock formation is also seen in the background

We were losing daylight, so eventually the time came to say goodbye to the puffins in order to find our intended stop, Reynisfjara. We eventually found our way there and spent some time exploring the black sand beach with its impressive basalt columns and rock formations. The wind was intense and cold, so after a short time we continued onward to find a suitable campsite for the night.

Basalt columns on Reynisfjara beach

Day 3

Marriage Proposal (optional), Svartifoss, Jökulsárlón, and Hoffell Hot Tubs

After a quick breakfast of warm oatmeal, we packed up the tent and hit the road.

A few miles down the road, Dan suggested we pull over to take some photos of the scenery — literally every mile of the Ring Road is beautiful, so we were constantly wanting to stop for photos.

I had recently gotten a GoPro and was still learning how to use it. I hadn’t yet mastered the self-timer function but found a setting that would take a photo a second, so I set up our flexible tripod on the roof of the car and ran to join Dan for a photo. Next thing I know, Dan is down on one knee proposing there on the side of the road in Iceland… And the whole thing was caught on the GoPro!

Obviously, you can’t say no to an Icelandic proposal, so we continued our journey as a newly-engaged couple and headed to yet another beautiful waterfall, called Svartifoss, to celebrate!

Svartifoss is located within Skaftafell National Park, which has a number of hiking trails of varying lengths. We chose the Svartifoss-Sjónarsker-Sel loop, which is 5.3km/3.3mi long and categorized as moderate difficulty.

View of Svartifoss from the Svartifoss-Sjónarsker-Sel loop

Svartifoss waterfall surrounded by basalt columns

After the hike, we headed to Jökulsárlón for a zodiac boat tour of the glacial lake. We decided to book our tour with Ice Lagoon Adventure Boat Tours, which offers small group boat tours on the lagoon. There are several companies that offer zodiac tours here, but the others have much larger boats (meaning larger groups). We ended up on a boat with just two others and our boat driver/guide, so we were very happy with our choice. The smaller boat also meant we were able to get really close to the icebergs!

All suited up and ready for our zodiac boat tour of Jökulsárlón!

The zodiac tour included thermal jumpsuits to keep us warm on the water, but we were still chilly after an hour with the icebergs. Luckily our tour guide was able to point us in the direction of a nearby hot pot called the Hoffell Hot Tubs. We were the only people there, so we spent a good amount of time there hopping from one hot tub to the next — a fantastic way to end the day!

Relaxing at the Hoffell Hot Tubs near Höfn

Day 4

The East Fjords

After breakfast, we continued east on the Ring Road to start our exploration of Iceland’s East Fjords. After three very full days of sightseeing, we were looking forward to an open agenda and leisurely day of exploring.

The coastline here is dotted with small fishing villages that have become home to many artists. You’ll commonly find rusty industrial buildings painted with elaborate and colorful murals. We spent some time walking around the town of Stöðvarfjörður, snapping photos along the way.

Colorful mural in the small fishing village of Stöðvarfjörður

I am a bit of a geology nerd, so when I heard about Petra’s Stone Collection I knew we had to go. The museum is in the former home of Ljósbjörg Petra María, an avid rock collector who amassed an impressive collection of stones and minerals over her lifetime. Petra passed away in 2012 but her family has continued to maintain the collection and museum, which draws thousands of visitors a year.

Petra’s Stone Collection in Iceland’s East Fjords

We caught wind of a secret waterfall near the town and set out to find it. We followed a path alongside a river and eventually found the small two-tiered waterfall.

After the short hike, we continued on to a neighboring town called Reyðarfjörður, where we had an Airbnb booked for the night. After two consecutive nights camping, we were excited to sleep in a proper bed (and take showers!).

Small waterfall near Stöðvarfjörður

Day 5

Seyðisfjörður, Hverir, and Whale Watching from Húsavík

We got an early start and continued our exploration of the East Fjords as we made our way toward the north coast. Along the way, we stopped in the town Seyðisfjörður for lunch.

While in Seyðisfjörður, we heard about a small waterfall and an interesting concrete sculpture called Tvísöngur hidden somewhere on the mountainside behind the town. After some time, we successfully found the moss-covered waterfall. But while trying to find Tvísöngur, we ended up wandering aimlessly through an endless field of bright-purple lupines — not a bad place to be lost!

You can read more about Tvísöngur on Atlas Obscura.

Endless field of Lupines

After eventually giving up on our search, we left the East Fjords and made it to the north part of the country.

As we approached our next stop, Hverir, we noticed a sudden shift in the terrain. Whereas the southern and eastern parts of the country were green and lush, the north part feels more like you’ve been transported to Mars. It’s a very geothermally-active area, with pools of bubbling mud and steaming fumaroles popping out of the clay-colored earth. The scent of sulphur is so strong here, you can smell the area long before you see it. Despite the odor, I found this area to be strangely beautiful in an other-worldly kind of way.

“It only takes one set of footprints for thousands to follow” – good advice to keep you safe in this geothermally-active area!

After Hverir, we left the Ring Road and headed north to the coastal town of Húsavík, which is known as the Whale Capital of Iceland. We shopped around at the various whale watching tour companies and ultimately settled on a 3-hour tour with North Sailing.

The tour takes you pretty far north, not far from the Arctic Circle in fact, so all passengers are equipped with thermal jumpsuits to help combat the cold. We saw a couple of humpback whales, which are apparently common visitors to the ocean north of the island during the summer months.

Humpback whale sighting on our whale watching tour

Húsavík is also known for their seafood, so after the whale watching tour we decided to splurge on a nice dinner at Gamli Baukur, a local restaurant with lovely views of the harbor.

View of the harbor from Gamli Baukur restaurant

Day 6

Day Trip to Askja Caldera

For Day 6 of the trip, we booked a full-day excursion to the Askja Caldera in the highlands.

A visit to the caldera requires 3-4 hours of off-road driving each way (including fording a couple of rivers), so the journey is best made with an organized tour. There are many companies offering tours to Askja, most of which are really expensive, but after a lot of research we finally found an affordable option with the company Mývatn Tours.

The tour started at 8am, departing from the village Reykjahlíð near Lake Mývatn, and lasted until around 7pm. The long day was broken up with several sightseeing stops along the way, which included glacial rivers, lava fields, and Herðubreiðarlindir.

Fun Fact: Due to it’s moonlike terrain, the lava fields around Askja were selected by NASA as the main location for training the Apollo Astronauts before the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 1969.

Our bus tour to the Askja Caldera

A river on the road to Askja – we had to ford a couple of rivers in our bus

Even in August, the caldera was still covered in snow. Luckily the nearest parking lot had just opened the previous week, but it was still a bit of a hike from there to the caldera, which meant we had a 35-minute walk through the snow ahead of us.

Walking through snow to reach the caldera

Even with the long, bumpy bus ride and snowy trek, I can say the excursion was totally worth it for the views inside the caldera!

Inside are two bodies of water — a fresh-water lake and a geothermal crater lake called Víti. When conditions are good, visitors to the caldera can actually swim in the bright-blue geothermal lake. Unfortunately, there had been an avalanche recently when we visited, so the pool was closed to swimmers. But it was still beautiful to admire from afar!

The Askja Caldera with Víti in the foreground and the lake in the background

Exhausted after a long day exploring Iceland’s highlands, we headed to the town of Akureyri where we had a hotel booked for two nights.

Day 7

Dettifoss, Dimmuborgir, Hverfjall, and Mývatn Nature Baths

We started our morning with a visit to Dettifoss, which is said to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe and is the largest waterfall in Iceland in terms of volume of water.

Dettifoss Waterfall

After Dettifoss, we headed back toward the area where our tour departed the day before to check out the Mývatn nature preserve. You could easily spend a few days exploring the many trails, rock formations, and craters surrounding the volcanic lake. We had just a day so we decided to focus on the Dimmuborgir Rock Formations and Hverfjall Crater.

We first visited Dimmuborgir, an area known for its interesting rock formations and it’s ties to Icelandic folklore. It’s said that many trolls and elves inhabit the nooks and crannies of Dimmuborgir, and all 13 of the Yule Lads (essentially Iceland’s version of Santa Clause) also supposedly live here. Whether you believe in folk stories or not, it’s an interesting place to explore.

Following a trail through lava and rocks at Dimmuborgir

Rock formation at Dimmuborgir

The next stop after Dimmuborgir was Hverfjall, a crater that was formed when a volcano erupted 2,500 years ago. This entire mountain is made up of rocks as small as gravel, which make it feel like you’ve been transported to Mars.

We spent about an hour hiking to the top and around the rim of the crater.

The view from Hverfell crater

We ended the day with a relaxing trip to the so-called Blue Lagoon of the North, the Mývatn Nature Baths. The pools are man-made but the water is from a geothermal spring and contains large amounts of minerals (and sulphur, giving the water a slight eggy smell). The best part may be the wristbands that make ordering a poolside beverage possible.

Mývatn Nature Baths

Day 8

Grettislaug Pool, Hvítserkur, Hraunfossar, and Vidgelmir Cave

We had a lot of driving to do on Day 8, so by mid-morning we were back on the road. After about 2 hours of driving, we stopped for a break at the Grettislaug Pool, an oceanside hot pot with a backdrop of mist-covered mountains and nice views of the ocean and a few small fishing boats.

Fjord views at the Grettislaug pool

Another 2 hours down the road was our next stop, a monolith or sea-stack rock formation called Hvítserkur. The rock is usually surrounded by water, but since we visited during low tide, we were able to walk across the beach to get an up-close look (much to the annoyance of the arctic birds that have made their home on the rock).

The Hvítserkur rock formation

Two more hours down the road was our final (scheduled) stop for the day as well as our final waterfall of the trip, Hraunfossar. Instead of one waterfall along a major river, Hraunfossar is a series of small waterfalls formed by rivulets.

A series of small waterfalls that make up Hraunfossar

After visiting the waterfall, we happened upon some signs for Vidgelmir Cave, which, as it turns out, is Iceland’s largest cave. The inside of the cave is only accessible by guided tours. Unfortunately they were fully booked that day, but we were still able to walk around the mouth of the cave and ventured inside until we reached the gated entrance.

After the cave, we drove a bit further toward Reykjavik and spent our final night camping just an hour or so from the capital city.

Descending stairs into the mouth of the cave

Looking up from inside the entrance to Vidgelmir Cave

Day 9

Reykjavik

For our final day in Iceland, we explored the quaint but vibrant capital city of Reykjavik. Around 60% of the country’s inhabitants (roughly 215,000 people) live here; after spending a week in the sparsely populated northern and eastern regions, Reykjavik felt like a buzzing metropolis!

We spent the day shopping at the many boutiques, galleries, and gift shops along Laugavegur and Skólavörðustígur Streets. We eventually made our way to the Hallgrimskirkja Church and headed to the top of the tower for a nice view of the characteristic brightly-colored houses and the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Hallgrimskirkja Church

View of Reykjavik from Hallgrimskirkja Church

Lastly, there are lots of great restaurants and bars in Reykjavik, but some of our favorites are:

Grái Kötturinn (The Grey Cat) for breakfast
Pizza with No Name for pizza and craft beer
Sandholt for baked goods
Dill Restaurant or Sjávargrillið for Nordic cuisine