10 day Iceland Road Trip in a Camper Van, Travel Guide

A detailed guide on traveling to and within Iceland for 10 days in a camper van

In August of 2021, I was lucky enough to spend 10 days in Iceland traveling around via camper van with 3 of my good friends from college. In this post I will go over logistics of getting to Iceland during the pandemic, my experience in a camper van and where we went! This might be one of the best trips I have been on and I hope it inspires you to book a trip. Iceland is truly a magical place!

Getting to and around Iceland

Getting to Iceland is actually very easy. All of us were able to get nonstop flights into Reykjavik, the international airport. Since we went during the pandemic, we all needed negative tests to enter, even though we were vaccinated. This made me feel a lot safer about going since they have one of the highest vaccination rates and all tourists had to test negative in order to bypass the 5 day quarantine. Once we arrived, we were all through customs within an hour – its really easy and the people I encountered at the airport were very friendly. Since my friend Molly and I arrived a few hours earlier than our friends, we took Flybus into the city center (best way to go, direct and the cheapest) and hung out before we could pick up our camper van.

Our experience with our camper van

We chose to rent a camper van from Kuku Campers for our entire 10 days in Iceland and it turned out to be amazing. I really couldn’t have imagined traveling any other way. Not only was our van amazing, the Kuku staff fantastic and so helpful but it’s one of the largest rental companies in Iceland so we always felt we had an instant connection with other travelers who were all in Kuku vans.

Our van was plenty spacious since we rented a 5 person van for 4 of us. I highly recommend this if you can. It was nice to not feel cramped, especially since we had the van for 10 nights. The van had a sink (with a big jug of water you refilled at each campsite), a cooler for all your perishables and adequate counter space and storage for food. It also came with a gas stove and all the cooking items we would need to make and eat our meals. The bottom table and bench convert into a large bed and the loft fit 2 to sleep as well. We were definitely snug but it was never a real issue and we all agreed we would do it again.

My favorite part of the van was the ability to be flexible. We had a rough idea of the places we wanted to go before we arrived but we changed our itinerary about 5 times during the trip due to recommendations from others, the weather and how we were feeling. It was so nice to be able to change where we would sleep, even just hours before since there are so many campsites and we never had an issue with them being full.

Staying at Campsites

We stayed at a campsite each night. A few years ago, Iceland changed their laws about camping anywhere and you now have to stay at a campsite. This was an expense we had not really planned for (they run about $10-20 per person/night). It was nice to always have clean bathrooms, a hot shower and fresh water to refill our van jug with. My absolute favorite campsite was – if you go, try and stay here!

Cooking in the Van

As this is my food blog, I can’t not talk about cooking! Like I said before, Kuku provided us with a gas stove and all the cooking gear and utensils we would need. I loved setting up tables and chairs outside and cooking for my friends at the end of a long day. For breakfast we kept it easy and ate yogurt, granola and fruit or oatmeal. For lunch we made sandwiches. Dinners were veggie pesto pasta, veggies and sausages and we did a taco night. This was perfect to save some money and most of Iceland is fairly remote, there wasn’t always a restaurant nearby.

Overall, I could not recommend a van more, I will definitely be back and will be renting another van from Kuku.

Note: Our van was manual and most of the rentals in Iceland are. We were extremely fortunate one of our friends was able to drive stick and drove the entire trip. Molly, you are the true MVP!!

Iceland is Expensive

But it doesn’t have to be! We were a little scared going into the trip since every blog post and forum I had read scared us into believing we would go broke by the time we left. I think it can be expensive if you stay in fancy hotels and eat out for every meal but I found that I spent less money in Iceland than I have in other European countries. My biggest tips:

• Travel via camper van! It will serve as your car rental and your hotel. Our van ended up costing us about $100/night each which is way cheaper than it would have been to rent a car and stay in a hotel each night.
• Make your own food! We definitely ate out while in Iceland and you should! One of my favorite parts of traveling is experiencing other cuisines. We brought some groceries staples from home. I wouldn’t say this is necessary as the grocery stores didn’t seem like they were that different in price. We ate out almost once a day (some days we didn’t as we were in remote locations)and that was the perfect balance. I also found that eating out wasn’t as expensive as I thought it would be. We had a nice dinner while in Seydisfjordur and our bill was about the same price as any nice dinner would be in a big city.
• Take advantage of all the free and local hot pots! The spas like the Blue Lagoon and Hvatn Nature Baths have hefty entrance fees (around $40-60). Some of my favorite hot pots were on the side of the road and free! We also swam at a local pool which was only $8. I detail all of these in my day to day itinerary below.

In summary, don’t let the cost of Iceland deter you from going, there are ways to do it without breaking the bank. I promise this trip is more than worth your money!

Our 10 Day Itinerary

There are so many itineraries out there, honestly it was really overwhelming. We made a rough outline of places we wanted to go and the direction we were going to go in and built it out from there. The beauty of traveling via camper van is you have the ability to change where you are going to go whenever! Below is where we went and where we stayed each day. You can definitely use it as a guide as you build out your trip. We got a lot of inspiration from Renee of Renee Roaming so check out all her Iceland guides for more info and inspo.

Day One: Reykjavik to Borgarnes

Reykjavik

If you are coming from the US, your flight will most likely land early in the morning. Molly and I landed early and had some time to kill before we could pick up our van and our other friends flying in from London. Like I mentioned above, we took Flybus into the city, left out luggage at lockers and roamed the city.

Reykajavik is small, we walked, grabbed a coffee at Reykjavik Roasters and strolled around. Once we got hungry we ate at Sandholt and were not disappointed. We both ordered croque madams and it was the perfect meal after a long flight. After we ate, we walked the rest of the city and headed to go grab our van.

Overall, I would not recommend spending more than a day in Reykjavik. We spent less than 6 hours there and I felt that was enough. It’s cute and charming but there is so much natural beauty in Iceland, I would recommend spending more your time elsewhere.

If you are renting a van, most are not near the city center. We had to take a city bus to ours and the bus was easy to figure out. The hardest part was the 10 minute walk with my 50 pound bag on my back. Once we got to Kuku, they were so helpful and got us our van super easily.

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Now the van trip begins

Once we got the van, we picked up our friends and went grocery shopping. There are a few grocery stores near the van pick up locations but go to Bonus. From my research, Bonus is the cheapest and has everything you need. We got all our groceries and headed north!

Our first stop was Borgarbyggo (a waterfall, of course!) It was beautiful and nice to walk to stretch our legs. After we headed to Krauma, out first hot pot! It felt so good to relax and have a glass of wine after a super long travel day. If you can make a stop at a spa on your first day, do it.

Our original plan was to make it to Grundarfjordur but after a long day of travel, we cut the drive in half and found a little campsite in Borgarnes. It wasn’t anything special but had clean toilets, right on some water and a good place to sleep. If you can make it to Grunfarfjordur, I recommend doing so as it is beautiful.

Day Two: Borgarnes to The West Fjords

The west fjords was our first audible of the trip. I had heard amazing things about the region. It is a little out of the way but the trip is more than worth it, it is so beautiful!

Day 2 started with a drive from Borgarnes to Grundarfjordur. Here is one of the most iconic waterfalls, Kirkjufellsfoss. This waterfall was beautiful, and a quick walk from the parking lot, definitely worth a stop. Originally we were going to spend a day in this peninsula and explore but we decided to check out the West Fjords so we were limited in time before we had to catch the ferry.

You can either drive the 5 hours to the West Fjords or take a ferry from Stykkishólmur to Brjánslækur. We knew we had a lot of driving ahead and the cost was neutral (gas is expensive) so we took the ferry. It’s 3 hours and you get some pretty views.

Once we got to the West Fjords, we headed to the my favorite waterfall, Dynjandi. This waterfall is truly breathtaking , it also is at the base of a fjord, so the scenery is beautiful. The drive from the ferry is on a dirt road and a little scary but if you are comfortable with stick on gravel roads, you will be fine.

That night we stayed at Þingeyrarodd campground. Here we made our first real meal and relaxed while enjoying the beautiful scenery. This campground was highly recommended to us and if you make it to the west fjords, I also recommend staying there! It is beautiful!

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Day Three: The West Fjords to Búðardalur

We got an early start today so I could try and see the puffins. I had heard that the puffins usually are along the cliffs at sunrise and dusk so I forced everyone to get up at 5am for our best chance at seeing them at Látrabjarg. Unfortunately we didn’t see any puffins but Látrabjarg is beautiful even without them. It is the western most point of Iceland and there are tons of other birds to look at and you can walk about 3-5 miles. If you go between May-early August you might just see the puffins.

After the cliffs, we headed to a red sand beach, Rauðisandur. Probably the best part about the west fjords was how empty it was. We had the cliffs and the beach to ourselves. It was pretty spectacular to have all that beauty to yourself.

After the beach, we went to our last stop in the fjords, a hot pot, Birkimelur Swimming Pool! This hot pot is literally on the side of the road, right next to the ocean and is free! There were some other people there but there was enough room for a few groups. This was a perfect place to relax before we had another 3 hour drive ahead of us.

This night we stayed at Búðardalur tjaldsvæði (campsite). It was basic, had hot showers and clean bathrooms. It was raining this night so we just showered, made some ramen and drank while hanging out.

I wish we had more time in the west fjords, you really need about 2-5 days to see it all. We only had one but we made the most of it. There is a lot of driving involved but it was definitely the most scenic so it really didn’t seem that bad. Driving around fjords is pretty spectacular. I recommend adding this on top your trip. Note: this area gets a lot of snow in the winter and is not recommended. So only come here if you planning a trip in the summer!

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Day Four: Búðardalur to Husavik

This was another long day of driving but the most beautiful. We seriously could not stop staring out the window in awe. We also took the long route to Husavik by stopping in Hofsos and Siglufjörður. This added on about an hour and half but it was one of the highlights of our trip so I recommend doing so as well. We actually did not know about this area but on the Flybus I sat next to a local and he recommended it. Always trust the locals!

Our first stop was the local summing pool in Hofsos. This is where the locals swim their laps but it is in infinity pool so also attracts some tourists as well. There was an $8 entrance fee and so worth it as it was absolutely beautiful.

Next, we stopped at Siglufjörður for lunch. We ate at the local pizza place and it was delicious. This is one of the cutest towns I’ve ever been to. It was beautiful and quaint.

One wild part of the drive is there are one lane tunnels (with 2 way traffic!). It was terrifying at first but Iceland has it figured out and there are pull outs and with clear right aways. We didn’t have any issues but it sure was a surprise!

We drove straight through Akuryari but you’ll see that on a lot of iteneraries. There is so much to do in Iceland, you do have to pick and choose and we chose to skip it and head on to Husavik to make a whale watching tour.

Husavik was one of our top destinations ever since watching Eurovision. It is a really cute town that is the whale watching capital of Iceland. We went to a fish and chips place recommended by Renee and it was some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. There was barely any breading but it was perfectly crisp.

Our whale watching trip was so fun and we followed a whale for a few hours and got to see some dolphins as well. It was a beautiful night and our outfits were hilarious. Everything in Husavik closed by 9 so once we were done with our tour, the only option we had was to head back to our campsite and hang out in the van. We always made sure we had a few beers and wine bottles (plus dessert) to keep us entertained at night.

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Day Five: Husavik to Möðrudalur

Originally, we had planned to do another 5 hour day of driving and end up in Seydisfjordur. Perks of having a camper van, we were able to easily pivot and I am so glad we did. We had a slow morning in Husavik. Walked to Heimabakarí for some breakfast pastries (they were delicious!) and then headed onward.

Our first stop of the day were the Viti and Krafla Craters. This area of Iceland is like Mars. The scenery is wild and the ground is constantly steaming from all the hot springs. We didn’t spend much time at the craters, just got out, walked up them and enjoyed the blue waters and left. There are others in the area you can walk up and explore but was passed.

In this area, you can stop at the Perpetual Shower. It’s literally a shower on the side of the road that is constantly running with hot water. We had to get out and check it out. While it’s cool and makes a fun photo opp, there were tons of little flies which was really gross so we left very quickly.

If you want to skip the Blue Lagoon but still want something like it, check out the Myvatn Nature Baths. We chose to go here instead of the Blue Lagoon and I am so happy we did. We got the blue milky warm waters but without the crazy crowd (or price). They even have a swim up bar with reasonably priced cocktails. We stayed here for a few hours and took advantage of the nice showers with blow dryers before continuing on.

Up next was Dettifoss, one of the craziest waterfalls I’ve ever seen. It is supposedly the most powerful waterfall in Europe. It was completely trippy and just wild to stare at. Unfortunately, this was also our first taste of Icelandic rain and it started pouring on us. We got soaked and it was very cold so we decided we were done for the day and made our way to our campsite.

Luckily for us, it stopped raining on the way to our campsite and thank god it did because we had the best night and this campsite was our favorite the entire trip. We stayed at Campground Möðrudal and it was the cutest. All the buildings had grass on them, it really looked something out of a fairytale. There were also a ton of activities to do on the campground. If you needed a day off from travel, this would be a great place to stop for a day and relax. There is also a restaurant so if you want a night off (or morning) you can eat there. We had enough food to cook but we heard good things. Here we saw bunnies, a cute chocolate lab and artic foxes! This campsite was a dream and if you can work it out to stay here, do it.

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Day Six: Möðrudalur to Seydisfjordur

We had an early wake up to enjoy the campsite before we had to leave. We did a Peloton workout and made some breakfast burritos before heading to our first stop of the day, Studlagil Canyon.

Studlagil Canyon is a beautiful stop and great place to a get a little exercise. It’s about a mile walk to the canyon where you can climb some rocks, take a swim (if you dare, it’s cold) and bounce around on the basalt cliffs. We spent about an hour here and it was great.

After the canyon, we started to make our way to Seydisfjordur. The drive in was absolutely wild. It was completely sunny and as we climbed up the mountain, the fog was super dense and we could barely see in front of us. This was a total bummer since we heard the drive in was supposed to be absolutely beautiful. That is one thing we learned about Iceland, the weather can totally change the trip.

We stayed at the Seydisfjordur camp site. It is basic, has basic hot showers, clean bathrooms and laundry. Since we were at our midpoint of the trip, we took advantage and did some laundry. Seydisfjordur is a cute little port town, you might recognize it from the rainbow road leading up to the church. The town is so quaint, you can walk around it in less than 15 minutes. We decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner at Nordic Restaurant and it was worth it. We got delicious local food and they had great cocktails and wine. I also recommend stopping at the local pub across the street after for some beers and games to close out the evening.

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Day Seven: Seydisfjordur to Vestrahorn

We hoped the fog would clear so we could get a view of the beauty of Seydisfjordur but unfortunately we had no luck. It did make for some cool photos when we got to the top of the mountain pass where it was sunny though, so if you get unlucky with weather, make sure to get out at the top and enjoy the fogged in valley between the mountains.

Our first stop of the day was Hengifoss. This hike required a steep 3 mile hike but it was worth it. The waterfall has red lines across the cliff face which is so unique for a waterfall. We hiked this on a hot day so on the way down, we stopped at river and put our feet in to cool off for a bit before hiking down. There is also a really cute food truck at the base of the hike where you can get local Icelandic ice cream and sorbet. I highly recommend stopping and getting the vegan sorbet, it was delicious and so refreshing.

After the waterfall, we drove to Vestrahorn so we could camp out at a black sand beach. Like most of our drives, it was breathtaking and beautiful. If you are in the mood for a free (& very hot!) hot pot, I highly recommend stopping at Djúpavogskörin Natural Geothermal Pool. It has unreal views but it is HOT. Maybe if we were there are on a colder day it would have been fine but it was sunny so I think we spent about 10 minutes tops here.

Once we got to our campsite, Vestrahorn Camping, we headed to the beach to admire the black sand. Unfortunately, it was very windy, rainy and cold this night so we didn’t spend much time admiring the beach. We ended up cooking tacos in the van and drinking wine instead of cooking on the beach as planned.

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Day Eight: Vestrahorn to Vik

We had a lot we wanted to pack into this day (per usual) so we got an early start and had our first stop at the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. It was a really foggy morning so it was eerie to just see the glacial ice. The glacier was covered in fog so we couldn’t see it right away but it was still super cool to admire, we even saw some seals!

After the glacier, we went across the way to Diamond Beach. We got lucky and there was a ton of glacial ice on the beach. It was really fun hanging out, taking beach and admiring all the ice. We spent about 45 minutes here which was perfect because once we were done, the fog had cleared and we could see the glacier. I had done no research before so I was in awe of its size, it was huge and beautiful!

We were still loving the glaciers so decided to also stop at Fjallsarlon Glacier. It was amazing to get out of the car and walk right up to the glacier lake. If it is a clear day, I highly recommend stopping here and admiring it’s beauty.

After the glaciers we drove about 5 minutes to hike in Mulagljufur Canyon. This was my friend Molly’s number one place she wanted to go. Since the rest of us had done no research, we were in awe of what this place was. It’s a little tricky to find, so we were helped by reading this blog that details exactly how to find the trail head and what to expect. It’s insanely beautiful and I highly recommend taking a few hours and hiking to it.

Post hike, we had to stop for a gas station hot dog. Our favorite hot dogs were found at Olis but the ones at N1 were also amazing. Get one with all the toppings, they are unreal delicious and cheap!!

Post hot dog, we made our way to Vik, where we stayed at Camping Vik. This was a great campsite with clean bathrooms and hot showers plus it’s walking distance to where we wanted to eat in Vik. Per Renee Roamings suggestion, we ate at Smiojan Brugghus which had really good burgers and beer. We ended up staying there for a few hours chatting, drinking and eating. Highly recommend, especially if you want a casual delicious meal.

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Day Nine: Vik to Hveragerði

You cannot start you day in Vik without a trip to Skool Beans. It’s the cutest coffee shop that is in a school bus! Not only are the drinks delicious but the decor is just to die for. I wish we had another morning there just to go back.

After we had our delicious breakfast and coffees, we headed out to the famous black sand beach, Reynisfjara. It was an overcast day so it really played into the moodiness of the beach. We also had some fun taking photos on the basalt cliffs.

After the beach, we went to Skogafoss which is a beautiful big waterfall off the side of the road. It was beautiful and an easy walk from the parking lot, highly recommend this stop.

Post waterfall we headed to Seljavallalaug Hot spring. This hot spring was built in 1928 on the side of a mountain that you hike about a mile to. When we arrived, it was cold but not rainy. By the time we got to the pool, it had started to rain and then pour. Note, this pool isn’t that hot so we were huddled in the corner where the hot water pours in trying to enjoy ourselves. We ended up walking/running back naked under our raincoats. This pool is absolutely stunning and definitely worth the trip, I just hope you get better weather than we did!

After the pool, we were pretty burnt out from the rain that we decided to go get hot dogs and hang out in the van. We spent 3 hours waiting out the rain and working on our video for the Kuku Campers submission. We originally had planned to go visit another waterfall but opted out and I still have no regrets.

Since the weather had cleared up, we decided to do another hike to a hot spring, Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River. We had heard incredible things about this river, some friends even said it was their favorite of the trip so we had high expectations. Just like pretty much everything in Iceland, things are experienced differently with the weather. We went on a cold, rainy day and the water was flowing quickly. This meant that the hot springs were flowing too quickly and the water was pretty cold. We had to pretty much sit on the hot rock (that would randomly burn your butt) in order to stay warm. It was still beautiful and the hike to the river is great but depending on the flow of the river, it might not be as relaxing as you’ve seen on Instagram.

That night we drove into town and stayed at Campsite Hveragerði. It was very basic but had a nice kitchen you could cook at and clean bathrooms. Not a campsite to write home about but did the job and was cheap!

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Day Ten: Hveragerði to Grindavik

On our last full day, we had to get a rapid covid test to get back into the states. Luckily, it was super easy for us to make an appointment on this website. While getting tested was easy, we did make our appointments in the middle of the day so it kind of messed up our day a bit.

The night before we checked the active volcano, Fagradalsfjall on if it was erupting. Iceland has a great live stream that you can constantly check on. It was erupting so we decided to go see it before our appointments. We definitely bit off more than could chew since it was definitely a harder hike than anticipated but it was so worth it. We were able to get within 10 feet of the lava, I was sweating! It was incredible to see and if the volcano is erupting while you are in Iceland, prioritize it. We loved it so much and were sad we couldn’t enjoy it more than we were going to come back at night if it was still erupting.

We went to go get our tests right outside of Reykavik before our final adventure, snorkeling between the tektonic plates! This came highly recommended from everyone who has done it and they were right. It is probably the coldest water you will ever snorkel in but you do get dry suits that not only look hilarious, but keep you pretty warm. The water is insanely clear and it is pretty awesome to say you’ve swam between two continents.

After freezing our butts off in the water, we went into the city center to get some lamb stew for dinner. We ended up at this really cute food hall, Hlemmur Food Hall where we got delicious soup and bread to warm us up. If you like lamb, you can’t leave Iceland without trying some lamb stew!

We decided to camp out at Grindavik Campsite since it is the closest to the volcano. We parked, packed our bags and cleaned up the van so we would be ready to go back to the volcano either than night or early in the morning before our flights. Sadly the volcano didn’t erupt again but our last night was still spent having fun in the camper van.

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Day Eleven: Grindavik to Home

Our last day in Iceland was short as we all left in the morning. My friend Emily had the first flight out so we dropped her off at the airport and then cleaned out our van. One huge perk of Kuku Campers is you just need to have the inside clean. It only took us about 15 minutes to fully take out all the trash and sweep.

Molly unfortunately had the latest flight of the day so she dropped both Connie and I off at the airport before returning our van (Molly really was the MVP of the trip). The airport was just as easy to leave as it was when we were coming in. Security was a breeze and Joe and the Juice had plenty of seating for a good lunch before our flight.

My flight back to NYC was so easy and I got a nice view of Greenland as we flew back to the states!

TLDR; GO TO ICELAND

Overall, I could not recommend Iceland via camper van more. It was truly one of the best trips thanks to my friends, the local people and how damn beautiful Iceland is. I will definitely be back! I need at least two more trips to Iceland, one in the winter and another to explore the West Fjords during the midnight sun. If any travel companies are reading this and want to sponsor those trips, let me know!!

Want more travel guides? Check out my guide to Harbour Island, Bahamas and let me know where you would like me to write a guide about next!