Iceland in 10 days. Ring Road Itinerary and Route

Iceland in 10 days… is it possible? In this post I want to tell you about the trip (or life experience) that we took through Iceland in 10 days. I want to tell you the itinerary we take it, how to get cheap flights, where to go shopping there, rent a camper, etc… After traveling to Madeira and the Dolomites, it was Iceland.

First of all, if you are going to travel to Iceland, you have to take into account what time of year you want to travel, since the landscape and conditions of the country are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

As for the route, we did the Ring Road, which is the route that is usually done. Basically the Ring Road (Route 1) is Iceland’s main road that circles the entire island, covering approximately 1,332 kilometers. Also comment that the day before, due to weather conditions, we decided to do the Ring Road in reverse, that is, starting in the north and ending in the south (and thank goodness we did it that way)

So nothing, let’s go with the Iceland itinerary in 10 days!

Iceland in 10 days. What do we have to take before traveling to the country of ice and fire?

One of the first things we have to keep in mind is that in Iceland in 10 days. The Euro is not used, the Icelandic Krona (ISK) is used. To take the change into account, 1000ISK is approximately equivalent to €6.68.

We don’t have to worry about changing € to ISK, there in Iceland you can pay with Euros everywhere, as long as we pay by card.

We also have to take into account that most telephone companies do not include Iceland in their rates, so we will need to hire an eSIM. I leave you here a link to hire it: https://airalo.tp.st/o2P2yUV2

As I mentioned before, something very important that we have to be clear about is what dates we want to travel to Iceland. This country is very different in summer and winter. If we want to travel in winter and do the Iceland route in 10 days, we must keep in mind that we will have to rent a 4×4 and that the weather conditions can be VERY DIFFICULT. We decided to go at the beginning of June because the weather is much more pleasant and the roads are beginning to open. Of course, before going to Iceland we have to take several factors into account, especially regarding the state of the roads, the weather and, if you go by camper, the state of the campsites. I am going to leave you here several applications and websites that you should take into account before and during your trip to Iceland:

  • https://safetravel.is/: Safetravel is an application that you have to download to your mobile no matter what. It shows us at all times the state of the roads, weather alerts or if there are closed routes.
  • https://vedur.is/: Vedur is the weather app for Iceland. It provides us with information about the weather throughout the country and possible alerts for wind, rain or northern lights.
  • https://umferdin.is/en: It is the best application to know the state of the roads in more detail. This is important especially in winter or if we want to go to the southwest and there is a volcanic eruption.
  • https://www.olis.is/: The Olis website offers us the locations of gas stations where you can refuel. This is very useful in Iceland, especially if we are in the north since it is a completely uninhabited area. We can also find discounts.
  • https://park4night.com/en: Park4night is an essential application if you go to Iceland by camper. It provides you with open campsites and the status of each one of them, as well as opinions from people who have gone.

These apps ARE VERY IMPORTANT since the weather in Iceland is very wild and changes very quickly.

How to arrive to and around Iceland

To get to Iceland we took flights with Swiss Airlines. We did Valencia-Zurich and Zurich-Reykjavík. There we rented a camper with Indie Campers. Without a doubt, the best option to get around Iceland is to do it in a camper or 4×4 with the possibility of sleeping in the car. We must keep in mind that in the north of Iceland we will travel many kilometers without seeing civilization, so it is very important to plan the route well.

Important. To spend the night you must do so in a campsite or in a parking lot that does not have a sign prohibiting spending the night. You cannot do wild camping in Iceland, it is prohibited. In the itinerary of the Iceland route in 10 days, I will also tell you the specific campsite where we slept every night.

Another important thing, everything is quite expensive there. If you have to go buy food, I recommend going to a supermarkets called Bonus. It is quite cheap compared to the rest of the chains and establishments. Here I leave you the map of Iceland in 10 days:

Iceland in 10 days. Itinerary

DAY 1: Arrival in Iceland, pick up camper and Kirkjufell

We begin our Iceland in 10 days. We arrived in Iceland around 2:00 p.m. and had to pick up the camper at approximately 3:00 p.m. At the airport we took Bus 55, which runs the KEF Airport – Reykjavík route and had a stop near the Indie Campers headquarters. We stopped in Reykjanesbær and walked about 15 minutes to the industrial estate where Indie Campers is located. We picked up the camper and went to buy supplies at a Bonus that is about 5 minutes away. Bonus are the cheapest supermarkets in Iceland, so we recommend going there if we have to buy food. With the provisions loaded, we had to drive about 3 hours (approximately 220km) to our first point of the trip, the Kirkjufell mountain.

We were going to go see the mountain, but since we were so tired from the trip, we decided to go straight to the campsite, rest and see the mountain early the next day. The campsite we slept at was called Grundarfjörður.

DAY 2: Kirkjufell – Kolugljúfur Canyon – Reykjafoss – Godafoss

We went to Kirkjufell very early to catch it without people. Right in front of the mountain there is a parking lot (paid, like 90% of the parking lots in Iceland) where you can park and go to the famous viewpoint. You can also walk from the campsite but it takes about 40 minutes. We were there for a while and when it got crowded we went to our next stop, the Kolugljúfur Canyon.

If you are going to visit this canyon, there is a parking area right next to it but BE CAREFUL, because there is a lot of mud and your camper could get stuck. It stayed with us.

Godafoss was our final stop for this day, but first we passed through Reykjafoss. From the parking lot to Reykjafoss it is about 30 minutes walk, but it is worth it.

We arrived at Godafoss around 12 midnight and could see the midnight sun. We went to sleep at the Hlíð ferðaþjónusta campsite. We knew the first day was going to be the longest, but it would be worth it.

DAY 3: Hverir – Kafla Crater – Hverfjall Crater – Mývatn Thermal Baths – Detifoss and Selfoss

We had planned the third day as a slightly more relaxed day with fewer hours in the car. We got up early to go to Hverir, and thank goodness. Around 9, excursions start arriving and it gets very crowded. Afterwards we went to see the Kafla Crater and the Hverfjall Crater. In Hverir parking is paid, but in the other two craters the parking is free. We took the opportunity to eat in the Hverfjall Crater parking lot.

At 4pm we had a reservation at the Mývatn Thermal Baths. These thermal baths are a kind of Blue Lagoon but cheaper and with, from my point of view, much better views. If you are going to go, you have to book in advance on their website: https://myvatnnaturebaths.is/book-ticket

After the relaxing experience in the thermal baths, we went to the waterfall with the most water in all of Europe: Detifoss. We arrived quite late and were able to enjoy the waterfall with practically no people and with the midnight sun. We went to sleep at Campground Fjalladyrd/Mödrudalur, which is on the way to our next point.

DAY 4: Stuðlagil Canyon – Gufufoss – Seyðisfjarðarkirkja – Stokksnes

As usual, we got up early to go to our first stop of the day: The famous Stuðlagil Canyon. Here we have to be careful with Google Maps because it takes you to a viewpoint from which you cannot go down to the canyon. To go to the canyon you have to go to the Stuðlagil (East side parking) and walk about 45 minutes to the area where you can go down and see the basalt up close.

After the canyon we went to Gufufoss, a really amazing waterfall right next to the road. The landscape until you reach Gufufoss is beautiful. Next to this waterfall is the village of Seyðisfjörður, where we will find the famous Seyðisfjarðarkirkja church. This place is ideal to stop to eat and rest for a while. Furthermore, in this town we discovered a very nice little route with a really incredible waterfall (Búðareyrarfoss). This is the typical route that doesn’t go anywhere but has a lot of charm and is very quiet.

To finish the day we headed to Viking Café, located on the incredible Stokksnes beach. The walk takes about 3 hours, but the landscape makes it go by quickly. We really liked the Viking Café, the stay includes entry to Stokksnes (it is a private beach) and the facilities are really good. Both the showers and the space to leave the camper were the best we found in Iceland.

DAY 5: Stokksnes – Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón glacier – Camping Skaftafell

We got up early to be the first to see the reflection of the mountains on the legendary Stokksnes beach. At first we couldn’t enjoy it because it was very windy, but later, the stars aligned and we were able to enjoy an almost perfect reflection. Right next door there is a Viking village that they restored to film series like “Vikings” or “The Witcher Blood Origin.”

After spending the morning and eating there, we went to Diamond Beach. Being already in the south, this journey was going to be the last long journey of the trip, the rest would be shorter and more enjoyable.

We parked in the Diamond Beach parking lot and went to see the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon but it was VERY cold and VERY windy. We walked for a while but soon returned to the camper because the wind made the route very uncomfortable. Just those days a big storm started across the country, so the next few days were going to be fun.

We went to sleep at the Skaftafell tjaldsvæði campsite so we could be ready to go to the glacier the next day.

DAY 6: Skaftafellsjökull Glacier – Stjórnarfoss Nature Park – Vik

On the sixth day it was no longer difficult to get up early, so that’s what we did. We went to visit the tongue of the Skaftafell glacier, which is about 20 minutes walk from the campsite itself. The truth is that the views were incredible and you really realized the immensity of the glacier.

We returned to the campsite, had a leisurely breakfast and took the Stjórnarfoss Nature Park route to see the Svartifoss and Hundafoss waterfalls and climb the mountain to have better views of the glacier. These routes are made from the campsite itself, so there is no need to move the camper.

Our next stop was the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, but the storm intensified and we couldn’t go. So we decided to go straight to Vik. Vik is an ideal place to recharge your batteries and buy supplies.

The wind gusts were 50 and 60km/h, so we decided to go straight to the Vik campsite and take the opportunity to reorganize the rest of the route depending on the storm. The campsite is called Vík tjaldsvæði and the owners are Spanish, by the way.

DAY 7: Abandoned plane Sólheimasandur – Reynisfjara Beach – Dyrholaey light house – Vik

The first stop on day 7 was the famous abandoned plane Sólheimasandur. We wanted to go early so there wouldn’t be people and thus enjoy it better. To go to this plane you have to park at Parking for Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck. There are buses that take you from this parking lot to the plane (€20 approx) but you can also walk. Walking is about 35 minutes, BUT IT CAN BE DANGEROUS if the weather is not good. You have to keep in mind that the plane is on a kilometer-long beach and, if there is wind, there could be sand storms or tornadoes (I tell you this from experience).

The next stop was Skogafoss, but the weather conditions were worse in that area, so we decided to turn around and go to Reynisfjara Beach and Dyrhólaey. In Reynisfjara, parking is paid and there is a place to eat. In the afternoon we returned to Vik to the same campsite as the day before, waiting for the weather to improve.

DAY 8: Skogafoss – Seljalandsfoss – Gullfoss – Geysir – Kerið – Þingvellir

Skogafoss, here we come. We really wanted to see the most famous waterfall in Iceland, and despite having already seen many waterfalls, it did not disappoint. At the foot of the waterfall you have a parking lot next to a campsite where you can park for free. From the campsite there is a route that goes up the waterfall, it is worth walking for a while, at least to the viewpoint.

The next waterfall is just a 30-minute drive away: Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall is very particular because you can walk behind it, however, there is a much more spectacular waterfall a few minutes walk away and it is not as famous. I’m talking to you about Gljufrafoss, a waterfall located inside a cave.

We are approaching the end of the trip, and after many waterfalls behind us, Gullfoss no longer surprised us so much. But even so, it is a waterfall that you 100% have to visit.

10 minutes away we can see the Geysir, a geothermal area and active geysers. We passed through the Kerið crater, but there was a fee to enter and since we were a little pressed for time, we decided not to stop. To sleep we went to the Þingvellir – Nyrðri Leirar campsite.

DAY 9: Þingvellir – Valahnukamol – Blue Lagoon – Vogar Camping

We took the route through the Þingvellir national park very early, arriving at Öxarárfoss. Due to time issues, we decided not to continue and take the route to that waterfall.

This last day we wanted to enjoy and take the opportunity to relax, so we headed towards the Reykjavík area. The area seemed a bit apocalyptic because the Fagradalsfjall volcano erupted and experiencing that first hand was indescribable.

As I told you before, we wanted to relax and what better way to relax than to go to the Blue Lagoon. I leave you here all the information about this natural wonder: https://www.bluelagoon.com/

Our last night was spent at Vogar Camping, very close to the airport and the return of the camper.

DAY 10: Return Camper and return home

We woke up calmly and without rushing to leave the camper and go to the airport. From where we left the camper to the airport we took Bus 55 again, ending a trip that became a lifetime experience.