A 10 Day Roadtrip Itinerary Circumnavigating the Ring Road of Iceland with a Toddler for Under $3,800

About the Trip

Iceland has long been on our bucketlist with its picture-perfect waterfalls, glacier lagoons, and black sand beaches it is a nature lovers paradise. When we pitched the topic of making it a family trip with Tara’s parents, they immediately jumped on board. Iceland is a great introduction into international travel, which my in-laws have not done a lot of. Most people in the country speak English, the infrastructure of the country is very easy to navigate, and Iceland has built a lot of the country around serving to tourism in the most convenient ways possible. The size of the country and ease of access to most sites makes this a destination where you can squeeze in a lot of activities in a short amount of time.

At the time of traveling to Iceland Atlas was just shy of one and a half years old. This age was perfect, he could still ride in the Poco, he could hike a little bit on his own, and there were so many sites to see along the ring road that the drive was broken up quite easily. As with all of our guides, know that we have exhaustively searched the internet in creating our itinerary and are confident that it is applicable to any family, couple, or solo traveler who wants to see the most of Iceland.

Itinerary Overview and Download

Odyssey Inspired - Iceland Ring Road Trips Log.xlsx

Download XLSX • 13KB

On every blog we will include Word Documents version of an itinerary. We have a short version which is meant to be a shell that you can edit or add to depending on the level of detail you want. Our long version has copy and pasted this entire detailed writeup below without the pictures to condense the length. Take your pick or download both!

We also include a Trips Log with every trip, this is a fun way in Excel to track where you go and make your own makeshift journal of the trip in the notes section. You can take this exact template, add to it over time, and upload it to make your own Google Maps of your trips you’ve done. Yes, you can do something similar by pinning locations on Google Maps, but this spreadsheet allows you to log your distance hiked, elevation gain, sort different trips in different colors in Google easily, you can also sort by category i.e. breweries, vineyards, hikes, city attractions, etc. In essence, this gives you an offline document that is safe if you ever lose your Google Account and gives you infinitely more freedom in how you log, categorize, sort, and note what you do.

There are 4 sections to this itinerary, you can feel free to click on the table of contents below to jump to any specific section I’ve outlined which will have a more detailed map of just the attractions and sites in that region, as well as hotels, hikes, restaurants, and a description of the area.

Section I – The South Region - Reykjavik to Foss a Sidu: The Urban Hub of Iceland, the Golden Circle, Grand Waterfalls, and Black Sand Beaches with Sneaker Waves

Section II – The Eastern Region - Haoldukvisl glacier to Stuðlagil Canyon: Glacial Lagoons, Diamond Beach, Alpine Peaks, and the Most Stunning Canyon

Section III - Northeastern Region – Dettifoss to Godafoss: Geyserys, the Best Hot Springs for the Money, Lava Bread, and Pseudo Craters

Section IV – Western Region - Snaefellsjokull National Park back to Reykjavik: Mossy Peaks, Rugged Coasts, Seals on the Beach, and Slot Canyon Waterfalls

Housekeeping Items for Iceland and Traveling with a Toddler – Our Best Tips

If you are trying to travel Iceland on a budget, you will be far better off financially if you’re sharing your trip with another family, in-laws, friends, etc. A group of 4-6 people will be the most cost-effective way to travel. Just about every rental car is going to have 4-5 seats and the cost of getting a large vehicle is very incremental, if you’re traveling as two groups that can split the cost and fill out the seats it will be much cheaper. Just about every accommodation in Iceland also sleeps at the minimum 4-6 people. The locals have built tiny homes, bed and breakfasts, and even the hotels are designed for families to visit.

Everywhere you go you will be staying at places that mainly sleep 4 people, so again if you can split the cost of every accommodation it will save you huge as most places, even bare bones cabins without much in the way of amenities, will set you back $150-300 per night during the off season or during peak summer season June-August more like $350-500 per night. These are the main costs you will face on your trip, so halving them will make a huge difference.

You will probably see this on every itinerary and blog post we do on traveling with children but our Osprey Poco backpack carrier for Atlas was crucial for Iceland. There is so much hiking and the weather and wind does not always make it enjoyable for a toddler to hike. Luckily, the Poco has a rain/sun shield that goes over your child and you can bundle them up cozily with layers and they are more than happy to ride on your back. There are very few paved trails in Iceland and Reykjavik has many cobblestone streets that would make a stroller a nightmare, not to mention the size of lugging one on a plane.

Bring a Wayb Pico Travel Car Seat if you have a toddler. Trust me. Just trust me. When my wife first suggested this I believe I said something along the lines of “Are you pooping me?” as Atlas was standing right there. I gawked at $500 for a travel car seat, how ridiculous. Well let me tell you, after traveling to almost a dozen countries with an infant and renting cars in half of them, child car seats at rental car agencies across the world are absolute garbage. They’re worse then garbage. They all look as though someone tied a rope to them and drove through their trip dragging this thing across the freeway and then proceeded to have their child vomit and diarrhea on the fabric before returning it to a rental car agency that maybe will rinse with a hose that has about 1 PSI of pressure at best or just let the fluids dry there permanently at worst. When we showed up to our rental car agency in Iceland, reservation with a car seat ready to go, the car seat they handed us was pretty much what I described above, tattered and covered with stains of God only knows what. The lady even let us go to the back and choose our pick of the 40 or so they had leaning up against the wall, but the kicker was the one they originally came out with was somehow the best one.

They run these things into the ground and don’t think twice about replacing them. Yes, those travel car seats are expensive, but the alternative of using the rental cars is far worse. We scrubbed that car seat with wet wipes and a bucket of soapy water for 30 minutes to no avail, sprayed it with a bunch of thieves spray to try to disinfect it, and then eventually just bought a towel to sneak in between the straps so that Atlas wouldn’t be directly on the fabric. This situation is also not unique to Iceland, unfortunately and our story is far from the only one like this out there. Buy the nice travel car seat that you can fold up and is 5 lbs, it is worth the money. We wish we would have sooner. You can also bungee cord it to the Poco and then you have a nice easy system that still fits in the overhead compartment of a plane. The alternative would be to bring your own car seat that you regularly use; however, it is going to be a behemoth to carry and a pain to travel with.

Bring a Car Phone Holder Mount so that you can always have GPS at your fingertips and where you can actually see it when you’re driving, just like at home.

Travel in May or in September if you can swing it. Accomodation prices literally double from June-August in the summer due to the demand increasing this much. The shoulder season right off of peak season still has pretty decent weather and will be much more affordable. Winter is great to see the northern lights and if you like to ice climb, ski tour, or want to do any glacier caves, but you’re also rolling the dice on the weather as roads regularly close due to winter storms.

Lastly, embrace the toddler sleeping schedule for Iceland. Atlas would routinely get up between 5 and 6 AM during this trip and that was amazing. It meant when we got to some of the most popular waterfalls or hikes at 6:30 or 7 AM there was no one there! I’ve even heard of people who visit from May-August who will change their sleep schedule so that they are hiking at night because sunlight is 24 hours a day in Iceland. I can confirm even in late May, I got up at 2:00 AM one morning to do a big alpine hike in the Northeast Region and even when the sun was supposedly below the horizon it was still completely bright out like any normal day in Las Vegas.

Driving in Iceland

You will need an IDP or International Driving Permit to drive in Iceland. These are easy to obtain at your local AAA office and you can even get one same day, it just takes a simple form, some passport pictures, and $20. Every rental car agency will check to see that you have one.

You do not need a 4WD car. There are few trailheads that are even off pavement on the loop road, let alone those that actually require 4WD. If you want to go deep into the interior or do some more extreme stuff, again further inland, then you will likely need a 4WD, but for 99% of travelers this is unnecessary.

Do not speed. Unlike the States, there are speed cameras all over the country and they will find you, even after you leave. This is the case in a lot of European countries. I even had a ticket come back to me over a year later for not completely stopping on a right turn at a red light in Italy. It is hard on some of the freeways in the middle of nowhere, but just set the cruise control and relax that lead foot.

If traveling in winter constantly check the road conditions as they can change on a dime. Even in mid-May just a few days before we arrived a storm brought in 80 mile per hour winds and shutdown highways in the Western Region of the country.

Notes About Iceland Logistics

Bring a raincoat and dress in layers. It is almost always windy in Iceland so plan for it to be colder than the forecast even when it says it is sunny. Even a “light” 15 mph breeze in Iceland, which is quite normal, can change the feel of the temperature by a lot. Warm gloves and hats will also do you wonders, even in the summer.

There are grocery stores all over and they are very similar to those in Europe and the States, once you get outside of Reykjavik the options for restaurants become more sparse, its not bad to stock up on a lot of snacks and potentially get a small cooler to have some groceries for cooking dinner depending on where you stay.

Call your credit card company in advance and get your 4-digit pin to your credit card. You will need this for filling up gas and it is becoming much more commonly required in Europe depending on the purchase and the country.

Alcohol is way cheaper, like less than half the price cheaper, at the duty-free store in the airport. Stock up before leaving if you want to indulge or you’ll be paying way more at the state-run liquor stores.

It is also a good idea to bring some plastic bags from home if you are roadtripping, for trash in the car. Plastic bags are pretty hard to find in Iceland and grocery stores often don’t have bags.

Get a Points Credit Card that has No Foreign Transaction Fees – For many years Tara and I traveled solely on points and never paid for an airline ticket or hotel. We highly recommend credit card churning; although, it is getting tougher with tighter credit conditions. Essentially, sign up for a credit card, spend until you hit the bonus usually $4k or $3k spending in the first 3 months for 50,000 to 75,000 points. Then pay off the credit card, book travel with the points, get a new points card, and cancel the old one. Rinse and repeat. It does not affect your credit negatively as long as you’re paying your balances; we have been doing this for years and both have scores over 800.  Credit cards are accepted everywhere in Iceland. I pulled $100 just in case from an ATM, but really it was not needed.

Get used to bread, lamb, various soups, pizza, and fish as this is the menu in about 90%+ of the restaurants in Iceland. The island uses its natural resources and does not import a lot, so there is not te diversity you might be used to in the West. That said most places have their own take on these staples so it keeps it fresh. Arctic Char is also an incredibly delicious fish and very hard to get in the States; however, it is cheap and abundant in Iceland. If you like seafood take advantage of its abundance, you will not regret it.

Finally, not that we wear much jewelry, but Iceland is probably one of the few countries in the world that you really do not have to worry about crime. Seriously, there is at most 1 murder per year in Iceland and petty crime is basically non-existent. Feel free to glam up and wear your nicest articles without fear traveling around the country. This is maybe the only country out of the 30 something internationally we have been too where I would say this.

At the time of writing this 1 US Dollar is equivalent to 140 Isk or Krona.

Our Expenses Breakdown

The accommodations, rental car, and gas would have been double this price if traveling just as a couple.

The Detailed Itinerary

This itinerary is truly plug in play. It hits all of the best highlights are the island from cities to cute towns to hikes. The timeline was perfect at every stop and we never felt rushed throughout the trip. Countless hours of research by 4 individuals went in to ensure no stone was left unturned. I will also include some tour possibilities that we did not do, but have had friends who have experienced them first and recommended them.

Section I – The South Region - Reykjavik to Foss a Sidu: The Urban Hub of Iceland, the Golden Circle, Grand Waterfalls, and Black Sand Beaches with Sneaker Waves

Section Map

Detailed Map of Reykjavik:

Where to Fly:

·        All major American airlines will fly into Keflavik International Airport (KEF), this airport is about 45 minutes South of Reykjavik. Taxis are absurdly expensive from the airport, either rent a car or take any number of buses that cost between $15 and $22 U.S. for a one way ticket.

Day 1:

Where to Stay:

·        We continued on past Reykjavik on day 1 and stayed at DalsSel farm Guesthouse. This is around $250-300 per night and will sleep 4-6, although there is only one bedroom with all of the beds. There is a nicely stocked kitchen for cooking.

·        If you’re staying in Reykjavik - Midtown Hotel. Get ready for the sticker shock, because Iceland is not cheap, but this hotel will set you back about $450-500 per night but sleeps 4-6 people. You can find cheaper options for a studio apartment or hotel with a single bed, but this hotel is luxurious for the price and is right in the middle of every attraction.

Where to Eat:

·        DEIG workshop – Some of the best donuts and absolutely loaded bagel sandwiches of our lives, we unanimously agreed.

·        Mai Thai Bistro – Recommending Asian in Iceland? If you’re going to roadtrip the ring road know that you will eat almost nothing but Icelandic food as the only option for the next 9 days, take advantage of some of the international cuisines in Reykjavik while you can, because outside of pizza, they simply do not exist in the rest of the country.

·        101 Reykjavik Street Food – If you’re only in Iceland for a layover and only have a couple days then indulge in some Icelandic food. Here you will find fresh seafood and soups perfect for a dreary day.

Main Attractions:

·        Harpa Cultural Center

·        Hallgrimskirkja Church – The famous church on every postcard

·        Sun Voyager – A beautiful statue right on the waterfront

·        The Icelandic Phallogical Museum – Yes, a penis museum with hundreds of species from around the world. We stopped here on our last day and it was absolutely worth it, and surprisingly tasteful.

Hikes:

·        Oxararfoss - 1.2 miles and 108 feet of elevation gain

·        Kerid Crater - 0.9 miles and 114 feet of gain

Our Odyssey

We took an overnight flight from Minneapolis to Keflavik International Airport (KEF) arriving at roughly 6:30 AM. The lobby at the front of the airport is full of people waiting on their specific rental car shuttle to come and pick them up for a short 10-minute drive to the actual building, as all of the major rental companies are located outside of the airport.

By the time we got our car and had sorted out the car seat dilemma, it was around 8 AM allowing us to arrive in Reykjavik before 9. We got our breakfast at DEIG Workshop which had the best donuts and bagel sandwiches that were loaded and falling over. We recommend the crème brulee donuts and the corned beef bagels. It was a great place to fill up and start our city walking tour.

Creme brulee donuts, freshly caramelized. Atlas looking mischievous, plotting his next bite of donut.

The Harpa Cultural Center is stunning just to see from the outside and a marvel of modern architecture. The downtown core is pedestrian friendly with plenty of sidewalks and many walking only streets. We went into a dozen or so shops and even swung by the handknitting society of Iceland.

The Hallgrimskirkja church was as impressive as the photos would make you believe perched up on the hill top. You can walk the staircase to the top of the church for 1,000 Krona or about $7, but we didn’t feel the need with our already jet lagged bodies. We ended our city tour at the Sun Voyager statue on the water for an Atlas photoshoot just as it started to drizzle. We made sure to stock up on groceries at a Bonus grocery store before leaving the city as we wanted to have plenty of snacks for the road and we were going to cook some of our own meals since most of the guesthouses we were staying in had fully stocked kitchens. If you’re planning to cook it is a decent idea to bring a soft sided cooler with you to Iceland so you can buy refrigerated items and keep them on ice before you get to your hotel or guesthouse for the night.

Sun Voyager statue right next to the ocean.

A 45-minute drive from Reykjavik starts the first hike of the trip, Oxararfoss. This 1.2 mile hike travels through a volcanic column canyon up to a gorgeous gatorade blue falls. On this hike you’re walking along the tectonic plate and there are several viewing points where you can see into the open fissures or cracks in the Earth. This hike is free!

Another 35-minute drive across the Golden Circle landscape will get you to Kerid Crater. This is a gentle walk along the crater rim just about a mile long, with the option of going down to the crater lake which is about 100 stairs down.  The water color of the lake was so vivid and the views of the distant mountains came and went with the clouds. At the trailhead there is a shack that charges 450 isk or $3.20 per person.

From here it was another 50 minutes to our farm guesthouse where we crashed from the jetlag and slept about 13 straight hours.

Day 2

Where to Stay:

·        Mid Hvoll Cottages – This was the perfect cabin looking out to the ocean and all the major rock formations in the area for only $240. There is a small kitchen for cooking here.

Where to Eat:

·        Mia's Country Van - Local Fish & Chips – hands down the best fish and chips of the trip with all of the local sauces and salts to accompany. It is conveniently right before the Skogafoss waterfall.

Hikes:

·        Seljalandsfoss - 0.6 miles and 56 feet of gain

·        Seljavallalaug Zwembad - 1.8 miles and 170 feet of gain

·        Skógafoss - 4.2 miles and 1,145 feet of gain

·        Loftsalahellir Cave - 0.5 miles and 238 feet of gain

·        Reynisfjara Beach Basalt seastacks and Cave - 0.6 miles and 98 feet of gain

Our Odyssey

A mere 5-minute drive from our guesthouse was Seljalandsfoss. The falls were crowded even early in the morning but for good reason, they are gorgeous. You can see them in clear view right from the parking lot. You can walk behind the falls, but be prepared to get wet with the water coming and blowing off the cliff. It was so worth it. Atlas loved it with plenty of “woooaahhhhs”! The car parking fee here is 600 isk or a mere $4.50.

Left shows the waterfall from the parking area, Atlas rearing to go. Right shows the view from behind the falls, be prepared to get wet!

A short 20-minute drive took us to Seljavallalaug Zwembad, one of the hidden gems of the South region. There were only about 2 other people we saw on this 1.8 mile hike, as opposed to the hundreds at Seljalandsfoss. This amazing hike travels through a valley of snow-capped mountains to a little warm spring pool you can swim in. It was not quite warm enough for us to swim in May, but the setting was  gorgeous nonetheless. There is a stream crossing on this hike, but Tara’s parents in their late 50’s did just fine across it without getting wet. The best part, there wasn’t even a fee to this hike.

This shows the river crossing, the warm spring pools are not the most remarkable, but the hike through this valley was gorgeous.

15 minutes away is Skógafoss and maybe the even more famous Mia's Country Van - Local Fish & Chips. The fish and chips were as much of a must-do as the falls. Skogafoss is aother massive waterfall you can see right from the parking lot; however, if you hike up the steep initial few hundred stairs the crowds thin out considerably and you are rewarded with another 20 or so waterfalls in the next 2 miles. This is one where the views just kept getting better. Atlas was a trooper and loved watching the little lambs across the river play in the field across from the parking lot. Shockingly, for how popular this hike is, it is free.

Left shows the bottom of Skogafoss, after climbing the couple hundred stairs right shows the view at the top before entering the canyon.

A 20-minute drive down the road and right next to the Mid Hvoll Cottages is the Loftsalahellir Cave. This is a short, but slippery steep hill to the double decker cave filled with little ferns and seagulls. We wandered around the old decrepit barn afterwards which was fun to see how the structure of. We left Atlas in the car with grandma for this one and wouldn’t recommend the hike for those who aren’t sure-footed or young children.

The last stop of the day was the Reynisfjara Beach Basalt seastacks and Cave. This place was  soooo amazing! Tara said this was one of her favorite places we have ever been. The sneaker waves were so fun to outrun, we climbed up on the volcanic columns 20 feet up and just watched the waves crash into the rock below us. Yes, there is danger on this beach if you’re not watching carefully. We did see a couple people get pulled into the water by the waves while trying to take a picture, but they got out just fine, play at your own risk. The amphitheater right by the parking lot was also quite fun to roam in, still a bit of people but this spot way less crowded at night.

Section II – The Eastern Region - Haoldukvisl glacier to Stuðlagil Canyon: Glacial Lagoons, Diamond Beach, Alpine Peaks, and the Most Stunning Canyon

Section Map

Day 3

Where to Stay:

·        Guesthouse Skálafell – At around $275 per night, this little guesthouse was everything we needed after a long day; it is modest but comfortable.

Where to Eat:

·        Cafe Vatnajökull – This was a great lunch stop with all you can eat soup and wonderful pastries.

Hikes:

·        Fjarðarárgljúfur Canyon  - 0.8 miles and 28 feet of gain

·        Foss a Sidu - 0.1 miles and 11 feet of gain

·        Lómagnúpur - 0.1 miles and 5 feet of gain

·        Haoldukvisl glacier - 0.7 miles and 12 feet of gain

·        Svartifoss – 2 miles and 439 feet of gain

·        Diamond Beach - 0.6 miles and 3 feet of gain

·        Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon - 0.6 miles and 83 feet of gain

Our Odyssey

On day 3 you will cross into the Eastern Region of Iceland from the South Region. The crowds will start to thin as this area is a little too far from Reykjavik for the day trip tours.

From our cottage it was an hour drive to the Fjarðarárgljúfur Canyon. This free hike was a small canyon with a stunning waterfall. While the quick walk to the falls were nice, the highlight for us was the playground with a teeter totter and a swingset that all of us took turns on. I don't know who had more fun, the grandparents, the parents, or Atlas.

The 20-minute drive to Foss a Sidu was gorgeous driving along cute farms with waterfalls all pouring off the cliffs in the background. Foss a Sidu is another nice roadside waterfall that you don’t have to walk far for an excellent view.  The wind was so strong here that the water wasn't even hitting the ground, but instead getting blown straight back up the cliff in a whirlwind! This is another free attraction.

Lómagnúpur is an Instagram famous peak that reflects off a lake underneath it. It is just a roadside stop, so no fee and is only a 25 minute drive along the route from Foss a Sidu.

Another 25 minutes driving is the impressive Haoldukvisl glacier. You can hike as far as you want on this one, but about a third of a mile will get you to impressive views of the headwall of the glacier. This glacier is a massive serac hanging over the valley. The theme of the day continues with this also being free.

Svartifoss is the first real hike of the day, clocking in at 2 miles, it also has a parking fee of 750 isk or $5. This is another 20 minute drive and while the drives are short, it was nice to actually walk a bit by this point in the day. There is a decent incline to start this hike, but the trail is well-groomed with slip proof mats. The hike starts in the forest, but before long you’re high above the treeline and looking across a dozen glaciers and peaks that you just drove by. The waterfall at the end of this hike is impressive with huge, hexagonal volcanic columns. There is a great viewing platform that allows you to get within a few dozen feet of the falls.

After that hour or so hike, bottomless soup and bread at Cafe Vatnajökull  is well deserved. This is also the perfect stop in the middle of the 45-minute drive to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. If you’re a meat eater don’t expect too much here as the soups and pastries are mainly vegetarian, but plenty to fill you up.

All in the same area are the next two glacier lagoons and the viral Diamond Beach. Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon was fun to see, but if you can only do one Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon is much more impressive, an easier hike, it is free while Jokulsarlon charges 1000 isk to park, and Fjallsárlón allows you to get much closer to the glaciers. We had a quintessential Iceland experience as we were pelted with hail one minute and then the next sweating from the sun that suddenly emerged. The glacier pieces floating in the lagoon were massive with caves and the craziest features. We loved picking up the ice chunks and throwing them back in the lagoon. We even saw a seal here! It would be amazing to kayak through the glaciers here if you have the chance and the time.

The last stop of this jam packed day was Diamond Beach. Parking here does cost 1,000 isk, but there is a really cool art display of pictures of Iceland along the walk to the beach. The waves here were huge and the wind was whipping! We stayed here long enough to get our photo ops with the ice chunks on the black sand then called it a day.  

Day 4

Where to Stay:

·        Hotel Post was a mere $230 per night in the sleepy small town of Breiðdalsvík.

Where to Eat:

·        Kaupfielagid Art & Craft Café was a great place to eat right across from the Airbnb with delicious homemade desserts and a fun shop full of eclectic goods

·        Beljandi Brewery – Open only in the summer

Hikes:

·        Vestrahorn Viking Village - 1.8 miles and 24 feet of gain

·        Skútafoss - 1.2 miles and 118 feet of gain

·        Hvannagil - The Golden Valley - 1.1 miles and 127 feet of gain

·        Hvalnes Nature Reserve Beach - 0.1 miles and 8 feet of gain

·        Fauskasandur - 0.8 miles and 42 feet of gain

·        Baejartindur - 7.2 miles and 3650 feet of gain

Our Odyssey

After a delightful breakfast at the guesthouse, we headed to our first stop of the day 45 minutes north, the Vestrahorn Viking Village. This is a bit of a tourist trap, but well worth it. The viking village was surprisingly really cool with a ship you could climb around and the mock village they created as a film set, which was never actually used, was well done. There were also plenty of horses that were extremely friendly and soft. Atlas had an absolute ball and loved the horses, he got right up to their faces! Stokknes Beach with the reflection of the Vestrahorn ridgeline is one of the most photographed spots in Iceland. If you’re looking for an extreme hike you can do a class 3 and 4 scramble from Highway 1 up the back side of the mountains to the ridge. The fee here is 1,000 isk per person to enter, so on the higher side of all the attractions in Iceland. You go into the café to pay then will receive a bar code to get through the gate. Every other hike on this day is free, so all in all the entrance here was not bad.

Giant whale bones in the Viking village and the ever-impressive Vestrahorn Range.

A short 20 minutes away is Skútafoss, a nice hike to unique falls that you can walk behind. There are multiple falls as you make your way up alongside the river, the last falls about a half mile up are the ones you can climb down to and get behind.

Fifteen minutes down the road is Hvannagil or The Golden Valley. The drive is on a one-way dirt road overlooking a very impressive river delta with the most astounding colors of blue. The hike through the golden valley is actually a 5 mile loop and requires a lot of somewhat treacherous river crossings. It is not exactly what we had imagined. After a half mile into the canyon and half a dozen crossings we had decided to turn back. It was still a blast and worth seeing as we skipped the colorful rocks through the river and made the most of our human chain river crossings.

Hvalnes Nature Reserve Beach is a half hour away from the golden valley and a quick stop of the roadside for huge views on all sides of the peninsula. The light house here was freshly painted and the ocean waves were huge on this day crashing into the cliff walls. The wind practically ripped my car door off the hinge getting out of the rental car, so when they give you that warning at the rental office head their advice and park into the wind!

If you need a nice beach stop, that is semi-protected from the wind and has a smaller tide, then Fauskasandur is a great place to play or have a picnic in the afternoon. There is a small scramble down to the beach from the parking area, around 10 feet high, but Tara’s parents managed this just fine with a spotter. Tara and I were able to do some bouldering on the beach and we played a game trying to run around the spire before the sneaker waves could get us! Atlas loved this beach and all the kelp that had washed up.

After this stop off we had a final hour and a half drive along the scenic coastline before ending for the night in Breiðdalsvík. Our lamb dinner at Kaupfielagid Art & Craft Café was cooked to perfection and the berry pies topped off a perfect day. This is the end of the Eastern Region of Iceland. We really enjoyed this area as through this section of the country we were alone on most of our hikes and had escaped the tourist crowds. We were typically some of the only people at the restaurants we visited the last couple days which allowed us to actually interact with the owner and the locals more to learn about daily life in Iceland. This is one of our favorite parts of traveling, seeing how others live across the world.

A Bonus Hike for Those Looking for a Big Alpine Day:

While in the Kaupfielagid Art & Craft Café I noticed a ski touring book that had listed the mountain of Baejartindur as a pleasant excursion. This peak is also listed on peakery.com where you can look at the topo map of the area. Whenever I do big alpine hikes on vacation I typically like to get up extremely early with the plan to summit at sunrise and then be back at the hotel for breakfast so that I don’t disrupt the rest of the day’s activities. For this hike that meant a 2 AM start. It was about a 25 minute drive to the trailhead for Flogufoss and after about a half mile up to this waterfall which was spectacular on its own, it was time to scramble to the left of the falls and continue to the ridge off trail. Even in May there were patches of snow on this roughly 3,000 ft tall peak.  The hike up passed by many land bridges between canyons with huge exposure on each side and required some class 4 scrambling using hands over head which created some pucker factor. It was all worth it as this peak was incredible and the sunrise was awe inspring as it passed above the ridge due North. This entire ridgeline is incredible and worth exploring with tons of craggy peaks that are all within just a couple miles of each other. There are also plenty of gullies you can ascend or descend depending on your comfort level. The 7 miles and 3,600 feet actually took less time than I thought and I returned back to the hotel around 6 AM; however, know your fitness level as I am comfortable on this kind of terrain and move pretty quickly, so you might want to factor in an extra hour or two depending on your experience level.

I've had my fair share of alpine peaks at sunrise, but this was something special.

Section III - Northeastern Region – Dettifoss to Godafoss: Geyserys, the Best Hot Springs for the Money, Lava Bread, and Pseudo Craters

Section Map

(3 Hours of Driving and 233 KM)

Day 5

Where to Stay:

·        Fjalladýrð Guesthouse – The turf roof cabins surrounded by the volcanic desert landscape was unbelievable. At $250 per night this felt like a great value for the money and the breakfast here was so delicious and filling with traditional Icelandic food and American staples like scrambles eggs and bacon.

Where to Eat:

·        Klausturkaffi – The greatest Icelandic buffet and restaurant you will find in the country. We all 5 agreed this was by far and away our best meal.

·        Fjalladýrð Guesthouse – There is a bar and restaurant on the property.

Hikes:

·        Hengifoss - 2.9 miles and 830 feet of gain

·        Stuðlagil Canyon - 3.2 miles and 561 feet of gain – The length here depends on how far you drive as there are trailheads differing lengths from the canyon. Our car was not 4x4 or high clearance and we made it to the furthest trailhead no problem.

Our Odyssey

This day included about 4 hours of driving, but includes arguably two of the best sites in all of Iceland and also included our favorite meal of the entire trip.

An hour and 20 minutes from Breiðdalsvík is the gorgeous black and red striped falls of Hengifoss. The drive out to the falls was amazing going through tall mountain passes and sweeping valleys. This hike was striking from start to finish with multiple waterfalls coming from all directions through the canyon. The huge volcanic columns going all the way up through the canyon were mesmerizing and Hengifoss itself was gorgeous with its red and orange striations unlike any in the world. This was my personal favorite waterfall of the trip.

After we drove just down the road to Klausturkaffi for potentially the best meal in Iceland and one of the best any of us have had around the world. They had a lunch buffet with reindeer meatballs, lamb, every side dish you could imagine literally dozens of them, multiple homemade breads, soups, a dozen or so desserts, all of which were to die for. Seriously, every single thing we tried we groaned in pleasure. Atlas loved playing croquet in the grass and they have plenty of other yard games and a playroom for kids of all ages.

One and half hours away lies Stuðlagil Canyon, made famous by a Justin Bieber music video. This is another one where the journey is just as good as the destination. There are other stunning waterfalls on the way to the canyon and the view down to the river as you hike is quintessential Iceland. What makes this hike so amazing is that all of the volcanic columns that you have been seeing throughout the trip, you now get to climb, play on, and feel their impossible smoothness. The teal blue waters of the canyon just add to the scenery.

The drive from the canyon turned from grassy countryside back to the barren volcanic landscape and just feels like you are on another planet. It might not seem like there is much on the itinerary this day, but I promise you will spend a lot more time than you think at each of these sites.

Afterwards make your way to the Fjalladýrð Guesthouse for the idealic turf roof and insulated houses. Atlas loved climbing in and out of the loft of our guesthouse and the cats around the property.

Day 6 and 7 - Myvtan

Where to Stay:

·        Midhus apartment by Lake Myvatn (On Airbnb)– This was a great value at $250 per night. This was the only place on our trip that we stayed 2 nights and it was nice to have a base here in the middle of the trip to do laundry and take some days a bit slower. The views over the lake here are stunning.

Where to Eat:

·        Bistro Sel & Pizza – Great eatery with a little more variety than the traditional Icelandic restaurant and a nice selection of beer.

Attractions:

·        Mývatn Nature Baths

Hikes:

·        Dettifoss West Side and Selfoss - 1.8 miles and 161 feet of gain

·        Skutustadir pseudo craters - 0.8 miles and 93 feet of gain

·        Dimmuborgir Kirkjan Cave – 2.7 miles and 280 feet of gain

·        Hverir - 0.6 miles and 52 feet of gain

·        Grjótagjá - 0.1 miles and 16 feet of gain

Our Odyssey

This was the mid-point of our trip and a nice place for a break from the constant night to night changes. This was also perfect timing as Tara did not feel great, which actually turned out to be morning sickness as she was pregnant with our second!

We visited Dettifoss West Side and Selfoss on the way up from Fjalladýrð Guesthouse after a delectable breakfast with fresh cooked pastries and bread. The falls here create a curtain of mist that floats down the river in a mystical way. This and all of the hikes in this area are free.

The Mývatn Nature Baths are the main attraction of the area and it is such a relaxing place you might go back multiple times. We chose to go to these hot springs over the famous Blue Lagoon as thee entrance price at the Blue Lagoon is 9,900 isk per person vs. 4,800 isk here. That’s $36 cheaper per person. Also drinks and food will also be cheaper here with way less crowds. The hot springs are very kid friendly and Atlas had so much fun swimming around. The scenery of the lake and geothermal area was other worldly. There are also multiple pools here with varying temperatures. This is really nice to be able to go back and forth between the hotter and lukewarm pools to cool off from time to time.

The best part of traveling with friends or family when you have kids is that occasionally you will get a date night to yourselves. Tara and I spent ours roaming around the Skutustadir pseudo craters and having a romantic dinner overlooking the lake at Bistro Sel & Pizza. The pool table here was a fun change up as well. A famous appetizer the area is known for is their lava bread, which is dark rye type flour actually cooked in geothermal vents. The taste is distinct and worth trying.

Some other hikes in the area are Hverir and Grjótagjá. Hverir is comprised of small geothermal boiling pots. Honestly, you could skip this one, the smell of sulfur was almost too much to bare and it is a far cry from Yellowstone.

Grjótagjá was an interesting cave right off the road next to the Airbnb. While walking down to the hot spring in the cave Atlas flung off his shoe into the water, which led to a group of us then splashing water to get the shoe to the corner of the spring where another tourist could retrieve it with his tripod leg, crises averted!

Atlas' shoe seen floating bottom right.

If you didn’t need a break and wanted to keep fast tracking the trip you could certainly spend one night in this area.

Section IV – Western Region - Snaefellsjokull National Park back to Reykjavik: Mossy Peaks, Rugged Coasts, Seals on the Beach, and Slot Canyon Waterfalls

Section Map

Day 8

Where to Stay:

·        Stöð Guesthouse and apartments – The views here are outstanding and the guesthouse is quite spacious for only $200 per night.

Where to Eat:

·        There are plenty of restaurants along the route and just outside Kirkjufell

Hikes:

·        Godafoss – 0.8 miles and 300 feet of gain

·        Kirkjufell Mountain – 2.9 miles and 1,404 feet of gain

Our Odyssey

This day is mostly just a long driving day, 6 hours to cross from the Northeast into the Western Region with not a lot of stops in between. Godafoss is a 45 minute drive from Myvtan and is a nice paved path along the river. There are a lot of waterfalls in Iceland, but they are all uniquely different with their own character. Godafoss flows into a bowl shape that created an even more powerful feeling of the water plunging into the river. This is another hike with no parking or entrance fee.

Kirkjufell is as stunning as every photo who lead you to believe. It looks as if the entire mountain is covered in moss. The peak is only open to hiking in the summer and make sure that it has not rained for a couple days before hiking this, because with the exposure on this hike a slip really could be fatal and has been in the past for a few dozen hikers. This is really only recommended for hikers/mountaineers comfortable on difficult and steep terrain. For the majority of people, viewing the peak from a restaurant or walking along side the road that borders the mountain will be plenty of an experience to leave a lasting memory.

Day 9

Where to Stay:

·        Hömluholt Holiday Homes – Spacious layout with a great view on the peninsula, roughly $230 per night when we stayed.

Where to Eat:

·        Samkomuhúsið Arnarstapa – Excellent soups and desserts right next to the Arnarstapi hike.

·        Hjá Góðu Fólki – Incredible desserts and pizza cooked right in cast iron pans.

Hikes:

·        Raudfeldsgja Ravine - 0.6 miles and 275 feet of gain

·        Saxholl Crater - 0.4 miles and 112 feet of gain

·        Gatklettur “Hole Rock” Arnarstapi - 2.2 miles and 86 feet of gain

·        Bjarnafoss - 0.1 miles and 380 feet of gain

·        Ytri Tunga Beach Seals - 0.7 miles and 12 feet of gain

Our Odyssey

The Western Region is often ignored by international tourists on a timeline in favor of the South, but we found the Snaefellsnes Peninsula to be just as beautiful with only a small fraction of the tourists. The tip of the peninsula is only a 3-hour drive from Reykjavik compared to the 5 hours it takes to get to Diamond Beach, where most people end their journey through the South Region.

The Saxholl Crater was a nice morning jaunt up a spiraling staircase to the rim of the crater. The wind was whipping like crazy and just about blew us over here! The views across the landscape to the improsing Snæfellsjökull Volcano are something else. Outside the Ytri Tunga Beach, all parking areas and entrances are free to the hikes on the peninsula.

A short 25 minute drive is the Gatklettur “Hole Rock” Arnarstapi hike. This rugged coast with arches and eroded cliffsides housing tons of birds and volcanic features was fascinating. Time melted away here and before we knew it we had walked around for well over an hour through the wandering trails seeing all of the different lighthouses and features. We walked down to see the tidal falls across the ocean and giant seals were laying right there on the rocks below. Samkomuhúsið Arnarstapa is a restaurant right across the road from the hike parking lot and has a great menu of soups all of course are homemade. The inside of the café has a small gift shop and plenty of historic photos of the area.

All the attractions on the peninsula are close to one another so it only took a few minutes’ drive to get to the Raudfeldsgja Ravine. The falls here are located in a tight narrow slot canyon about 100 feet tall with a waterfall flowing through it. You can walk a couple hundred feet up the canyon to a large waterfall, but your feet will likely get wet. We loved exploring this area and scrambling up the rocks. The canyon walls are several hundred feet tall and only 4-6 feet wide throughout making it one of the most dramatic slot canyons we have ever been inside.

The slot canyon is through that small crack, the howling wind and mist made pictures inside difficult, but made for an unreal experience.

Up next, Bjarnafoss was another roadside waterfall; however, for us heavy winds were creating white out conditions so we could only see the bottom 50 feet or so of the falls. This is just the nature of the ever changing weather in Iceland, some things you may inevitably miss just due to this unpredictability.

Our final stop of the day was Ytri Tunga Beach to see the seals up close who call this pebbly beach home.  As promised from online reviews, there were tons of seals swimming around and playing just 10 feet from the beach. There were giant kelp all over the beach that were slippery to walk over in a fun way.

After completely over indulging in a smorgasbord of cast iron pizzas and cakes from Hjá Góðu Fólki the day ended with us helping a French couple with a flat tired right next to the guest house we were staying. They were a young couple that had never changed a flat tire and were eternally grateful. Spending the rest of the afternoon in our Hömluholt Holiday Home was lovely and very spacious. The gigantic couch was much needed to lay out and Atlas had a blast in the loft. This was certainly the most spacious place we stayed on our entire trip.

Day 10

Where to Stay:

·        Garður Apartments – a short walk from the beach, easy drive to the airport, and only $260 per night.

Where to Eat:

·        Asian Food Restaurant (Vietexpress) – I love arctic char, lamb, and soup, but after 9 days of eating almost exclusively that, Asian food in Reykjavik was a nice change up.

Hikes:

·        Heglufoss - 0.8 miles and 46 feet of gain

·        Kermoafoss - 0.9 miles and 32 feet of gain

Our Odyssey

Our final day of the trip! It was just over a 2-hour drive back to Reykjavik where we spent the morning at a few nice free waterfalls close to the city. Heglufoss was a waterfall hidden down in valley full of lush grasses. Kermoafoss we thought was a better waterfall for the effort. The walk through the forest was refreshing and the falls had many levels of stairsteps,

creating a dazzling display of rushing water.

Our stop back into Reykjavik was relatively quick, just a few hours to get a bite to eat at Vietexpress and the Phallogical Museum. The quirky museum was Really well done and even had a brewery and café in the lobby where you could buy beer and pastries for your walk through the exhibits. We actually got in free here because we had a friend that donated a deer penis to the museum. The fun facts of each animal were interesting and the passionfruit sour beer was delicious, we giggled our way through the museum.

We ended the day at our last guesthouse and had a nice walk on an empty beach. You could fly out on this day or the next morning depending on your options and where you’re headed to. We used Iceland as a mid-way stop on the way to Italy and it made for breaking up the flights with a toddler much easier.

We hope you enjoyed this itinerary and will visit some of these stunning places!