Iceland: The Ultimate Southern Region Road Trip

An untamed island in the North Atlantic Ocean, Iceland is unlike any country I have ever seen before. From mystic lagoons and majestic waterfalls to magnificent geysers and marvellous national parks, this mountainous terrain lends itself to extraordinary experiences. Tourism in Iceland has exploded in recent years, and for good reason, but I first set my sights on this magical land fifteen years ago. When my family lived in New York from 2003 to 2011, we flew Icelandair between the United States and Norway at least once a year. Every time we landed in Iceland for our connecting flight, we were all in agreement that if they asked for volunteers to fly out on a later date, we would jump at the opportunity. I have spent hours in Keflavik International Airport, eagerly awaiting the voice on the loudspeaker to announce an overbooked flight, but I was never so lucky. In the years since then, Icelandair has rolled out a stopover program and several tour companies have launched new expeditions near Reykjavík and beyond. As photos from the Golden Circle began flooding my Instagram feed and blog posts about the Ring Road started circulating on Pinterest, I dreamt of getting lost in the Icelandic wilderness myself. So when my friend Leonardo messaged me about a potential trip to Iceland with his friend Lucas, I didn’t hesitate.

I met Leo at a hostel in Madrid, two weeks prior to booking our trip to Iceland. And Lucas, well I met him when we picked up the keys to our camper van in Iceland. So when I say friend, what I really mean is I agreed to road trip across Iceland with two guys I barely knew. I’m pretty sure my friends thought I was crazy and my family most definitely thought I had lost my mind, but I wasn’t fazed. Maybe this would be the worst idea I ever had, or maybe it would be the best… either way, I was willing to find out. So after returning home to Norway from my four-week backpacking trip through Spain, Portugal, and Belgium, I had 36-hours to repack my bags and off to Iceland I went.

 
Reykjavík
 
I flew into Keflavik International Airport, the very airport I had passed through a dozen times before, only this time Iceland was my final destination. There were several buses waiting outside the terminal to take passengers to Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland and the country’s largest city. Located in the southwestern region of the island, Reykjavík is the natural starting point for most trips to Iceland. The boys were only arriving the following day, so I spent the afternoon exploring Reykjavík. I passed the Hallgrímskirkja Church, visited the Harpa Concert Hall, admired the popular Sun Voyager sculpture, and discovered lots of street art. With less than 200,000 inhabitants, Iceland’s capital is small in comparison to other European cities, and I felt like an afternoon was plenty to get a feel for the city. The next day, I met up with Leo and Lucas and the camper van adventures began.

 
The Golden Circle
 
We booked our camper van with KuKu Campers, an affordable rental company with the coolest staff and the funniest vans on the island. Upon pickup, Kristján gave us a tour of our home on wheels and showed us the websites for weather updates and road conditions. Our van came equipped with a heating system and all the essentials for cooking, and the exterior was painted with quotes that had us all laughing. After loading up the van and grabbing a guitar from the office, we hit the road. The Golden Circle is a two-hour loop that starts and ends in Reykjavík and includes three natural attractions: Þingvellir National Park, Haukadalur Valley, and Gullfoss Waterfall. These spectacular sights can be done on a day trip from the capital or as part of a longer road trip. The first stop on the circle is Þingvellir (Thingvellir), a national park since 1930 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. Its position on the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR) has created a tectonic environment featuring large cracks due to the shifting of North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The geological and historical significance of this place is unquestionable and the diverse landscape is astounding.

The second stop on this loop is Haukadalur, a valley where the two famous geysers named Geysir and Strokkur reside. The natural phenomenons occurring within this geothermal area are absolutely incredible. In fact, the word geyser derived from Geysir itself, the more impressive of the two but with far less frequent eruptions. Strokkur on the other hand erupts once every 6 to 10 minutes and it’s quite entertaining to listen to the crowd scream as if on a rollercoaster each time the boiling water shoots into the air. The third stop on the circle is Gullfoss, yet another example of the extraordinary interactions between the forces of nature. This two-tiered waterfall sits on the Hvítá river and is fed by Langjökull, Iceland’s second largest glacier. At a height of 32-meters and a length of 2-kilometers, Iceland’s “Golden Waterfall” has become recognized as one of the top waterfalls in the world. All in all, the Golden Circle is a must-drive route with three unique attractions, but it’s only when you venture off the main road that the adventure truly begins.

 
The Ring Road
 
Also known as Route 1, the Ring Road follows the circumference of the island to form a 1,339-kilometer route that connects most of the inhabitable parts of the country. Weaving between deep blue fjords and black sand beaches, this two-lane national road shoots up through barren plateaus and scoops down between narrow valleys. In the winter, Route 1 is the only open road once you leave the southwestern region, which makes navigation quite simple but means the options are limited. Due to harsh winds and blinding blizzards, we were advised to stay in the southern half of the island, so that’s what we did. From the southwest to the southeast, we drove through Iceland’s countryside, passing herds of cows, flocks of sheep, and the friendliest Icelandic horses. We first came to Skógafoss, a powerful waterfall with a 60-meter drop and a very different profile from Gullfoss. To the right of the waterfall, 370 steps wind up the face of the cliff to a viewing platform and the starting point for the 25-kilometer summertime hike known as Fimmvörðuháls.

Sólheimasandur lies just a few minutes down the road, a desolate black sand beach and the sighting of the abandoned United States Navy DC plane wreck. This airplane was forced to crash land in November of 1973 and its remains still lie untouched on the Sólheimasandur beach. Luckily all the crew members survived the impact and the wreckage has become one of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions. Next on the route is Dyrhólaey, a peninsula that is crowned by a lighthouse and features a naturally formed arch. From the top of this cliff, views of the vast ocean are backed by snow-capped mountains with black sand beaches stretching in both directions. One of these beaches is Reynisfjara, a dangerous place with untrustworthy waves that has sadly taken several lives. Basalt rock formations known as Reynisdrangar break through the ocean’s surface, creating a striking display that is visible from the shore.

Further along Route 1, Vatnajökull National Park covers 12,850-square-kilometers of land and makes up more than 12% of Iceland. This area is as diverse as it is vast and the hiking possibilities are endless. We went with the 3-kilometer hike to Svartifoss, a 20-meter waterfall fed by the Svínafellsjökull glacier and framed by black basalt columns. Further east, Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon sits on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park and is filled with seals and broken icebergs. These icebergs drift ashore on the nearby Diamond beach which is more or less the last attraction in Iceland’s southern region. We did continue a few more hours east, through the 5,850-meter tunnel Fáskrúðsfjarðargöng and into the highlands of Iceland, but I wouldn’t recommend doing so unless you are driving the full loop. We were hoping for clearer skies to see the northern lights, but luck wasn’t on our side. While I was able to capture the lights with my camera, they were too faint to see with the naked eye. Oh well… better luck next time, right? And as for renting a camper van with two guys I had just met, that turned out to be neither the worst idea nor the best idea I ever had. We didn’t become the best of friends but we didn’t regret the trip either. And because I know you’re all wondering, I would absolutely do it again.

A special thank you to KuKu Campers for making us feel right at home in Iceland. I did receive a small discount on our rental but as always, all opinions are my own.