Iceland Roadtrip

It's still a goal of mine to continue to travel overseas at least once a year. In 2017, I chose Iceland for its breathtaking scenery and atmosphere. I feel like Iceland is best experienced with friends and a sense of adventure on the road. I'll outline my 7-day itinerary for exploring Iceland's southern and southeastern region.

Day 1-2:

We landed in Keflavik after about a direct nine-hour flight from Los Angeles. After we got our car rental, we drove to Reykjavik to our Airbnb. I'd recommend renting a 4-wheel drive, just so that you're comfortable driving long distances with a lot of luggage. Our car was the ToyotaRAV4 which we found easy and safe to drive in. After we settled in our Airbnb which was an apartment in a great location and walkable distance from downtown, we mostly explored the local area. Downtown is small, quaint, with gift shops, small grocery stores, and cafe and restaurants. Day 2 was mostly getting out of Reykjavik, and exploring a little north from it (approximately 2 hour drive each way). If you're looking for a coastal countryside view, hit some of these highlights below and you won't be disappointed.

Highlights: Harpa, Hallgrimskirkia Church, Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfall, Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge, Gatklettur Arch Rock, Arnarstapi

Day 3-4:
After we made ourselves some breakfast, we cleaned and checked out of our Airbnb in Reykjavik and started to trek south. We spent most of third day exploring Pingvellir National Park and hit as many landmarks on the Golden Circle as we could. Our evening ended with us driving to Hella, a country town where our Airbnb cottage home was located. I'd say this day was when we really got to experience the beauty of Iceland's waterfalls. The enormous force of these waterfalls just takes your breath away. Photo opportunities are plenty at any of these highlights below. Day 4 was nothing short of more amazing waterfalls and look-out points. Each waterfall is special in its own way, but my favorite to experience was Gljúfrafoss Waterfall.

Highlights: Pingvellir National Park, Bruarfoss Waterfall, Geysir, Gullfoss Falls, Seljalandsfoss, Gljúfrafoss Waterfall, Seljavallalaug Pool, Skogafoss waterfall

Day 5-6:
These days were where we drove to Iceland's most southeastern region. We checked in at the Fosshotel Nugar where they served complimentary breakfast. The weather during these days was erratic - sunny for hour and heavy wind and rain the next. Our main reason from the beginning to why we wanted to drive to this region was because we wanted to see the beautiful glacier lagoon. To my surprise, the hidden gem that was Skaftafell Glacier, was the favorite of the day. I appreciated how this glacier was a quiet and subtle beauty. There were less tourists at this lagoon than at Jökulsárlón.

Highlights: Solheimajokull Plane Crash, Reynisfjara Beach, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Svartifoss, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach, Skaftafell Glacier

Days 7-8:
As our trip was coming to an end, we wanted our last days in Iceland to be more relaxing. We woke up early, checked out, and drove back to Keflavik in about five ours. The only highlight we had today was the famous Blue Lagoon, a must-see if you are going to Iceland. We thought it would be fun to spend our last day in Iceland at a spa after hiking and trekking the south region's countryside.

Highlights: Blue Lagoon, Going Home/Sleep

Iceland has been gaining more popularity in tourism over the past few years, and rightly so. The country has the purest and most natural beauty I have ever seen. If you're looking for a taste of Iceland, I recommend a 7-8 day trip. But if you're fortunate to spend more time, the northern region would be worth exploring too. That's all for now, thanks for reading! Here's to all the brave and adventure-hungry travelers out there.

Cheers,
kim

“Life is short and the world is wide”