EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR A JULY TRIP AROUND THE ICELAND RING ROAD

Car Rental • Lodging • Food • Packing List • Itinerary

Car Rental

We rented a Fiat Doblo Maxi from Rent.IS and loved it, although you cannot go in the F roads with this one. What we got with it:

• Wifi – highly recommend; we used it all the time

• Two sleeping bags – they are thin so usually need to sleep in layers or with a heater

• Camping stove and gas – used a couple times, once at campsite that had induction cook top but no induction pots

• Pots and pans – not induction; worked on camp stove and some campsites (most campsites with induction had pots to use)

• Dishes and cutlery – forks, spoons, knives, cups, bowls, plates

• Water tank – fill this to hold water for cooking and drinking

• Cooler/refrigerator – must be plugged in to cool, so we only used it for storage

• Heater – we used this when connected to campsite electricity to have heat overnight

We do not recommend having your tent on top of your car; it is too windy!

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Lodging

It is easy and flexible to travel by van and stay in campsites – highly recommend! There are good campsites in almost every town (only one was not right for us, leading us to find another campsite about a half hour away). You do not need a reservation for any campsites, although most ask you to arrive and pay by 9:00pm or 10:00pm. At the busier sites (closer to Reykjavík), the spots with electricity would be taken by then. Typically, a campsite was $23-$40, with electricity for an additional fee. All the campsites except one allowed us to pay by card. Buildings with a kitchen and bathroom would be at each campsite (some campsites included showers while others charged extra to shower). Here is a list of the campsites at which we stayed:

• Night 01: Gesthús Selfoss Campsite (W2M6+6F8, Engjavegur, 800 Selfoss, Iceland)

• Night 02: Tjaldstæðið Kirkjubær II, cottages and camping (QXV2+42C, 880 Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland)

• Night 03: Djúpivogur Camping Ground (MP48+C55, 765 Djúpivogur, Iceland) managed by Hotel Framtid

• Nights 04 & 05: Vogar Tjaldsvæði Mývatn Campsite (J3FJ+FGX, 660 Reykjahlíð, Iceland)

• Night 06: Camping Varmahilð (Reykjarhóll, 560 Varmahlíð, Iceland) – need cash to pay using honesty box

• Night 07: Snorrastadir Farm Holidays (311 Borgarnes, Iceland)

• Night 08: Mosskogar Camping (Dalsgarðsafleggjari 270, 271 Mosfellsdalur, Iceland) – must pay in cash

• Night 09: Hotel Berg (Bakkavegur, 230 Keflavík, Iceland)

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Food

Food did not seem the most accessible throughout the Ring Road, especially for our dietary restrictions. We highly recommend bringing camping meal packs because it gives you flexibility, eliminates the stress of finding the next place to eat, and saves you money. All you have to do is boil water! We checked our suitcases on the way to Iceland and each used our carry-on for a food bag (collapsable tote bags, so we could easily pack them away once we ate the food). Once we arrived, we stopped at the grocery store to pickup a few more things for our meals and to get snacks.

Pack and Bring

Grocery Store

Restaurants

We made our lunches in the morning when we made breakfast, so we did not have to worry about boiling water on the road.

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Packing List

Our trip to Iceland was followed by a trip to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, so we packed for all these countries together. We each brought a carry-on suitcase and backpack, although we checked the suitcase on the way there to accommodate for our food. In Iceland, the key is layers, and we often found ourselves wearing almost every layer we brought––five layers on top and five layers on bottom. Our clothes were reworn almost every day, and we did not do any laundry in Iceland. Below is our packing list for all four countries we visited with notes for what you might adjust if just traveling to Iceland.

Warm Layers

Cool Layers

Outdoor Clothing

Undergarments

Shoes

Technology

Logistics & Other

We recommend packing using packing cubes. In the van, you can put your suitcase and backpack below the bed and then toss your packing cubes to the front or back, depending whether you are driving or sleeping. Make sure to lock valuables in the glove compartment of the van! Iceland is safe, but you do not want to risk loosing your passport.

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Itinerary

This is a summary of what we did each day on our trip with a few notes. You can read about all of our adventures and see pictures of each place on the blog post for each day. There is lots you can do, and we did not get to everything on our "master list." It is important to be flexible and adapt along the way. You never know what the weather will be or what others on the Ring Road might suggest you do!

Day 01: Keflavík → Selfoss (July 1, 2022)

Day 02: Selfoss → Kirkjubæjarklaustur (July 2, 2022)

Day 03: Kirkjubæjarklaustur → Djúpivogur (July 3, 2022)

Day 04: Djúpivogur → Mývatn (July 4, 2022)

Day 05: The Diamond Circle (July 5, 2022)

Day 06: Mývatn → Varmahilð (July 6, 2022)

Day 07: Varmahilð → Borgarnes (July 7, 2022)

Day 08: Borgarnes → Reykjavík via the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (July 8, 2022)

Day 09: Reykjavík (July 9, 2022)

Only a few things need to be booked in advance: Flights, Rent.IS campervan rental, Ice Explorer's Glacier Walk (Day 03), Gentle Giants Whale and Puffin Safari (Day 05), Mývatn Nature Baths (Day 05), ferry to Grímsey Island (Day 06), any tours you want to do on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (Day 08), and hotel in Keflavík (Day 09).