Iceland has certainly been discovered by Instagrammers and other tourists but there are still plenty of places to explore here. The best way to do it? Take the ultimate road trip on the island’s famed Ring Road and hit spots known and unknown.
Iceland stopped being a secret getaway years before Ben Stiller skateboarded down its highways in the Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In fact, the island nation pushed for more tourists back in 2008 when the financial crisis hit hard in a nation that had staked a lot of its economy on the banking industry. And with so much attention on Iceland’s erupting volcanoes, vibrant music scene, and stunning landscape after stunning landscape, the place has become a magnet for social media mavens looking for likes thanks to all the beautiful images they can collect here. All that has ruffled the locals a little. Reykjavík-based product design student and artist, Melkorka Milla Stefánsdóttir may have best summed up the global perspective on Iceland in an installation in the Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhús, in which she dubbed the nation Quirkyland, “a place where everyday tasks contrast with the surreal and extraordinary.” Iceland is magical, but commodifying that aspect of the place threatens to ruin the real experience of visiting. All that said, don’t worry. You can still visit Icleland and discover places untrammeled by Instagram and meet people willing to host you and teach you about life here. The best way to do that? A road trip: Rent a car and maybe a camper and drive the island’s famed Ring Road to points known and lesser known. To help you along the way we have highlighted some favorite spots.
The Golden Circle
The most popular Iceland tour is the Golden Circle, a short drive out of Reykjavík that takes in the stunning waterfall Gullfoss; Geysir, the geothermal waterspout that gave all geysers their name; and Thingvellir, the site of the first parliament in the world, where Viking chieftains would turn their backs to their colleagues and cry their grievances out to the cliffs. Plenty of private tours and buses will take you on the route, but if you drive, you can stop at the best secret spa on the island, Laugarvatn Fontana. Here, you can soak in several swimming pools or in the geothermal lake. But the best attraction is the steam baths, warmed naturally by the whims of nature.
The South Island
One sage piece of advice to take to heart when you visit Iceland, especially if you are driving around the island, is to be flexible. Storms can batter one end of the island but the other side will be beautiful, so try to plot your route around the weather (check it here). When it is clear, the south coast is absolutely stunning. Here, you will find the types of places that draw Influencers for good reason—the hamlet of Vík and the black sand beach Reynisfjara as well as Diamond Beach, where chunks of glacial ice wash up on the black sand. These spots are crowded but still worth the stop for those obligatory photos.
If you are looking for more adventure head to Skaftafell, once its own national park but now part of the massive 5,460-square-mile Vatnajökull National Park, which contains the largest glacier in Europe. Here, you can scale 6,920-foot Hvannadalshnúkur, the highest point in the country and a serious big day of glacial travel (ski or splitboard it for a real treat). Unless you have your own gear and glacial travel training, you will want to hire guides. Call on the professional and friendly services of Icelandic Mountain Guides for the trip, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that provides views out across the cold North Atlantic to the south and into the vast icy interior of the island to the north. The guides can also take you on easier excursions including rambles on and hikes above Sólheimajökull, an easy-to-access, and, alas, fast melting glacier not too far from Reykjavík. When you are looking to bed down, book a room at the cozy Farmhouse Lodge, an authentic, communal, spot near Vík. Ease your aches at the hot pots at Hoffell, near the charming town of Höfn. Before your soak, you can drive a rough road or hike to the lagoon of the Hoffellsjökull glacier.
The East
Now it’s time to leave the crowds (well, at least some of them) behind. The east end of the island does not see as many visitors as the south coast but that’s not because it is any less spectacular. Punctuate your drive with stops at lonely lighthouses like the orange Svörtuloft. You will have to turn far off the main Ring Road (Route 1) to reach the postcard-perfect Borgarfjörður fjord. Here, you can come face to face with two of Iceland’s quirkiest inhabitants. Hafnarhólmi marina is one of the best places on the planet to watch puffins and in the charming village of you can (respectfully) visit the rocky outcrop know as the Álfaborg, where the elf queen makes her home. Base yourself in the village of Bakkagerði to enjoy both and to explore the miles of trails in the fjord and surrounding peaks. Start with the 2.9-mile walk to Stapavík an isolated inlet and former harbor. Grab a craft beer at the KHB Brugghuús and stay at the Alfheimar Country Hotel, where the local proprietor can give you beta on birds, sheep, beer, and elves.
The Interior
Iceland’s interior is mostly unpopulated (and impassable), though some settlements do head up into the rugged highlands. If you want to relax, hike, and get a feel for what life was like for the people who farmed and ran sheep in this country, visit the charming Wilderness Center a former farmhouse on the glacial Jökulsá river where you can sleep in traditional Icelandic style—all in one farmhouse room—and sample traditional foods. Head out from here for hikes to 15 waterfalls or ride horses with local guides. And don’t miss the impressive museum here, which will guide you through the life of the family who lived on this farm for generations.
NEED TO KNOW
It’s easy to rent the right vehicle for a drive around Iceland. We recommend a Toyota Land Cruiser if you want to haul a trailer. Rent one from Hertz Iceland at Keflavík Airport. And for that trailer, we highly suggest you get a Mink Camper. This light, towable teardrop provides plenty of space for two to sleep, a kitchen area in the back (open it up for lunch stops along the way, and ample room for all your gear. If you are looking for a good base near the airport when you land or at the tail end of your trip, check in to the Courtyard by Marriot Keflavík, right next to the airport. In Reykjavik, nothing beats the Berjaya Reykjavik Marina Hotel.
Cover photo of Mink Campers by Michael Neumann
