Iceland Roadtrip Planning 

"federicomos" (federicomos) 08/03/2016 at 11:31 • Filed to: None

3

31

Hi Guys, I’ve been lurking on oppo for years but haven’t really posted much except a couple of cars and coffee photos.

I will be travelling to Iceland in September and I’m planning a 2 week roadtrip around the island. I already booked the flight and a small camper van (I believe it’s a VW caddy), so now all that’s left is to plan the whole itinerary! I’m usually good about planning trips but this one is a bit more challenging.

Of course I know about the blue lagoon and the golden circle but for the let’s say less touristy parts of the island I’m not sure what’s worth checking out. I hear Hofn is a nice little town to stop at, the east fjords look epic and there’s a whole bunch of scenic nature around Lake Myvatn. Also I would like to go on a snowmobile glacier tour, but I’m not sure which company/glacier is the best to do it on.

Has anyone taken this kind of trip before?

Any suggestions and recommendations would be much appreciated!

dogisbadob > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 11:35

1

Why did you ignore the top left part? :p

Out, but with a W - has found the answer > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 11:36

0

No personal experience, but from a couple of friends who did something similar: expect to spend money. Lots and lots of money.

federicomos > dogisbadob 08/03/2016 at 11:38

1

Ah yes the west fjords...well I don't think I have enough time on this trip to visit them. Also the ring road doesn't go up there so it's all steep gravel mountain roads.

federicomos > Out, but with a W - has found the answer 08/03/2016 at 11:41

2

Yeah, definitely not expecting it to be a cheap trip. I was in Norway for a week a couple of year ago, so I know how it’s like spending $20 for a sandwich.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 11:46

1

My wife and I were there in April. I'll chat with her tonight and come up with a short list. Keep an eye on your notifications.

federicomos > The Lurktastic Opponaught 08/03/2016 at 11:53

0

Great, thanks!

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 12:14

0

But those are the best kind of roads.

BigBlock440 > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 12:36

0

A 2 week trip, it takes less than a day to drive around the entire island, and you don’t think you’ll have enough time? Are you walking? Only driving an hour a day? Staying in one hotel the entire trip?

The Lurktastic Opponaught > Out, but with a W - has found the answer 08/03/2016 at 12:51

0

If you eat out every meal and want to get faced every night at a bar, then yes, you will spend a lot of money. If you stop for groceries, pay attention to 2 for 1 beer specials, and pick up a bottle of scotch at the duty free on your way into the country (Keflavik has a huuuuge duty free shop for arriving passengers) you'll be just fine.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 12:54

0

As long as they’re not F roads, you’ll be fine in the summer. I drove non-marked gravel mountain roads/passes in April, and they were perfectly passable in a vauxhall astra.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > BigBlock440 08/03/2016 at 12:55

0

It takes more than a day to drive the ring road.

BigBlock440 > The Lurktastic Opponaught 08/03/2016 at 12:56

0

The map says 18 hours.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 13:00

0

Oh, something I wish I’d known: there is no right on red. There is no speeding. There are enforcement cameras everywhere in Reykjavik and on the ring road. Particularly insidious is the Hvalfjörður (edit: tunnel near Reykjavik). It’s a steep downhill gradient with speed cameras every few hundred meters. Not cool. Almost all speed cameras are marked, but some red light/right on red cameras are not. Beware. The fines are steep.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > BigBlock440 08/03/2016 at 13:02

0

Between tourists, trucks, sheep, and wind blown volcanic ash, take google maps estimates with a grain of salt.

Edit: grammar.

BigBlock440 > The Lurktastic Opponaught 08/03/2016 at 13:08

0

Still, 2 weeks should give enough time for the asked about detour.

Out, but with a W - has found the answer > The Lurktastic Opponaught 08/03/2016 at 13:10

0

Sure, it was a bit of a hyperbole, but even within Europe, Iceland is known as one of the most expensive destinations. It’s understandable (remote island and all that), but it’s not somewhere you’d go to have a cost-efficient holiday.

Great tips by the way, I’ll keep them in mind for if I ever get over paying €300/week for a rental car. ;)

The Lurktastic Opponaught > BigBlock440 08/03/2016 at 13:14

1

Absolutely. And it’s not just the 1 road that’s paved. The best spots we found were well off the 1 road:

Cé hé sin > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 13:15

0

I’ve done a lap of Iceland. I took a snowmobile trip which I booked in Reykjavík and was taken on a bus (actually two buses) to one of the glaciers in the south east. It’s not really worth it to be honest. You spend a day going to and from - obviously it might be different if you had a car and could get there under your own steam. You get a lift up to the glacier in a Landcruiser or similar, get your driving instructions and then you follow the leader on a pre prepared track to the top, swap drivers (it’s two to a machine unless you pay more) and then go down again.

Iceland looks like this from the ring road. A thin fertile strip, a hill and beyond that the interior which might as well be on Mars and has stood in for it.

federicomos > The Lurktastic Opponaught 08/03/2016 at 13:17

0

Thanks, for the head’s up.

federicomos > The Lurktastic Opponaught 08/03/2016 at 13:20

0

I’m planning on going to the supermarket and buy groceries before I start the ring road. The van comes with a stove so I can cook. Also no hotels or hostels cost will be a huge saving since I’m sleeping in the van.

federicomos > BigBlock440 08/03/2016 at 13:23

0

I’ve been on trips where I was driving more than a couple hours each day, not the most enjoyable. For example I was in sri lanka for two weeks last year (not much bigger than Iceland really) and driving on suicidal roads with suicidal trucks was fun at first but got more nerve racking after the first week. I’m trying to plan a slower pace this time around.

Cé hé sin > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 13:25

0

Bring a well stocked credit card. Before I went I was told that I didn’t need cash, they took plastic for everything, and it’s almost true. They’ve introduced pin and chip since and I don’t know how that’ll affect somebody from outside the chip and pin world.

Cé hé sin > BigBlock440 08/03/2016 at 13:27

0

If you want to circumnavigate Iceland in a day, it’ll be a long day! Slow roads and low limits.

BigBlock440 > Cé hé sin 08/03/2016 at 13:53

0

Sure, but possible. So a 2 week trip should leave time to explore other roads and areas.

Cé hé sin > Out, but with a W - has found the answer 08/03/2016 at 15:07

1

€300?? Bargain! I paid €500 for a Hyundai i10. In high season admittedly, but there wasn’t a cheaper car to be had there.

Cé hé sin > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 15:22

0

Some more thoughts:

If you find yourself in Husavik in the north you can go whale watching.

If you’re lucky you can get this close.

Or even closer:

When self catering you’ll need provisions. Local stuff is obviously packaged in Icelandic, an intimidating language for the poor foreigner. Imported goods aren’t in Icelandic because small market but in whatever they use back home and round about, which might be any or all types of Scandinavian, German or sometimes English.

If your car gives trouble, you might need the handbook. Which won’t be in Icelandic because small market or in English because lhd car but in whatever. Mine was in German because they bought the car from a dealer in Hamburg.

You won’t need your t shirt or shorts. I was there in July and it never went above 17 deg.

Bring your raincoat.

You won’t be swimming, or at least not in the sea.

federicomos > Cé hé sin 08/03/2016 at 15:50

0

Thanks for the info! What was the highlight of your trip?

Cé hé sin > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 17:08

0

I think Þórður (well, it’s a plausibly impenetrable name...) the whale. Not often you see a humpback directly under you!

And this (Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík):

And sights like this:

And this:

And a tasting menu including whale, puffin and guillemot.

Turd Ferguson > federicomos 08/03/2016 at 22:07

0

I actually did a 2 day road trip through Iceland with some buddies while I was on a Maymester my Freshman year of college.

We started in Reykjavik and went into central Iceland then east and back to Reykjavik. I HIGHLY SUGGEST that you go through that green area below Reykjavik near the 427.

We didn’t have maps or anything nor did we know where we were going but we drove through what was the most desolate landscape I have ever seen. It was like Mordor. There was smoke rising up from the ground for as far as the eye could see and we were surrounded by massive mountains.

If you go, you have to go through that valley.

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > federicomos 08/04/2016 at 05:38

0

Some lessons I learned on my recent trip to Norway (I will post pictures someday) that might help:
- Don’t count in distance, but in time. Some roads can be really bad, and you’ll be sloooow.
- Roads can be closed for various reasons, so always prepare an alternative route. Also try to get the information early, so you won’t end in front of a sign, having to drive back 2 hours to get on another road (been there).
- If you travel with animals, check everything you need, to enter the country, and check if your sources are up to date.
- If you travel with someone, chances are there will be tensions at some time. You might want to plan some buffer time in which each one can do something alone for some hours.
- Also if you travel with someone, make sure they give their input while planning, having a traveling companion that’s more like a baggage that you take with you than a friend to share an adventure with can be a pain.

Please give feedback after your trip, I’m planning to go there too, I want to g with my own ride though, and I’m really interested b the outcome.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > federicomos 08/04/2016 at 21:16

0

this looks incredible.