If there was ever a country perfectly suited for a road trip, it’s
Iceland.  With only a week, we thought it
was too much to try and make it around the entire 1,830 miles of Iceland’s two-lane
(and sometimes single lane) ring road, but we definitely wanted to see a good
portion of the country.  Therefore, we
flew from Reykjavik to Akureyri to shorten the journey a bit, and then rented a
car one-way to drive clockwise around the country.

Our itinerary included:

• Day 0: Flight from London Heathrow to Keflavik. Overnight in Reykavik (note: there is a Iceland Air flight from Keflavik to Akureyri but we arrived too late for it)
• Day 1: Morning flight to Akureyri. Akureyri – Godafoss – Lake Myvatn area. Overnight in Myvatn.

• Day 2: Husavik – Ásbyrgi Canyon – Detifoss. Overnight in Egilsstadir

• Day 3: East Fjords and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. Overnight in Öræfin/Hof

• Day 4: Skaftafell – Vatnajokull Glacier Hike – Skógarfoss waterfall – Seljalandsfoss waterfalls. Overnight in Hella

• Day 5: Golden Circle. Overnight in Reykjavik

• Day 6: Reykjavik

• Day 7: Blue Lagoon – Flight back to London

It was an amazing week, filled with such a variety of landscapes and
activities – from glaciers split by fiery volcanoes, bubbling hotsprings,
thundering waterfalls and blue icebergs to majestic lakes and canyons,
moonscapes, puffins, seals and whales.

Read on to see a see how each day went.

Iceland Packing List

– Camera: I carried my SLR, Go Pro and phone and was happy to have them all. The Go Pro was great for activities, but it can’t replace the SLR in such a scenic country. If I had to pick one, I’d go with the SLR.

– Layers and waterproof clothing – No matter when you go, you could possibly experience all four seasons in one day. That said, less is more – I took a bunch of stuff but ended up wearing the same stuff over and over. My key items: jeans, hiking trousers, tshirt, long sleeve shirt, fleece, waterproof and windproof jacket, waterproof trousers, and wooly jumper.

– Hat

– Gloves

– Car charger

– Music – The radio won’t have much to offer along parts of the drive

– Swimwear, towel and flip flops – you’ll need them for the baths/swimming pools around the country

– Hiking boots

– Trainers

– Sunglasses

– Sunscreen

– Backpack

– Water bottle

– Mosquito/Midge net if you are going to Lake Myvatn and it’s midge season!