Iceland's South Coast
WHO
All four of us traveled the south coast of Iceland and lived in a Happy Camper van for 6 days and nights. Averhy was 14 and Eden was 11 years old when we took this trip. It was a great way to explore this unique country!
WHAT
Here is our complete packing list for this trip. I used the Ziploc bag method, which was helpful in keeping things organized in our camper van. We used one large (checked) suitcase and four backpacks, and wore our snow boots and winter coats on the plane. I did bring my big camera on this trip, as well as our phones and the SJCam. Some unusual items for this trip included 4 sleeping bags, snow pants, flashlights, rain gear, a few camping meals, and some cooking supplies.
This is one trip where Sky would probably say we lost at the packing puzzle game, because we didn’t actually use everything we brought with us. It was so cold at night and first thing in the morning that showers (and the walk to/from the campground facilities) did not sound fun - so we didn’t end up wearing all the shirts we brought. However, we forgot to bring towels, so when we did take showers, we used our extra t-shirts to dry off!
WHEN
For this trip, we traveled to Iceland the first week of November 2018. The weather was cold, but bearable, and we managed to avoid summer-season crowds. We had hoped to see the northern lights at some point, but unfortunately it rained every night we were there. Since it was winter, the days were noticeably shorter than at home - sunrise was around 9am and it was dark by 5pm. It was also interesting how the sun stayed so low in the sky all day. We had to consider the shorter days when planning our itinerary, and used the dark evenings to relax (and for the girls - to complete homework).
WHERE
Our lodgings were also our transportation for this adventure! We rented a converted van through Happy Campers, and were really pleased with how it worked out. The van has room for four to sleep comfortably, and we didn’t feel too crowded.
The map shows all the locations we went to during our six day trip. We hoped to drive all the way around the island, but weather changed our plans.
WHY
Iceland had always been on Sky’s bucket list, so when we got an alert through NextVacay.com about some really cheap tickets, we jumped on them! We would recommend a trip to Iceland because the landscape is so unique. It is a volcanic island, similar to Hawaii, but the glaciers and lack of trees make the landscape very stark and beautiful in a way we have never experienced elsewhere. There are no large cities, and the island is very rural - which we enjoyed.
HOW
Day 1: Bridge Between the Continents, Thingvellir National Park, the Golden Circle, & Selfoss
We arrived in Keflavik at 4am, but our van wasn’t available until 8am. Next time we’ll book a later flight! After getting the van, we bought breakfast/lunch groceries for the week before heading to the Bridge Between the Continents, connecting North America and Europe. Next stop was 90 minutes away - Thingvellir National Park. We spent a few hours here.
Some of the parks have an entry fee that you pay in the visitor center. There were a lot of nice trails to waterfalls, including Drekkingarhylur and Oxarfoss. We continued around the Golden Circle, seeing the original “Geysir” (though it’s no longer erupting) and other hot springs and geysers. The final waterfall of the day was Gulfoss, and the sun set at 5pm. We spent the night at a campground in Selfoss.
Day 2: Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Reynisfjara Beach, Reynisdrangar, & Fjadrargljufur Canyon
We underestimated how cold it would get at night, so we all woke up shivering. The rest of our trip, we all wore two layers of clothes to bed! Seljalandsfoss and Gljufurarbui were the first waterfalls of the day. There were a fair number of tourists here, and it clearly could get very crowded in the summer.
Skogafoss was the next (even bigger) waterfall, just 25 minutes down the road. Sky and the girls got very close to this one! As we drove toward Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach (another 30 minutes away) we stopped to see some Icelandic horses by the roadside. These friendly horses, as well as sheep, are everywhere. When we arrived at the beach, we were greeted by some serious WIND!
The basalt sea stacks were really impressive, and the black sand beach was fun to explore in spite of the wind. The surf here can get dangerous, but the ocean was fairly calm today so we were able to climb around some rocks and get a different view of Reynisdrangur. You can also see the Dyrholaey sea arch back to the west.
Fjadrargljufur Canyon was our last stop for the day, and we arrived as the sun was setting, so I was glad I brought my tripod to get this shot. The hike to the viewpoint took about 30 minutes, but the path was clear and the view at the end was worth it! We hiked back down in the dark, using our flashlights. Our campground for the night was a short 15 minute drive further, at Kirkjubaer II.
Day 3: Secret Glacier, Fjallsarlon & Jokulsarlon Lagoons, & Diamond Beach
On Day 3 we were supposed to hike a glacier, but the weather did not cooperate, so we had to reschedule and change our plans for the rest of the week… but it turned out for the best because we found a secret glacier! To get there, take the main Route 1, east from Skaftafell for about 10km. Then turn left just past the river, on to the unmarked F-road toward Falljökull Glacier. Park in the lot and hike to this awesome glacier.
After lunch we drove 45 minutes to Fjallsarlon Iceberg Lagoon, which was extremely windy (but we were basically the only people there) and then the Jokulsarlon Iceberg Lagoon (less windy, but more people), and finally Diamond Beach right before sunset. It was amazing seeing these huge icebergs floating out to sea!
Day 4: Hofn, Vestrahorn, & Flaajokull glacier
We spent the night at the campground in Hofn (most towns in Iceland have inexpensive campgrounds, which makes it really easy to travel this way) and then spent an hour or two exploring a Viking Village (formerly a movie set) where we climbed sand dunes and met some Icelandic horses.
A very bumpy road took us to a trail that led to Flaajokull glacier. We didn’t hike all the way to the glacier this time, but it was still a beautiful walk for a few hours. We drove back to Skaftafell campground for the night. This was a great campground, with nice showers and bathrooms. It probably gets crowded in the summer.
Day 5: Vatnajokull National Park glacier walk & Svartifoss waterfall
We decided to do a glacier walk and ice cave tour with Arctic Adventures because that’s the only safe way to go inside an ice cave. Our group had about 15 people in total, mostly older, so we moved at a slower pace than we would normally hike. The ice cave was really interesting to see, and I wish we could have had more time inside.
After the glacier hike (including some hot cocoa) we turned in our safety gear and took a short walk to Svartifoss waterfall. When we returned to the campground, one of the rangers suggested that we drive all the way back to Selfoss tonight, because there was a wind advisory starting early the next morning. Driving in the wind a few days earlier was not fun at all, so we took his advice and started the 3.5 hour drive before dark.
Day 6: Urridafoss, Hjalparfoss, & the Secret Lagoon
Our last full day started where we began the week, in Selfoss. We did some souvenir shopping before heading out to see a few more waterfalls. The first was Urridafoss, which has the highest volume of water of all falls in Iceland. Next we drove to Hjalparfoss (above) where the parking lot and walkways were coated in ice!
We ended our trip by going swimming at the Secret Lagoon (Gamla Laugin) hot springs. The wind was COLD so we stayed as low in the water as we could for several hours before driving on to Reykjavik for the night. We enjoyed the best meal of the week at Icelandic Street Food in downtown Reykjavik - highly recommend!
Final Tips
Getting to Iceland was cheap, but everything there was rather expensive. To save money, we bought the basics at the grocery store to make breakfast and lunch for ourselves, along with a few camping meals for dinner. We only ate out for a few meals.
The wind in Iceland is NO JOKE. If there is a travel alert or weather warning related to high winds, take it seriously.
We subscribe to NextVacay.com to get alerts on cheap flights - that’s how we found these tickets.
What else would you like to know? Leave a comment below!
