Self-Drive – Around Iceland in a Week

Arrival at Keflavík Airport. Pick-up of rented vehicle and drive to Reykjavík for your first night stay in Iceland. Depending on your arrival time, we recommend that you make a stop at the famous Blue Lagoon on the way and have a swim in the geothermal warm water.

Highlights:
Waterfall Hraunfossar and Barnafossar
Deildartunguhver
Glaumbaer
Akureyri

Start your roundtrip of Iceland by heading towards Borgarfjörður, an interesting area, rich with cultural and historical heritage. You pass the splendid waterfalls of Hraunfossar, where the water flows out of the lava into the river below. Continue and make a stop at Deildartunguhver, Iceland’s largest hot spring (in terms of water production per second). From Borgarnes, continue to the North of Iceland through the Skagafjörður, which is known for horse breeding and many Icelandic horses can be seen on the way. Take some time to visit the museum at Glaumbær, a beautifully restored turf farmhouse, one of the few that has been properly preserved in Iceland. Continue until you reach Akureyri the major town in the North of Iceland where you will be staying for 2 nights.

Highlights:
Akureyri
Waterfall Godafoss
Lake Mývatn
Skútustaðir
Lava formations of Dimmuborgir
Námskarð
Krafla area

The whole day is dedicated to the marvels of Lake Mývatn Nature Reserve known as one of Iceland’s most fascinating areas of natural beauty. On the way to Myvatn you must make a stop at the impressive waterfall Godafoss “The fall of the gods”. One of its main attractions near Mývatn is the Námaskarð geothermal area where you will find bubbling mud pools and hissing steam vents. You must not miss the Krafla area with the crater Víti and the Leirhnjúkur area. Later on, you can venture a walk up to the top of Hverfjall crater or dip into the geothermal water of the natural baths located east of the Lake. Drive back to Akureyri for a second night.

Highlights:
Husavik
Tjörnes peninsula
Ásbyrgi
Waterfall Dettifoss
Egilsstadir

You start your day by driving to the charming fishing village of Husavik. Then you drive along the coastline of the Tjörnes peninsula and make a small stop at the extremity of the peninsula to enjoy the view and spot some seabirds. Ásbyrgi is your next stop, a horseshoe shaped gorge with its impressive rock walls and abundant vegetation. Heading south from Ásbyrgi the road leads you to the mighty waterfall Dettifoss where you will feel the earth tremble beneath the force of the glacial water. The road continues across the lunar landscape of Möðrudalur highlands until you reach the fertile valley of Hérað where the village of Egilsstadir lies.

Highlights:
East Fjords
Petra´s stone collection
Djúpivogur
Almannaskarð
Höfn

Now it is time to discover the East Fjords: Starting towards the fjord Reydarfjörður where a small history museum about World War II is situated. In Stöðvarfjörður there is Petra’s stone collection, a private collection which includes most of the Icelandic minerals. As you continue you might want to make a stop in the village of Djúpivogur, located in a charming setting. Now you continue along the fjords towards Southeast Iceland, at times the road hangs precariously high on the mountain slopes. Finally, you drive through the tunnel of Almannaskarð to arrive in the Höfn region where you will stay for the night.

Highlights:
Vatnajokull glacier
Glacial Lagoon Jokulsarlon
Skaftafell National Park
Svartifoss waterfall
Skaftafell glacial tongue
Kirkjubaejarklaustur
Eldhraun lava field
Vík

After passing various outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest ice cap, you will arrive at the glacial lagoon, Jokulsarlon. This is an exceptional sight at the foot of Iceland’s highest mountain, Hvannadalshnúkur. You can walk along the banks of the lagoon or take a 30-40 min boat trip to admire the fantastically shaped icebergs. Skaftafell National Park is another area worthy of your attention. This oasis surrounded by glaciers and black sand plains has many hiking possibilities. Continue through Kirkjubaejarklaustur village, the Eldhraun lava field and the Mýrdalssandur plain before you arrive in the Vík area

Highlights:
Skógarfoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls
Geysir hot spring
Waterfall Gullfoss
Thingvellir National Park

Continuing westbound you arrive at Skógar and pass Skógarfoss waterfall, one of the highest in Iceland. As you continue towards Hella you pass Seljalandsfoss waterfall, and you can actually walk behind it. Now it is time to visit some of the most interesting and famous areas of Iceland. You drive through the village of Flúðir to reach the famous geothermal area of Geysir where the Strokkur hot spring ejects its water column high into the air every 5 – 10 minutes and where numerous small springs boil and bubble. Close by is Gullfoss, surely the country’s most famous waterfall. Continuing towards Thingvellir (Þingvellir) consider one of the geological wonders of the world where you can see the effects of the tectonic plate movements which have opened various cracks and fissures in the earth’s crust. It was here that the Icelandic Parliament was founded in the 10th century.

Drive back to Keflavík airport for your flight back home. Or book an extra night in Reykjavík, the vibrant capital of Iceland!