9 days / 2190 km / 30 hours 49 minutes
From Reykjavík, Iceland to Reykjavík, Iceland. 9 days and 2190 kilometers of new adventures. You too can use Furkot to plan your next road trip.
MarioSee more trips
Day 1
9:00 - 185.7 km / 2 hours 25 minutes - 11:26
Arnarstapi and Hellnar: Next, head to the little fishing village called Arnarstapi. Drive to the back of the small town to see the incredible sea stack rocks called Gatklettur. There is a path that you can take from here to another old fishing village called Hellnar.
13:26 - 16.0 km / 16 minutes - 13:43
Djúpalónssandur and Dritvík: One of my favorite spots on the trip was this black pebble beach. The trail down to the beach weaves you through giant rock formations. It feels very otherwordly. Once you see the ocean you’ll also notice that the beach is covered in bright orange pieces of a rusted shipwreck from the early 20th century. Walk around and spend some time taking it all in.
16:43 - 33.2 km / 29 minutes - 17:13
17:43 - 11.7 km / 10 minutes - 17:54
Day 2
9:00 - 60.6 km / 44 minutes - 9:45
Stykkishólmur: If you’ve seen The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, you might recognize this little town. This is a great place to stop and get a bite to eat. Walk up to the lighthouse at sunrise to get a stunning view of the West Fjords.
10:45 - 403.1 km / 5 hours 14 minutes - 16:00
Goðafoss and Dettifoss: These are two incredibly powerful waterfalls. Goðafoss (waterfall of the gods) is on your way from Akureyri to Myvatn. You can see a photo of it in the titled image at the beginning of the post. Unfortunately, snow kept me from seeing Dettifoss, but I guess I can say I technically have seen it when I saw the movie Prometheus.
16:15 - 14.3 km / 13 minutes - 16:29
Day 3
9:00 - 106.6 km / an hour 39 minutes - 10:40
Goðafoss and Dettifoss: These are two incredibly powerful waterfalls. Goðafoss (waterfall of the gods) is on your way from Akureyri to Myvatn. You can see a photo of it in the titled image at the beginning of the post. Unfortunately, snow kept me from seeing Dettifoss, but I guess I can say I technically have seen it when I saw the movie Prometheus.
11:40 - 71.4 km / an hour 12 minutes - 12:53
Krafla Volcano: This highly active volcano might be calm now, but from the mid 70s to the mid 80s it was awake and active. In fact, it has erupted a total of twenty-nine times. Check it out now while it’s still here.
13:53 - 115.9 km / an hour 36 minutes - 15:30
16:30 - 66.2 km / 55 minutes - 17:26
Day 4
9:00 - 44.3 km / 38 minutes - 9:39
Hverir, Nebraska 2, Grand Island
Hverir: See that bright orange Mars looking place in the photo below? These are geothermal mud pools that are bubbling and steaming all around you. On your way to this geothermal hotspot you will see a beautiful blue hot spring that is much too hot to jump in, but a lot of fun to photograph. Continue up the road and you’ll find the Víti Crater.
11:39 - 0 km / 0 - 11:39
Myvatn Lake: Take a walk along the beautiful Myvatn Lake. There are many accommodations that sit right on the waterfront.
12:39 - 4.3 km / 5 minutes - 12:45
Myvatn Nature Baths: End the day at the Myvatn Nature Baths. This was my first experience in an Icelandic hot spring, and it was amazing. It even started snowing a bit while I was there.
15:45 - 42.0 km / 34 minutes - 16:20
Day 5
9:00 - 203.6 km / 2 hours 27 minutes - 11:28
Egilsstaðir: When you’re driving from the North to the East, stop for a rest in Egilsstaðir. There are restaurants where you can grab a bite to eat and a lovely lake to soak your feet in. You can drive from here, around the fjords, for a more scenic drive to Jökulsárlón.
13:28 - 254.7 km / 3 hours 19 minutes - 16:48
Day 6
9:00 - 71.4 km / 52 minutes - 9:53
Jökulsárlón: One of the most magical places on the route is the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Wake up early to go on a boat ride through the glaciers. On the other side of the bridge is a black sand beach where pieces of glaciers wash up onto shore. It’s pretty unreal.
12:53 - 11.0 km / 10 minutes - 13:04
15:04 - 47.5 km / 37 minutes - 15:42
Skaftafell National Park: If seeing the glacier lagoons wasn’t cool enough, check out the Svartifoss Waterfall (Black waterfall) that is surrounded by basalt lava columns. You can drive up the hill and take a small hike, but if you’re feeling adventurous you should definitely try to hike the whole way. It’s not bad, I promise.
18:42 - 69.7 km / 53 minutes - 19:36
Klaustur-Hof Guesthouse, Klausturvegur, Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland
Day 7
Klaustur-Hof Guesthouse, Klausturvegur, Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland
9:00 - 4.6 km / 5 minutes - 9:06
Kirkjubæjarklaustur: Drive to the town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Here you can find a basalt column formation called, Kirkjugólfið. I stopped here to grab some skyr and granola to eat for breakfast too.
10:06 - 90.6 km / an hour 3 minutes - 11:10
11:25 - 11.2 km / 10 minutes - 11:36
Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss Waterfalls: See if you can spot gold at the bottom of the Skógafoss waterfall. Legend has it that there is viking gold hidden below. Afterwards, head to Seljalandsfoss Waterfall for a chance to walk behind a real waterfall.
13:36 - 29.3 km / 25 minutes - 14:02
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Iceland
Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss Waterfalls: See if you can spot gold at the bottom of the Skógafoss waterfall. Legend has it that there is viking gold hidden below. Afterwards, head to Seljalandsfoss Waterfall for a chance to walk behind a real waterfall.
15:02 - 22.4 km / 18 minutes - 15:21
Day 8
Day 9
9:00 - 103.4 km / an hour 21 minutes - 10:22
Blue Lagoon Spa, Reykjavík, Iceland
Blue Lagoon: Before or after your flight, take a dip in the Blue Lagoon. I recommend the lava rock scrub too, it made my face feel incredibly soft. The Blue Lagoon is only about fifteen minutes away from the airport. You’ll sleep like a baby on the flight home.
13:22 - 4.0 km / 7 minutes - 13:30