Last updated: 14.11.23

Are you ready for your next outdoor adventure? Then you have to add Iceland to your bucket list!

This country offers plenty of outdoor activities and adventures. However the weather is raw and harsh sometimes, but if you brave the weather you will get rewarded! Iceland has the most spectacular nature such as volcanoes, glaciers, hot springs, black sand beaches, tons of waterfalls and so much more! The raw nature often makes you feel like driving around on another planet!

This destination is perfect for road trips, nature lovers and adventure seekers.

Iceland isn’t like any other county I have visited! It’s unique and raw!

We spent 8 adventurous days road tripping on the famous Ring Road of Iceland in breathtaking sceneries. Here I share our 8 day itinerary in Iceland with you. I hope our itinerary will inspire you to create your own itinerary or just copy ours to make it easy!

Disclaimer: One of the links in this article is an affiliate link – This means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase from it. Thank you for your support!

8 day Iceland itinerary

This is how we spent 8 days in Iceland with a camper:

Day 1:

Arrival day:
We arrived around noon at Keflavík International Airport.
Then we picked up our camper, did some grocery shopping, started the drive towards our first stop the next day and found a place to stay for the night.

Day 2:

First day of the real adventures and entering the Golden Circle:
The highlights of the day:

– Kirkjufell:
A waterfall with the iconic Icelandic view of the famous sharp mountain formation called Kirkjufell in the background.

– Thingvellir National Park:
This national park is on UNESCO World Heritage List and part of the well known tourist area called the Golden Circle. This place is known for the rift between two continental plates, the European and the North American.

– Kerid Crater:
Kerid Crater is a volcanic crater lake.

Day 3:

More speed and action this day:
The highlights of the day:

– Geysir Hot Spring Area and Strokkur:
Geysir is an active hot spring area. You find boiling mud pits and exploding geysers. The most popular geyser is the Strokkur geyser, which spouts water into the air every 5 minutes. It’s located in the Golden Circle.

– Snowmobile tour:
On this tour you will be driving a snowmobile on Europe’s second largest ice cap. In this winter wonderland you can enjoy views of a glacier while driving around. The tour starts at Gullfoss parking lot.

This activity was done as a collaboration.

– Gullfoss:
The name Gullfoss means “Golden Waterfall” and it’s one of Iceland’s most iconic waterfalls. Known for the views and the terrace build structure. This waterfall is also part of the Golden Circle.

– Hrunalaug hot spring:
Hrunalaug hot spring is a small natural hot spring. The water is naturally heated by geothermal activity and rich in minerals. Enjoy the warm water surrounded by the beautiful Icelandic landscape.

Day 4:

More waterfalls and adventures:
The highlights of the day:

– Seljalandsfoss:
This waterfall is known for the option to walk behind it. It makes it possible to shoot some nice pictures from all angles.

– Solheimasandur plane wreck:
DC3 Plane Wreck is a popular stop to visit in Iceland. The rusting shell of the wreck is laying on the black sand.

– Kayak tour in glacier lagoon at Sólheimajökull:
On this tour you will be kayaking in a glacier lagoon between majestic icebergs with views of the glacier.
You can read more about our trip here: Kayaking in glacier lagoon.

This activity was done as a collaboration.

– Camping at Skógafoss:
In front of Skógafoss you find a campsite, where we stayed for the night.
The parking lot at Skógafoss also works as a camping site. So if you are camping at Skógafoss you might end up having it all to yourself early in the morning.

Day 5:

The day with the many huge icebergs:
The highlights of the day:

– Skógafoss:
This is one of Iceland’s biggest waterfalls and such a beautiful one.

– Dyrhólaey:
Dyrhólaey is a peninsula. Here you can watch the beautiful and raw coastline of the Icelandic south coast. This place is home to a rock arch, a historic lighthouse and many birds.

– Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach:
A famous black beach on the south coast of Iceland.

– (Fjaðrárgljúfur – skipped due to bad weather):
Fjaðrárgljúfur (what a name!) is a beautiful canyon.

– Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon:
A beautiful glacier lagoon with huge icebergs broken off Europe’s largest glacier Vatnajokull.

– Diamond beach:
Diamond Beach is a black sand beach, where icebergs are washed up on the shore (and looking like “diamonds” on the black sand). Such a unique and beautiful beach.

– Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon:
A breathtaking glacier lagoon with giant icebergs breaking off the glacier into the lagoon.

Day 6:

More spectacular nature:
The highlights of the day:

– (Skipped first stop Vestrahorn due to very strong winds):
A beautiful mountain and unique beach where the sand patterns change all the time.

– Hike to Hengifoss:
Hengifoss is one of the highest waterfalls in Iceland. The rock formation behind the waterfall has beautiful red stripes.

To reach this waterfall requires a hike with some elevation. But this unique color pattern in the rock formation and the waterfall itself is worth the hike.

– Dettifoss:
The most powerful waterfall in Europe. Walking close by you can really feel and hear the power of the falling water.

– Lake Krafla (crater):
This dramatic crater lake has an eye catching beautiful color and in the background you have stunning mountains.

– Mývatn area (geothermal area):
A huge lake surrounded by geothermal activity.

Day 7:

Driving day and out favorite waterfall:
The highlight of the day:

– (The originally plan included a whale watching tour in Husavik, but it was cancelled due to bad weather).

– Godafoss:
This waterfall is one of the most spectacular ones and also my favorite waterfall in Iceland – Such a beautiful and picturesque waterfall.

– A lot of driving this day to get closer to the destination for the last day and drop off point for the camper

Day 8:

The spa day:
The highlight of the day:

– Blue Lagoon:
Blue Lagoon is the perfect place for a relaxing spa day in the healing hot water.
The area is big and it doesn’t take too long to get a drink in the bar and a mask in the mask bar while you’re in the hot water.
This place is very popular and crowded. I guess there is a reason why it’s on National Geographic’s list of the 25 natural wonders of the world!
Location: You find Blue Lagoon in the southwest corner of Iceland. Close to the international airport Keflavík (20-30 minutes).
Find tickets here: Blue Lagoon Tickets.

– Returning the car

Improvements to Iceland itinerary

Ready for a unique outdoor adventure? Then steal our 8 day itinerary in Iceland! These are the things that could be improved to make this road trip even better:

– Time: Add a few extra days for more time to do all of it and perhaps some time for relaxation as well. The last 2 days we ended up driving quite a lot, it would have been nice to break those driving days up a bit more.

– The first day we drove to Kirkjufell, as we did not have the time on day 7. However it would have made more sense to visit this stunning place at the end of the ring road trip, when driving against the clock as we did.

Overview of 23 places to visit in Iceland

Here is an overview of 23 locations to visit in Iceland divided into categories:

Hot springs/spa:	Ice nature elements:	Waterfalls:
– Blue Lagoon – Hrunalaug hot spring	– Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon – Diamond beach – Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon	– Kirkjufellsfoss – Öxarárfoss – Gullfoss – Seljalandsfoss – Skógafoss – Hengifoss – Dettifoss – Godafoss

Craters:	Geysers:	Other nature spots:	Other:
– Kerid Crater – Lake Krafla	– Geysir and Strokkur	– Kirkjufell – Thingvellir National Park – Dyrhólaey – Vestrahorn – Fjaðrárgljúfur – Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach	– Solheimasandur plane wreck

I hope this Iceland travel blog post has inspired you to plan an Iceland itinerary for your trip.

If you’re planing a trip to Iceland I recommend you to check out these blog posts too:

• Iceland travel costs: Here I show you how much money we spent on this trip.
• Apps for Iceland: In this blog post you will find 4 apps that are good to know when you visit Iceland.  
• Unique things to do in Iceland: Read about our snowmobile and kayak tours.