On your own – The Ring Road Jiffy Style – 6 days

A car can be picked up in Keflavík airport terminal in the morning. Today’s itinerary might include some of Iceland’s most famous attractions, such as Þingvellir National Park, where the world’s first parliament convened in 930 C.E. It lies in the deeply fractured rift zone where the tectonic plates are spreading apart and upwelling lava creates new land.
Next are Strokkur and Geysir, which gave its name to geysers worldwide and Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most beautiful waterfalls. You will get an overview of mt. Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull, and have chance to visit the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. Overnight in Vík or nearby. 

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Today, you cross the vast sandur, the coastal plain formed of sediments from jökulhlaup, glacial outburst floods. The lava field Eldhraun is nearby Kirkjubæjarklaustur. You pass Lómagnúpur (Loon Peak), one of Iceland‘s most recognizable mountains. From there you head to Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park, one of biggest national park in Europe, to see and maybe touch Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull. Continuing east, the Ring Road takes us to Jökulsárlón, the glacial lagoon, before reaching Höfn and continuing eastwards. Overnight in Djúpivogur or nearby.

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From Djúpivogur you take a mountain route to Egilsstaðir and keep driving north over some of the most spectacular mountain routes experiencing breathtaking views.
Depending on season and circumstances, it is possible to take the eastern or western area of the glacier river Jökulsá á Fjöllum up to the splendid Dettifoss and smaller Selfoss and Hafragilsfoss, the three waterfalls in Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. At the end of Jökulsárgljúfur, the majestic canyon of Ásbyrgi is the last stop of the day. Overnight in Húsavík.

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According to the Landnámabók (“Book of Settlement”), Húsavík was the first place in Iceland to be settled by a Norseman. The Swedish Viking Garðar Svavarsson stayed there for one winter around 870 A.D. The name of the town means “bay of houses” whichrefers to Garðar’s homestead. Húsavík is also known for its coastal culture and being „whale capital of Iceland“ for its renowned whale watching. In summer seasons are many departures from mornings to evenings.
In the afternoon, you transfer to lake Mývatn area, one of the highlights of the north and one of the places most people want to visit and explore. Travelling around the lake, and there are several great places to visit. For example Hverfjall volcano, Dimmuborgir lava field and Skútustaðir pseudo craters. Head towards Húsavík and explore local history and culture. Other nice spots to visit include Krafla and Námafjall. A visit to Mývatn Nature baths might be considered in the evening. Overnight in Mývatn area.

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After leaving Mývatn, first stop is Goðafoss, one of Iceland’s most scenic waterfalls. Next is Akureyri, a center of North Iceland, and a very lovely city – small, attractive and easy to navigate. Explore its harbor along Eyjafjörður; its several museums; the Botanical Garden, which has Icelandic native plant species or enjoy other options. From Akureyri, leave the Eyjafjörður, cross the Skagafjörður area and continue to the historic Húnavatnssýsla. Visit Blönduós and head to Hvammstangi, but on this way there are several places to visit, like the rock Hvítserkur. Overnight in Hvammstangi or nearby.

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Complete the circle driving south to Borgarnes first, where you can learn a bit about history of Iceland in the Settlement Centre, located in Borgarnes. From here, you can choose to drive on the main road to the city or possible to go a bit out of the beaten track with a detour around Hvalfjorður. Overnight in Reykjavík, or transfer to Keflavík and drop the car off before the international evening flight.

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