The Photographer's Epic Icelandic Road Trip

I just got back from the single greatest photography road trip of all time. I don't like the overuse of the word "epic" so common these days, but there is not a better word to describe it. This trip was the epicest epic that ever epically epiced.

Because I get annoyed looking through 49 thousands chronologically backward road trip posts on other blogs (and my own), I decided to put it all in one big long post. So sit back, relax, and hold on to your hats.

PLANNING

My dad came out for a 10 day visit; 8 days road-tripping and 2 days in Reykjavik. His only request was to not be like all the other tourists, but still working within a reasonable and realistic budget.

Challenge accepted. 

The first item of business to make it less touristy was to cut out the Golden Circle. It's not that stops on the Golden Circle are lame, but everyone does it (EVERYONE), making it the Mecca for tourists in Iceland. For those of you who want to include these iconic stops in your road trip, but are a bit tourist-phobic like my dad and I, I definitely suggest doing it quickly and freeing more time for other stops. In my opinion, there are much cooler things to spend time on here, especially if you're a photographer.

You don't need more than 2 days in Reykjavik, and honestly 1 is enough to see everything unless you want to go to all the museums and whale watching and bars and whatever. Reykjavik is a great city, and deserving of at least a few hours of your trip, but if your time is limited don't worry about spending multiple days there.

Another thing we cut out was The Blue Lagoon, which is the king of tourist spots in Iceland. We opted for the smaller, much cheaper, version in Mývatn. More on that later.

To save on hotel/hostel/guesthouse costs, we decided to rent a small 2-person camper from Kúkú Campers. I have to say, Kúkú Campers are BAFMs. Their prices are the best I could find (trust me, I'm a travel deal ninja), the customer service was incredible, the size/space/everything was perfect for us, and you simply can't beat their rad paint jobs. I wouldn't hesitate one second to recommend them to everyone. (Nope, I didn't get a deal on my camper to say those nice things, that's straight from my Kúkú Camper lovin' heart.) They have lots of different options of campers on their website, so check them out.

"Rick James" our valiant steed.

The other budget-friendly option was to rent a small car and camp everywhere. When I did the math, factoring in camping fees/gas/etc, renting a small camper was cheaper and easier for the 2 of us. In Iceland, you can pull off the side of the road pretty much anywhere and sleep (plus we found that most campgrounds will let you park there for free if you aren't showering). Though I love sleeping outside or in a tent, Iceland's crazy weather made me really thankful we had a nice dry bed to sleep on at the end of the day.

THE ROUTE

Though I may eventually replace this quickly done GoogleMaps map with a more custom tailored one, this is essentially the route we took. It's quite the feat to undertake in 8 days, but we found it completely do-able. During the summer it never gets very dark so you can drive for hours at the end of the day if you find yourself caught up in one location.

This route, on digital paper, has us clocking in around 2,400km, which is what we were shooting for so we'd stay around out 300km a day limit with Kúkú Campers. However, we somehow overshot our route by a couple hundred kilometers. How we did that, I'll never know. But even with the overage fees Kúkú Campers was still the cheapest way to go.

View Larger Map

In addition to the free maps I picked up downtown in Reykjavik in the tourist centers, we mostly used the International Photographer's map of Iceland suggested by local photographer Rúrik Björnsson. Both he and the map were priceless resources in planning the trip (big thanks to everyone else who gave me suggestions too!).

AWAY WE GO

Preface About the Photography
Alex, my brother you passed away from cancer last June, always wanted to go to Iceland. Unfortunately he never made it before he died, so my time in Iceland has always been a little bit of a pilgrimage. To honor him during this trip, my dad and I built carins at some of our favorite places. Carins, or stacked rocks, serve as a marker leading future travelers on the right trail. They were an exciting part of my childhood camping in the southern Utah wilderness, and seeing them in Iceland has always made me very nostalgic. Most of the landscape photos that don't include my dad or I in them have a carin (though it's sometimes hidden, so keep an eye out!). These are to help guide Alex, wherever he is, around the land he never got to explore in life.

Day 1 - Reykjavík to Westman Islands

Seljalendsfoss

Gljúfrarbúi 

Gljúfrarbúi 

- Seljalendsfoss and the overlooked (but quite amazing) Gljúfrarbúi which is just north of the other waterfalls, behind the campsite.

- Pretty much all of Heimaey. A volcano erupted there in 1973 and threatened to destroy the whole city and harbor. You can still see buildings half consumed in cooled lava and there is a nice exhibit about it at the museum. The Westman Islands are one of the most beautiful places in Iceland, and remind me a lot of tree-less Kauai. We took our car on the ferry, but if you're an avid walker/hiker, you could see a lot of the island without transportation.

Day 2 - Westman Islands to Höfn

Where we slept for the night. Can't complain waking up to this.

The half lava covered water tank in the Westman Islands.

Seljavallalaug

Reynisfjall

Reynisfjall

Skaftafell

Jökulsárlón

Glacial beach across the road from Jökulsárlón.

- Seljavallalaug is one of the oldest pools in Iceland and definitely worth going to (especially because it's free!). There aren't many things better than sitting in a hot spring surrounded by hills full of waterfalls.
- Dyrhólaey outlook. We didn't stop here because we missed the turn off, but I've been there before and it's quite a gorgeous view up there.
- Reynisfjall basalt columns and cave are pretty spectacular and extremely photogenic!
- Vík is a nice spot to stop for gas and to snap a few photos of the church and basalt formations.
- Skogafoss. We stopped for lunch at the cafe here, but there were a lot of tourists clogging our shots, so we didn't stay long. I've been here before when no one was around and it was incredible. Very exhilarating standing at the base of such a powerful waterfall!
- LUPIN! There are massive fields of lupin in June and July. So gorgeous.
- The Skaftafell area is stunning.
- Jökulsárlón is one of my favorite places in Iceland. I don't care who you are or where you're from, this place is magic. Make sure to go to the beach side of the road as well to see the ice wash ashore. I would say this is possibly the most photogenic places on the whole island.

Day 3 - Höfn to Mývatn

We never figured out the name of this waterfall (it wasn't on our map). If anyone knows, please pass along the time. It's along the south-east coast.

Námafjall

- We wish we could have seen more of the Eastfjords, but the weather was terrible so we took the "short" route skipping the fjords. We didn't realize this was a dirt road, and probably not much faster than the other way around. All the little coastal town along the way are quite charming and worth stopping and taking a look around if you have time.
- I was blown away by the landscape in Eastern Iceland. There are SO many trees! We both agreed this was probably where The Shire is and expected to see Frodo and Bilbo running up to our car wanting to join our adventure. The Fljótsdalshérað area is really beautiful is a different way than the rest of Iceland. I didn't know much about the area before going there, but I would definitely suggest trying to camp in this area and exploring it a little more if possible.
- The Námafjall mud pots were wicked cool, at least to me. We got there around 10pm, so it was still light enough to take plenty of photos, but without the crowds. Perfect.
- This is the area I wish we would have had a jeep for. I would have loved to explore more of the Krafla area. There are dozens of wonderfully bleak volcanic craters in this area which is a huge contrast to the green and lush Eastfjords.
- Mývatn, where we spent the night, is more of a vacation destination than I would have imagined (so more tourists), but is quite nice. It's a big lake with craters made from giant balls of lava crashing into it. Awesome, huh?

Day 4 - Mývatn to Blönduòs

Grjótagjá

Dettifoss

Goðafoss

- We tried to get a reasonably early start to Grjótagjá, a ridiculously awesome hot spring in a cave (and where they filmed a certain famous Game of Thrones scene I only saw about 3 seconds of because I watch the edited version... Jon Snuuuu!). We were bummed out to see tour groups coming through the area, but soon realized many were sticking their head in and walking by, leaving the pool empty and beckoning for a dip. The water was HOT. I'm talking fire of a thousands suns hot. We didn't last too long, but agreed it was absolutely worth it. This ended up being one of my favorite things from the trip.
- We backtracked to Dettifoss waterfall of Prometheus fame (we should have stopped on the way to Mývatn, but the map we were using was a little unclear about the road situation). It was pretty impressive, but if waterfalls aren't your thing it's easily skipped. Dettifoss similar to Gullfoss from the Golden Circle, but bigger. It takes a little bit of time to drive and hike out to it, so that's where most of my reservation comes from if you are enthusiastic about waterfalls. I'm glad we did make the stop though.
- Mývatn Nature Bath, as I mentioned about 10 years ago in this post, is sort of The Blue Lagoon's kid brother. I haven't been to The Blue Lagoon yet, but I feel confident in saying if you're doing the ring road and aren't made of money, go here instead. You'll save a lot of money for a very similar experience with less tourists. But, if you want the whole spa experience with massage and facial, this nature bath doesn't offer that. (Side note: prepare to get publicly naked when you go to any pool in Iceland. Yep, a bunch of old Japanese ladies and some Croatians saw my tush in the locker room.)
- Goðafoss is an easily accessible and rather photogenic waterfall which makes a nice rest along the way.
- Akureyri is a nice town worth stopping in if you have time. I spent a few days here over Easter and rather enjoyed walking the city. You can also go whale watching here and in Husavik (though we didn't). 

Day 5 - Blönduòs to Reykjanes with Djúpavík

Hvítserkur

Djúpavík 

Rick James being a BAMF.

- I wanted to check out Hvítserkur, a rock off the coast that looks like a dinosaur (since this sort of thing is right up my photographic ally). On the map it seemed like a quick trip around the peninsula, but no, it ended up being 3+ hours on a really shizzy road in the mud and rain. It was a little more worth it once we stopped by a little house to buy some icelandic sweaters from a nice old lady. This place is the best deal I've seen with some really great styles, so definitely stop on in if you're in the market. It's just a little while past Hvítserkur before you get to the tip of the peninsula.
- The second place I was eager to stop off the beaten path for was the old ship beached at Djúpavík (also right up my photographic ally). Unfortunately the road is also a bit rubbish in the rain, as is photographing the ship with a bland, rainy, sky. This area is absolutely STUNNING, but I was semi-grumpy because of the weather and didn't get many great results. I think this would make a better day trip where you could spend time waiting for the right light.

Day 6 - Reykjanes to Látrabjarg (ish)

Dynjandi

Puffin at Látrabjarg

- I was really excited to tackle the Westfjords. Nearly every single person I ever asked about their favorite place in Iceland said the Westfjords. I was also told over and over how long it took to drive through them, so I was expecting to spend at least 2 long driving days here. False. We pretty much did it all in a day. My dad and I both agreed we could have taken it much slower, though we did see quite a lot.
- Ísafjörður is the biggest city in the Westfjords, and surprisingly quite beautiful. For some reason I pictured it very differently, so my expectations were blown away when we arrived. Nothing screamed "perfect honeymoon" more than Ísafjörður, for any of you who happened to be in the market.
- Dynjandi waterfall, holy crap, such a cool place! There is a giant waterfall followed by many levels of smaller waterfalls, all of which are more photogenic than the last. Pretty sure this is Rivendell actually. One of my favorite, if not my favorite, waterfalls I've seen in Iceland.
- Látrabjarg is famous for it's birds. Picture enormous cliffs sticking straight up from the water covered in all sorts of sea birds, including the outrageously endearing puffin. We arrived around 11pm and the air was dead calm (these cliffs are infamous for their wind), so we could easily snap shot after shot of the hundreds of puffins lining the cliffs.
- We spent the night near the shipwreck that's on the way to/from Látrabjarg.

Day 7 - Látrabjarg to Grundarfjörður via Flatey

Flatey

Flatey

Flatey

- We got a wild hair and decided to take the ferry to Flatey, a small island in between the Westfjords and Snæfellsness. I'm so glad we did! Flatey is the epitome of charm. There are only a few colorful houses, a church, a hotel, and a cafe here with no outside vehicles are permitted. If I were a successful writer, I would rent one of the houses for a summer and write the crap out of a book here. So lovely. Not to mention the rad shipwreck on the west side of the island! If you get a chance to go here, DO IT.
- Stykkishólmur is where the ferry from Flatey docks in Snæfellsness, and a good area to explore.

Day 8 - Grundarfjörður to Reykjavík

Life changing food at Sjávargrillið.

- It was this day we realized we were over on our miles (again, it was a big surprise just how many kilometers over we were) so we unfortunately were very limited in our exploring. Plus the clouds were completely covering Snæfellsjökull, the glacier that inspired "Journey to the Center of the Earth". I hope to be able to spend more time in Snæfellsness before the snow comes, it's quite beautiful and a great alternative if you can't make it all the way to the Westfjords.
- We arrived back in Reykjavik around 4:00pm and checked out the Kolaportið Flea Market to try the shark and shop for sweaters.
- We had a face-meltingly, life-changing, made me wanna cry, 10 course Icelandic dinner at the incredible Sjávargrillið. I probably should have felt more guilty about eating puffin, whale, and filly, but it was too good for guilt. Simply put, it the best meal I've ever had in my life (and I've had some good meals). The service was excellent and the atmosphere quite nice as well.

Day 9 and 10 - Reykjavik and Inside the Volcano

The Harpa

Inside the Volcano

- Like I mentioned before, travelers with limited time who want to see more of Iceland really don't need more than a day or two in Reykjavik. Trust me, it's a great city and all, I love it, but it's not exactly a booming metropolis. It's easily walked in a day if you aren't doing anything special like whale watching. The sites you can't miss are The Harpa (my personal favorite) and Hallgrímskirkja church, but the rest can sort of be meandered through (and one should meander). You should also grab a hot dog, since that's sort of a thing and they're quite delicious (coming from a life-long hot dog hater turned lover). If you have time, and you're into it (and for whatever reason, I am), go up to the cemetery on the hill north of the duck pond. It's great for photography.
- Our big splurge was doing the Inside the Volcano tour. Un-freaking-believable. You can check out my full review here.

CONCLUSION & SUGGESTIONS

I'm sure many of you reading this who have gone this route are cursing me for missing the best spots or leaving out important things. Iceland is different to different people, and everyone has their own pace. Not to mention, to a photographer, light is everything. We skipped through some areas because the light was crap and therefore worthless to us. I'm sure I would do the trip completely different if I were to do it again, but for what we knew and the tools we had, our trip was perfect. There is SO much to see in Iceland and there was no way we could see it all in 10 days, but we did try to pack in as much as we could, and I think we did a good job. If you have feedback and suggestions, PLEASE post them in the comments section below so people planning their future trips can benefit! 

After all is said and done, here are my end suggestions/thoughts:

- Rent an off-road camper. Being limited to highways and main roads was sometimes a little hard for the photographer in me. Having a beast to climb the rough terrain would give you infinitely more possibilities and freedoms. Of course, our trip was still epic without going on those roads.

- If you're coming to hike, definitely consider spending a couple of days hiking around Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the Westfjords. It's as "out there" as you can get in Iceland. Most people go to the Þórsmörk area in the south, which I've heard really great things about and would definitely be worth hiking.

- Bring MREs and other such meals from home. Food here is pricey, and even if you have the funds to eat out every day while on the road, burgers and pizza are virtually your only options and get old really quick. Plus, the space you take up in your bag with those bad boys will be free to fill with an sweet Icelandic sweater.

- Icelanders love their pools. Usually for good reason. Check them out if you have time, and get ready to be naked in front of strangers.

- Don't stick to the plan too closely. Iceland is safe, small, and full of surprises. It's the perfect place to get lost in. Just don't be a dummo and get in over your head with the terrain.

- Have some good music ready. Road trips need music. Because I drove the whole way, and probably because I'm a bit uncool, I chose podcasts and audiobooks as my soundtrack.

- Pick up a hitchhiker! I really wanted to, but we truly had no room. Most are nice, young, Europeans who look rather sad sitting in the rain with their packs. Hitchhiking is still a very safe form of transportation in Iceland, so you'll see many people looking for rides along the way. Just don't take this advice and then get killed and make me feel guilty.

- Don't stress out over little things. People tend to stress out when they're traveling for one reason or another, and if you do this you're gonna have a bad time. Trust me, go with the flow and breath life in. You'll have a much better trip.