Traveling in Iceland in Summer: The Ultimate Guide

Gullfoss Waterfall

A mother-daughter adventure trip brings new adventures every day

Our first day in Iceland began in the water. Arriving in the early morning after overnight flights from Canada, my daughter Michaela, her partner Ashley, and I picked up a rental car at Reykjavik’s Keflavík International Airport and set off on our first adventure – a soak in the thermal river in Iceland’s Reykjadalur Valley.

Michaela and Ash are serious outdoors people, and when I suggested they plan our summer trip to Iceland, I knew we would spend a lot of time outside. We were all attracted to this European cool-weather holiday destination, where in early July, we’d have nearly 24 hours of daylight and the chance to sample more outdoor experiences that we could pack into a year, let alone our 10-day road trip. But I was a wee bit concerned about how I’d keep up with my 32-year-old daughter and her 27-year-old partner, whose shared idea of fun is a 10-mile run before work or a multi-day backpacking trip that summits multiple mountains.

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Glanni Waterfall

A Road Trip that Started in the Water

We eased into our Iceland adventures with a moderate hike through tundra-like terrain in the Reykjadalur Valley, where the trail lined with lava rocks led to the thermal river. A “thermal river” is exactly what it sounds like – a narrow river with several steamy pools that act like outdoor hot tubs. As Canadians, we expect rivers to range from cold to glacial, so dipping our toes and then sliding our whole bodies into the bath-like water was a happy surprise.

The next morning, we started our circuit around the Ring Road, Iceland’s Highway 1, heading north through the less touristed side of the country before making our way to the busier Golden Circle Route in the south. Iceland has thousands of waterfalls, and our first Icelandic cascade was a gentle one – a stretch-your-legs stop at the Glanni Waterfall, along the Norðurá River about 90-minutes’ drive from Reykjavik.

Grábrók Crater

Nearby, the scenery began getting more dramatic, as we walked up to Grábrók, a volcanic crater with a boardwalk trail to its rim. Formed nearly 3,000 years ago, the crater resembles a small mountain with a black-dirt bowl in the center. From the crater’s edge, the views extend for miles across the valley.

Hvitserkur

Hello, Trolls

As we continued north along the Ring Road, we pulled off at Kolugljúfur Canyon, a deep gorge with several waterfalls rushing into the canyon. We learned that the area was named for Kola, a female troll who, according to legend, dug the canyon and continues to protect it with her spell.

We detoured onto the Vatnsnes Peninsula, traveling a well-maintained gravel road toward Hvitserkur, an unusual 15-meter (50-foot) sea stack. The ocean has carved two arches into the base of this imposing basalt rock formation, beneath its jagged peaks. Legend has it that Hvitserkur was once a troll, too, petrified forever by Iceland’s strong sunshine.

Back on the Ring Road, en route to our overnight stop outside the North Iceland town of Akureyri, we sampled our first Icelandic gas station meal. Many of Iceland’s service stations not only look after your car but also offer freshly made sandwiches and other light meals, handy for road trippers. The chicken-topped salad, dubbed “Bloomington Salat,” unexpectedly shared the name of the small town in Indiana where I had grown up.

Hverir

Bubbling Springs and a Dramatic Rock Canyon

It’s difficult to pick one landscape as Iceland’s most impressive, but the Hverir Geothermal Area, a vast expanse of burbling mud pools, openings in the earth that swirl with steam, and hills ranging from cream to rust to deep gray would surely be near the top of the list. Though the pathway near the entrance was crowded with other visitors, as we walked farther across the geothermal moonscape, we could stand almost alone beside the bubbling pools and hissing steam vents.

Hverir

Studlagil Canyon

Our next stop was also a candidate for the most striking landscape award. In East Iceland’s Jökuldalur Valley, a vibrant turquoise river flows through Stuðlagil Canyon. Hiking along the canyon edge, we saw that unusual basalt columns lined the gorge walls. Some of the formations were vertical, others curved, and still others resembled rock cubes stacked like building blocks above the water.

Above the clouds

Through the Clouds to the Puffins

It was already late in the day when we made another detour off the Ring Road. One of Ash’s Iceland dreams was to see puffins, and a large colony of the birds lives on the cliffs along East Iceland’s Borgarfjörður-Eystri fjord. As we climbed up the mountain road, fog swirled around us, growing denser around each switchback. Soon, nothing was visible except a short section of roadway immediately in front of our car.

“Wait, Mom, are we inside a cloud?” Michaela asked.

When I replied, “I guess we are,” she and Ash called out almost in unison, “Cool!”

Suddenly, as we reached the mountain summit, we burst out of the clouds to a clear blue sky. We pulled off the road at a lookout. What appeared to be a lake of fluffy cotton spread out below us. Ash grabbed her phone. “Mom!” she cried as she FaceTimed her mother, sharing the dramatic view. “We’re above the clouds!”

The sky stayed clear as we descended the other side of the mountain toward Borgarfjörður-Eystri. The website for the small town around the fjord told us that the community has 100 residents and more than 1,000 elves. But we were in search of puffins.

Puffin

From mid-April through mid-August, up to 10,000 pairs of Atlantic puffins nest on the cliffs outside town. We climbed up the wooden staircase, and there they were. Puffins! In the grass. On the rocks. Swooping above the cliffs. With the nearly 24-hour daylight, we had plenty of time to watch the birds in the evening when they’re often most active. We were still able to reach the town’s Álfaborg Campsite, pitch our tents, and settle in before dark, because darkness never really came.

Vestrahorn black sand

Kayaking with Icebergs, Hiking on Glaciers

Back on the Ring Road heading into South Iceland, we stopped to walk the soft black sands beneath Vestrahorn Mountain and along Diamond Beach, where chunks of icebergs glistened against the black sand. Our next adventure? Kayaking on the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Following our guide, we paddled between the icebergs that varied from white to blue to ash-dusted. As we circled the ice formations, some small and others massive, we paddled in view of the large glacier that descended toward the water on the far shore.

Diamond Beach

Mulagljufur canyon Michaela hiking

The day brought still more new experiences. We hiked above Mulagljufur canyon, to the Svartifoss waterfall, and along the black sands of Vikurfjara Beach. Camping in the town of Vik, we struggled to pitch our tents in the howling evening wind, restoring ourselves with the town’s unique black crust pizza, the color provided by activated charcoal that matches the hue of lava.

Ash kayaking Jokilsarlon

Trekking across a glacier was on Michaela’s and Ash’s wish list, so in the morning, we suited up with helmets, crampons, and ice axes for a guided hike on the Sólheimajökull glacier. We didn’t need the axes as we crossed the rutted ice (we carried them in case of emergency), but we appreciated the crampons attached to our boots to keep our footing as we walked. Spiky rocks jutted through the glacial surface that was streaked with volcanic ash. Another bucket list item? Check.

Skógafoss Waterfall

Navigating Through Rivers into the Highlands

One of Iceland’s largest waterfalls, Skógafoss, was just off the Ring Road as we continued west. We could feel the spray of these 60-meter-tall (200-feet-tall) cascades as they surged into the water below.

Making our way to Landmannalaugar, part of Fjallabak Nature Reserve in Iceland’s Highlands, where we’d camp for the next two nights, we were glad we were driving a 4-wheel-drive car. A small river – with a pedestrian walkway but no bridge for cars – divided a parking area from the Landmannalaugar campground. We stopped to watch several cars make the crossing until Ash, who’s a firefighter who regularly drives a fire truck back home, decided that our SUV could navigate the water. She drove across with Michaela as her co-pilot, while nervous Mom watched from the riverbank, ready to call for help that fortunately wasn’t needed.

Landmannalaugar camping

The Landmannalaugar camping area, in a large grassy field beneath the surrounding mountains, had a large shower and restroom building, as well as a communal tent for dining and hanging out. I had worried about hiking across the field to the bathroom during the night, but when I crawled out of my tent at 1:30 in the morning, the sky was barely dusk-colored, and I could easily walk without a flashlight.

Landmannalaugar Hiking

When Michaela and Ash decided to hike the 16-kilometer (10-mile) trail to Grænihryggur Ridge, I let the young adventurers go adventuring without Slowpoke Mom. I had a strong enough cell signal in the dining tent to catch up on some work, and when I got a text from them at 4pm saying, “Don’t worry, but we’re still 10km from camp,” I wasn’t sorry I’d stayed behind. They finally arrived a couple of hours later, after getting a ride from other campers. Their hike turned out to be nearly 25 kilometers (15 miles), with multiple thigh-deep river crossings, snow-covered trails, and significant elevation gain. They were exhausted, ravenous, and thrilled by their excellent adventure.

The next morning, the three of us took a shorter hike above the campground. The trail wound beneath the multi-hued mountains where pockets of snow remained, past steaming geothermal areas, and up to a lookout with views far across the valley. It might not have been 25 kilometers, but it was impressive enough for me.

Landmannalaugar Hiking

Waiting for Geysir

The Golden Circle Route

We saved the famous Golden Circle Route for the end of our trip, another day of nature’s highlights. At the Geysir Geothermal Area, we joined the crowds waiting for the geyser to erupt, oo-ing and ah-ing as it shot into the sky. We followed the trail to the Gullfoss Waterfall, where the two-tiered falls crashed into the canyon below. And we stopped for a soothing soak at the Secret Lagoon, Iceland’s oldest natural swimming pool.

I was skeptical when Michaela and Ash suggested a cold-water snorkeling adventure in Thingvellir National Park, but they persuaded me that this once-in-a-lifetime experience would be worth it. In Iceland’s first national park, you can snorkel through the Silfra Fissure, a deep canyon that runs between the North American and Eurasian continental plates.

Geysir

I struggled into a dry suit and pulled on a neoprene hood and gloves. Following our guide, we climbed into the nearly freezing water. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel the cold – the dry suit kept my body surprisingly warm – though the glacial water chilled my face outside my snorkel mask.

As we swam through the deep canyon, I was captivated by the craggy rocks and unusual plants, including long strings of vibrant green algae dangling from the underwater rock walls. Our guide told us later that Icelanders call these plants “troll hair.” Where the canyon deepened, the water turned a startling cobalt blue.

On this summer road trip where the sun never set, the landscape had changed each day as we drove Iceland’s Ring Road. We had hiked around craters and canyons, along aquamarine rivers that rushed through deep gorges, past bubbling hot springs and mud pools, and under the spray of waterfall after waterfall. And on this multi-generation adventure that even Mom survived, sometimes, we ended up in the water.

If You Go.

Hverir

Trip Planning Tips

My daughter Michaela and her partner Ashley did most of the planning for our Iceland road trip – a nice break for travel writer Mom and an opportunity for these adventure women to design their own itinerary. Although at times I had to rein in the adventures – “No, I don’t think we should visit five attractions, go for a long hike, and drive halfway across the country on the day we arrive” – they structured our travels around the landscapes they most wanted to see and the experiences they most wanted to have.

We rented a car at Reykjavik’s Keflavík International Airport, and we reserved tents and other camping gear from a Reykjavik outfitter, which we picked up before setting out on the Ring Road. Some nights we stayed in hotels or Airbnbs, while other nights we camped, to keep down our travel costs and to stay in more remote areas where indoor accommodations were more limited.

Studlagil Canyon

Why Rent a Car in Iceland

Driving in Iceland is the most flexible way to see the country. On a self-drive trip, you can set your own schedule, stop at lesser-known attractions, and adapt your itinerary to your interests and to the weather, which during our trip seemed to change multiple times a day – from sunshine, to wind, to rain, and back to sun again, with comfortably cool temperatures typically varying between 10°C and 15°C (50°F and 60°F).

While guided tours can take you to some of the country’s highlights, driving yourself lets you venture off the tourist trail. The Reykjavik metropolitan area has an easy-to-use bus system, and there is a limited network of intercity buses, but many of Iceland’s most scenic attractions are challenging to reach without your own transportation.

Highway in Iceland

Selecting the Right Vehicle

Before you rent a car in Iceland, from an agency such as Lava Car Rental, you need to research the types of roads you’ll be driving. If you’re staying only on the main highways and visiting the popular tourist sites along the Golden Circle Route, either a compact car or a larger vehicle, such as an SUV to accommodate a family, would meet most travelers’ needs.

But if you’re driving into the Highlands or venturing onto what Iceland calls “F” roads, you need a vehicle with four-wheel drive, and in some cases, with a higher clearance to handle frequent river crossings, where there are no bridges. F-Roads are remote mountain roadways (the “F” stands for “Fjall,” the Icelandic word for “mountain”) that are open only during the short summer season. Many are rocky, rutted, and challenging to drive, particularly when water levels are high, unless you’re traveling in a jeep or other 4×4 vehicle.

We were able to reach Landmannalaugar in a small SUV with four-wheel drive, but had we spent more time on F Roads, we would have needed a vehicle with higher clearance. This online map from the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration shows the current status of the country’s F Roads, useful both for trip planning and for real-time information on the road.