Iceland by Campervan: A Do-Over Done Right

SUMMARY

I recently wrapped up my solo campervan trip around Iceland’s Ring Road (plus the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Westman Islands) from June 18 to July 1, 2025. This was a do-over from my quick November 2021 visit, and I finally got to explore Iceland’s dramatic landscapes, quirky wildlife, and unpredictable weather on my own terms.

Highlights included:

• Waterfalls galore—‘foss’ means waterfall, and I saw more here than in all my other travels combined

• Puffin spotting—I became a puffin paparazzi and learned they mate for life and raise one puffling per season

• Weather—cloudy and rainy most days, but I had the benefit of the midnight sun and chased blue skies toward the end of the trip

• Campsites—mostly parking lots with sketchy facilities, so I treated myself to a hotel and beer spa midway through

• Roads—Ring Road was manageable but narrow, with no shoulders; some “shortcuts” tested my nerves

• Landscapes—moonscapes, canyons, glaciers, lupine fields, and roaming sheep made it feel like another planet

WHY ICELAND AGAIN

I wanted a do-over. My first trip in 2021 was early November so it was cold and dark most of the time. Plus it was very quick—just four nights/five days. I felt like we missed so much and we did—we only really saw Reykjavik and a small portion of the Golden Circle. However, we saw the Northern Lights—twice! It was a great trip, but entirely too quick.

PLANNING & LOGISTICS

I began planning about a year out. As I’ve been using airline miles, I find the most choice and best redemptions to be released early. They’re refundable, so what have I got to lose by booking the air early? I can then build the rest of the trip around the dates I’ve locked in.

I had such an amazing time exploring New Zealand by campervan back in 2018 that I decided I’d look into that for Iceland. Iceland has what they refer to as the Ring Road, or Hwy 1. It’s a paved road that encircles the island. There are many waterfalls and other sites accessible just off the Ring Road.

Others are detours, both short and long. There are also roads that cut through the interior or Highlands of Iceland, called F roads (denoted with an F then the number of the road) but those are strictly for 4-wheeled drive vehicles. F roads are not open year-round as they’re too dangerous to traverse outside of a short window in the summer - the exact date of opening varies as it's dependent upon many weather related factors. Several involve fording (aka crossing) rivers and you need to be comfortable with that skill or else you risk flooding your rental and getting stranded in a remote area.

Travel Tip: Check with your rental agency to understand their terms and conditions, including whether their vehicles are allowed on F roads. If you’re not familiar with fording rivers, it’s best to book a tour and let someone else do the driving. There are many tours offering access to the Highlands. Alternatively, there are some public transport options in the summer but that would entail research to make sure the timing and logistics will work out.

ROUTE & DETOURS

I decided I’d stick to the Ring Road but wanted to add in a day trip to the Highlands; I booked this with a tour company and it allowed me to take a day hike with a guide. Additionally, I wanted to make a few detours—one of them being a side trip for a couple nights to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. This peninsula and its pronunciation became a running joke between my friends and I when we were in Iceland in 2021. We ended up calling it the “Snuffleupagus Peninsula.” It’s actually pronounced SNAY-fell-sness. Easy, just like it’s spelled, right? Finally, I felt like I needed to do the Golden Circle too—the full circle this time.

CAMPERVAN SETUP AND SITE CHALLENGES

I chose my campervan and rental company, Happy 1 from Happy Campers. It was small enough to easily handle but large enough to allow me to be comfortable cooking inside the van. They have a map of all the campgrounds in Iceland and which ones are open year-round vs only in the summer. I was going for 13 days, 12 of which I’d be on the road. I wanted to spend the first day in Reykjavik and see some things I didn’t the first time around. I also wanted to try a beer spa in the North, near Akureyri. It allowed you to soak in non-fermented beer but have unlimited pints of beer from a tap in your private soaking room then enjoy their outdoor hot tubs.

I booked a hotel for this night, right across the street, so I wouldn’t need to drive anywhere. It wasn't anything to look at from the outside, but it was quite nice and modern on the inside. Plus, as it was halfway through my road trip, I figured I’d appreciate a big bed and bathroom just steps away; no need to get shoes on and schlep outside in the middle of the night, while it was raining.

A quick word about the campsites. There is no wild camping in Iceland, meaning you have to stay in designated campgrounds. These campgrounds are privately owned and run for the most part. The quality of the shared facilities and fees charged varied considerably. For the most part, you are camping in a gravel or sometimes grass parking lot or field, everyone parking willy nilly and first come, first served. The fees are charged per person, not vehicle and average around 2000 ISK or about $16 per person. Showers and laundry are often extra.

Most do not take reservations but as they are literally just wide open fields or gravel lots, there are usually enough spots for everyone. In the height of summer (July) you may need to arrive before 10pm to find a spot, but the next site is never far away if one turns out to be full.

Travel Tip: Iceland is pretty much a cashless country and tips are not the norm nor expected. If you're camping, you may want some cash and particularly 100 ISK coins to use for the paid showers at some sites. I only encountered two sites that wouldn't accept a credit card: Mosskogar Campsite near Reykjavik and Vogar Campsite on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Some will take a credit card as payment for the coin-operated, timed showers and give you the coins in return. Others require you to have the coins yourself. There are sites with free showers too, and sometimes free laundry, though that amenity more often than not comes with an additional fee.

WEATHER & ROADS

The weather didn’t fully cooperate as I had light to heavy rain most of the trip. I was prepared with a rain jacket, rain pants, waterproof boots and shoes, and gloves. Yes, it was June, but even if you’re lucky and it doesn’t rain, you can still get wet getting close to the waterfalls. I only had to deal with moderate winds one day/evening along the south coast. I had an app (Vedur) that gave me weather and road alerts and it wasn’t severe enough to warrant sheltering in place. It was still a white-knuckle drive as the wind blew the rain sideways across the road.

The Ring Road isn’t very wide and there are no shoulders so you need to be very alert when driving at all times. Don’t get me started about needing to watch out for free roaming sheep that like to pop out onto the road when you least expect it.

By the way, even the most expensive, premium insurance coverage from the rental companies won’t cover damage from hitting sheep, let alone compensation to the farmer. They tell you, straight-faced, to “Please don’t hit any sheep.”

Travel Tip: No one likes paying for insurance, but Iceland is somewhere that I recommend paying for premium coverage for your vehicle—whether it’s a car, SUV, campervan, or RV. Many traditional car coverage policies, like what you might get from your credit card, do not cover the add-ons you want to have for Iceland. You will want gravel protection, which is essential for damage from loose gravel on rural roads, and sand and ash protection, which safeguards against damage from volcanic ash and sandstorms kicked up by the ever present wind. Wind damage protection is also recommended; your car door hinges could get damaged if you open your car door and a strong wind gust rips it out of your hands. Look into all your options and choose what you’re most comfortable in paying for as well as risking.

CHASING BLUE SKIES

My weather app showed clearing skies in the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and south coast. Only problem was, I was in the north at the time. I decided to skip driving one of the northwestern peninsulas and instead make a beeline for the Snæfellsnes Peninsula a couple days earlier than planned. I loved being able to get blue sky in my photos and see the scenery all around me as I drove! I continued chasing the blue skies the next couple days, ultimately ending up on the Reykjanes Peninsula as intended for my final night before returning the campervan and flying out to Estonia.

Oh, and I got to drive the Golden Circle—both directions, once at the beginning of the road trip and once again at the end. This allowed me to experience it in different weather conditions and to avoid the crowds of the tour companies. I was also able to stop for amazing tomato soup at Friðheimar, a family-owned tomato farm, something we didn’t have time for back in 2021. Sorry you were outvoted, Lisa...you'll get there yourself someday.

PUFFINS

My highlight was probably seeing the puffins. I saw them at several places but by far the best was at Borgarfjörður Eystri in the east fjords. It was a detour off the Ring Road but well worth it. It also had a great camping site nearby (you'll want ISK coins for their shower). Puffins are so cute and ungainly, at least on land. They spend most of their lives out at sea, only coming onto land during a short window from mid-to late April to mid-to late August to raise their one chick, called a puffling. They return to the same cliffside burrow each year and mate for life.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All good things must come to an end, and so too did my epic solo campervan adventure. Iceland, you were wild, beautiful, and a little bit unpredictable.