Our 9-Day Iceland Ring Road Itinerary: Driving Iceland's Ultimate Road Trip by Campervan

There are plenty of ways to explore Iceland, but for us, travelling by campervan was the perfect way to experience the Ring Road. It gave us the freedom to stop whenever something caught our attention, whether it was a waterfall, a dramatic mountain, or a geothermal area. Instead of thinking about hotel check-in times or packing and unpacking every day, we could enjoy the pace of the journey on our terms.

Wild camping is restricted across most of Iceland, so we generally stayed at designated campsites, but they're well spread throughout the country and easy to work into your itinerary. We found it to be the perfect balance between flexibility and convenience.

There was one exception. One night we found a quiet spot on the side of the road to call it a night. Although you do see travellers doing this in campervans, it isn't recommended.

We picked up our campervan as soon as we landed in Reykjavík. Before leaving, the employee handing us the keys mentioned that Iceland had been experiencing frequent earthquakes in recent days.

He casually told us, "We'll probably have a volcanic eruption soon."

We laughed because we didn't really know what to make of it. Hearing someone casually predict a volcanic eruption isn't exactly something we're used to, but as the trip went on, we were checking the earthquake updates multiple times a day to see if anything had changed.

After picking up groceries, our first major stop was the Geysir geothermal area. We knew the Strokkur Geysir erupts every few minutes, sending water high into the air and repeating the process every 6 to 10 minutes. It was a really cool way to be introduced to Iceland's geothermal activity.

From there, we continued to Seljalandsfoss, one of Iceland's most famous waterfalls. Being able to walk behind the water gives it such a cool perspective, and it's a must on any Iceland itinerary.

A short drive away is Skógafoss, another of Iceland's famous waterfalls that's impossible to miss from the Ring Road. As soon as we parked, we could hear it. Standing near the base really gave us an appreciation for the force of the water.

By this point, we were already beginning to understand why Iceland's Ring Road is considered one of the world's great road trips. Every hour brought completely different scenery and despite driving one of Iceland's most popular routes, the roads were surprisingly quiet. At times, it felt like we had some of the sights almost entirely to ourselves.

We settled for the night in a town called Vík.

One of the stops we were most curious about on our Ring Road trip was the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck.

In 1973, a US Navy aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on the black sand. Everyone survived, but the aircraft was never removed. The 8 km return walk across the black sand plain turned out to be so quiet. We expected crowds, but apart from a handful of people on the trail, it felt like we had the landscape almost entirely to ourselves.

A short drive later brought us to Reynisfjara, Iceland's famous black sand beach near Vík, where we stayed the night before. This is one of Iceland's most photographed places because of the towering basalt columns (rock pillars formed by cooled magma), black sand, and sea stacks. The black sand itself almost looked unreal, and knowing it was created by volcanic activity made it feel even more surreal.

The Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon became one of our favourite stops on the entire Ring Road. It's impossible to miss and is located nicely along the drive.

The lagoon is filled with icebergs that have broken away from Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier before drifting toward the Atlantic Ocean. We'd seen photos beforehand, but seeing the icebergs in person was another experience. Some were bright white, some deep blue, and many were marked by streaks of black volcanic ash from eruptions long ago.

Just across the road is Diamond Beach, where pieces of those icebergs wash onto the black sand. Some are massive, and some are small enough to hold in your hand. We felt it was another must-stop location along the Ring Road.

Hengifoss was one of our favourite hikes of the trip. At roughly 5 km return with about 250 metres of elevation gain, it's relatively easy considering the view at the end. Behind the waterfall are red bands of ancient fossilized soil that formed between volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. It gives Hengifoss a look unlike any other waterfall we visited.

Hengifoss

After another roughly 1.5-hour drive, the next stop was Stuðlagil Canyon. The basalt columns lining the canyon almost look like they were carved by hand. Standing beside them really gives you an appreciation for the geological forces that shaped Iceland.

Stuðlagil Canyon

We experienced that again at Hverir, where steam pours from the ground, mud bubbles continuously, and the smell of sulphur reminds you that Iceland is still very much volcanically active. We stayed here for a while, since it was so surreal to see in person.

Hverir Geothermal Area

As we made our way back toward western Iceland, we stopped at Kirkjufell, one of the country's most recognizable mountains. We'd seen it in countless photos before the trip, but seeing it in person was really impressive.

Kirkjufell

Not long afterwards, we happened to drive past the small black church at Búðir. We hadn't planned to stop, but wanted a break from driving and there was nobody around. We pulled over just to stretch our legs and take photos of the church and the surrounding lava fields. Those unexpected roadside stops often turned into some of our best memories of Iceland.

After completing the Ring Road, we spent about a day exploring Reykjavík before making a visit to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa filled with warm, mineral-rich water. The water in the lagoon completely renews itself every 48 hours.

It's definitely one of Iceland's most touristy attractions, and there are cheaper geothermal lagoons around the country. Even so, we felt it was worth the visit. We thought the concept and science behind it was really interesting.

Hallgrímskirkja Church

By this point, we'd spent more than a week driving through glaciers, waterfalls, lava fields, black sand beaches, geothermal areas, and mountains. It became easy to understand why Iceland is known as the "Land of Fire and Ice."

The country sits directly on the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are slowly pulling apart. Combined with a volcanic hotspot beneath the island, they continue to shape Iceland's landscape today. Actually, you can cross the Bridge Between Continents, the bridge that marks the boundary between the tectonic plates.

Bridge Between Continents

At this point, we were still checking the earthquake updates each day, wondering if the campervan employee's prediction might actually come true.

On our second last day, we were relaxing in the back of the campervan when it suddenly felt like someone was pushing on the van from the outside. It only lasted a second, but we immediately looked at each other.

A few minutes later, another traveller came over and told us the volcano had erupted.

We decided to try to check it out the following day, as people warned us not to get too close because of the toxic volcanic gases.

There wasn't an official trail yet because the eruption had only just begun. Instead, we followed a small group of people walking across unmarked land. Every so often we'd meet people coming back who would tell us, "Keep going. You can see the lava!"

After roughly 12 kilometres of walking, we climbed one last hill. The moment we reached the top is something we'll never forget. It looked like the Earth had cracked open in the middle of nowhere.

Bright orange lava bubbled directly out of the ground and molten rock shot into the air before flowing away across the landscape.

After spending nine days driving through a country shaped by volcanic activity, it felt surreal to be watching the process happen in real time.

It still is the most impressive natural event we've ever witnessed, and it's difficult to imagine another travel experience topping that feeling!

For sure.

The waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, and mountains were all incredible, but what made this trip unforgettable was how quickly everything changed. Every day brought new experiences and every hour brought entirely new landscapes.

If you're planning your own Iceland Ring Road itinerary, don't focus only on the famous stops. Leave yourself enough time to enjoy the drive between them, because that's where some of the best memories are made.

Some trips are memorable because of one incredible place. Iceland was memorable because every day felt like an entirely different world.

If Iceland's Ring Road is on your travel wish list and you'd like help planning your own adventure, we'd love to help!