Untouched Iceland: Ring Road & Off-the-Beaten-Path Adventure - 12 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Keflavík, Drive to Reykjavík, Food Walking Tour

Day 2: Fagradalsfjall Volcano Hike, Free Time in Reykjavík

This morning, your guide will pick you up for a half-day trip into the Geldingadalur Valley, home to the mighty Fagradalsfjall. This once-dormant volcano made news when it erupted in March 2021 and then again in July 2023, and it currently holds the record for being the longest volcanic eruption of the 21st century. Despite the recent activity, this half-day volcano hike is completely safe, as you'll be led by an expert guide who will check the conditions beforehand.

If you're given the green light to proceed, you'll head out on the trail. Over the first couple of hours, you'll pass dried lava fields, steam vents, and conical peaks. Eventually, you'll arrive near the fissures of Fagradalsfjall and see fresh lava fields merging with the old. Your guide will get you as close as is safely possible to these lava fields to ensure you take the best photos.

Afterward, you'll return to Reykjavík, where you can relax at your hotel or venture out for more sightseeing. If you get a chance, stop at one of the city's fine museums. Reykjavík is famous for its devotion to the arts, and despite its relatively petite size, it's home to more than 60 museums and galleries. For history and culture, you can visit the National Museum, the Settlement Exhibition (focusing on the settlement of Reykjavík), the Maritime Museum, the Northern Lights Center, the Saga Museum, and the Whales of Iceland Exhibition.

Day 3: Drive to the South Coast via the Golden Circle & Þingvellir National Park

Leave Reykjavík behind today and set off on your road trip, beginning with an hour-long drive to Þingvellir National Park. The route you'll follow is part of the Golden Circle, a 190-mile (300 km) circuit that includes some of Iceland's most spectacular natural landmarks. Your destination within this UNESCO World Heritage Site is Law Rock. This is where the Vikings founded their parliament in 930 CE, making it the world's first parliamentary system. Many milestones in Iceland's history occurred here, including its conversion to Christianity, its independence from Denmark, and the election of its first president.

After marveling at the beautiful landscapes around Þingvellir, some of which were featured in "Game of Thrones," you'll continue east, stopping for lunch at Friðheimar Farm, a family-owned greenhouse and restaurant where you can have a meal amid the greenhouse tomato plants. This working farm harvests 370 tons (335 mt) of produce each year and maintains nearly 10,000 plants. In the summer months, you can also see a horse show on the property and learn about the history of Icelandic horses.

Next, you'll pause to explore the Geysir geothermal area. This is one of the most active geothermal sites in the country, evidenced by the area's bubbling mud pits, steam vents, and erupting geysers. It's also home to Gullfoss, one of Iceland's grandest waterfalls. There are trails you can hike to reach the edge of the river canyon and snap great photos of this thundering two-tiered waterfall. Afterward, you'll continue toward the South Coast and your hotel, where you'll spend the next two nights.

Day 5: Drive to Vatnajökull National Park via South Coast Beaches

Your road trip continues today along the South Coast, with a first stop at Seljalandsfoss, the only known waterfall of its kind that allows you to walk behind it. The falls aren't far from the parking lot, and while it's not a difficult hike, be aware that the ground is somewhat uneven in places, and make sure to don your best rain gear so you don't get too wet. Next, head to the equally famous cascades at Skógafoss, which is also the beginning of the Fimmvörðuháls Trail. A two-minute walk from the parking lot takes you to the bottom of the falls, or climb the nearby stairs for a wider view. 

Just before the town of Vík, you'll find Reynisfjara, a black pebble beach that features a cliff of basalt columns, known as Gardar, and the basalt sea stacks of Reynisfdrangar, a nesting area for local birdlife. Later, pause in the small town of Vík for a meal and walk around town. While small, it's a popular hub for visitors, and you'll find plenty of food options, as well as sights such as Vík í Myrdal Church, a small hilltop church that overlooks the town. Afterward, continue your drive east to reach your hotel near Vatnajökull National Park, where you'll settle in for the next two nights.

Day 6: Explore Skaftafell Nature Reserve, Glacier Hike Experience

This morning is free for you to explore the Skaftafell nature reserve, a protected area in the southwest corner of Vatnajökull National Park. Start with a hike to the slender Svartifoss waterfall, surrounded by hundreds of jagged basalt columns. You'll also want to make time to visit the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, where icebergs float on the still waters, and glittering fragments of ice wash up onto the black sands of nearby Diamond Beach. For views across the entire lagoon, climb atop the nearby hill, where, depending on the time of year, you may also be able to spot seals, porpoises, or small whales. 

Skaftafell also sits at the base of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier, covering almost one-tenth of Iceland. For your last activity of the day, meet an experienced guide who will equip you with hiking boots, crampons, and an ice ax. Then, embark on a three-hour hike on the ice field, where you'll explore among surreal glacial ice sculptures, ridges, and crevasses. After a full day of outdoor activity, return to your hotel and pack your bags—tomorrow you start your journey into the Eastfjords. 

Day 7: Drive to the Eastfjords via Höfn

In the morning, leave Vatnajökull National Park and drive a short way up the coast to Höfn. This little fishing town of just over 2,000 people bridges the gap between the south of the country and the east. It's situated on a natural harbor on its own peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the ocean. That means it's a great place to stop for a stroll around its long coast and beaches. And despite its small size, Höfn isn't short on culture, with several museums worth visiting, and a notable food scene, as evidenced by the lobster festival held here each July.

East of Höfn, the scenery kicks up the drama as the Ring Road snakes in and out of narrow fjords hemmed by steep mountains spilling down to the sea. This 75-mile (120 km) stretch of coastline—the sunniest part of Iceland—is known as the Eastfjords. Make your first stop the starkly beautiful Stokksnes Peninsula (just a 10-minute drive from Höfn), where the ragged Vestrahorn mountains loom massively over a black-sand beach. Continue to the Eastfjords capital, Egilsstaðir, to pause for a meal or a soak in the nearby Vök infinity pools, then settle into your nearby hotel.

Day 8: Drive to Lake Mývatn via Möðrudalur Farm

This morning, head west through the geologically fascinating landscapes of North Iceland. First, be sure to detour to Stuðlagil Canyon to be awed by its incredible multicolored walls of basalt columns. Then, stretch your legs with a stop at Möðrudalur Farm. This remote settlement sits at an altitude of more than 1,500 feet (469 m), and there has been a farmstead in this location since the original settlement of Iceland. Walk the nearby trails while enjoying views of Herðubreið, known as the "Queen of Icelandic Mountains," and visit the farm's tiny church, built by the farm owner in 1949. 

Continue into the Lake Mývatn region and its intriguing volcanic formations, beginning with the bubbling geothermal mud pools and steaming sulphuric vents at Hverir and Leirhnjukur and the nearby, still-active Krafla volcano. You could hike amid the jumbled lava-rock formations of nearby Dimmuborgir, or head the short distance to the south end of the lake to view the bizarre Skútustaðagígar "pseudocraters." These dimple-like cones were formed 2,300 years ago when molten lava flowed over the wetlands, causing superheated steam to be trapped beneath until it bubbled up in gaseous explosions.

When you're ready to check into your hotel, drop off your bags before heading straight to the Mývatn Nature Baths, a hot-spring lagoon whose waters remain at ideal temperatures between 97-104°F (36-40°C). There's an on-site café here where you can relax with a light lunch or dinner, and the soothing geothermal waters will be the perfect ending to a long day of driving.

Day 9: Drive the Diamond Circle via Húsavik, Iceland's Whale Watching Capital

Today you'll make a loop around North Iceland, following the 150-mile (250 km) Diamond Circle through the Northern Volcanic Rift Zone. Begin with a drive to the coast and the lovely fishing village of Húsavik, the oldest settlement in Iceland (Swedish Viking Garðar Svavarsson built the first house here in 860 CE). Húsavik is the whale watching capital of Iceland: 23 species of whale can be spotted in or around the bay, and you can learn more about the remarkable species at the town's Whale Museum, or join a harbor cruise to spot the gentle giants from a silent, carbon-neutral boat.

Follow the route as it loops south to reach the dramatic, horseshoe-shaped canyon of Ásbyrgi, which legend says was created when god Odin's eight-legged horse galloped across the land. Stop by the on-site visitor's center for maps and information on the area's many hiking routes; if you're short on time, follow the trail from the visitor's center that takes you up the side of the canyon for expansive views. Back on the road, you'll continue to Dettifoss, Europe's most powerful waterfall, plunging 150 feet (45 m) into Jökulsárgljúfur canyon, before circling back to Lake Mývatn. 

After lunch, you'll continue past the Vatnsnes Peninsula, where you can make a short detour to marvel at the surreal Hvitserkur sea stack (an eroded volcanic dyke that many locals swear is a petrified troll), keep a lookout for seals along the coastline, or clamber up to the Viking fortress of Borgarvirki to explore this 1,000-year-old ruin. Finally, you'll reach the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, often referred to as "Iceland in miniature" for its microcosm of iconic attractions, and settle in at your hotel.

Day 11: Drive to Reykjavík via the Best of Snæfellsnes

Circle back to Reykjavík today, closing your Ring Road tour with a final drive through the spectacularly scenic Snæfellsnes Peninsula. You'll follow a counterclockwise loop beginning along the north shore, pausing first at the iconic, shark-tooth-shaped Kirkjufell mountain (made famous by "Game of Thrones") and the nearby Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall. Circle around the glacier-clad Snæfellsjökull stratovolcano at the peninsula's tip, where you can take a stroll along the windswept Djúpalónssandur black-sand beach and see the Lóndrangar basalt cliffs (and their twin clifftop basalt pillars).

Be sure to stop in the fishing hamlet of Arnarstapi and walk the trail that connects with Hellnar, a 1.9-mile (3 km) boardwalk that cuts through the fantastical rock formations of Gatklettur and skirts the coast. Make a detour into the Hvítá River Valley to view the Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls, uniquely tumbling through a lava field perpendicular to the river, then stop to explore Reykholt's medieval Saga heritage village and Deildartunguhver, a perfect lunch spot beside Europe's most powerful hot spring. End the day in Reykjavík with a celebratory meal and a final stroll around the city center. 

Day 12: Drive to Keflavík, Depart

Your Icelandic adventure draws to a close today. You'll drive from Reykjavík to Keflavík airport, where you'll return your car and catch your flight home or to your next destination. Safe travels!

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