A week in Iceland - itinerary

Hi all,

We are going to go to Iceland for 9 days in June - flying out on Friday, flying back on the following Sunday. We would like to rent a car and drive around the island in that time, if it's possible. I have read a couple of good itineraries - one from Lonely Planet, and the other from a photographer who I follow online who runs tours in Iceland.

What would you cut / keep from either of these itineraries given that we have slightly limited time - and do you think doing the ring road is realistic?

Yes, doing a ring-road in 9 days is realistic, you will have a tight schedule but doable. It will be ~1200-1500km of driving. Be sure to rent a decent car that is not Yaris (or similar), some detours (especially f-roads) are gravel and you will feel much better driving a bigger car.

Lonely Planet Itinerary
REYKJAVIK
BORGARNES
STYKKISHOLMER
TROLLASKAGI PENINSULA
AKUREYRI
MYVATN
DETTIFOSS
BORGARFJORDUR
SEYDISJFORDUR
HOFN
VATNAJOKULL
JOKULSARLON
SKAFTAFELL
SKOGAR
THINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK

This one is looking complete. I would suggest adding Vik and black sand beaches of Reynisdrangar as you will be driving by. This is an amazing site, worth visiting and spending some time.
https://tripcreator.com/catalog/item/0535f06b-3245-42fb-a978-d44d1eae9f2e/reynisdrangar-sea-stacks

Photographer Itinerary
REYKJAVIK
REYKJANES PENINSULA
MOUNTAIN HENGILL
Thingvellir – Geysir hot spring – Gullfos waterfall – The Highlands
LANDMANNALAUGUR
Hekla mountain area
Þórsmörk valley
Vatnajökull National Park
BORGARFJORDUR

Hi Steve

which june's day? Im goimng from 1 to 18 june and if would be possible to share ring renting a car I could join
Cheers

Antonio

There are people who do ringroad tours in 9 days. For my own taste it is hopelessly whistle-stop. I'd recommend concentrating on a smaller area of the country for an enjoyable holiday rather than driving driving don't have time to stop and enjoy it properly.

Yes, doing a ring-road in 9 days is realistic, you will have a tight schedule but doable. It will be ~1200-1500km of driving.

Since it is 1350km Reykjavik to Reykjavik along the ring road itself, with no detours to see anything, and 50km each way to the airport, 1450km is the barest minimum without seeing anything, and in practice a minimal ring-road tour itinerary actually seeing things is likely to send you up towards 2000km. The LP itinerary involves substantial detours and is likely to be a few hundred more than that. Surely that's a 2 week itinerary at least.

The Photographer itinerary you print is a more realistic one for a 9 day timescale, as it concentrates on the SW adn southern shore, leaving aside some rather vague statements like "The highlands" and "Vatnajokull national park" - you can see some aspects of these but not give them anything like thorough coverage, (V NP is half the size of Belgium, and before mid-June not much of the highlands is accessible). But you'd have to go on the bus to Thorsmork because you can't go there in most hire cars, not even 4wds (and frankly I'd give it a miss if you are only going for 9 days). And you won't know whether Landmannalaugar will be accessible until nearer the time, because the roads there open some time in June (4wd essential), and when I say sometime in June that is about as accurate as I can be - it reaches about 95% by ca 20 June. Hengill is on foot, though there are quad bike tours. Hekla area you'd need an operator for, depending upon how close you want to be.

And you won't know whether Landmannalaugar will be accessible until nearer the time, because the roads there open some time in June

There are tour companies that offer trips to Landmannalaugar all year round.

I agree with number 3. Nine days is possible but not enjoyable to do the entire ring road. If I had 9 days I would concentrate on one area, which the Photographer itinerary seems to suggest. Concentrate on the south and south east and leave the rest of the country for another time.

A few things..climbing up Hekla is actively discouraged..it can erupt at such short notice that you would not have time to descend.

Vatnajökull National Park extends all the way up to the North East of Iceland. I think restricting yourself to the area around Skaftafell will be your better bet given your time constraints.

The photographer itineray mentions Vatnajökull and then Borgarfjörður? I would omit Borgarfjörður and give yourself more time in the south.

If you contact Cars Iceland with your itinerary they can recommend the best vehicle for your needs. www.carsiceland.com

A few things..climbing up Hekla is actively discouraged..it can erupt at such short notice that you would not have time to descend.

But the main point is that the top part of it is entirely covered in ice, and rarely comes out of the clouds, creating conditions which are dangerous to inexpert hillsmen even without any eruptions.

The photographer itineray mentions Vatnajökull and then Borgarfjörður? I would omit Borgarfjörður and give yourself more time in the south.

There are 2 Borgarfjörðurs in Iceland. I expect it means the one around Borganes which is only a short distance from Reykjavik, and entirely integratable into a shorter holiday focused on the S and SW. There's plenty of interesting curiosities in the area to see. Borgarfjörður Eystri (the area around Bakkagerði) is a particular favourite of photographers, but is just about as far from Reykjavik as you can be, and would be too much for a tour like this, unless you flew to the east and focused on eastern Iceland instead.

Ach, I'm totally lost! :) I think I should start again with the planning. Does anyone have a suggested itinerary? We will fly into and out of Reykjavik. I am a keen amateur photographer and would ideally like to see some glaciers and icy coastal areas.

"Icy coastal areas" in June? Are you thinking of icebergs or sea ice? Icebergs inEurope: go to Greenland. Sea ice: go further north ( N or E Greenland or Svalbard ) and in winter.
No problem to see glaciers in Iceland, in June maybe at a distance. But you could also drive to the Alps where there are many and probably more spectacular glaciers - the Icelandic ones are more "Icecap"-like.

Borganes which is only a short distance from Reykjavik, and entirely integratable into a shorter holiday focused on the S and SW.

Did you bother to read the itinerary Iviehoff? He will be in the Vatnajökull area, not Reykjavik. A good 6 hour drive away. In my opinion someone visiting the South East of Iceland on a time constricted itinerary should maybe reconsider trying to get to Borgarfjörður as they would probably not have enough time to fully enjoy its benefits.

But the main point is that the top part of it is entirely covered in ice, and rarely comes out of the clouds, creating conditions which are dangerous to inexpert hillsmen even without any eruptions.

Talk about splitting hairs! The main point is that it´s not a good idea to try to climb Hekla.