Iceland Ring Road
Iceland’s geography is made perfect for amazing road trips. With well kept roads and striking natural wonders across the entire island, just driving on the island can be counted as an excursion. With 9 days on a rental car and hotels scattered across the island, I spent most of my trip driving Iceland’s famed ring road: Route 1. With most of Iceland’s population and economic output along the coast, Route 1 is an essential piece of both Iceland’s infrastructure and tourism. While the road does completely loop around the island, I began in the northern city of Akureyri and drove clockwise to the north of Reykjavik. Overall, I completed around 65% of the ring road and was able to visit some of the best attractions along the way. Here are my favorite stops and adventures along the ring road, in order of clockwise distance from Akureyri!
Husavik
Whale watching is one of the premier Icelandic activities. While most tours depart from Reykjavik, the far northern town of Husavik is considered the whale watching capital of Iceland. Just an hour away from Akureyri made Husavik the first stop on my ring road trip. At Husavik, I boarded the RIB vessel and we went out into the surrounding waters in search of whales. After about 30 minutes of cruising, we saw a whale spout and followed in that direction. Sure enough, a group of whales poked above the surface. We ultimately found whales on 3 separate occasions, all while being rewarded with excellent views of the remote Icelandic coast. In addition to whales, I was lucky enough to see dolphins and puffins.
The Eastfjords
Located on the opposite side of Reykjavik, the Golden Circle and the South Coast, the Eastfjords are one of the most overlooked Icelandic regions. Some could argue its lack of tourists, and ‘touristy’ things to do, is the region's main attraction. In particular, the 150 mile drive between Eskifjordur and Hofn is Icelandic paradise with unspoiled fjords and mountain beauty. Along this drive, the ring road weaves through about a half dozen fjords with striking cliffs and endless waterfalls. Local roads run along the end of each fjord and give more opportunities for exploring. My favorite view comes at Snaedalsfoss, about two-thirds through the drive just past the town of Djupivogur. Snaedalsfoss is a perfect photographer's waterfall with almost no visitors and a location between green plains, rocky ridgelines and mountain peaks. To get a better handheld camera angle on the waterfall, I pulled off onto a dirt road and drove north for a few minutes. Here, I took my drone out and flew closer to the waterfall for aerial shots. While Snaedalsfoss was one of my favorite waterfalls in the eastfjords, there are hundreds of others easily accessible from the ring road!
Glacier Snowmobiling
Most of the ring road hugs so close to the coastline to avoid both the rugged Icelandic Highlands and the massive Vatnajokull Glacier. Why not spend some of the trip around Iceland going inland and exploring what the wilderness has to offer! Snowmobiling on Vatnajokull Glacier is a great way to do so. My snowmobile trip left from Hotel Smyrlabjorg, about 20 miles past the town of Vik. The trip began with a 4x4 journey along ultra-rugged F-roads towards the glacier. While this could have been a trip in itself, the best was still to come. At the end of the road, I boarded a snowmobile and began the journey to a viewpoint on the edge of the glacier. Along the adventurous 40 minute ride, I was surrounded by an icy wonderland. After parking my snowmobile, me and the rest of the group walked a short distance to a glacier overlook where I could see all the way from the coast to the jagged peaks of the Icelandic highlands.
Diamond Beach
Adjacent from Jokulsarlon Lagoon, a famed tourist attraction in itself, lies Diamond Beach. Diamond Beach is a black-sand beach glittered with perfectly clear icebergs which drift ashore from Jokulsarlon. Once on the beach, the icebergs are carved into intricate shapes by the harsh Atlantic waves. From a photographer’s perspective, the perfectly clear icebergs contrast well with the dark sand on the beach. For a clean photo, I picked a particularly interesting iceberg and set the shutter around 1/5th of a second. I then waited for a wave to come and cover the iceberg, finally taking the shot when the edge of the wave retreated to create wave motion around the iceberg’s base. While this is just an example technique, there are hundreds of unique ways to photograph the ‘diamonds’ making the beach a photographer's playground.
Mulagljufur Canyon
Just about 10 miles past Diamond Beach is one of the most lush and accessible canyons in all of Iceland. With only a two mile hike (one way) visitors to Mulagljufur Canyon can experience 3 of Iceland’s tallest waterfalls, a completely green gorge and views of towering Icelandic peaks. Best of all, the trail is not overrun by tourists unlike many trails in South Iceland! The short trail begins on the banks of a river and spends about a mile gradually climbing up a valley. At the top, the trail flattens out and runs alongside the rim of the canyon passing excellent viewpoints. Finally, about 2 miles in, the trail reaches a canyon overlook where all of Mulagljufur Canyon’s grandeur is visible. The location is excellent for both drone and handheld photography!
Landmannalaugar
Along with Thorsmork, Landmannalaugar is one of the most popular guided tours into the infamous Icelandic Highlands. With tours to Thorsmork all booked for my time in South Iceland, I chose to take a 4x4 trip to Landmannalaugar. After departing from Selfoss, we spent 30 minutes on paved road and then transitioned to 4x4 off-road. Iceland f-roads are a trip in itself, with excellent views and exciting bumps and bends. After 20 miles on Iceland f-225, we arrived at Landmannalaugar within Fjallabak Nature Reserve. The colors of Landmannalaugar are in your face immediately, with greenery, blank sand, crystal blue waters and tan soil all right next to the parking lot. A 1.5 mile trail took us around the highlights of the site, including the main Landmannalaugar valley with a perfectly in bloom wildflower field. In addition to the views, Landmannalaugar maintains a group of accessible hot springs for those interested in a soothing dunk. At the end of the walk I made sure to take my drone out for excellent aerial photos of the colorful valley.
Silfra
Although considered European, Iceland lies on the boundary between the North American and European tectonic plates. At Thingvellir National Park, visitors are able to see the divide between the two continental plates. While above land this presents as a rocky valley, underwater the tectonic plates divide into a 200 foot fissure. Snorkeling above the tectonic plate is one of the most popular tourist trips in the entire country! To combat the near freezing water temperatures, snorkeling outfitters bring heavy duty wetsuits which keep you mildly comfortable (not freezing but still cold) during the trip. When I was all geared up and ready, I slid into the fissure. I was in awe! Under me was a sheer cliff hundreds of feet deep yet perfectly visible with crystal clear water. The wetsuit’s natural flotation made exploration effortless. Although the snorkeling portion of the trip lasted only about 20 minutes, it was an unforgettable experience that can only be done in Iceland.
The Iceland ring road is an otherworldly adventure. Across the roughly 800 mile trip, you will experience desolate volcanic lands, gorgeous fjords, lush valleys, black sand beaches and idyllic Icelandic countryside. The ring road truly is the epitome of Iceland. While my article only covers some of my highlights along the trip, there are plenty more sites to be seen. For instance, I omitted dozens of popular waterfalls, geothermal sites and urban adventures along the road. A trip along the road is completely customizable, meaning it can be the trip of a lifetime for almost any traveller!
