Wondering just how much of the Land of Ice and Fire you can see in ten days? We took a 10 day trip to Iceland that covered the entire Ring Road and came back with our minds blown. Never before have I seen such dramatic landscapes, so many breathtaking waterfalls, incredible canyons, and a rather impressive number of black sand beaches.
Technically our trip was 11 days and 10 nights, but it was more like 9.5 days in actuality. We went to Iceland right after they opened up to vaccinated travelers, so there were still a few travel restrictions in place. We were required to get a COVID-19 test after landing and then had to quarantine for 24 hours until the results came out, so the first day didn’t really count. But that amount of time is still plenty to see as much of the beautiful country as possible! Here is our exact 10 day Iceland itinerary, to hopefully provide some insight and inspiration.
Day 1
We started off our trip by flying into Reykjavik on a Thursday and quarantining in a hotel there. Once our negative results came out on Friday, we were free to go out and explore Reykjavik a little bit more. The capital of Iceland isn’t exactly known as a hotspot destination, and it is somewhat quiet and reserved.
Hallgrimskirkja, the uniquely designed Icelandic church, is a must-see small stop. You don’t need to pay for a tour because entry is free. After seeing so many opulent Roman Catholic churches in France, Italy, etc. the simple and minimalist design of Hallgrimskirkja left an impression on me.
The other interestingly designed building is Haupa Concert Hall, but sadly because of coronavirus there wasn’t anything going on at the time we visited. We ended up eating an early dinner at Ramen Momo, a surprisingly good Japanese ramen bar, and heading back to our hotel.
Day 2
We reserved the earliest time slot for Blue Lagoon because I wanted to avoid any potential crowds (to get those nice Instagram photos of course). I saw other blog posts that mentioned time slots as early as 8AM, but 11AM was the earliest one available. We drove 45 minutes out from Reykjavik to Blue Lagoon and spent a few hours soaking in the steaming, milky blue water. Say what you want about Blue Lagoon—I loved it! But if you’re debating whether or not it’s worth going to, I have a post for you.
Then we tackled the Golden Circle, a popular sightseeing route close to Reykjavik that pretty much every Iceland visitor will take. The first main attraction was the Haukadalu geothermal area which is full of beautiful pools and geysers. Strokkur, the most popular geyser in the area, erupts every 5-10 minutes—shockingly frequently considering Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park only erupts about every 30 minutes. Strokkur is definitely smaller, but you can get so close to it that it’s still impressive.
Next, we explored Gullfoss, also known as the Golden Falls. It had been pretty gloomy and drizzly the whole day so far, but as we were walking around the beautiful three-tiered waterfall, the sun suddenly came out and treated us to a massive, brilliantly colored rainbow! I adore rainbows and I’ve only seen a rainbow this clear and brightly colored a few times in my life. Gullfoss is known for its rainbow appearances, but I was still stunned even though I knew what I was getting into.
Our last stop of the day was Kerid Crater, a bright blue lake in the center of a red sand valley. However, shortly after we arrived here, it started storming—wind, rain, the whole shebang (and just the first of probably a dozen times we got hit with this kind of weather in Iceland). We took plenty of photos here but were forced to retreat once the rain settled in. Then it was time to drive back to Reykjavik and have dinner.
Day 3
The next morning dawned bright and sunny—a good sign for the whale watching outing ahead. Originally, I had been pretty unsure if whale watching was going to be worth it, but Thomas insisted on booking it. And boy am I glad we did! We saw puffins, minke whales, and multiple humpback whales—including a whale breaching entirely out of the water, swimming underneath our boat, and him blowing a misty rainbow towards us as he left. Even our whale watching guide was stunned at the experience that we had!
After lunch, we headed out to hike Fagradalsfjall Volcano, Iceland’s volcano that previously hadn’t erupted in 6000 years. Seeing an active volcano crater overflowing with glowing red and orange lava was one of the most otherworldly experiences of my life, and I can’t recommend it enough! I wrote a dedicated post about the Iceland eruptions and how to see the volcano for yourself, and I’m begging you to go see it before it goes silent once more. In fact, we spent so much time at the volcano that we didn’t have time to do any more activities that day, so we just headed back to Reykjavik for the night.
Day 4
To make up for lost time the previous day, we set out bright and early for Hrunalaug hot spring, a more local hot spring compared to the massive and touristy Blue Lagoon. It was drizzling and cold, but the tiny and modest hot spring, which only fits up to 10 people, was so fun to sit in.
Alas, we couldn’t dawdle there all day. After braving the cold to change back into clothes, we drove down to Seljalandsfoss, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. However, it was also raining, and the wind was so strong that the rain was falling horizontally! There wasn’t even a point in bringing an umbrella, so we just resigned ourselves to getting wet.
We checked into our Skogar hotel, called Hotel Kverna. This stay wasn’t sponsored, but I have to recommend it simply because of the hotel owner’s dog, Tobi. He roams freely around the hotel and is super friendly and just all-out adorable!
Unfortunately, even after taking some time to dry off and play with Tobi, the rain refused to let up. We figured if we were going to get wet anyway, we might as well go to Skogafoss….and get wet we did! After braving the curtains of powerful water, I wasn’t just wet, but completely soaked and dripping with water from head to toe. Suffice it to say, after that I didn’t want to do anything else besides take a hot shower and eat a hot meal for dinner!
Day 5
The morning of the fifth day blessed us with bright, clear skies. First thing in the morning, we hiked out to the Solheimasandur DC-3 plane wreck, out in the middle of a black sand plain. The plane crash is such a unique feature in the wild landscape—I had so much fun here walking inside the hollowed-out fuselage!
Well, no more time to waste. After Solheimasandur, we drove to Reynisfjara, the famous black sand beach. The wind here was no joke, and neither were the waves! Several times, massive waves crashed up onto the beach and sent people scurrying back up the coastline. I was taking pictures on the beautiful black basalt cliffs and poor Thomas had to keep running back and forth to avoid getting hit by the water.
In the afternoon, we explored the Katla ice caves with Troll Expeditions. You cannot explore these yourself, you must go with a guide! Katla Volcano is a subglacial volcano that erupts every 50 years or so, causing massive floods in the south tip of Iceland. The ice caves are fuller and more spectacular during winter, of course, but they were also beautiful at this time with their scalloped edges and icy blue layers. Plus, the melting ice mist meant there were rainbows everywhere!
We made a pit stop to check out the lupine fields at Vik i Myrdal church before heading back to the hotel. By this time heavy clouds were starting to settle in again, but I was determined to hike to Kvernufoss, a hidden gem of a waterfall that is often overlooked due to its nonexistent signage. I wish the lighting was better when we went, but it was one of my favorite waterfalls from the whole trip!
Day 6
We set out a bit later than expected this morning because I fell sick in the morning, but once I was up and walking again, we drove out to hike Svartifoss in Skaftafell’s Vatnajokull National Park. I was already in love with the black basalt columns everywhere in Iceland and Svartifoss was no exception! Note that you cannot climb to the point in this photo because a railing has been installed—this picture is photoshopped in 🙂
Our next stop was Mulagljufur Canyon, which is hands down one of the most otherworldly places I have ever been. This little-known canyon is a real hidden gem, and you have to drive an unpaved road to the middle of nowhere. Then you have to attempt a very slippery approximately 3 mile hike through the mostly unmarked canyon…but the views are more than worth it. With stunning waterfalls and a magical green canyon and the mountain rising in the background, I felt like I was walking through Zelda. Unfortunately, the lighting was really harsh and we weren’t able to get the kinds of photos I wanted to get, but just being here was a magical experience.
Then it was time to experience the unique Icelandic midnight sun. Around 11PM, we drove to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and watched the icy blue pieces of ice float around in the river. Amazingly, we saw some of the glaciers break, flip over, and crash right before our very eyes before resuming to a state of peaceful calm.
Right across from Jokulsarlon is Diamond Beach, aptly named for the pieces of sparkling ice that wash upon the shore. The contrast between the gleaming ice and the black sand is absolutely beautiful! I wish there were more ice pieces, but considering we were visiting in summer I guess I couldn’t ask for much more.
By this time, it was already close to midnight, but we drove to Stokksnes, a famous beach in Iceland for its dramatic landscapes and the magnificent mountain, Vestrahorn, in the background. Multiple sources said to visit at either sunrise or sunset. I cannot stress this enough, please come at sunrise instead of sunset. At least in the summer, the sun sets directly behind Vestrahorn, making the entire mountain look like one dark mound. The tide was also receding and we didn’t get to see the classic mirror reflections in the black sand. I know Stokksnes is a beautiful place, but I was just so disappointed when I was there.
Day 7
From here on out, there was a lot of driving to be done. Originally we had planned on taking this route a little slower, but then we realized we had to be in Reykjavik a day earlier than planned in order to get our COVID-19 tests to go back to the United States…so we had to cut a lot out of our itinerary. We were weren’t even halfway around the Ring Road yet!
In the morning we drove a few hours up the east coast to Stuðlagil Canyon. Finding how to get to the trailhead was a little tricky, but we eventually made it and started the rather uneventful hike to the basalt column walls. Luckily, there was another lovely waterfall to break the monotony.
The canyon itself was breathtaking. The icy blue glacial river is impossibly teal, framed by the imposing straight black basalt columns that flank the sides like tall guards. I could’ve sat here and taken pictures all day! This used to be more of a hidden gem, but it looks like it’s gotten more popular as of late—we did run into a dozen or so different parties along the way.
Then it was a long drive to Myvatn, the northern part of Iceland famous for its Diamond Circle. We didn’t have enough time to drive the Diamond Circle, but we were able to spend some time at Lake Myvatn. The lake looks much more impressive from the air, dotted with its mysterious green crater islands, than from the ground. From the shoreline, it looks like…well, a lake. There are also a ton of small flying bugs in this area that are just inescapable.
Before the night was up, we made a pit stop at Grjotagja, a small bright blue underground pool that used to be used for bathing. You can’t swim in it anymore (it’s very hot!), but it did become famous due to an appearance in Game of Thrones. The cave is extremely small, and I’ve heard that queues used to form here when there are loads of tourists in Iceland, but we had it to ourselves.
Day 8
One of the best waterfalls in Iceland, the imposing Godafoss—also known as the waterfall of the gods. Godafoss is a massive horseshoe-shaped waterfall that spans 30 meters. Its name comes from the time when Iceland became a Christian country, and the statues of the Norse gods were thrown into the waterfall post-conversion. If you have time to explore the Diamond Circle and Myvatn, Godafoss is one of the most popular stops on the route. A lot of the popular photo taking spots here have been fenced off, though, so I didn’t get any photos of myself here.
We bid Myvatn goodbye and headed out to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, a region in western Iceland. However, there was time for a stop along the way at Kolugljufur Canyon, a small but deep canyon with a blue periglacial waterfall! It was so windy here, however, that we couldn’t get close to the edge without getting blown off. We got some hilarious videos of me being physically shoved around by the wind, though.
On our way out we happened across some horses, and I got out to feed them bananas. Icelandic horses are so beautiful and friendly! They’re everywhere and some of them are even wild and roam around on their own. Most of the horses in Iceland, domestic or not, don’t have trimmed manes which results in beautiful images of their rock star manes whipping in the wind:
So cute and pretty.🙂 Alas, we had to continue driving to Snæfellsnes. Once we reached the peninsula, it was already pretty late at night, but we drove out anyway to Arnarstapi to try and find something to eat. Sker Restaurant had a delicious shellfish salad that supplemented my extremely lack of vegetables on the trip insofar. Unfortunately, that night it was extremely rainy/foggy so we didn’t get to do much else…and we were planning on getting up very early in the morning.
Day 9
Because of its proximity to the North Pole, Iceland gets almost 24 hours of sunlight during the summer, but there is a “twilight” period between midnight and 3AM, and you can catch some beautiful sunsets and sunrises (if the weather cooperates). I was determined to see at least one good sunrise on this trip, so we woke up around 3AM to go catch the sunrise at Kirkjufellsfoss.
Kirkjufellsfoss is the number one most photographed spot in all of Iceland. However, the waterfalls themselves are not particularly impressive compared to the other waterfalls on this list. Rather, the positioning of the waterfalls in the foreground, with the towering 463-meter Mt. Kirkjufell in the background, is what makes this spot so legendary. While waiting for the sun to come up, we huddled at this iconic spot for almost an entire hour (the sun seemed to be lagging a little bit). However, when the sun broke over the right side of the mountain and washed the area in soft first light, it was absolutely stunning!
Because of its popularity, I read that it’s difficult to take pictures of Kirkjufellsfoss without other people in your shot, even at the coveted photographer times of sunrise and sunset. This trip was particularly magical because there were almost no tourists in Iceland. We had the entirety of the #1 most photographed spot in Iceland all to ourselves. What a blessing.
On the way back to the hotel, we quickly stopped at Budakirkja, a small black church. It’s become very popular in Iceland for weddings because of its unique coloring.
Originally, I had several other places I wanted to check out in Snæfellsnes like the stone bridge arch in the Arnarstapi cliffs, Londrangar Viewpoint, Djupalonssandur beach and the British shipwreck, Bjarnarfoss, and the bright orange Svortuloft lighthouse. Because of the change in plans, we had to cut these out unfortunately. We drove the 2 hours back to Reykjavik to take our COVID-19 tests, made sure to eat, and explored one last lupine field as the golden hour started to set in.
Day 10
All prepared to head back to the United States with negative covid tests in hand, we returned our car and took a shuttle back to the airport. Good bye, Iceland, it was a wonderful trip. The land of ice and fire really is a magical place.
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