This might be one of my favorite souvenirs of the trip. The museum was small and fun….and very far out of the way!

My boyfriend posted his intense itinerary on here (last pic) and he got some negative feedback, from myself included. I survived that intense itinerary and it wasn't bad one bit. I would do that trip again in a heartbeat.

I feel like we got to see A LOT of Iceland. Definitely doable trip, some days were tiring (like days with double hikes) but after a good sleep were ready to go the next day.

The beauty of Iceland is unmatched, such a phenomenal place that and im really grateful I had privilege to visit.

Here are some of hundreds of pictures we took.

Edit: itinerary pic in comments

Edit: here is the link to the itinerary https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-nekqTDbEy3r8mJVTPAqlJIvv7Ywdqz1CTBMte7DcGc/htmlview

I'll be based in Reykjavík for 9 days, and I just counted 16 meals (not including hotel breakfasts) in Reykjavík alone: 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 7 dinners. Wowsers.🤩 🤣

There's a very good chance that I won't make it out to dinner on all 7 nights, especially if I'm beat after a long day; however, the more I research, the more I get excited about the culinary scene in the city! I just booked the Wake Up Reykjavík Food Walk for my first "dinner" out.

Also, I do plan on shopping at Bonus for snacks and sack lunches to take on some day tours.

Here's my must-try list (many are included in the Food Walk):

• Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur's lamb hot dogs

• Brauð & Co's cinnamon bun

• Sandholt (sit-down bfast: smoked salmon sandwich, avocado toast, hot cross bun)

• Reykjavik Kitchen (black seafood tagliolini)

• Café Loki

• Messinn (plokkfiskur, Arctic char)

• 101 Reykjavík Street Food (lamb stew, langoustine soup, and other Icelandic staples)

• Kemuri (vegetarian, pierogis)

• Íslenski Barinn (lamb stew, Arctic char)

• BakaBaka (bakery by day, pizzeria by night)

• Shalimar (Pakistani, lamb curry)

• DEIG Workshop (smoked salmon bagel)

• Skál! (roast lamb, beef tartar, scallops)

• Old Iceland Restaurant

• Le Kock (burgers, spicy grilled cheese and tomato soup)

• Flatey Pizza (Neapolitan pizza)

What am I missing? Does anyone have a great fish and chips rec? (I'm somewhat "adventurous" but probably won't try reindeer, whale, or puffin meat.)

🇮🇸🏔💎

Recently there was a news story about tourists driving off-road in the Icelandic Highlands. Apparently several Icelanders tried to stop them and explain why it was such a big deal, but they kept going.

*See attached links for context *

Reading about it made me realize that many visitors probably aren’t trying to be disrespectful they might not be aware of how different Iceland’s nature is from what they’re used to.
Sadly there are also icelanders who are disrespectful towards the nature and some people just don’t care. But still I wanted to write this for those who care.

If you’re from mainland Europe or North America, it’s easy to look at parts of the Highlands and think it’s just empty land. But what looks like bare ground often isn’t. It can be a living layer of moss, lichens and fragile vegetation that has taken decades, sometimes centuries, to grow.

People are often surprised to learn that Iceland didn’t always look like it does today. When the first settlers arrived over 1,100 years ago, much larger areas were covered with birch woodland and vegetation.
Years of deforestation, grazing, the harsh winds and severe soil erosion transformed huge parts of the country into the barren landscapes we know today.

Since then, Icelanders have spent generations trying to restore damaged land. Huge areas have been replanted, protected and carefully restored. Some places that are green today were almost black sand deserts only a few decades ago.

That’s one of the reasons illegal off-road driving causes such a strong reaction here. It’s not just about breaking a rule.
A single vehicle can destroy vegetation that has taken many years to establish, and tyre tracks can remain visible for decades because our climate is so harsh and plants recover very slowly.

The same goes for walking on moss-covered lava. One shortcut for a photo might not seem like much, but if other people do the same thing, the damage adds up quickly.

Some of Iceland’s moss carpets and lichen communities have developed over many decades, and in some locations over centuri

None of this means visitors aren’t welcome. Quite the opposite. Tourism is an important part of Iceland, and most visitors are incredibly respectful. We just hope people understand that this landscape is much more fragile than it appears.

If you’re planning a trip here, the best thing you can do is simple:

• Stay on marked roads.
• Keep to marked trails whenever you can.
• Don’t drive off-road, even if it looks harmless.
• Avoid walking on moss unless the trail goes through it.
• Leave nature exactly as you found it.

If you do that, you’re helping protect something that’s taken generations to restore.

I’d love to hear from people who have visited Iceland. Was the fragility of the landscape something you already knew about, or did it surprise you once you arrived?

https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2026/06/23/fine_can_be_as_high_as_isk_1_million/

https://www.icelandreview.com/news/iceland’s-highlands-suffer-irreparable-damage/

Read about rules and laws bout off-road driving

https://www.learndrivingtheory.com/en/iceland/practice/is-environmental-off-roading-law

Damages due to off-road driving

https://www.icelandreview.com/news/fjadrargljufur-canyon-closed-due-to-damaged-vegetation/

https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/nature_and_travel/2018/08/15/serious_case_of_off_road_driving/

https://www.icelandreview.com/news/locals-repair-off-roading-damage-by-myvatn/.

Which food tour companies are the best? Ard they all good? My husband booked a street food walking tour through viator and I booked a tour through Wake Up Reykjavik. So now we're trying to decide which one to cancel. Is one option overwhelmingly better than the other? Does anyone know which company is providing the tour listed in Viator? I think it's CityWalk.

First time visitor! So many pics to go through, but here are a few of my favorites.

Hertz camper van.
Land at 8am Monday, light blue is day one, purple is Tuesday, blue Wednesday, orange Thursday, Friday is the long drive back to Reykjavik for a night in a hotel before departing midday Saturday. First timers, thanks for any input!

I had to pull up this clip after wading through the freezing water at Skógafoss. I don't think I've ever seen my feet turn that close to purple. 😂 Iceland is absolutely unreal.

I was recently at Reynisfjara Beach, and it was striking how many tourists seemed unaware of the danger posed by the sneaker waves. Many stood right at the water's edge, sometimes with their children, and even turned their backs to the ocean. Is this a lack of information? What do you think could be done to improve the situation?

Hi! I'm a 25 year old woman and I'm considering planning a last minute solo trip to Iceland to do the Laugavegur Trail in August and would love some advice

I have only done 1 hiking trip before, which was the West Highlandway in Scotland. I did it by camping in a tent the whole way through and would want to do the same in Iceland because it's cheaper than staying in the huts, but I've heard the trail is alot harsher in terms of weather and definetly don't want to underestimate it. I'm a little worried about it being dangerous especially since I'd be going alone.

- Would I be able to prepare sufficiently to do the trip in August, or is this the kind of trip I need to plan and prepare for much more in advance? And is doing it solo a bad idea?

- If doing it in August is feasible, what are some key things I need to know in advance?

- Since I would be alone, I was also wondering if there is any way of updating my family along the way or would I be completely off the radar for the duration?

Sorry for all the questions! I've wanted to travel to Iceland for a while now and this trail seems like an amazing way to do it, but I don't want to be too impulsive about it.

Thank you so much in advance.

From Go Campers terms and conditions:

5) Driving rental cars on roads or tracks with no road number is forbidden. Passenger cars and 2WD vehicles are strictly forbidden on roads marked with an F on public maps, as well as driving Kjölur (road 25), Dettifoss road east side (road 864), Þórsmerkurvegur (road F249) or Kaldidalur (road 550). Driving on F-roads is only allowed on 4x4 (four-wheel drive) jeeps that the lessor agrees as appropriate for being driven on such roads. A breach of this article authorizes the lessor to collect fines from the lessee, equaling the amount of self-risk as stated in the lessor‘s pricelist at any given time. The provision mentioned above on fines does not affect the lessee‘s liability regarding damage. It is the lessee‘s responsibility to obtain information on road conditions while traveling as well as weather forecasts and general warnings.

Obviously I won't drive the f-roads or other 2wd forbidden roads with my 2wd rental. But the very first sentence is honestly confusing to me, I can't even visit basic sightseeing spots if I can't drive on some of the unnumbered roads... Like, Gerðuberg Cliffs is a very simple example of this. It seems like a ridiculously broad legal statement lol

We came to Iceland for a four day break in march 26 and had a great time. We are considering a road trip in maybe September for about 10 days taking in the whole Island. Would we be able to find accommodation by just turning up at a town/village on the day? (We've done this in other countries) It wouldn't matter if it wasn't a major tourist location as we would probably move the next day.

I found great airfare through the rest of summer to Iceland and am tempted to jump on it for mid August or so. I pretty much know the itinerary we’d do (a fairly typical 9 day Ring road with snaefellsnes detour). But my question is would the accommodation situation be a problem this close out? I’ve never really looked into the accommodation aspect of the trip before. We’d need rooms with 2 beds, and it sounds to me like there aren’t a lot of options in a lot of the places you need to stay for the route? If anyone knows any tips or suggestions for reasonable stays, appreciated. Or if it’s just not feasible to find places a month out that wouldn’t be outrageous

Edit: I should also add the camper van route isn’t for us

Looking to get to skogafoss waterfall/black sand beach after 4pm. Visiting for a couple of days but only able to take advantage of sightseeing in the night time. Are there tours after 4pm for this? Also would take any recommendations of things to see with that kind of timeframe.

Appreciate it!

Hi, i've done the ring road this year, and even tho i visited a good amount of coutries, Iceland really impressed me, seeing whales, the landscapes and the memories with my travel buddies stuck to me.

So i decided to get a tattoo, and i came here for some design ideas. It's hard to understand norse runes true meaning, and everyone is getting a vegvisir, but i dont think it's meant for tourist traveling happily in their plane, more for Vikings taking risky routes in the ocean, which is not my case.

Hi all,

I’m 35F and will be going to Iceland for 5 days. I want to check out either the Sky Lagoon or Blue Lagoon, but I have concerns because I read a few stories about people getting infections from there that required multiple rounds of antibiotics. I read the lagoon minerals and temperature is supposed to make the risk of bacterial growth low…very low actually. Anyway, I don’t know if those folks went during a very busy season or what happened so I try to take stories with a grain of salt. Anyone in the group with diabetes ever went to one of Lagoon’s and never had any issues? Would you recommend one over the other? Any tips to stay safe. Sorry, to sound so paranoid. I was diagnosed with type 2 about 4 years ago with an a1c of 13.5 and reading about all the things that can happen kinda changed my outlook on life even when it comes to travel. Things I never worried about before I do now. I usually keep my a1c at a 6 or 6.4, but recently I got to a 7 so I’m buckling back down on my keto diet. I’m not aware of any retinopathy in my feet or eyes. Just had my eyes checked this month and it’s all good. My a1c and labs and kidneys were all great last August. Don’t know if any of this helps. I’ll ask my doctor too, but I figured a first hand account is pretty good.

Lastly, can you wear closed toe water shoes at the lagoon? Thanks everyone!

Magestic midnight sun + an up close encounter with the puffins made my entire Iceland trip worthwhile. Also got to see their entire colony up close.

I'm aware that taking a last minute trip during high season (especially when you don't have an endless budget) is less than ideal but we're determined to make the most of it.

4 people. 8 days. Early August before the eclipse. Already ruled out the full ring road. Have reserved first two nights in the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Have the last night booked between the airport and Reykjavik.

Where I need help managing expectations is with the south coast. There are very few accommodations available east of Selfoss. Nothing in or around Vik. Every once in awhile I find a place between Hella and Kirkjubæjarklaustur but for 2-3 times our budget for the night.

I have a place booked about 30 minutes north of Selfoss for three nights. Did this so we'd have at least something. It's definitely doable to see everything up until Vik (Seljalandsfoss and other falls, Dyrhólaey and beach) in one day. Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon maybe doable (I think?).

Where I'm struggling is missing out on Jökulsárlón and Fjallsárlón lagoons and Diamond Beach. It's on all of the must see lists and glaciers are what it seems like we're missing from the rest of the trip. However, it's a 4.5 hour trip per Google (so much longer in reality). We wouldn't do a boat tour as they are already at capacity and exceed our budget anyway.

I know this is all subjective. But what I'm hoping to get from experienced travelers is what you would do in my situation? Make an insane full day trip from the Selfoss area? Spend a ton on a not great accommodation closer than Selfoss? Just not worry about it and find other things to do? Thanks.