Iceland Trip 2024: A Detailed 2-Week Itinerary

October 9, 2025 Not Your Typical Tourist

I’ve been asked to share our Iceland itinerary countless times since we returned! While our plan was initially just a rough outline, the real adventure happened on the road—a huge thank you to my husband for his expert, on-the-go route planning. A year later, I’ve compiled our exact day-by-day journey to help you craft your own flexible, two-week adventure.

While we certainly hoped to see the Northern Lights (my husband’s first time, my second), we quickly learned that Iceland is truly more than just the aurora. This trip, our first time traveling the Ring Road in a campervan, was the best of both worlds.

A Quick Note on Budget: To keep costs manageable, we cooked most of our meals. When we did dine out, a single meal for two came to approximately 5,000 baht. We also became fast fans of the ubiquitous Icelandic hotdogs—they are delicious, quick, and save money!

Day 1 (October 10, 2024): Arrival in Reykjavik

Our journey began with a long transit from Bangkok, landing at Keflavik (KEF) and taking the Flybus directly to downtown Reykjavik. After settling into Kex Hostel, we immediately dove into the local food scene, grabbing a famous hotdog at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur and trying Loki Restaurant’s unique rye bread set (the rye bread ice cream is a must-try!). That evening, despite high hopes for the aurora, the light pollution and our travel exhaustion meant we missed the first show.

Day 2 (October 11, 2024): The Road Trip Begins

Day 2 was all about logistics: picking up our van from Cozy Campers and stocking up at Bónus before hitting the famous Golden Circle route (Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss). The reward for our patience? A magical first Northern Lights sighting right outside our van at Skógar Campsite—the perfect start to our two-week drive!

Day 3 (October 12, 2024): Waterfalls and Black Sand

The South Coast is the classic Iceland route, offering dramatic landscapes back-to-back. We started by exploring the magnificent Skógafoss and then experienced the unique walk-behind of Seljalandsfoss and the beautiful Dyrhólaey arch. We drove to Vík Camping, our second campsite, where we settled in for the night.

Day 4 (October 13, 2024): From Churches to Glaciers

Day 4 brought the stark beauty of the Black Sand Beach near Vík, a photographer’s paradise. We then traveled through the otherworldly moss blankets near Kirkjubæjarklaustur before reaching Skaftafell National Park for our first close-up look at a glacier. We spent the night at Skaftafell Camping, right in the national park.

Day 5 (October 14, 2024): Ice and Diamonds

The next morning, we were rewarded with the breathtaking sight of icebergs washed ashore at Diamond Beach and floating in Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. We grabbed a quick fish and chips from a food truck here before heading east to Höfn.

Day 6 (October 15, 2024): East Fjords Adventure

We explored Vestrahorn beach and the Viking village. The drive into the East Fjords is long but incredibly rewarding, offering rugged coastal views, and we stayed the night at Camp Egilsstaðir.

Day 7 (October 16, 2024): Rainbows, Craters, and More Lights

Our patience paid off when we reached Seyðisfjörður—the iconic Rainbow Street and reflections on the water made it an unexpected highlight. We continued to Stuðlagil Canyon and Viti Crater Lake. Later that evening, at Hlíð Bed and Breakfast (Mývatn), we witnessed a spectacular Northern Lights display, which kept my husband busy with his camera gear!

Day 8 (October 17, 2024): Akureyri and the North

We visited the steaming, sulfurous landscape of Hverir before road conditions forced a detour away from Dettifoss (always check road reports in October!). Instead, we enjoyed the pseudo-craters at Skútustaðagígar and had lunch at Vogafjós Farm Resort. We then finished the day at Goðafoss before driving on to Hamrar Campsite in Akureyri, where we caught a weaker, but still beautiful, aurora show.

Day 9 (October 18, 2024): The Snaefellsnes Peninsula

We took a stroll around Akureyri, exploring the beautiful Icelandic horses and taking photos. We drove to the quiet town of Sauðárkrókur and visited its Black Sand Beach in Hellissandur, where we saw an abandoned fishing trawler. We had lunch at B&S Restaurant before checking in to Blönduós Campsite.

Day 10 (October 19, 2024): Snaefellsnes Exploration

We visited the black church (Blönduóskirkja) at Blönduós before starting our drive towards the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, and stayed the night at Búðardalur Camping.

Day 11 (October 20, 2024): Kirkjufell

We finally reached Kirkjufell, the famous “Church Mountain,” for a quick evening view before settling at Campsite Ólafsvík.

Day 12 (October 21, 2024): A Second Night in Ólafsvík

We explored the town of Ólafsvík and Hellisandur, visited Svooufoss, had lunch at Sker Restaurant (amazing pizza!), and then drove to see the beautiful landscape of Snæfellsnes. We visited Djúpalónssandur beach and Malarrif Lighthouse. We drove back to Campsite Ólafsvík for our second and final night.

Day 13 (October 22, 2024): Back to Reykjavik

We drove to Kirkjufell early for morning photography, then returned to the campsite to freshen up and check out. We continued to explore Snæfellsjökull National Park and made a stop at the charming village of Arnarstapi. We began the final leg of our road trip back to Reykjavik, and checked into an Airbnb in Mosfellsbær, a great base for our final days.

Day 14 (October 23, 2024): Campervan Return & City Sights

We returned our campervan to Cozy Campers and took their free shuttle to Perlan. We then took a bus to Messinn Seafood for lunch, and had teatime at Babalú, one of the quirkiest cafe I’ve ever been to and superb homey apple pie (usually not a fan, but theirs had that crumbly crumb that I crazily adore). Double rainbow day. We then picked up our rental sedan from Blue Car Rental and drove back to our Airbnb in Mosfellsbær. We had an incredible Northern Lights sighting from our Airbnb and then drove to Grotta Lighthouse for better photography.

Day 15 (October 24, 2024): Reykjavik and Departure Prep

We checked out and drove to the Recycled House, then drove into the city one last time, parking for free at Fisislóð near various retail outlets including Bónus and Krónan. We had lunch at Seabaron for more amazing grilled fish and lobster soup, and another round of hotdogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, with coffee at Reykjavik Roasters. We also walked around for wall-mural hunting. We drove back to Keflavik, stopping by the Bridge Between Continents. We checked into Hotel Aurora near the airport and returned our sedan at the Blue Car Rental office.

Day 16 (October 25, 2024): Departure

Our Icelandair flight departed from Keflavik Airport at 7:50 AM to Oslo. We landed in Bangkok at 6:15 AM the following day.

Final Reflections

This trip was a perfect mix of planned sights and spontaneous detours. The key was a flexible mindset, which is essential for a campervan journey in Iceland! I had to take plenty rest, as my stamina isn’t as good as my husband’s—so a huge thanks to him for tolerating my slowness with patience and for expertly capturing our memories.