Iceland has been on my radar for several years since tourism really picked up with budget airlines like Wow Air putting it on the map for travelers. Known for the stunning untouched landscape, northern lights viewing and geothermal baths there was a lot that I wanted to see. When my college friends and I decided to go to Iceland we knew immediately we wanted to follow Iceland’s ring round which runs around the whole country connecting all the major towns and most attractions. 

Although many people choose to visit Iceland in the summer when the weather is warmer and there is almost 24 hours of sunlight we decided to visit in October since we had a good chance of viewing the Northern lights but the entire Ring Road would still be passable. If we went any later in the year the roads are prone to close because of winter weather and the days get increasingly short. 

We decided to visit during October since the weather was not unbearable, we still got a good 8 hours of sunlight and most importantly a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights. 

Day 1: Gold Circle

Although we landed very early in the morning we wanted to utilize the most of our time Iceland. Right after picking up our rental car from Blue Car Rental we headed off to the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle typically takes about 4 hours of driving plus some time at each stop so it was the perfect amount of things to see while still making it back to our Airbnb before dark. Our first stop was at Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly splitting apart. Many people dive at a spot called Silfra to see this divide underwater. Afterwards we were getting a little pecking so we stopped by at Friðheimar Farm for some fresh ice cream where you can see the cows that made the milk for your icecream right next door!

Our next stop was the Geyser area a geothermal area about 60km away from Þingvellir National Park. There are two famous geysers here called Geysir and Strokkur. Here we could see Geysir errupt every 15 minutes or so which is a much higher rate than you may see at other Geysirs such as in Yellowstone National Park. Last but not least we visited Gulfoss, one of the most iconic waterfalls in Iceland that actually has two drops that create a stunning powerful effect.

Day 2: Southern Iceland

This was by far the best and also the most jam-packed day of the trip. In retrospect I would have separated all the attractions into two days; however, since we wanted to cover more driving distance we ended up having a super busy day. We started the day at Kerid Crater which is a picturesque volcanic crater lake with many colors. This was one of the most unique sites we visited in all of Iceland and definitely super photogenic.

Only a short drive away was Seljalandsfoss a beautiful waterfall right off the Ring Road that was primarily unique because you can walk all the way behind it. Seljalandsfoss is also popular because it can be seen in Justin Bieber’s music video for his song ‘I’ll Show You’. Very close to Seljalandsfoss is Skogafoss was another beautiful waterfall flanked by cliffs and you may even be able to see a rainbow in front on a sunny day as as pictured below. In the parking lot behind the waterfall is Skogasafn, an outdoor museum revealing life and work in Iceland in the 20th century including replica hill-houses. I’m not huge into museums but found this one quite interesting. It was nice to learn a little more about Iceland’s history and culture.

Next we headed to the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier where you can take a guided hike onto the glacier using crampons and equipment if you are so inclined. We just opted to take the short walk up to touching distance of the glacier and soak in the views of the surrounding mountains.

Last but certainly not least we made our way to Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach just in time for the sunset. Although it was super crowded I would definitely recommend trying to go at that time in order to watch the sun set on the beautiful beach. This beach is known for its enormous basalt rocks which make a perfect backdrop to the ocean.

Day 3: Eastern Iceland

Today we made our way up the east coast of Iceland into the Fjords. Our first stop was Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon was created by erosion by flowing glacier waters over rock and makes for quite a dramatic contrast between green moss and bright blue waters. Located not far from the main ring road along a gravel road I highly recommend taking this stop and soaking in the view.

After the canyon we headed to Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon and diamond beach. Jökulsárlón formed when Breiðamerkurjökull glacier started retreating, leaving the lagoon in its path with floating ice chunks. These chunks then make their way to the black sand beach where they look like diamonds in contrast with the dark sand.

Day 4: Northern Iceland

This day we woke up to snow and some roads with snow cover. We decided to tentatively push forward hoping that the northern mountain roads wouldn’t be too icy or get closed due to inclement weather. We roads were quite precarious but we were able to make our way to the Myvatn Geothermal area which has volcanic craters, colorful mud pools and geysers. The whole area looks like it is smoking, has a distinct sulfurous smell and is one of the most obvious examples of the volcanic activity in Iceland. We took a nice soak in the hot spring there where you can soak in the Myvatn Nature Bath for a fraction of the price of the more popular Blue Lagoon. It was incredible to be in our swimsuits in a natural hotspring while snow was falling all around us.

Day 5: Trapped in a Blizzard

This day the snow was relentless and the road conditions were quite bad. We didn’t feel comfortable driving and luckily our Airbnb host allowed us to stay at their farm an extra night. We spent the whole day lounging around and playing in the snow. Unfortunately my friends who had to fly out of Reykjavik two days later had to book a flight from Akuryeri (Iceland’s second biggest city) which was only an hour from where we were staying in order to make their flight back to the US. At night, we were finally able to see our first glimpses of the northern lights. In order to see the lights we need to have a clear sky as well as a high aurora forecast. You can check the Iceland Meteorological website to see what the aurora forecast will be.

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Day 6: On our way to Akuryeri we stopped by Goðafoss which had frozen over night leading to quite a stunning view. The rest of this day was spent driving to our hotel and trying to make headway back to Reykjavik in time for our flights home but we did get another great night of northern lights viewing right out of the doorsteps of our hotel.

Day 7 Snæfellsnes Penninsula

On our last day we headed back to Reykjavik via the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. This western peninsula has many sites along the coast and is an easy day trip out of Reykjavik if you are not driving all the way around the ring road. At this point in the trip we were two people down and the remaining three of us were getting a little fatigued after a couple days of stressful driving and poor sleep. We hit a couple spots like the iconic Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfall and Búðakirkja Black Church which you may recognize as popular instagram locations but ended up skipping most of the other popular spots to head back to Reykjavik faster.

Although it is very popular with tourist Iceland still has a lot of untouched beauty and for most of our drives we felt the remote isolation of the island quite distinctly. With friendly locals, exposure to the northern lights and incredibly unique beauty not too far from home I would definitely recommend Iceland to anyone looking to get away from the hectic chaos of busy city life.

Tips for driving around the Ring Road: check http://www.road.is/ for the latest updates on weather, snow, sand storms etc that can affect driving conditions. Depending on your comfort levels you may have to change plans waiting another day at your current destination or turning around. On the website green means pretty good road conditions. Since I have had some experience driving in winter conditions I decided to drive on orange and blue roads that have some snow cover. In our experience blue could be covered in ice and quite dangerous road conditions so I would not recommend driving in any condition more serious than orange.