How To Travel Around Iceland in a Campervan
I did a 10 day trip around the entire Ring Road in Iceland, living out of a campervan and I think it’s the BEST way to explore Iceland. In this blog I will talk about why I think this is the best way to travel around Iceland and tips of living out of a campervan!
Convenience
There is SO much to see and do in Iceland that even if you are a detail-oriented person like myself and have a full itinerary, you’ll still end up stopping at different sites, waterfalls, viewpoints, along the way and that will inevitably throw you off of your schedule. Traveling in a campervan allows you to map out a rough estimate of where you will be staying each night but if you get set back a couple hours one day and don’t want to drive any further, you can almost always find a campsite to stay at wherever you end your day. (This may be more difficult in winter months).
What Campervan Should You Rent
I partnered with Happy Campers for my trip and chose to go with the Happy 4 x 4. I really wanted a vehicle that had 4wd so that we could go on the F roads or potentially venture into the Highlands (we didn’t have time for this). I traveled with my sister and between the two of us, we had 2 checked bags (larger than a carry-on) and still had plenty of space for our luggage as well as storage for chairs, food, drinks, etc.
You cannot stand up straight in a Happy 4 x 4 but that didn’t bother us as all. I do own a campervan in the United States that has a little bit of a higher roof but I still can’t stand all the way up in it so I’m used to living out of a vehicle like that. My sister however had never done anything in a campervan and she had no problem with it! Having the shorter vehicle was easier to drive and saved us money on gas.
If you plan on traveling with a lot of gear whether it’s for hiking, videography/photography, or you aren’t a spring chicken anymore (I did this trip when I was 35), you might want to consider something a little bigger for more comfort, but I think most people would be able to be good in a smaller van. Just remember to pack only what you NEED. Since I’ve done campervan life in the States, I’m pretty good at packing minimally, but it took some getting used to. Of course make sure to pack enough warm and waterproof clothes to survive, but you don’t need a new outfit for every day I promise!
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How to Find campsites
You CANNOT wild camp in Iceland, it is illegal, so you do have to stay at actual campsites. Happy Campers made it so easy for us to find campsites with this campsite map that they have on their website. It shows you sites that are open All-Year, Summer-Only, Hybrid Campsites, & Highlands Campsites. Obviously there’s going to be more campsites open in the summer but you can still camp at any of the sites 365 days a year, you just won’t always have access to facilities like toilets during the offseason.
There was only one time we went to Google and searched for a campsite near us because there wasn’t one on the map and we were able to find one within a mile of where we were.
Campsite costs
The campsites charge per person and it ended up being about $12-$18 per person per campsite. Some campsites charge extra to use the showers or water. The Happy Campers map has the details of what’s all included and what you might have to pay extra for when you click on each individual campsite.
how to navigate around iceland
Happy Campers provides WIFI in every single vehicle. It’s included in the price so you will always be able to navigate using your phone.
Tip: Make sure the WIFI works before you leave the rental company. The cord that charged our WIFI router wasn’t working but I packed a cord that worked to charge it so we were able to use mine.
keeping it cost effective
Depending on what kind of campervan you rent, you will most likely at least have a little stove, water, and a fridge/cooler in it. We skipped eating out very much and just stuck to things like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, & ramen. That helped save us a ton of money!
If you rent through Happy Campers they also have a “Free Zone” where other people leave behind unused food and you can take whatever you want. I was able to snag bread, peanut butter, jelly, ramen, chips, cooking oil, salt & pepper, coffee, and more! That helped save a ton on getting groceries.
The Campsites We Stayed At
- Night 1: Akranes Tjaldsvæði
- This campsite was only 45 minutes from Reykjavik and had great mountain and ocean views! Find the exact location here.
- Night 2: Grundarfjörður
- This campsite has fantastic views of Kirkjufell Mountain. Find the exact location here.
- Night 3: Hamrar
- This campsite is located about 10 minutes outside of Akureyri and is much more of a traditional campsite you’d find in the United States versus other ones that are basically just big grass spaces. It offered a lot of amenities, multiple playgrounds, trails all throughout the campgrounds, and it was huge! Find the exact location here.
- Night 4: Studlagil Canyon Camping
- We got to the Studlagil area pretty late so we ended up just camping here which then covered our entrance fee for the Studlagil Canyon! This was a bit of a hack we found out into the trip that a lot of famous areas also have campgrounds attached to them so your camping fee will include the fee to that area also. Find the exact location here.
- Night 5: Vestrahorn Camping
- We camped at the entrance to Stokksnes this night. Your admission fee into Stokksnes is covered if you camp here! Find the exact location here.
- Night 6: Vik Camping
- By the time we got to Vik it was late and we were tired so we decided to just stay at the super popular Vik Camping site. It was really busy but we were still able to find a spot at 11pm. Find the exact location here.
- If we had more time, we would have drove into the Þakgil campsite that is surrounded by mountains and hiking trails.
- Night 7: Reykjamörk Hveragerði Campsite
- You can make reservations ahead of time for this campsite. We didn’t but it’s the only one that we got close to not getting a spot so if you’re rolling in late/during tourist season, you may be at risk of the campground being full. Find the exact location here.
- Night 8: Bjarteyjarsandur Camping
- With two nights left, we didn’t want to go back to Reykjavik quite yet so we ended up driving back to an area close to Glymur waterfall again to camp this night. It was called Hvalfjörður and is absolutely stunning! We ended up staying on a farm that night that had a big kitchen/dining room, bar, sheep, dogs, and more. Find the exact location here.
- Night 9: Happy Campsite Keflavik
- Our last night we decided to go back to Happy Campers and just camp at the campground attached to their location. If you rent through Happy Campers, you get a discount, and if you get travel anxiety, this will help a bit, being so close to the airport. We had to drive the van 50 yards to drop it off and hop on the shuttle to the airport (you can only take their shuttle if you rented through Happy Camper). Find the exact location here.
Camper Van Essentials
Most campervan rental companies will provide basics like, cups, plates, cooking utensils, but these are what I found to be helpful to have that was not provided!
