Iceland's Ring Road: 10 Days Driving the Entire Country

Why Iceland Stops You in Your Tracks

Iceland occupies a place in the traveller's imagination disproportionate to its size (population: 380,000). The reason: its landscape is unlike anywhere else on Earth. It sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates drift apart — the geological forces that elsewhere in the world operate invisibly are here visible on the surface. Geysers erupt at regular intervals. Volcanoes have erupted in living memory. Lava fields stretch to every horizon. Glaciers calve icebergs into black-sand lagoons. And above it all, in winter, the Northern Lights paint the sky green and violet.

When to Drive the Ring Road

Summer (June–August): The midnight sun means 24 hours of daylight, temperatures of 10–18°C, and all roads open. No Northern Lights. The best time for highland roads (F-roads) and puffin watching (April–August). Peak tourist season — more expensive, busier campsites.

Winter (November–March): Northern Lights are possible on clear nights. Very short daylight hours (4–5 hours). Some roads may be closed. More dramatic, moody landscapes. Significantly cheaper accommodation.

Shoulder seasons (April–May, September–October): The sweet spot for most travellers. Reasonable daylight hours, lower prices, Northern Lights possible in autumn, spring wildlife returning. Some highland roads not yet open in April.

The Route: 10-Day Itinerary

Days 1–2: Reykjavik and the Golden Circle

Reykjavik is the world's northernmost capital and uniquely lovable: colourful corrugated-iron houses, a remarkable music scene, excellent restaurants and the striking Hallgrímskirkja church (whose tower, designed to resemble basalt lava formations, is the most recognisable building in Iceland).

The Golden Circle (accessible as a day trip): Þingvellir National Park (where the continental plates are visibly pulling apart and the world's first parliament met in 930AD), Geysir (the original geyser — the word comes from here — with Strokkur erupting every 5–10 minutes), and Gullfoss waterfall (two-tier, 32 metres into a canyon).

Days 3–4: South Coast

The south coast route is the most dramatic section of the Ring Road. In order:

• Seljalandsfoss: A waterfall you can walk behind. Go at sunset.
• Skógafoss: A 60-metre waterfall with a 527-step staircase to the clifftop and the view down the coast.
• Reynisfjara: Iceland's famous black sand beach with basalt sea stacks and violent, unpredictable waves. Do not turn your back on the ocean.
• Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon: Icebergs calving from Breiðamerkurjökull glacier float into the lagoon and out to sea. At dawn or dusk, in the right light, it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Seal colonies on the icebergs. Diamond Beach adjacent — icebergs on black sand.

Days 5–6: East Fjords

The East Fjords (Austurland) are Iceland's least-visited region — long, deep fjords with tiny fishing villages, reindeer on the hillsides and no tourist infrastructure. Drive slowly. Stop at every viewpoint. Seyðisfjörður — a fjord town accessible only by a dramatic mountain pass — is the most charming village in Iceland.

Days 7–8: North Iceland and Mývatn

Akureyri — Iceland's second city (population 19,000) — is the gateway to the north. The surrounding area is the most geologically active in Iceland: Mývatn Lake is surrounded by pseudocraters, lava formations, bubbling mud pools and the extraordinary Dimmuborgir lava field (a labyrinth of towers and arches formed when a lava flow cooled over a lake). The Mývatn Nature Baths ($30) are a less crowded alternative to the Blue Lagoon with equally warm, mineral-rich water.

Goðafoss — the Waterfall of the Gods, where the chieftain Þorgeir is said to have thrown his Norse idols when Iceland adopted Christianity in 1000AD — is five minutes from the main road.

Days 9–10: West Iceland and Return to Reykjavik

Snæfellsnes Peninsula is the most dramatic conclusion to the Ring Road — a finger of volcanic land jutting into the Atlantic, dominated by the Snæfellsjökull glacier-topped volcano (Jules Verne's entrance to the centre of the Earth in his 1864 novel). The peninsula's west tip has the finest concentration of landscapes in Iceland per square kilometre: bird cliffs at Arnarstapi, the basalt columns at Lóndrangar, the remote black beach at Djúpalónssandur.

Budget: 10 Days in Iceland

Iceland is expensive. There is no avoiding this. But the cost can be managed significantly with the right approach.