THE ULTIMATE Iceland Highlands Travel Guide | Full Itinerary

Video Description

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE HEART OF ICELAND! Where We Stayed Hrutafell Guesthouse (Airbnb) - perfect location, 5 minutes west of Skogar Julia’s Guesthouse (Booking.com) - conveniently located right off Route 1 near the Golden Circle, cozy BnB comes with a delicious breakfast Blönduós Barrel Cabin (Aibnb) - cute tiny home with private bathroom but no shower Við Hafið Guesthouse (Booking.com) - clean and functional guesthouse in Ólafsvík All guesthouses had private rooms but shared bathrooms and common spaces. I recommend all of the places we stayed in. Car Rental We used bluecarrental.is, which I found to have the lowest prices for 4x4s. We rented a 2017 130K mi (210K km) manual, diesel Dacia Duster for 860 USD (120.000 ISK). Be sure to check vedur.is, saferoad.is, and road.is every morning for weather and road conditions. Gas was approx 330 ISK/L (2.38 €/L or 9.22 USD/gal). Day 1 - Getting Settled: Spend the night near Skógar Day 2 - Fimmvörðuháls Hike: 15 miles, 4200 feet elevation gain. Book bus from Básar Hut to Skógar here: https://southadventure.is/ (book tickets ahead of time!). F249, the road out to Þórsmörk is quite rough and has several river crossings. It is forbidden to drive by most rental companies, even with a 4x4, so you will need to take the bus out to the ring road even if you have a buddy to pick you up. https://www.earthtrekkers.com/fimmvorduhals-hike-complete-guide/ Day 3 - Golden Circle and South Coast: Listed in Video: Hrunalaug Hot Spring, Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool, Kvernufoss, Dyrhólaey, Seljalandsfoss, Gljufrabui, Kerið Crater Additional to Consider: Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir Geothermal Area, The Secret Lagoon in Flúðir, Reynisfjara Beach, Brúarfoss, Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk Day 4 - Landmannalaugar: Approx 2.5 hour drive from Golden Circle to Lannmanalaugar. There is a river crossing just before the campsite, but you can park your car before the river and cross a footbridge (adds 200m). There is a hot spring to bathe in 100m from the campsite. On the way home, also consider Háifoss, one of Iceland’s tallest waterfalls (7km dirt road off of main road). https://www.earthtrekkers.com/landmannalaugar-best-hikes-for-first-time-visitors/ Day 5 - Route 35 and Kerlingarfjöll: Consider spending the night in Kerlingarfjoll https://www.earthtrekkers.com/hike-kerlingarfjoll-and-hveradalir-iceland/ Day 6: Transfer to Snæfellsnes: 2.5 to 3 hour drive. Stops To Consider: Hvítserkur (rock formation on beach +1hr driving), Þingeyraklausturskirkja Stone Church, Guðrúnarlaug Hot Spring Day 7: Snæfellsnes Peninsula Listed in Video: Stykkishólmur, Kirkjufell, Ingjaldshóll, Skarðsvík Beach, Svörtuloft Lighthouse, Djúpalónssandur Beach and Dritvik Cove, Lóndrangar, Hellnar, Arnastapi Port, Arnastapi Cliffs, Búðakirkja, Bjarnarfoss Additional to Consider: Grundarfjörður, Hellisandur’s street art, Öndverðarnes Lighthouse, Saxhóll Crater, Vatnshellir Cave, Malarrif Lighthouse and Visitor Center, Raudfeldsgjá Ravine, Yri Tunga Beach, Eldborg Crater, Hike Snæfellsjökull (guide needed) Depending on where you stay, consider doing some of these stops the previous day as you drive into the peninsula. https://www.earthtrekkers.com/best-things-to-do-on-the-snaefellsnes-peninsula-iceland/ Day 8: Drive to Keflavík and fly out, or transfer for a new nights in Reykjavík. AllTrails Links: Fimmvörðuháls: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/iceland/fimmvorduhals?u=i Landmannalaugar, Bláhnúkur and Brennisteinsalda: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/landmannalaugar-blahnukur-brennisteinsalda-94e7070?u=i Kerlingarfjöll to Hveradalir: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/kerlingarfjoll-hveradalir-via-hveradalshnukur-30a0b73?u=i Dritvik Cove: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/iceland/western/djupalonssandur-dritvik-aflraunasteinar?u=i 00:00 Intro 01:02 Transportation 01:56 Time of Year 02:19 Lodging 02:37 Day 1 - Getting Settled 03:20 Day 2 - Fimmvörðuháls Hike 05:50 Day 3 - Golden Circle and South Coast 07:04 Day 4 - Landmannalaugar 08:38 Day 5 - Route 35 and Kerlingarfjöll 10:54 Day 6 - Transfer to Snæfellsnes 11:17 Day 7 - Snæfellsnes Peninsula 13:34 Day 8 and Outro