Iceland Ring Loop
A 12-day June Ring Road drive, starting from Keflavík Airport and looping Iceland at a calm pace with room for waterfalls, fjords, glacier air, and late-night golden light.
Keflavík International Airport → Blue Lagoon → Reykjavík → Þingvellir National Park → Geysir Geothermal Area → Gullfoss → Seljalandsfoss → Skógafoss → Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach → Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon → Skaftafell → Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon → Diamond Beach → Djúpivogur → Seyðisfjörður → Egilsstaðir → Dettifoss → Námafjall Hverir → Dimmuborgir → Hverfjall → Mývatn Nature Baths → Goðafoss → Akureyri → Akureyri Botanical Garden → Siglufjörður → Hofsós → Hvítserkur → Stykkishólmur → Kirkjufell → Grundarfjörður → Djúpalónssandur Beach → Snæfellsjökull National Park → Arnarstapi → Hraunfossar → Reykjavík → Keflavík International Airport
Land, soak, settle in Reykjavík
Pick up the car at Keflavík International Airport and take this first morning gently — grab groceries, check your rental for gravel-road rules, and ease into Iceland time.
Depart
Pick up the car at Keflavík International Airport and take this first morning gently — grab groceries, check your rental for gravel-road rules, and ease into Iceland time.
Blue Lagoon
Blue Lagoon (Icelandic: Bláa Lónið) (BLAU-ah LONE-eeth) is a geothermal spa in southwest Iceland, that is almost mid-way between Keflavik Airport and Reykjavík, close to the town of Grindavik. Entry is expensive, starting at 9,990 kr per person for the basic package at off-peak time slots (April 2023) and rises rapidly from there.
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital of and largest city in Iceland and with an urban area population of around 233,000 (2019), it is the home to two-thirds of Iceland's population. It is the centre of culture and life of the Icelandic people, and is one of the focal points of tourism in Iceland. The city is spread out, and has sprawling suburbs.
Golden Circle classics
Leave Reykjavík after breakfast and head into the broad lava-field countryside, where the roads feel open almost immediately.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Þingvellir National Park
Þingvellir National Park (pronounced Thingvetlir) is a world-heritage national park in South Iceland. The park is home to the world's longest-running Parliament, which was established in 930 AD. It has a dramatic landscape formed as a result of sitting along the border between the North American and European tectonic plates. Parts of the Game of Thrones TV series were shot in this park.
Geysir Geothermal Area
Stand back and wait for Strokkur to blast boiling water skyward every few minutes. The fun is watching everyone collectively flinch even when they know it's coming.
Gullfoss
Upcountry Árnessýsla, or Uppsveitir Árnessýslu in Icelandic, is a rural area in South Iceland, home to many of the country's most famous attractions.
South Coast waterfalls and black sand
Start east along the South Coast, where the mountains sit on one side and the Atlantic spreads out on the other.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall in Iceland. Seljalandsfoss is located in the South Region in Iceland right by Route 1 and the road that leads to Þórsmörk Road 249. The waterfall drops 60 m (197 ft) and is part of the Seljalands River that has its origin in the volcano glacier Eyjafjallajökull. Visitors can walk behind the falls into a small cave.
Skógafoss
Skógafoss is a waterfall on the Skógá River in the south of Iceland at the cliff marking the former coastline. After the coastline had receded, the former sea cliffs remained, parallel to the coast over hundreds of kilometres, creating together with some mountains a clear border between the coastal lowlands and the Highlands of Iceland.
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
Watch the basalt columns, sea stacks, and heavy Atlantic waves from a respectful distance. The sneaker waves here are no joke, so admire the drama without turning your back on the ocean.
Canyons, glaciers, and icebergs
Roll east from Vík through lava fields and mossy plains, one of those drives where the landscape keeps changing before you can name it.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Fjaðrárgljúfur is a canyon in south east Iceland. The Fjaðrá river flows through it.
Skaftafell
Skaftafell is a preservation area in Öræfi, southeast Iceland. It was once a major farm, later being named a national park. Originally known as Skaftafell National Park, it was subsequently joined together with other nearby regions to form the larger Vatnajökull National Park.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Arrive when the day-tripper pressure eases a bit and watch blue-white icebergs drift quietly toward the sea. The light can be beautiful late in June, so this is a great slow-end stop.
Glacier coast to Eastfjords
This morning is all about the long, gorgeous curve from the southeast into the Eastfjords, with mountains dropping straight toward the sea.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Diamond Beach
Walk the black sand where pieces of glacier ice wash ashore like scattered glass. It changes constantly, so even if you saw the lagoon yesterday, this feels different.
Djúpivogur
Djúpivogur is a small town and former municipality located on a peninsula in the Austurland region in eastern Iceland, near the island of Papey and on the fjord Berufjörður. The municipality was formed by the merger of rural communities Berunes, Buland, and Geithellur on October 1, 1992. The coastline consists of three fjords Berufjörður, Hamarsfjörður, and Álftafjörður.
Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður is a town in the Eastern Region of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name. The town is located in the municipality of Múlaþing and is notable for its artistic culture and innovation, exemplified by the LungA Art Festival and LungA School, as well as a vibrant community of local artists, galleries, and cultural events.
East Iceland to Mývatn country
Climb back out of Seyðisfjörður and turn inland, where the scenery opens into highland-feeling emptiness before dropping toward the north.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Egilsstaðir
Egilsstaðir is the unofficial capital of East Iceland. Its population is 2332. It lies on the banks of the Lagarfljót river.
Dettifoss
Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland is the second largest national park in Europe (the largest is Yugyd Va in Komi, Russia) and a natural world heritage site. The park was founded on 7 June 2008 and includes the former Skaftafell and Jökulsárgljúfur National Parks. Containing 12,000 km2 (4,600 sq mi), the park covers about 14% of the surface of Iceland.
Námafjall Hverir
Wander past steaming vents, bubbling mud, and sulfur-stained earth. It smells like rotten eggs, yes, but in the most “wow, the planet is alive” kind of way.
Mývatn lava and geothermal calm
Keep today intentionally short. After several moving days, Mývatn is where you want time to breathe.
Dimmuborgir
Dimmuborgir is a large area of unusually shaped lava fields east of Mývatn in Iceland. The Dimmuborgir area is composed of various volcanic caves and rock formations, reminiscent of an ancient collapsed citadel. The dramatic structures are one of Iceland's most popular natural tourist attractions.
Hverfjall
Hverfjall is a tephra cone or tuff ring volcano in northern Iceland, to the east of Mývatn.
Mývatn Nature Baths
Soak in warm mineral water with a quieter feel than the Blue Lagoon. Book ahead if your June dates are busy, and bring your swimsuit where you can reach it easily.
Waterfall of the gods to Akureyri
Leave Mývatn slowly and head west toward Iceland’s northern “capital,” with one very good waterfall stop on the way.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Goðafoss
Fossholl is a small town in North Iceland, best known for the impressive horseshoe waterfall of Goðafoss.
Akureyri
Akureyri, with a population of around 19,000 (2019), is the largest town in Iceland outside the Southwest region, and the unofficial capital of North Iceland.
Akureyri Botanical Garden
The Akureyri Botanical Garden is a unique and significant botanical garden located in the southern part of Akureyri, a city in Northern Iceland. Situated on the west side of the inland end of the fjord Eyjafjörður, at an elevation of about 45 metres, the garden is one of the northernmost botanical gardens in the world, just 85 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle.
North coast villages and basalt sea stacks
Today is a scenic northern drive with small-town stops and wide coastal views.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Siglufjörður
Siglufjörður is a small fishing town in a narrow fjord with the same name on the northern coast of Iceland.
Hofsós
Skagafjordur is a municipality in North Iceland. It comprises of town of Sauðárkrókur, the villages of Hofsós and Varmahlíð and several rural districts. It also includes the historic cathedral site of Hólar which is the site of a growing university today.
Hvítserkur
Hvítserkur is a 15 m high basalt stack along the eastern shore of the Vatnsnes peninsula, in northwest Iceland.
Into Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Head southwest toward Snæfellsnes, often nicknamed "Iceland in miniature" because it packs coast, lava, mountains, and glacier views into one peninsula.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Stykkishólmur
Stykkishólmur is a town in West Iceland, on the north coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. It is often called "the gateway to the islands" of Breiðafjörður. The population is a little over 1,200.
Kirkjufell
Kirkjufell is a 463 m high hill on the north coast of Iceland's Snæfellsnes peninsula, near the town of Grundarfjörður. It is claimed to be the most photographed mountain in the country. Kirkjufell was one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones season 6 and 7, featuring as the "arrowhead mountain" that the Hound and the company north of the Wall see when capturing a wight.
Grundarfjörður
Grundarfjörður is a town in the north of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in the west of Iceland. It is situated between a mountain range and the sea. The nearby mountain Kirkjufell forms a small peninsula.
Snæfellsnes coast and glacier views
Circle the western end of Snæfellsnes at an easy pace, keeping today about coast walks and volcanic scenery rather than distance.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Djúpalónssandur Beach
Walk the black pebble beach, see the rusted shipwreck remains, and try the old lifting stones if you're curious. The sea is powerful here, so stay well above the waterline.
Snæfellsjökull National Park
Snæfellsjökull National Park is a national park located on the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in West Iceland. The park is home to the ice-covered volcanic crater that was the setting for Jules Verne's book Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Arnarstapi
Arnarstapi or Stapi is a small fishing and tourist village at the foot of Mt. Stapafell between Hellnar village and Breiðavík farms on the southern side of Snæfellsnes, Iceland.
Return to Reykjavík and depart
Leave Snæfellsnes and make the relaxed drive back toward the southwest, with one nature stop before airport logistics take over.
Depart
Depart is the twelfth Mandarin-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter Tanya Chua, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with Carla Bruni and Ayanga, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music.
Hraunfossar
Hraunfossar is a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 metres out of the Hallmundarhraun, a lava field which flowed from an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying under the glacier Langjökull. The waterfalls pour into Hvítá (Borgarfjörður), from ledges of less porous rock in the lava.
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital of and largest city in Iceland and with an urban area population of around 233,000 (2019), it is the home to two-thirds of Iceland's population. It is the centre of culture and life of the Icelandic people, and is one of the focal points of tourism in Iceland. The city is spread out, and has sprawling suburbs.
Keflavík International Airport
Return the car and wrap the loop. If you’re flying out late, this timing keeps the day calm instead of ending in a stressful dash across the Reykjanes Peninsula.
- daylight is long, but weather still acts like Iceland — pack waterproof layers, warm hat, and gloves
- Check road.is and safetravel.is daily, especially for gravel roads and wind warnings
- Day 5: 5h 4m driving — plan rest stops