Compare Around Iceland's ring road self-drive tour by Audley Travel vs Iceland: See & Experience it ALL in 9 Days, 1st Class Custom Tours by Charlie The Traveler

Day 1: Reykjavík

Accommodation options: Centerhotel Miðgarður, Hotel Borg, Icelandair Hotel Reykjavík Marina & Reykjavík Residence Hotel

Arriving at Keflavík airport, collect your rental car and make own your way to Reykjavík, which is around an hour’s drive away. All insurances have been included for you, and a GPS navigation system can be added locally. To navigate Iceland’s more remote rugged landscape, we’ve booked a 4x4 for you. If you have time, we recommend exploring the craggy landscape of the Reykjanes Peninsula en route; we’ll provide some suggestions of what to see on your self-guided tour.

Day 2: Hella

Accommodation: Hotel Rangá

Venture out of Reykjavík and spend the day exploring the highlights of the Golden Circle on your self-drive tour. Don’t miss the diverging tectonic plates at Þingvellir National Park, erupting geysers at Geysir Geothermal Area, and the thundering Gullfoss waterfall. End your day soaking in the geothermally heated waters of the Secret Lagoon surrounded by dramatic Icelandic landscapes.

Day 3: Vík

Accommodation: Hotel Vík

Make your way to the south coast, home of some of Iceland’s most renowned waterfalls and volcanoes. Before you travel, we’ll offer some recommendations on where to go on your self-drive tour. This afternoon, join a small-group tour to a naturally formed ice cave on Kötlujökull glacier and wander through its frozen formations.

Day 4: Hof

Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

Continue your drive east and venture through the barren landscape around Kirkjubæjarklaustur. You’ll drive past the Eldhraun lava field – one of the biggest in the world – and close to Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, before arriving at your hotel, close to Vatnajökull National Park and its immense ice cap.

Day 5: Hof

Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

Your focus today is Vatnajökull National Park and southeast Iceland. Watch bergy bits calve off the Vatnajökull ice cap and drift serenely along Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon on a guided Zodiac boat tour, and wander through huge chunks of ice that have washed up on nearby Diamond Beach. We also recommend stopping by the tourist office at Skaftafell and hiking to see the towering basalt columns at Svatifoss waterfall.

Day 6: Egilsstaðir

Accommodation: Gistihúsið — Lake Hotel Egilsstaðir

Begin your morning by joining a small-group, guided tour to the Ingólfshöfði promontory which is known for its thriving population of puffins who come here to nest in the towering cliffs each summer. On a clear day, expect glorious sea views and the spectacle of the vast Vatnajökull ice cap looming to the north. From here, continue your drive east through the scenic inlets and bays of the Eastfjords. Here you’ll find some of the best driving in Iceland and you can be assured of impressive views at every turn.

Day 7: Egilsstaðir

Accommodation: Gistihúsið — Lake Hotel Egilsstaðir

Spend a full day at leisure in the Eastfjords. You might like to visit one of Iceland’s tallest waterfalls, Hengifoss, visit the Hafnarhólmi puffin colony and search for elves near Borgafjörður Eystri, or hike the array of trails that cross the fjordland scenery.

Day 8: Lake Mývatn

Accommodation: Icelandair Hotel Mývatn

Your self-drive tour takes you north away from the coast and through the barren volcanic scenery to Lake Mývatn. As you travel, you’ll see a landscape dotted with craters, bubbling mud pools and steaming fumaroles rising from the ground. Spend the afternoon exploring the lake, observing its thriving birdlife, sulphurous geothermal areas and perhaps hiking its network of trails. End the day soaking in the geothermally heated waters of Mývatn Nature Baths overlooking vast Lake Mývatn and its pseudocraters below.

Day 9: Akureyri

Accommodation: Hotel Kea Akureyri

Embark on a self-guided tour of the so-called Diamond Circle: a network of key attractions in north Iceland. Your first stop is thundering Dettifoss – Europe’s largest waterfall by volume – before reaching the gaping Ásbyrgi canyon. From here, your drive takes you to Húsavík: Iceland’s self-proclaimed whale-watching capital. Here, you’ll join a small-group boat tour into Skjálfandi Bay and observe humpback whales feeding in the Arctic waters. From here, drive to Iceland’s second city, Akureryi, stopping en route to admire Goðafoss waterfall and its Niagara-esque veil of water that plunges into the Skjálfandafljót River.

Day 10: Varmahlíð

Accommodation: Hestasport Cottages

Continue your drive west through the rolling countryside of north Iceland. This region is well known in Iceland for its horse farms and this afternoon you’ll join a small-group tour on horseback. The hardy Icelandic horse is known for its five gaits and, if you wish, you’ll have the opportunity to try the tölt, a unique rapid ambling gait, on your tour. Nearby, we can also recommend visiting the Glaumbær Museum to see its preserved turf houses and learn more about Icelandic life in the past.

Day 11: Stykkishólmur

Accommodation: Hótel Egilsen

Today you will reach the Snæfellsnes Peninsula on your self-drive tour. Tonight, stay in the quaint fishing village of Stykkishólmur, which lies on the shoreline of Breiðafjörður Bay. Watch boats come and go from the marina and enjoy a fresh seafood dinner by the waterfront.

Day 12: Stykkishólmur

Accommodation: Hótel Egilsen

Spend the day driving around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, which is often described as ‘Iceland in miniature. It’s a great round-up of the last two weeks, as you drive through mossy lava fields and fjord-like scenery, past black sand beaches, and around the imposing Snæfellsjökull ice cap, which dominates the Snæfellsnes landscape.

Day 13: Return home

As you make your own way back towards Keflavík, detour along scenic Hvalfjörður fjord in west Iceland. Hvalfjörður, meaning ‘whale fjord’ in English, is often bypassed by drivers heading towards Reykjavík, but it offers some of the best scenic driving in Iceland. From, here, you’ll continue to Keflavík airport, where you’ll drop off your car before your flight.

Day 1: Whale Watching & Colorful Skies

From mid-May to mid-October, our tour starts in Iceland's second most visited city, Akureyri. Get ready to go on a whale watching tour. From late October to early May, whale watching is done instead in the capital that is Reykjavík. From September to early March, also included is a night tour to an area where we see the northern lights.

Day 2: A Lake Created by Lava & Geothermal Eruptions

As a land daytrip from Akureyri (mid-May to mid-October) or a flight daytrip from Reykjavík (late October to early May), we are taken on a tour to Goðafoss Waterfall, Lake Mývatn, a geothermal area called Hverir and Dettifoss Waterfall. Goðafoss waterfall has a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters. Lake Mývatn was created by a large basaltic lava which erupted 2,300 years ago. The surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars. Dettifoss is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe.

Day 3: Approaching a Caldera & Bathing in a Crater or Iceland’s Best Bar Lagoon Accompanied with a City Tour

Today’s destinations and activities depend on the season. From mid-May to mid-October, as a daytrip from Akureyri, we first hike Askja Caldera and then visit a crater called Viti, the latter of which offers a pond where we go bathing. From late October to early May, we go bathing at a ‘fashionable’ geothermal spa called Sky Lagoon, located near to the capital. We are also provided with a tour of the capital.

Day 4: Why They Call This Area the ‘Golden Circle’

From mid-May to mid-October, we relocate from Akureyri to Reykjavík. From late October to early May, we are not based in Akureyri. Instead, we are still based in Reykjavík. Either way, today we are doing the so-called ‘Golden Circle’ as a daytrip from Reykjavík. Destinations include Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir/Strokkur geyser and Þingvellir National Park (a.k.a. Thingvellir National Park). Gullfoss is 32 meters tall and features not 1 but 2 drops. Geysir’s eruptions can hurl boiling water up to 70 meters in the air. Þingvellir is notable for its unusual tectonic and volcanic environment in a rift valley.

Day 5: One of the Ten Most Beautiful Beaches on Earth & Thundering Waterfalls

We leave Reykjavík and start the journey along the southeast coast. Highlights for today include Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Skógafoss Waterfall and the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. We end up lodging in the Skaftafell area. The Seljalandsfoss Waterfall drops 60 meters. Visitors can walk behind the falls into a fascinating cave. Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country, with a width of 25 meters and a drop of 60 meters. Reynisfjara was ranked by National Geographic as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches on Earth.

Day 6: Huge Icebergs, Exploring an Ice Cave & a Surreal Shoreline

Although today we head to Thorsmork Valley, many destinations are visited en route. They include Skaftafell Nature Reserve, Jökulsárlón Glacial Lake, the natural ice cave at Vatnajökull National Park and Diamond Beach. Skaftafell’s landscape is similar to some of the Alps. The difference is Skaftafell has been formed over thousands of years by different influences of fire and water. Jökulsárlón Lake provides outstanding views of icebergs which rise to a height of 910 meters. Jökulsárlón has been a setting for four Hollywood movies: (1) A View to a Kill, (2) Die Another Day, (3) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and (4) Batman Begins. Vatnajökull’s ice cave contains canals for water which run through or at the bottom of the glacier. Diamond Beach features icebergs which float onto the shore from Jökulsárlón.

*Note that the surreal looking Svartifoss Waterfall is sometimes-but not always-included on today’s tour. It depends on many factors, including the weather. Also, note that the ice cave is not open June through September. It is open only during the winter season.

Day 7: A Hiker's Paradise

Before returning to Reykjavík, we hike around Thorsmork Valley. The highlights are Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Stakkholtsgjá Canyon, Nauthúsagil Canyon and Gígjökull Glacier. This is arguably the best area in the country from where to go hiking.

Day 8: Mud Pools, Hot Springs & Blue Waters

From Reykjavík, we make a daytrip to the Reykjanes Peninsula: Lake Kleifarvatn, a geothermal area called Krýsuvík, Gunnuhver’s mud pools and hot springs and the Blue Lagoon. Krýsuvík consists of several geothermal fields. Here solfataras, fumaroles, mud pots and hot springs have formed. The soil is colored bright yellow, red and green. Nearby are several craters which were created by the explosions of overheated groundwater. The Blue Lagoon, one of the most visited attractions in Iceland, is a geothermal spa. There we enjoy bathing inside the warm water.

Day 9: Our Tour Ends Today

Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport in Reykjavík.