Iceland is a perfect country to visit for two weeks, as you can drive around the island on Route 1, which covers most of it. Of course you can do it in less time or in more, but I think the 2 weeks is good. The itinerary starts in Reykjavik, as the capital is the most common place to start your trip. I will go first to the north because driving times are longer in the beginning and less in the south, but you also do it the other way around. The itinerary is at a pretty slow pace, as we also enjoyed being on quiet camping trips and playing games.

The perfect route

Day 1: Reykjavik

Reykjavik is the start of almost everyone visiting Iceland. It may not be the most interesting capital in the world, but you can fill up a day for sure. You can go to see Harpa, do some whale watching, climb the Hallgrimmskirkja (view in picture below), watch the Höfði house, and see the Sun Voyager. Have a relaxed start to the trip.

Day 2: Golden Circle

Get up early to get your motorhome and then drive to the Gulfoss waterfall in 2 hours, where you can enjoy one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. Drive in 10 minutes to Geysir to find the unique geysers and be impressed by the height of the water coming out of the Earth. Drive to Thingvellir National Park, where you can do some snorkelling in a unique environment or enjoy a nice hike to a waterfall. Find a place to camp in the national park.

Day 3: Drive to Husavik

Today you have to drive the longest distance of your trip. The drive is around 5.5 hours from Thingvellir to Husavik. Take a slow morning in Thingvellir; maybe even enjoy a hike. When arriving in Husavik, head to one of the companies to make a whale tour. You can also extend your trip by stopping in Akureyri, the capital of the north, so the drive will be 4.5 hours. If you have a good car, you can also head to the Westfjords and stay there for some days. The drive is gorgeous, so driving is another highlight, and you will not be bored. 

Day 4: Whale watching tour and Godafoss or Myvatn Nature Baths from Husavik

I would recommend staying two nights in Husavik because the weather in Iceland is unpredictable and the whale-watching tours can be cancelled. For us, it went through on the second day. So we had a "day off" and decided to drive 45 minutes to the Myvatn Nature Baths to enjoy some relaxed geothermal baths. You can also visit the Godafoss waterfall. If the whale watching tour proceeds on your first day, you can go to the Myvatn Nature Baths on the day after this one. After the whale-watching tour, you can visit the Godafoss waterfalls. The whale-watching tour is fantastic and also gives great sights of the country (see picture below).

Day 5: Husavik - Myvatn

On this day you can have the morning with Myvatn Nature Baths, the whale watching tour, and Godafoss. Afterwards, drive to Lake Myvatn, a great area for hikes. In the afternoon, you can do some hikes here or you can have a relaxing moment in the area. The drive in total is a maximum of 1 hour.

Day 6: Myvatn

Today you have a full day to do some hiking. You can go to the Tourist Information to check which hikes you can do. There are many hikes with different ecosystems (some with trees as well) and durations, so you can find out what is your preference. Around this area are one of the best easy hikes in Iceland. 

Day 7: Myvatn - Dettifoss - Seydisfjordur

In the morning you can do another small hike before you drive to Dettifoss, the biggest waterfall in Europe, in around 50 minutes. At the Dettifoss, you can also visit the Selfoss waterfall. After these waterfalls, drive further to the cute village of Seydisfjordur, where you will arrive in 2.5 hours. In the village, you will be amazed by the surroundings. Make sure you stop during the ride for photos or enjoyment of the environment.

Day 8: Seydisfjordur

Today you can enjoy this gorgeous small town. The town is relaxed, has amazing surroundings, and some places to get some food. You can go hiking or do some kayaking in the fjord, which I both really recommend. For us, this was a big surprise, and we really loved this area and stayed two days, but you can also stay less amount of time. Note that on Wednesday the ferry from Denmark arrives, so then it is not as relaxed as the rest of the week.

Day 9: Seydisfjordur - Höfn

Today you can have a relaxed morning in this beautiful surroundings, and afterwards you can drive towards Höfn, a small fishing village in the south of Iceland. The surroundings are nice, and the village is fine, but the reason to go here is the best seafood of Iceland. The langoustines are coming in in the morning, and you can eat them a couple of hours later. A great place to have some good food is Humarhöfnin. A reservation can be convenient.

Day 10: Höfn - Jökulsárlón - Skaftafell

Today you will be driving around 2 hours in total. The first and most important destination is Jökulsárlón, an ice lagoon, which is absolutely one of the highlights of Iceland (check picture below). Take a boat tour next to big ice floes to experience it very close and check out the seals swimming here. Afterwards, walk towards the beach to see ice on the sand. This is such a cool place. Afterwards, drive to Skaftafell to arrange your hike on a glacier (or you can book in advance) for the day later or in the late afternoon, but I recommend for tomorrow.

Day 11: Skaftafell - Vik

Start your day with a fantastic hike on a glacier. This is a unique experience and a must-do in Iceland. It is also doable in the summer, as we did it, even though it was August. Afterwards, drive towards Vik, where you have two more sights. The drive is around 2 hours. In the area of Vik is Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, with gorgeous rocks and black sand on its beach. Also, Dyrhólaey (see picture below) is close; this is the best place to find puffins up close in the summer months (May and June are limited because of authorities). After Skaftafel, you can also head to Landmannalaugar, but you need a 4x4, but it looked cool.

Day 12: Vik - Stokkseyri

Today you have to drive a total of 2.5 hours. The first stop is the gorgeous waterfall named Skogafoss, where you can walk up to observe it from different views. Afterwards, you can go to the second waterfall of the day, the Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind the waterfall. Afterwards, you can drive to the Secret Lagoon, a small geothermal bath. This is very nice, as it is also very quiet. A reservation can be advisable. After your relaxing moment, head to Stokkseyri, where you can have a fantastic lobster soup at Fjöruborði. Today you can also check if the ferry to Vestmannaeyjar, a tiny island group south of Iceland, where I did not go when we were there because of weather conditions.

Day 13: Stokkseyri - Reykjavik 

After Stokkseyri, drive to Reykjavik in 1 hour and drop your motorhome. Afterwards, you can do some extra sights, you did not do on the first day yet. I really wanted to do another whale watching tour and walk around town. You can also do some shopping or just walk around the capital. Before dropping your motorhome, you can also head to the Blue Lagoon. 

Day 14: Depart or?

This is the day to depart. I also put this extra day if you want to see some more or have an extra day somewhere you want to enjoy. For the rest, you can also see a bit more of Reykjavik, but I think you have seen the most.

Add to the itinerary

• Vestmannaeyjar - small islands reached by ferry
• Westfjords - northwest of the island
• Akureyri - capital of the north
• Landmannalaugar - Gorgeous mountains

If you want to know more about Iceland, take a look at: