Uncover Iceland’s best-kept secrets and iconic landmarks with this ultimate travel guide. From hidden waterfalls and secluded beaches to the world-famous Golden Circle and volcanic craters, this guide takes you off the beaten path to explore both the well-known and the hidden wonders of the Land of Fire and Ice. Perfect for adventurous travelers seeking a deeper, more authentic Icelandic experience.

ICELAND TRAVEL ITINERARY 

Day 2: We woke up in a small town in the North Western side of the Island and to start off the day, drove about 10 minutes to Kirkjufell Mountain. One of the most iconic mountains in all of Iceland. Also, on the way you can find sword road, or "Kolgrafarfjördur" which makes a pretty epic aerial photo. Later that day, we had an incredible stay at Svart Lodge located in the Northern town of Akureyri,  which we were lucky enough to collaborate with. 

Day 1: We arrived at Keflavik and made our way to Reykjavik for a detour to check out the capital before our snorkeling tour in Silfra. 

Luxury home | Svart Lodge

Day 3: We left the lodge and fled a winter storm to drive to the Eastern side. This drive was quite long but so beautiful, even found the most stunning and iconic (to us) gas station in all of Iceland, if you see it.. You'll definitely want to snag a photo. Our goal was to make it to Stuðlagil Canyon. We were met with a lot of snow at the canyon so had to car camp and hike back the next morning. Luckily, there was a restaurant about 15 minutes from the canyon, while I can't remember the name, you'll find it easily since it's pretty much the only one. Just keep in mind, food is expensive in Iceland, we paid $65 for two hamburgers.. and they weren't Gordon Ramsey's. 

Our day was so long that we actually went to the small town of Höfn for some dinner at Íshúsið Pizzeria Restaurant, had pizza with a great view and headed to our next location which was also a great campsite. Our campsite's name was Vestrahorn and we'll tell you why it was so special on the next day. 

Day 4: We finally got our canyon shots and are now heading a little more south and our first stop was the iconic red waterfall Hengifoss. This one was a bit of a hike, but definitely a must. After, we headed more south to our next adventure for some of the best drone locations in the southern region.

Day 5: The location of our campsite was also... Stokksnes! The iconic black sand dune beach in Southern Iceland! This was perfect because you either have to pay what I believe was $20 to enter or $22 to camp which included the showers and the beach access. They also had a great cafe with coffee, waffles, sandwiches, etc! OH! And Viking Village is also included and in the same location! Definitely a camp site not to miss! 

After exploring Stokksnes and Viking Village, we started our trek to visit the famous Glacier Lagoon, this spot was definitely crowded, every tourist goes but for good reason. It's one that you have to see at least once. 

We got some insane drone shots showing the glaciers and even dared to try eating one, needless to say, it was the freshest ice you'll ever try..

From Glacier Lagoon, we went to our next canyon, Múlagljúfur Canyon. This place was absolutely stunning!! It was also a hike, we didn't do it fully but hiked maybe a mile up, launched my drone from that location and sped all the way as close to the waterfall as I could get, beware though, there are hundreds of birds flying around and my drone even almost got attacked by one. As soon as this happened, I rushed the shot to get out of there. 

From here we had one more canyon for the day, and it was Fjaðrárgljúfur. This place was STRAIGHT out of a fairy tale!! Absolutely stunning, it was insane! We weren't very lucky though, since we got there on an extremely windy evening. We were hoping to fly fpv through the canyon but the winds were so strong it was almost knocking us down.. That's one thing to be ready for and aware of, the crazy, unpredictable weather and strong winds of Iceland. It's a creators paradise but sometimes Mother Nature gets in the way and you have to just sit back, and enjoy the view. 

Day 6; For day 6, we had camped in the town of Vik, which is the most southern town of Iceland (it also has our favorite Krónan grocery store, perfect for food that isn't nearly as expensive as eating out). The first location of the day was the famous Sólheimasandur plane wreck. 

This location was spectacular but be ready for a 30 minute walk there and back. And most likely a good amount people at the location unless you go at sunrise. It does make for some pretty sick drone and fpv shots! From here we went to my absolute favorite waterfall.. The famous Skógafoss!! You really can't prepare for how insanely stunning, huge and overwhelming this one is. A huge tourist destination so know it will be paced but honestly, I'd go back 1000 times. 

Our last stop of the day was Reynisfjara beach. There are tons pf black sand beaches in Iceland but this is by far the most famous one. The main church in Reykjavik was even designed after it to mimic the patterns of the rocks. While it's still a beautiful beach, it was an easy pass for us. Nothing as special as anything we had seen already and this one was extremely packed!! 

After this stop, we headed to our second stay of the trip. Another incredible airbnb we were able to collaborate with and were so thankful for as we needed it badly at this point in the trip, after camping for so many days. This place was perfect for many reasons, one being that it's only about 40 or so minutes away from Vik.

Efri-Torfa  Premium Boutique Chalet - Skaftárhreppur, IS

Day 7: We woke up at the airbnb and literally had the BEST sleep of my entire life! Not only were we exhausted, but they had the comfiest bedding EVER!! So much so, I would fly to Iceland to buy it and bring it back to the states. 

As we got our things, we were ready to embark on our journey to the Highlands. If you know anything about Iceland, you'll know this is the most remote and difficult to get to place in all of Iceland. You cannot make it without a 4x4 vehicle by the way, so make sure you read about the weather and road conditions, get familiar with the best roads to take as well. We had hoped to visit Mælifell. An iconic green mountain in the highlands, unfortunately, the roads that take you there were too dangerous and flooded and we had to turn around and go a different route, making us miss this spot. Again, a bigger 4x4 could have made it so just keep that in mind. And even though we couldn't make it, we added the location so you can!

We took 208 into the highlands. Took us all day to get there, so our only location of the day was the Blood Craters. These are absolutely magical and will make you feel like you're in another planet. 

We couldn't even find a name or location for these on the map here, so we're dropping the coordinates so you guys can find them yourselves! 

64°03'54.0"N 19°02'40.4"W (64.0650080, -19.0445587)

We then found a campsite about 20 minutes away into the highlands, Landmannalaugar. This was a great location as it was also right outside Fjallabak Nature Reserve.

Day 8: This place is known for the colorful mountains, however, we weren't fortunate enough to visit since we woke up this morning to a snow storm.. Everything was covered in white. We had to wait in our campsite for hours, tried to make it out but our car slid back in the icy/snowy roads on a hill. Hours went by, as soon as we made it out, our next location was probably the most anticipated one of the trip. The most DIFFICULT place to find, as no one tells you where it is. We spent 4+ hours zooming in on google maps prior to the trip to find it, which is a big reason we decided to create this guide. 

We headed back to Vik to camp before our next day activities, since those places where in the same area. 

Day 9: Woke up back in Vik, headed back to our favorite grocery store to grab some breakfast and headed to our last waterfall of the trip. Seljalandsfoss Waterfall.

This place is so stunning (as all of them are!) But what's so unique about this one is the fact that you can literally walk behind the waterfall, and even trek down to the very bottom of it. It's so special, and just like the rest we've added here, makes you feel so small. This is another location you should try to be at early morning as it does get packed. Oh! And wear a rain racket, as mist from the waterfall gets everywhere! 

We had a slower day as it was the last before flying out next morning, so our next location was also pretty hidden.. A hot springs nestled in the mountains of Southern Iceland. It's just as perfect as it sounds. 

We enjoyed a brief swim, and the beautiful surroundings. Then started heading towards Keflavik to camp near the airport before our morning flight. Sad for the trip to come to an end, but so grateful for all the experiences and beauty that we enjoyed while in Iceland. 

Below, we're adding more locations that we either didn't get the chance to visit, or simply didn't make the priority list, just in case you guys want some extra locations to check out. Thank you so much for checking out our travel guide! We hope you enjoyed it and this helps you see the best of Iceland!

Discover Iceland with Arctic Adventures! We’re a tour operator based in Iceland, offering a variety of activity tours across Iceland.

ICELAND TRAVEL ITINERARY

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