Discovering Iceland by campervan: 4 bloggers share their experiences

Iceland has become an increasingly popular summer destination in recent years. To help you having the trip of a lifetime discovering Iceland’s unique landscapes we have interviewed 4 bloggers share their experience of their Icelandic road trip in their motorhomes and campervans.

Frikis Viajeros, a Canarian couple with a great sense of humor, describe their trip to Iceland as "eight days enjoying incredible landscapes, wondering lonely roads and discovering quint Icelandic villages filled with warm and friendly natives who love their land." They visited Iceland in the summer of 2015 opting for the last week of August for a 2 week road trip..

Patricia for Viajar Pour El Mapa, a designer who loves to travel, claims that it was "an adventure in the midst of nature with amazing landscapes and a lot of surprising awakenings". Patricia went on a road trip in Iceland in July 2015.

Consejero Viajero, a young Valencian couple, describes their trip with friends to Iceland as "a 1 week road trip which allowed them to experience the diversity of the whole island. They explained “The time went so quickly but they got to see everything they had planned. The only thing they missed out on was Godafoss (a spectacular waterfall). It will be top their list on their return to the land of fire and ice. " They visited Iceland in early August 2016.

Sara for Viajar Lo Cura Todo, a Barcelona woman with a serious travel bug, talks about her "first experience in a campervan". They visited Iceland in January 2017! Sara tells us that they had very good luck with the weather in January as it thankfully did not fall below -4 degrees.

Reasons why you should travel Iceland in a Motorhome!

Here’s why are bloggers decided to road-trip in Iceland

Frikis Viajeros: Iceland is a country with amazing nature you can discover on your own, at your own pace and quietly. It is sparsely populated (just over 300,000 inhabitants) and apart from the touristy parts, you will practically be alone during your trip. In addition, it is very well suited for campervans. Along the main road that runs through the country (The Ring Road) you can find numerous campsites and sidewalks which are well-equipped. Renting a campervan allows you to travel with freedom, improvise if you want and get closer to the environment. Respecting the rules is also important so that the country remains beautiful for the years to come.

Viajar por el mapa: Volcanoes, fumaroles, geysers, waterfalls ... all this and more is what you can expect inIceland. This island is unique in its nature and purity. It is the perfect country to visit in a campervan since most of the island is uninhabited. There is also not a huge range of hotels or hostels and the experience of feeling surrounded by nature is much more complete.

Consejero Viajero: Iceland is a unique country filled with pure nature. If you are passionate about nature you cannot miss it and a road trip is the best way for us to do it.

Viajar Lo Cura Todo: Iceland is the country of fashion and worth a visit for its spectacular landscapes. Doing so in campervan gives you the freedom to sleep wherever you want and not have to worry about getting to the hotel on time.

A destination perfectly suited for campers!

Viajar por el mapa: I would say that having visited Iceland in campervan has made all aspects of the trip much easier. There is only one main road, the Ring Road, that surrounds the whole island, if you want to travel you have to do it with your own vehicle!

Consejero Viajero: Iceland is the perfect country to travel by motorhome. Free camping is allowed (restricted in some places) and the gas stations are perfect to clean the camper, in some of them you can even change the water for free.

Have you had trouble spending the night in the vehicle?

Frikys Viajeros: No. We parked the van on authorized sidewalks (there are many, every five or six kilometers in most of the sections), and as for spending the night, we chose to stay on camping sites, where in addition, we were able to park the camper, we could use communal facilities such as showers, restrooms and a dining area to clean the pots, although our camper had a built-in kitchen and sink. We also found campsites to fill the water tank of the camper.

Viajar por el mapa: A couple of nights we had to change places because they came to tell us that the place we had chosen was private property or that it was forbidden to camp for free in the area. These problems were quickly solved by going to the nearest campsite. The campsites are very economical and we recommend that you use them if you decide to sleep near a town center. Most of the time in Iceland you are away from any town and anywhere near the Ring Road is good.

Consejero Viajero: No, we parked and spent the night whenever we wanted, we even parked in the center of Reykjavik and ate in our motorhome.

Viajar Lo Cura Todo: No problem, we spent 4 nights and nobody bothered us, no need to go to any campsites as many were closed during winter.

Tips for preparing trips to Iceland in a motorhome

Every blogger's match, the main advice to prepare for your trip is to book your campervan hire in Iceland well in advance.

Frikis Viajeros: It should be noted that Iceland is a sparsely populated country, and although the tourism industry is growing, there are not many companies that offer campers to visitors. That is why if you are planning a trip to Iceland with one of these vehicles, it is best not to leave your rental for last minute, especially if you are going to go in high season (from May until the end of August)

Viajar por el mapa: Both Iceland and the road trip in camper are trending travel destinations at the moment so we recommend booking as soon as possible! In our case it was the second step we took in preparing the trip after buying airline tickets.

Consejero Viajero: If you go to Iceland for a week and do not want to run so much, I recommend that you focus on an area like the south for example. But above all that enjoy the country and don’ get carried away trying to do everything.

Viajar Lo Cura Todo: We recommend having internet to be able to navigate the roads and get updates on traffic and the condition of the routes you are planning.

What would you recommend to visit?

Frikis Viajeros:  For less than a week, we recommend to limit yourself to seeing the southern part of the country (for example, from Reykjavík to Skaftafell National Park). With a week - eight days, it is possible to travel the whole country following the Ring Road, although in some stretches it is necessary to drive for about 4-5 hours. With more days, you can enjoy with tranquility the northern area (and reach the northwest peninsula). The most daring can even enter the interior of the country, which can only be accessed with 4x4 and where they will be alone in the middle of the wildest nature. Those interested can read more tips on how to plan a free trip to Iceland, as well as our travel diary and see the videodiaries we recorded.

Viajar por el mapa: From Iceland we recommend you visit the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon. It is not the best known and I'm sure it will leave you in awe. We also recommend that you do not stay in the "golden circle" and that you encourage to make the complete tour of the island. You will not regret it!

Viajar Lo Cura Todo: Go to the Snaefallness peninsula, west of the island and go trekking on a glacier.

Tips to save money on your trip to Iceland

Frikis Viajeros: Buy in supermarkets and prepare the food yourself, either in the kitchen of the camper or in the facilities of the campsites. In our case, doing so we spent about 5 euros per day per person on food, while if you ate out in restaurants, it was normal to spend about 20 euros per person (per meal).

You can also save when traveling just when the peak season ends. There are fewer people, there are still many hours of sunshine (although it’s gets darker earlier), it’s not too cold and from the 1st of September, to the beginning of the low season, prices are also reduced (as for example in the thermal baths of Myvatn , In the north of the country, which is starting to become as popular as the famous Blue Lagoon but much less crowded and more economical) and, with a little luck, you can already see Aurora Borealis, as was our case.

Viajar por el mapa: We brought some food from Spain, ready made meals, energy bars, nuts, soups. When we arrived in Reykjavik we went to a supermarket called  “Bonus”, which is the cheapest, and we bought everything else. We ate in the van every day of the trip. You will also save sleeping in free camping spots. To clean yourself up, it's best to go to one of the many pools in Iceland. It is mandatory to shower before swimming and the water is warm!

Consejero viajero: You can save money by traveling as a group and renting a six-seater motorhome, as it is not the same to divide the total between two or four people than for six. And above all book in advance.

Viajar Lo Cura Todo: Rent a campervan to save on hotels! In a few days we will post on our blog with all the tips we found that helped our budget.

What would you have liked to know before the trip?

Frikis Viajeros:  It is very advisable to have a mosquito net to visit the northern part of the country. Myvatn means in Icelandic "lake of the dwarf flies". When we went to the thermal baths of that area, we were amazed at the amount of mosquitoes! They did not itch, but they were very, very annoying. In fact, we tried to stroll the lake and we gave up due to the amount of mosquitoes. So we recommend wearing a mesh that covers the entire head so they don’t bother you.

Viajar por el mapa: Maybe you know that in some villages you cannot sleep outside a campsite ... but hey, it was not a big problem, all in all it was a great experience.

Consejero viajero: Keep an eye out for the large amount of sheep running around the country ... and on the road!

Viajar Lo Cura Todo:  It really is a very accessible country with a lot of information available

What was the most surprised or liked during the trip?

Frikis Viajeros: We were surprised that all Icelanders speak fluent English and with very little accent (from older people to children of little more than ten years we were able to receive directions in English). As for what we liked the most, the glacial lagoon (Jökulsárlón) left us speechless. Touring it by amphibious boat is a highly recommended experience. Perhaps the fact of being from Gran Canaria gave us such a thrill to see so much ice as we rarely see snow back home.

Viajar por el mapa: The unusual nature of Iceland, its unique landscapes in the world that leave you with your mouth open, wake up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by spectacular landscapes ...

Consejero Viajero: You can definitely depend on the kindness of the the Icelandic people.

Viajar Lo Cura Todo: The system of real time monitoring of the roads and how well they manage snow.

Now that you know the experience of these great adventurers you will be happy to know that with Yescapa you can rent campervans and motorhomes in Iceland.

Thank you all for sharing your travel experiences in Iceland! How eager to travel!