Budget-friendly South-Iceland roadtrip
Iceland had always been on our bucket list but let's face it, it's not the cheapest destination. In June 2022, we finally decided to go for it and travel the island, within our budget.
The main way to save money on an Iceland trip is to rent a van that you can sleep in, so you won't have to pay any hotel. With a van usually come dishes and cooking gear, which is another good way to stay in budget. We knew already that Iceland is not known for its food and from the few restaurants we went to, we confirm the general opinion. So we took some food with us from home and bought some stuff in Icelandic supermarkets. Lastly, you'll have to prioritise activities to save money and I will help you with that. I will give you our itinerary day by day and tell you what is worth it or not.
DAY 1 - Arrival, Grindavik
Flying from Helsinki to Reykjavik took about 3 hours, we arrived in the afternoon. We had booked our van online and someone from the company came to get us at the airport (included in the rental). Once we got our moving little home we started driving south and came across a nice geothermic area in Grindavik. We went to a rather bad restaurant and went to our campsite. We didn't take the electricity option to save money but we got really cold during the night, so yes, even in June, take the electricity option so you can activate the heaters.
Night in Grindavik campsite
DAY 2 - Blue lagoon, Reykjavik & whale watching
First stop of the day, the iconic Blue lagoon. And it's worth all the hype! It's absolutely beautiful, it's a very relaxing moment, the service is very nice, we loved it. We were happy to have booked a time in the morning, it wasn't too crowded.
Then we headed to Reykjavik and visited a little bit. It's a lovely and colorful city, we really liked the vibe there. We headed to the harbour late afternoon and embarked on a whale watching cruise. This was my husband's dream and I went along with not that much interest. But once we saw dolphins and whales, I got very emotional, it was one of the best experiences of my life! We recommend 100% doing this. Here is the one we booked: GetYourGuide.
We didn't try any restaurants as that day was already the most expensive one of our trip! But we happily cooked pasta at our campsite with fellow travellers.
Night in Reykjavik campsite
DAY 3 - Thingvellir, Haukadalur & Selfoss
Day 3 was quite grey and rainy, but we still headed to the famous Thingvellir national park. We had booked a snorkelling activity. It was nice but sincerely not up to our expectations. There was no wildlife in such cold waters so the only things to see were rock formations. My combination was not sealed properly so I got all wet and the water was 2°C so let me tell you I was freezing. There was no changing room and there were a lot of groups, it felt very crowded and not so welcoming. So save your money and don't do this activity (You still have to pay the entrance of the park though).
Once I got changed and warmed myself a bit in our van, we headed to Haukadalur to see geysers. I was excited like a little kid and we stayed a while looking at all the water eruptions!
Finally we went to Selfoss (picture), the biggest waterfall in the country. The weather was still moody but the place was still impressive and beautiful.
Night in Hraunborgir Campsite (the worst one of our stay)
DAY 4 - Kerid, Seljalandfoss, Skogafoss & Solheimajokull
We started the day with a walk at Kerid crater, it was a nice scenery with beautiful colors. We continued to Seljalandfoss, one of the coolest waterfall we saw and you could actually go behind it, that was awesome. We then went to Skogafoss, one of the famous waterfalls of Southern Iceland. There are so many waterfalls in Iceland but you never get bored!
We ended the day at the Solheilajokull which was a little bit disappointing and not worth the walk as the glacier was almost all black.
All of these activities are free, it's just walking in nature!
Night in Vik Camping
DAY 5 - Vik area & Fjadrargljufur
We visited Vik a little bit, it's the cutest town! We loved the black beach especially, it felt like a mix between Ireland's Giant Causeway and French cliffs of Etretat, but with dramatic colors. Then, we headed to Fjadrargljufur, on the way we stopped to see some caves and waterfalls whenever we would see a sign. Fjadrargljufur is just amazing, we were impressed by the scenery there, very picturesque, a must see! And of course like all the views and hikes, this is entirely free.
DAY 6 - Vatnajokull National Park & Jokulsarlon
On day 6 we headed to the easternmost point of our trip: Jokulsarlon. This was clearly the highlight of our trip. First we wandered on Diamond beach, fascinated with the pieces of ice everywhere, like the many tourists there! A short walk further was the beautiful glacier, we were stunned with the beautiful colors reflected by the ice, the powerful stream and the pieces of ice detaching from bigger blocks. It was a spectacular nature show and we stayed a long time to admire it. We even got lucky enough to see many cute seals. We had the best fish & chips ever there, it was a bit expensive, but worth it.
Night in Skaftafell campsite
DAY 7 - Vatnajokull National Park & driving back
We woke up to really bad weather and a bad headache so we took a slow morning, socializing a bit with other campers, that's another perk of a van roadtrip.
When the rain stopped we decided to go on the main hike route of Skaftafell (the campsite is literally at the entrance of the hiking trail). The hike was not very long but quite steep and tiring for a not so sportive girl like me. We ended up seeing nice view and a small waterfall, it was not mind-blowing but still satisfying.
We then started driving back towards the west, stopping for a few more waterfalls of course!
Night in Campsite Selfoss
DAY 8 - Back to Reykjavik
Day 8 was our last full day in Iceland. We drove back to Reykjavik to go to the Sky lagoon for a relaxing time. It was nice, especially the views on the sea, but not worth the price. The Sky lagoon is artificial and not better than a hot pool, after the Blue lagoon it's quite a step down.
In the afternoon we brought back our van to the rental company, it was weird to say goodbye to our moving home! For the last night we had booked a hotel night near the airport. The price was decent, it felt amazing to sleep in a real bed and have our own bathroom. Plus, we finally found a good restaurant at this hotel!
Night at Konvin hotel
DAY 9 - Time to fly back
After a good night of sleep we headed to the airport, goodbye Iceland! It was a great experience, probably our best trip together. We will be back!
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