A 7-Night South Iceland Winter Adventure

Pick up your rental car from Go Car Rental. If you are visiting during the winter months, I recommend the Land Rover Discovery Sport or Land Rover Defender that Go Car Rental offers. They both handle well in the changing Iceland weather that can throw ice, snow, rain and extreme winds your way at a moments notice. Be sure to include WiFi in your car rental plan! This can be a lifesaver to connect to navigation when you’re visiting remote areas of Iceland.

Stop by Kokulist Bakery near Keflavik airport for coffee, pastries and lunch sandwiches. This cafe is affordable, on the route of the ring road/golden circle and offers a comfortable cafe style style seating area with free WiFi for ironing out last minute travel details.

Drive to Hotel Grimsborgir for the first night of your stay. On the drive you’ll see the famous Fagradalsfjall Volcano on the horizon, along with many other breathtaking sights. This is a magnificent first drive in Iceland to get you excited for the adventures to come.

Settle into Hotel Grimsborgir, grab dinner at the on-site restaurant and relax in one of the 29 geothermal hot tubs on-site after a long day of traveling. If you’re lucky, you might even see the northern lights while unwinding in the hot tubs!

Start the day with the included, on-site breakfast at Hotel Grimsborgir.

Take a short drive to Kerid Crater, just 10 minutes from the hotel. Kerid Crater is a 55 meter deep volcanic crater that is approximately 3000 years old. It is part of a group of volcanic hills called Tjarnarholar, and is now filled with water. In the winter months, it is often frozen over, however it is still a beautiful sight to see.

From Kerid Crater, head to Strokkur Geysir. This is the most famous geysir in the Geysir hot spring area. It is also the most active.

After exploring the Geysir, head to Laugarvatn Fontana to experience one of the many natural geothermal pools that Iceland hosts. Fontana offers not only geothermal pools, but also saunas, steam rooms and, most impressively, a geothermal bakery experience. During this experience you’ll get to experience geothermal energy first hand, and you’ll get to try geothermal baked bread! The bread is placed in a pot, put deep into the ground, covered, and left to bake for 24 hours. The natural, geothermal heat completely bakes the bread within this timeframe. You’ll get to witness the staff dig up the pot of fresh bread from the warm, black sand. It will then be served hot with Icelandic butter and a slice of smoked trout!

After relaxing in the geothermal pools, take a drive to Bruarhloo, a narrow gorge in the Hvita River, situated approximately three kilometers south of Gullfoss.

Enjoy the scenic Golden Circle as you drive to Prastalundur Restaurant for dinner. This restaurant offers a variety of food ranging from Icelandic staples to pizza and features a full bar. Enjoy the beautiful river and mountain views while refueling after a day of exploring the Golden Circle.

Start the day with the included breakfast at Hotel Grimsborgir before check-out.

Pack up the car and head out on another day of Icelandic exploration. Be sure to pack snacks and water, as the drives can become longer depending upon the unpredictable Icelandic weather.

Start the day at Urridafoss, the most voluminous waterfall in the country. This river drops down by the edge of the Pjorsarhraun lava field, forming the impressive waterfall.

Head to Hjalparfoss, a two-stepped waterfall near the confluence of the Thjorsa and Fossa rivers, in the Thjorsa Valley.

Head into the small town of Hella, Iceland to enjoy lunch at one of the several local restaurants.

After lunch, take a short drive to Aegissioufoss, a waterfall that is just a few kilometers down the road from the town of Hella.

If you’re feeling up to an extended adventure, head to the infamous waterfalls Seljalandsfoss & Gljufrabui. These are a 30 minute drive past Stracta Hotel, however I recommend making the trip to avoid overwhelming yourself the next day. Take in the sights of one of Iceland’s most famous waterfalls, that you can even walk behind during the summer months.

Head back to the town of Hella to check into Stracta Hotel.

Enjoy dinner and wine or a cocktail at the on-site restaurant and bar.

After dinner, you can check out the northern lights hallway, where the ceiling and walls are transparent, allowing you to view the northern lights without having to go out in the elements. Alternatively, you can visit one of the hotels barrel-shaped saunas, or one of their two hot tubs.

Start the morning with Stracta Hotel’s complimentary breakfast, where you can enjoy the beautiful Iceland sunrise while sipping coffee when the conditions allow.

Check out of Stracta Hotel and prepare for a full day of adventure as you head further East along the ring road. I recommend filling up with fuel prior to leaving Hella, as there are fewer gas stations as you begin to head further into southeastern Iceland and this will be a day full of driving the South coast.

If you missed Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui, or just didn’t get enough of it during your first visit, this is a great first stop as you head East on the ring road.

Embark on a 1-hour drive along Iceland’s southern coast, where you’ll have magnificent views of the powerful waves that crash along the shore, and the rugged cliffs that line the northern side of the ring road. Your destination? Skogafoss! Skogafoss is often referred to as Iceland’s most recognizable waterfalls year-round. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a beautiful sight of rainbows leading to the base of the waterfall. When the conditions allow, there is a staircase that leads to the top of the waterfall for an amazing view of the river that feeds it.

Take a break for lunch at Hotel Skogafoss’s Bistro, offering delicious lunch items along with coffee, wine and cocktails. The view is unlike any other, as you have a panoramic view of both Skogafoss and the mountains that surround it from nearly every table.

After lunch, make another three minute drive to the hiking path that leads to Kvernufoss. This waterfall is only accessible by a short and easy hike from a designated parking area. Additionally, you’ll pass by the museum of Skogar on your journey to the waterfall.

A few miles down the ring road, you will find the parking area to access the notorious Solheimasandur Plane Wreck. This DC-3 US Navy plane ran out of fuel and crashed along the black sand beach of Solheimasandur. You can access the original wreckage by either a 30 minute hike, or by a shuttle bus that cuts the travel time down to 10 minutes each way. I recommend the bus option to save time. You can book this shuttle through many companies, however Icelandic Mountain Guides is my operator of choice. The shuttle operates every 30 minutes.

Keep pushing north to reach the most recognizable Icelandic coast: Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach and Dyrholaey. Drive right up to the top of the mountain along the coast to take in spectacular views of Dyrholaey, a 120-meter high promontory that stretches from the coast into the ocean. To the right of the observation point you’ll find beautiful, mountain-lined horizons contrasted by the black sand beaches. To your left, you will find the infamous Reynijfjara black sand beach in particular. The parking area to access this beach is just a short drive from the Dyrholaey aberration area.

Begin the 2.5 hour journey to one of my favorite hotels, Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon. This is an easy, scenic drive along the ring road. You will venture through stunning mountains and plains during this drive, and it truly showcases the magnificence of Iceland’s more remote areas. As you near the hotel, you’ll have a fantastic view of glaciers and the Oraefajokull volcano.

If you prefer a shorter drive this evening, and are willing to add travel time for your next morning, Fosshotel Nupar is another great lodging option along the ring road.

Settle into the remote, luxury Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon and enjoy a 5-star dinner at their on-site restaurant. Be sure to make dinner and saunas reservations when checking in or before your arrival, as they are often busy year-round.

After dinner, enjoy the saunas and hot tubs.

This is a great location for viewing the Northern Lights during clear nights as there is minimal light pollution in this area.

Enjoy an included breakfast in the on-site restaurant before departing.

Enjoy a short 30 minute drive further along the coast’s ring road on your journey to Glacier Lagoon. Head to the meeting point for your Local Guide Ice Cave Tour! Local Guide is a small, family operated company offering guided hikes and tours of the glaciers and ice caves in and around the Jokulsarlon Glacier and lagoon. From here, you’ll embark on a 20 minute off-road drive in a super jeep to a small parking area. From there, you’ll make the easy, 2.2 mile, 30 minute hike to the opening of one of Iceland’s beautiful ice caves. Take in the endless shades of blue as you venture deeper into the cave. You will be one of the few on Earth to experience the 700 - 900 year old ice that forms the cave walls. At the deepest point of your tour, you will be standing under approximately 30 meters of glacial ice. This tour takes around 3 hours from start to finish.

Grab some coffee and lunch from the small snack area located in the Glacier Lagoon parking area, and take in the view of hundreds of small icebergs floating throughout the lagoon, with a magnificent view of the glacier you just stood under.

Head just across the road to the famous Diamond Beach, formally known as Fellsfjara. This is known as Diamond Beach as the fields of black sand often get strewn with chunks of glacial. Ice, carried along the river towards the sea and then sent back upon the sands by the tides. The glacial ice contrasted by the black sand beaches often makes the ice chunks shine like diamonds in the right conditions.

If the weather is favorable, head to the network of hiking trails that make up Skaftafell, a region within Vatnajokull National Park. Here, short and easy trails lead to the waterfall Svartifoss and the Skaftafellsjokull glacier. The Svartifoss waterfall is 20 meters high, and is bordered on both sides by tall, black, basalt columns.

For the last attraction of the day, visit Fjaorargljufur Canyon. This canyon is accessible year-round. It is approximately 100 meters deep, and approximately two kilometers long. The bedrock of the canyon is mostly palagonite from cold periods of the Ice Age, and is estimated to be about two million years old.

After a long day of exploring, head to Hotel Klaustur, located in the small town of Vik, Iceland. Enjoy an amazing dinner and cocktail at their on-site restaurant and bar, which boasts a wall of panoramic windows, perfect for the chance to view the northern lights during dinner, in the right conditions.

Day 6:

Enjoy an included breakfast at Hotel Klaustur ahead of a morning full of driving along the south coast, back to the Keflavik area to check into your next hotel, Hotel Berg.

As you drive back along the ring road, I recommend stopping at Lava Cafe for coffee. This cafe is located inside of a larger, shared space boasting several stores and a restaurant.

Don’t fear the near four hour drive. In favorable conditions, this will go by in no time as you take in the beautiful town of Vik, the Dyrholaey arch, black sand beaches, Skogafoss, wild horses and much more — all viewable from the Ring Road.

After a morning of driving, I recommend stopping by Matholl Hofoa, a food-court style area offering a variety of local and more familiar foods.

For an afternoon coffee or tea, check out Kaffitar that is just down the road from Matholl Hofoa. This is one of the very few places in the country that offers iced coffee!

After another 50 minutes of driving along the coast between Reykjavik and Keflavik, you’ll reach the small, intimate Hotel Berg. Get settled and enjoy the warm, rooftop pool ahead of dinner.

Be sure to make reservations for the on-site restaurant, Fiskbarrin. Here you can enjoy a range of delicious meals, wines and cocktails just steps from your room.

Day 7:

Enjoy the complimentary breakfast offered in Hotel Berg’s on-site restaurant, Fiskbarrin.

Prepare for your last full day in Iceland by packing your swimsuit! You’re headed to Iceland’s most famous geothermal pools — Blue Lagoon! Here you’ll enjoy one of Iceland’s largest geothermal pools, a beverage from the swim-up bar, a silica, mud or algae mask at the swim-up face mask bar, steam baths and saunas. After enjoying the warm waters of the pools, enjoy a delicious, upscale lunch at the on-site Lava Restaurant. If you’re looking for a more relaxed lunch, head to Max’s Restaurant located inside the Northern Light Inn, just a three minute drive from the Blue Lagoon parking area.

Enjoy the beautiful views on a short, 20 minute drive back to Keflavik, where you’ll spend the rest of your day relaxing and preparing to head home.

Check into the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport for an upscale, familiar stay just minutes from the airport. Courtyard offers a complimentary airport shuttle, and upscale dining at the on-site restaurant, “The Bridge." The tender, local lamb paired with your choice of red wine is the perfect last dinner in Iceland!