Iceland is hot springs and glaciers. Fire and ice. The Ring Road circling the coast of the country is made for road tripping and you don’t even need to get out of the car to witness its beauty and see a waterfall, they appear every few miles.
Almost as frequent as the friendly Icelandic horses, but only one out of the hundreds we saw had blue eyes.
Of course you’ll want to set out on foot, the country is made for adventure and steeped in legend. Be on the look out for lake monsters, trolls, and elves.
Over 2 million tourists visited the country in 2017 outnumbering the population of just under 350,000 citizens. Be a global citizen and leave no trace, so that Iceland stays pristine for your return trip.
- The Weather in September
+It rains in Iceland. A lot. That is why there are so many waterfalls and lush landscapes. It is a necessary evil.
The weather changes with the season. Though peak summer months of July and August are supposed to be less rainy, in summer of 2018 they were wet and cool. The shoulder season month of September saw less rain than usual. In two weeks of travel around the country, almost every day had blue skies and few had bouts of rain, which always ended before too long.
Some say that there is no bad weather, just bad gear. If you come equipped with a rain jacket, rain paints, and waterproof boots…you will be ready for the elements.
+You can check the weather using Vedur, but do yourself a favor and always hike with a rain jacket in your backpack – because the sunny day can turn dark on the flip of a dime.
+Temperature in September was cool, ranging from the 40s to nearly 60 degrees. Layering is key because when the sun is shining and you are hiking, you’ll start to sweat. The sun will retreat and you’ll freeze. This turns into a dance of taking off your earmuffs, scarves, gloves, and sweaters one by one…then rushing to put them back on. You’ll learn the rhythm quickly.
+Daylight is another major factor when planning your trip. In the summer you’ll find the midnight sun, with no chance of northern lights. In winter when there are long periods of darkness it is optimal for seeing the northern lights, but your daytime activities take a backseat. September was perfect because days are still long and it is the beginning of the northern lights season. You need a clear night, little moon, and some luck. We saw the display twice over the first two weeks of the month.
- What Accommodations are Available?
There are plenty of options in the capital city, Reykjavík, but if you’re planning on driving the Ring Road, booking in advance is highly suggested. Accommodations are more scarce and limited in the countryside. Guesthouses and farm stays are more plentiful (and affordable) than proper hotels. Many of them are listed on AIRBNB, which is what we used to stay around the entire country. Often, they are very expensive and Spartan, but you are a captive and willing visitor. Farm stays were our favorite, especially when great hosts were happy to share local tips and cultural information. Hronn taught us that Icelandic people don’t share the same family last names and Ragnar gave us directions to our favorite hot spring.
Fun Fact: In 2006 there were 3 AIRBNBs listed in Reykjavík, ten years later there were 3,000
+Alternatively, many people choose to rent a camper van which hits two birds with one stone. However, Iceland has changed with its influx of visitors and you can no longer legally pull your van on the side of the road the night. You still have to pay for a campsite on top, which does have its benefits because you will gain access to facilities.
- 2WD or 4WD Rental Car?
A debate everyone who is driving the Ring Road around the country has battled. If you’re traveling on a budget in this expensive country, you’ll want to save where you can. After extensive research, we decided on a 2WD and our Toyota Yaris was able to get to every location we intended to go. 
Of course that means no F-Roads, but we did drive on many gravel roads that had potholes like you’d find on the moon.
Helpful Websites:
+You can see which roads in the country are gravel here, and do yourself a favor – get the gravel protection. We were lucky and didn’t hit any bad weather while driving, but this website will let you know the road conditions along your route.
+We used Blue Car Rental located within walking distance of KEF Airport and I would recommend them.
Once you have your car…
+Be weary of speed cameras when driving through tunnels, also while heading in and out of towns.
+As a healthy rule, do not let your gas tank dip under half. Gas stations can be few and far between, especially in the south of the country. Often times in the evening stations will close early – so you’ll want to fill up a prepaid gas card inside.
By the way, gas is EXTREMELY expensive – think $80 a tank. N1 was our go-to gas station. Sometimes they would have restaurants attached, little exhibits, or power washing hoses to clean your car after getting muddy on dirt roads.
Pro tip: if you’re car is excessively dirty before you bring it back to the rental company they will charge you a fee – so wash it off for free at the N1!
+WATCH OUT FOR SHEEP IN THE ROAD.
- Eating in Iceland: Gas Station Hot Dogs & More!
It is no secret that food, along with everything else, is extremely expensive in Iceland. For me, this was not a foodie destination, except in the capital city of Reykjavík which has some excellent restaurants. Eating around the Ring Road is about fueling yourself so you can continue hiking.
+Eat at the gas station. Almost every N1 had hot dogs (national food of Iceland), a cheap and easy dinner. Some were wrapped in bacon.
Gas station convenience stores almost always have Skyr Icelandic yogurt, a godsend. Eat this everyday for breakfast – the coconut flavor was my favorite, low and sugar and delicious.
Not all N1s are created equally, some had an excellent variety of foods ranging from rotisserie chicken and gourmet hummus, to places had only a row of candy bars. You never know what you’re going to get, so stock up on non-refrigerated goods where you can.
+Bring food from home, as much as you are willing to pack in your luggage, it’ll save you a lot of money.
+Grocery stores are another affordable place to grab dinner, often with more variety. BONUS is the discount store, NETTO generally has a better quality of items.
THE COFFEE SITUATION: If you’re anything like me there is no life before coffee. Our accommodations were notorious for lacking this essential elixir. There was however, always a kettle. If you don’t want to deal with the drama of finding coffee in the AM – I highly suggest bringing instant coffee and individual non refrigeratable coffee creamers.
Traditional Icelandic Cuisine:
Other than hot dogs and skyr…
+As will notice there are a lot of sheep, we tried sheep’s head jelly.
+Fermented shark – it smells way worse than it tastes, which isn’t so bad…followed by Brennivínaka (black death schnapps).
+Dried fish jerky.
+Rye bread and geysir bread.
+All of the fresh fish!
+Icelanders are obsessed with licorice.
PS: Tipping is not expected and a service fee is usually included at sit down restaurants.
- Some Free & Useful Apps
+Wifi was often spotty in more remote areas, I made a habit of loading my itinerary into GoogleMaps the night before and downloaded Map of Iceland Offline just in case (but I never used it).
+112 Iceland for emergencies, it’ll send your location to authorities.
+Vedur for weather and Aurora Forecast for northern lights.
+AllTrails had many hiking routes listed, great for checking mileage on and elevation – though trails in Iceland were quite well marked.
- Cash or Credit?
Though we exchanged some money at the airport for emergencies, we were able to use credit every single place we went!
- Language
Go ahead and try to pronounce anything in Icelandic, I commend you for your efforts. It’s a very difficult language, if you’re dying to use it go ahead and say Takk, thank you. It’ll seem silly though, because everyone in the country speaks English flawlessly.
- Essentials to Pack:
+Your swim suit and a towel, because the hot springs are calling.
+Waterproof everything.
+An adapter if you’re coming from the states.
+Gloves, hat, scarf, earmuffs, sunglasses.
+BYO TP!
PS – The early bird catches the worm. Even though September is the shoulder season, afternoons saw intense crowds. We were out by 7AM every morning and often had even the biggest of attractions to ourselves. Much more magical than sharing with bus tours.
Great point!!
I’d add that if you like a drink, make the most of your duty free on the way in. Buying alcohol is expensive!