Route through Iceland in a motorhome: route and own experience

Iceland by motorhome: the great trip

Kucavanera family Updated: 19/09/2024 5 min read

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Route through Iceland by motorhome

Iceland is one of the best places to travel by motorhome, camper or even tent. It is full of campsites and the nature that surrounds you is ideal to enjoy on a road trip.

Within our Guide to traveling to Iceland in a motorhome, you'll find this post where we share the experience of a Kucavan family below.

It is basically a nature trip, an impressive nature that leaves you with your mouth open, in a very sparsely inhabited country with little infrastructure in many places.

With very changeable and very unpredictable weather (it can suddenly rain and wind non-stop like the overwhelming sun), having a motorhome is wonderful, especially if you are traveling with children and have to change clothes and so on.

In the covid era, the government of the country has given many facilities in terms of aid if you got sick while you are on the road.

Iceland, a place of contrasts and dreamlike landscapes

In Iceland you will enjoy contrasts and incredible landscapes that you will not find in other places on the planet: Volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers, thermal lakes, moss-covered expanses of lava ...

The children will learn so much from the scenery, and you'll experience precious moments as a family in the motorhome. On our personal blog , MAPANI'S TRAVELS, we provide all the details about budgets, itineraries, and more.

I encourage you to travel to Iceland as a family!

Rent or take your motorhome in Iceland

In Iceland you can rent one of their many motorhomes or camper vans for a slightly higher price than in Spain (from 150 to 300 euros for approximately 4 people per day depending on the season and number of days).

However, if you prefer, you can also take your motorhome by ferry from Denmark.

From Spain to Denmark, (palizón of kilometers and at least 2/3 days one way), there you must take a boat that crosses you to Iceland, passing through the Faroe Islands (it takes 2 days to get to Iceland, like a cruise yes ), and once you've visited Iceland, make your way back. That is, at least 5 days to get to Iceland and another 5 back, plus the time you want to be in the country itself.

It is viable, yes, but many days to reach the destination and return. And the price, for 4 people and a motorhome of about 7 meters, is around 7000 euros round trip if you book the ferry in time. If you are going to be in Iceland for more than 3 weeks, maybe it is worth it, but for less it will surely be better for you to take a plane and rent a motorhome in Iceland

Iceland by motorhome: Regulations and camper culture

Traveling to Iceland by motorhome has been a very typical way of touring the country since always, before it could be done on your own, but to preserve the great natural wealth that the country has and in the face of the large influx of tourists in recent times, since 2015 free camping and free overnight stays are prohibited. You have to spend the night at the campsite or in free designated areas (there are very few).
There is a great network of campsites that with the card https://utilegukortid.is/?lang=enthey come out at a good price.

There are many maps with the campsites and areas of allowed overnight stay, there is no problem to get that information.

But you have to be careful and plan your route very well, because leaving the south behind, the towns are increasingly distant, there are fewer gas stations, almost no supermarkets, etc. So you must know the terrain well at these levels before starting the route every day and always bring food and go with the tank as full as possible in your motorhome or camper.

Our route through Iceland by motorhome

Iceland is a "wild" island and has only one main road, the one, called "Ring Road", because it surrounds the entire island and following this road are almost all the important points to visit.

There are those who surround the island with a clockwise or counterclockwise signature. We traveled it counterclockwise starting from the main airport of Keflavik, following the Golden Circle (where the most visited waterfalls and natural places are).

South Iceland by motorhome

Then head south to Vik, exploring the impressive waterfalls of the ancient coastline. From there, make short excursions to the southeast to see the still-erupting volcano, exploring the impressive waterfalls and visiting [the area].

East, West and North Iceland by motorhome

In the east , the landscapes begin to change. First, you venture into fjords and idyllic villages , and then you gradually lose the typical Icelandic green as you enter the arid north , full of volcanoes and sulfurous areas— a landscape that seems almost otherworldly. Finally, you travel along the west, which is no less beautiful, but you have to leave some out, to reach Reykjavik, its small but charming capital.

Central Iceland by motorhome

The island's interior is inaccessible to motorhomes and regular cars; it's only accessible to off-road vehicles . There are no roads, only tracks with river crossings. Therefore, to explore the uninhabited and wild heart of the island, you must book a tour or purchase a ticket for a special off-road bus that ventures into the center. The rental motorhome insurance clearly states that it does not cover any damage that occurs on roads where only off-road vehicles are permitted.

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