Driving the ring road in Iceland is one of the most epic road trips you can take. It’s a trip that allows you to stand beside the roar of huge waterfalls, soak in warm outdoor pools, walk the rim of volcanic craters, and be mesmerized by landscapes that look like another planet. Here’s my collection of useful tips for driving the ring road in Iceland. I hope that these, combined with my other guides can help you and take the stress out of planning your road trip but if you have any questions, just let me know.
Tips For Driving The Ring Road In Iceland And How To Prepare For It
What is the ring road in Iceland?
The ring road, or Route 1, is a highway that loops around the whole country.
Why should you drive the ring road?
It’s just cool to be able to drive around an entire country. But it’s also a great way to get outside of the touristy areas in the south of Iceland and experience more of the country.
The road trip is full of sights like waterfalls, hikes, epic landscapes, pools, and volcanic craters.
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Where to rent a campervan in Iceland
Driving the ring road in Iceland is a great opportunity for a campervan trip.
I rented from Kuku Campers and wrote a guide with a review and tips for renting a campervan in Iceland here.
When is the best time of year for the road trip?
The best time to drive the ring road depends on how much time you have to do it.
If you only have a week, then it’s best to drive the ring road when you have a lot of light each day to actually see the sights. June – August is the peak season where you will experience the most light, however, you will also get the most crowds and highest prices.
If you can visit on a shoulder season (March-May or September-October), you can still have a great experience and avoid some of the crowds and high costs. How much time you have to drive it would impact this though.
If you only had a week to drive it, then I would stick to one month either side of the peak (May or September) before the weather gets too dark.
If you have 10 days – two weeks to drive it then you have more leeway and could visit during any of the shoulder months depending on your preference.
Planning tips for driving the ring road in Iceland
Have a flexible itinerary
Driving the ring road is best done with a flexible itinerary. You don’t need to plan each step of the way or book campsites well in advance.
We didn’t plan anything – instead, we just drove the road and stopped at the sights along the way. When it got towards the end of the day, we would find a town to stop in and find a campground.
If you’d like ideas on what to see and where to stay, here is my 7-day itinerary for driving the ring road in Iceland.
You could easily keep a tab open in your phone with the itinerary at the start of your trip and follow along as you drive the ring road, but remember to keep it flexible in case the weather gets in the way of your plans.
Driving tips for driving the ring road in Iceland
Use the road signs
It’s very easy to figure out where to stop on the ring road by following the icon that looks like a square with loops on the corners.
This is the icon for a place of interest. You can easily drive the ring road and stop when you see this sign – this is how we found most of our stops.
It’s worth looking up the list of other service icons so you know what to look out for – this site has a good list. For example, campsite, outdoor local pool, and public toilets.
Keep an eye out for sheep on the roads in Iceland
And other animals like horses for that matter.
Iceland is sheep country and it’s not uncommon to see them on the side of the road. They free roam in spring and summer before being herded again by the farmers in the fall.
If you come across any, make sure you slow down, give them space, and wait for them to cross if they are on the road.
The weather can be unpredictable
There’s really no way to prepare for the weather in Iceland because it can be quite unpredictable.
It’s important to keep this in mind and check the weather during your trip. This is also why having a flexible itinerary is important.
Having a rigid plan may leave you frustrated if you get some bad weather one day and have to stay longer in a town then make up the time the next day.
We didn’t even know which way we would drive the ring road until we got there and let the weather decide. The weather was bad in one direction, so we decided to drive towards the calm weather.
Pay the toll road straight away
There is one tunnel in North Iceland that has a different payment system to be aware of. It is the Vaðlaheiði tunnel and you need to pay the toll fee within three hours before or after you drive through the tunnel.
To pay the toll, go to this website and enter your vehicle details and pay the fee of about $10 USD. I paid it using my phone as soon as we were out of the tunnel and it was really easy.
I recommend checking the Safe Travel Iceland website to look over their recommendations and watch their video that’s full of good driving tips.
Camping tips for driving the ring road in Iceland
Keep cash on you
It’s always good to have a little cash on you when you travel, but this is an especially important tip if you will be traveling in the shoulder or off-peak season.
Many campsites will close outside of the peak season, but you are still able to camp there. In some cases, this means all the facilities are closed – so you won’t be able to use a shower, toilet, or kitchen, but you will have a legal place to park the van.
Usually, if this is the case, camping is free.
However, some will be closed so there will be no staff, but the facilities remain open. In these cases, there is usually an honesty box for payment and you will need cash for that.
The currency in Iceland is the Icelandic Króna and you can get it easily from an ATM.
Why you need to park on campgrounds
You can’t just park your van anywhere to sleep overnight as it is against the law.
You need to park your van at a campground and they are usually only approximately $15USD per person, per night.
I was really impressed with the facilities at the campgrounds I stayed at. Most had a heated common area with basic kitchen facilities and all the toilets and showers I used were clean.
If you’re traveling in a low season and the campground facilities are not open, I recommend visiting a local pool.
They are all over Iceland (look for the information sign that is a person’s head with ‘waves’ underneath) and it costs about $9 to enter. Here is my full post on local pools in Iceland and a guide to pool etiquette.
This way you can go for a swim to experience soaking in a local pool, and use their bathroom facilities afterward.
You might see the same people
Driving the ring road is quite popular and most people drive about the same amount each day.
Don’t be surprised if you see some of the same people at the campgrounds as well as while you are out at the sights. We saw a couple of groups at the same campgrounds a few times on our trip.
The common areas at the campgrounds also open up a good opportunity to chat with others and add a little social element to the trip.
Sleep with your clothes in your sleeping bag
If it’s really cold, one good tip is to sleep with the clothes you plan to wear the next day in your sleeping bag, or at least your first layer.
This will make it much easier to put them on in the morning! Sometimes I would wake up then put my first layer in my sleeping bag while I waited to actually get up.
If you have a heater in the van, this might not matter as much, but we did not add on a heater for our van and definitely needed to warm up our clothes before wearing them.
Packing tips for driving the ring road in Iceland
Pack light
If you plan to do a campervan trip, I recommend packing light. Of course, this will depend on what size van you get, but for the small vans, there is not much room. Basically just enough for a backpack each.
Packing light will allow you to have a little leg room when you sleep.
If you’d like packing tips, here is my guide on how to pack for the ring road in Iceland with carry-on luggage only.
Housekeeping tips for driving the ring road in Iceland
Stick to the trails
The fences are there for a reason, so be sure to stick to the trails and don’t climb fences to get the perfect ‘gram shot.
These irresponsible acts will erode the landscape and cause damage to the delicate natural environment.
The moss that grows over the landscape is delicate and even footprints can leave damage that can take a long period of time to repair.
I saw way too many people climbing fences and walking over the delicate moss to take photos and it’s so frustrating and sad to see.
Use toilets
I’ve never seen so many ‘no shitting’ signs in my life.
I thought it was a bit of a joke or something at first, then I saw the amount of toilet paper left out in nature and on the side of the road and understood it more.
Between that and the people climbing fences, it was honestly sad to see a place that is so beautiful being tarnished by the effects of douchebag travelers.
Groceries
Iceland is notoriously expensive and there’s not much getting around that. When you get your food supplies you can save money by shopping at Bonus or Kronin.
The water is safe to drink from the tap and super fresh, so you’ll be able to refill your bottles at campsites.
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