9 Days Iceland Summer Road Trip Itinerary: Day 5 - East Iceland

On Day 5, we explored Eastern Iceland with the intention of self-taking our pre-wedding photos and my engagement proposal. Since the drive was short, we decided to wake up slightly later and had the best breakfast we had at our Airbnb's host with servings of cheese, jam, salami, smoked salmon and bread. The best thing? It's free of charge!

Airbnb (Þjóðvegur) > Egilsstaðir (2 hours)

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining with the cold winds. Without much hesitation, we began to make quick stops in between the drive towards Egilsstadir for our DIY photo shoot.

9 Days Iceland Summer Road Trip Itinerary: Day 3 & 4 - South Iceland

South Iceland brings the most scenic attractions to almost every itinerary in Iceland. Wake up early, prepare yourself as you drive along Route 1 for a myriad of amazing sights - waterfalls, beautiful towns and beaches. 

Our first stop: Seljalandsfoss 
Airbnb (Selfoss) > Seljalandsfoss (55 mins)

Or better known as the waterfall that you can walk behind or the "I'll Show You" by Justin Bieber's waterfall. Whatever it is known as, you can't deny the breathtaking views of Seljalandsfoss, even from the Ring Road. In September 2017, the waterfall was temporarily closed due to falling rocks. After all, it is Mother Nature and she's pretty temperamental, so take caution especially if you're walking behind the waterfall!

Here's some tip for those who want to walk behind the waterfall:

9 Days Iceland Summer Road Trip Itinerary: Day 2 - The Golden Circle

Day 2 of our road trip brings us around the famous Golden Circle before heading to Selfoss for the night. If you have not heard of the Golden Circle, it is actually a popular route that tourists take for a day's trip. The total distance is approximately 300km (about 3.5 hours drive) and the loop starts and ends at Reykjavik. Major attractions include the Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, and Gulfoss.

Renting a car

There are organised tours to the Golden Circle, well you can, but there's nothing like a self-drive tour which allows you the freedom to stop whenever and wherever you want. For this purpose, Lady M and I (well, mostly me) did a hell lot of research about car rentals, because there are a lot of horror stories about excessive charges about minor damages to the car etc, and for one, we definitely do not want that to happen to us. One of my friends recommended Lotus Car Rental, and we were impressed with the variety and competitive prices (I'm not paid nor sponsored to say this).

9 Days Iceland Summer Road Trip Itinerary: Day 1 - Reykjavik

Iceland, an idea became reality on August 2017. 

Our flight from Heathrow was around 8pm, our bodies beaten from yesterday's 10-hour wedding photoshoot and the earlier shopping trips, but the thought of embarking on this adventure excites us. We booked a round trip with Icelandair for approximately SGD$500 each. They even have a simulation of northern lights within the cabin.

We landed at Keflavik at about 11pm. The skies were still dimly lit because of the midnight sun. The weather? Freezing. Everyone was literally trembling while waiting to board the buses. Surprisingly, you can still see people donned in shorts and carrying shit tons of beer. Here's a tip: Get your trip's alcohol at the airport, but remember, if you drink, don't drive.

9 Days Iceland Summer Road Trip - Guide and Itinerary

Why Iceland?

I never once dreamt that one day I would travel across the magical world of Iceland, also known as the Land of Fire and Ice. Right now, I'm pretty sure that the opening theme of Game of Thrones is playing in your mind now. Let me tell you, the name is darn apt, as active volcanoes and glaciers lay just beside one another in this land of 300,000 people.

I don't even know where to start, a while ago, Lady M and I were planning to explore the outskirts of London - Oxford, Cambridge, York, Windermere. Turned off by the exorbitant rail prices, we looked to explore Dublin, but it looks rather boring. We zoomed out on Google maps, and we saw an island just located 3 hours away from London. We looked at each other, and the next moment, we were booking our air tickets. You know what? We even prepped ourselves by watching "Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and listening "Dirty Paws" (by Monsters and Men) again. Prepped might not be the right verb, but it certainly made us 400% more hyped about this trip.

Seljalandsfoss (don't ask me how to pronounce this)

The idea of travelling the whole ring road may sound daunting, especially those who do not even drive in my homeland (yes, that's yours truly). Oh, for those who have no idea, Ring Road (a.k.a Route 1) is their main road which covers various major attractions, such as Seljalandsfoss, Reynisfjara (black sand beach), Jokulsarlon (glacier lagoon), and Myvatn (volcanic lake). If those attractions sound really unfamiliar, fret not, I will be covering them later on.

Source: zigzagonearth

This Guide

The total duration of our Icelandic trip, or shall I say, pre-honeymoon, lasted 9 days. Although it is possible to cover the whole ring road in a day, you might not want to do that because you will, and I am sure, that you will stop every now and then to enjoy the beauty of this island. We went in the end-summer periods in mid-August 2017, when crowds have started to die down but prices are still considered high. We explored Iceland, starting from their capital Reykjavik and going in an anti-clockwise direction. I hope this guide serves as an overview and valuable add-on for your Icelandic itinerary.

Chillin' at the coast of Reykjavik