This is one of my most exciting trips. I organized it literally in one day with flights and a short plan of where to spend the night. I chose PLAY airline, which is Icelandic and has direct flights from Tenerife (where I live) to Reykjavík. Trust me, as someone who lives on an island, it is extremely important for me to have direct flights. They are rare, but when you have them, it just makes the trip more enjoyable. Since our flight was low-cost and therefore late, we landed in Reykjavík at 2:00 in the morning. The hotels around the airport were around €300 per night, and the van we had hired wouldn't show up until the morning. I searched through multiple options but didn't find anything worthwhile. I researched how things are with sleeping in the airport.
There were a lot of mixed opinions on the internet, but despite everything, I decided to take a chance and sleep at the airport. It just wasn't worth paying so much money for a night that we wouldn't even use to the full. If you ever have to sleep at Reykjavík airport after landing, the most important thing to know is not to leave the security area. You simply get off the plane, walk along the airport arm, and settle into one of the seats. There are also comfortable seats where you can lie down and even take a nap. Very peaceful, safe, and secure. Toilets are nearby and readily available. You can brush your teeth and face, go about your morning routine without anyone bothering or bothering you. At 6-7 o'clock, it starts to get lively and the shops open their doors. So from 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., you can be sure that you will have peace of mind. At exactly 8:00 a.m., representatives of the rental van arrived, which we rented from a very nice and super friendly company - KUKU CAMPERS.
We took the shuttle to their office and within 15 minutes we had our vehicle. If there is something that makes me happy during a trip, it is everyone doing their work conscientiously and quickly. Well, I was very pleased with the quick and adequate service. I highly recommend the company.
DAY 1 Travelling to Iceland
For our first day of stay, I decided to take a break from the flight and relax. There was no better place than the Blue Lagoon. There we both rested and recharged and visited one of the most iconic places in Iceland. I had bought the tickets in advance from the official Laguna website. I recommend getting them in advance because they are sold on the basis of plane tickets - depending on demand, time, etc. Prices start from around €70. I bought ours for €100 per person. These included entry, a towel, a drink of choice, and 1 silica mask (it's awesome, I regretted not buying a large cut afterward from the gift shop).
After spending almost a whole day in the Blue Lagoon, in 38-degree Celsius salt water, we decided it was time to head to our planned camping spot.
Something very important: 90% of camping sites do not have advance online reservations, so you go to the site a little early and they accommodate you. We chose the nearby settlement to the Blue Lagoon Grindavik. The same one that suffered from the last two volcanic eruptions in Iceland. Well, we were there about 3 months before the eruption and it is extremely startling to see how the roads we drove and the houses we saw were covered in lava. Still, the Grindavik campsite was extremely comfortable and enjoyable. Everything you need. Please note that in some places there is an extra charge for using the bathroom, while in others it is included in the price.
It was a good first day!
DAY 2
We went to Vik. But on the way, we stopped by the majestic waterfall Selijandsfoss. Parking there is paid on the spot, but it's worth every minute. Here it is important to note that everything you see in the pictures from Iceland is more beautiful in person. There is simply no device in the world that can recreate this beauty and exoticism of nature there. Allow about an hour and a half, two, for visiting the waterfall because there are two waterfalls close to each other.
Then on our way was one of the iconic beaches in Iceland, Reynisfjara. Be careful because it can be dangerous. There are signs at the entrance to the beach. Parking is also paid here. There are two parking lots, one at a 5-10 minute walk and one right at the entrance to the beach. The first parking lot is cheaper and not as crowded with cars, so I recommend it. For parking in Iceland in many places, an application is used, in which you must have a registration with a credit or debit card. The application recognizes where you are, you click on the parking lot and pay. It's easy and convenient. It's called PARKA APP. On the beach, you can take exciting photos, the worlds, textures, shades of nature are simply unique. My photos are without any processing, so you can judge for yourself.
We finally settled into Vic's campsite. It is very big and has everything. It's a bit more difficult to get a table in the kitchen as there are really many people and they always want to charge their phone in the nearby sockets, so be patient to charge first. Then in a row here's your phone.
DAY 3
The most unexpected and unplanned adventures happened that day. We visited the famous abandoned wrecked plane near Vik - a very integrable spot because beautiful and interesting photos are taken there. It is quite far from the parking lot, but there is an option to go by shuttle if you don't have an extra 2 hours to walk. We watered the shuttle and it was a pretty good decision because then we went hiking in the mountains and needed to have energy.
We headed to the Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River and bathed in a warm mineral water river that even had a dedicated beach where you could put your towels, change, etc. It was great.
You watch steam coming out of craters in the mountains, and then you bathe in the river. A must-try in life! And it's completely free!
Then we drove to the Great Geyser. We traveled and arrived around 19:00. It turned out that there was also a campsite right there and we decided that we would be too tired to look for a campsite and sleep next to the geyser. Yes exactly. It's next to the campsite and you can literally hear it belching while you're in your caravan or tent. It is an extraordinary feeling to be in such a high-energy place. It was impressive to me!
DAY 4
We went hiking on the newly erupted Lilith Hrutur volcano with a volcano expert. We had never hiked in an organized group before, but to visit such a specific and dangerous place, you need to trust the experts. We were in a small group of 10 people. It was nice and very interesting because our guide Giuseppe, who graduated in geology, told us a lot of interesting facts about volcanoes, about the specifics, the composition of the lava, the differences between the different types of lava, about the dangers, etc. And although the lava had already cooled, he took us to a place where the ground was still molten and the red liquid was smoldering. We walked on lava from 2021, then saw lava from 2022 and finally from the new volcano in 2023. It was one of the best hiking adventures I've ever had.
After the hike, we went to spend the night at the Reykjavik campsite. It was our last night of vacation and we had to make some sort of transition back to civilization. Well, it was more complicated with camping there, but we still got a spot. You can also book online there. It is 15 minutes from the center by car and it was convenient for us to see the city, the center, the rainbow street, the iconic cathedral, and try the famous mutton hotdogs. One of the coolest street food places I've been to. There is always a huge queue, but it goes by quickly. They have a picture of Bill Clinton, who apparently while in Reykjavik tried these hotdogs and the moment was immortalized. They are really nice, but one hot dog is not enough.
DAY 5
Back to Tenerife. Our travelling to Iceland is in the end. This time with a wounded field from Reykjavik. We dropped off the rental van we had been sleeping in for those days and were shuttled to the airport. Very understanding and accurate people. I was happy with the whole holiday. We went to more places than we had planned, made the most of our trip, and spent less money than I thought. PRICES:
Rent a van suitable for sleeping two for 4 days (€700)
Camping nights for two on average for two people for 4 nights (€240)
Fuel for 4 days (€200)
Entrance to the Blue Lagoon for two people (€200)
Parking on average for 1 parking of 2 hours (7-9€) More videos from my trip there you can see on my Instagram: @pablo_europe If you want to ask me anything, feel free to do so in a comment. Also, if you find the information useful. I will be grateful if you share a link of this article on your social media. This way you will help me develop my blog.