The most popular way to travel in Iceland is to drive around the island along the main national road – Ring Road – we have slightly strayed from the main road to explore hidden corners.
It’s really worth renting a 4×4 car and getting to where the main routes don’t lead.
We offer you our (proven) top camping sites in Iceland. The most important selection criteria were primarily the location with the accessibility of trails and attractions in the area.
The facilities had a secondary role for us, but of course, we will also mention them.
1. Landmannalaugar – Brenninsteinsalda
- Location: 5/5
- Ground: hard, rocky ground, lots of stones around to stabilize the tent, tent pegs/herrings hard to anchor
- Price: ISK 2000 per person per night in a tent
- It is possible to book a bed in a hut
- Facilities:
- Hot water – 500 ISK for 5 minutes
- Cooking place: a shared tent
- Kitchen available for those staying in the hut
- Toilets and bathrooms – an acceptable standard
- Service: friendly and helpful
- Extra: small shop, geothermal waters, barbecue
- 300 ISK map
- Contact: +354 860 3335, fi@fi.is
If you are heading to Landmannalaugar from the west, the easiest way is to take the north’s F208 road, where you only have to drive a 30km gravel road. You can also get from Ring Road heading for road 26, then road F225 – 47km off-road, but you have to cross the river in two places.
There is also another river in front of the campsite, but just in front of it is an additional car park about 100m from the campsite.
The campsite is located in the very center of the Fjallabak geothermal reserve, surrounded by volcanic mountains, river meanders, and volcanic fields. Several one-day routes lead from it. Here also begins one of the most beautiful trekking routes, Laugavegur in the direction of Thorsmork (55km, about 4 days of walking) and further to Skogar (78km, 7 days).
The campsite is quite a popular destination among tourists, on the website you can read that earlier reservation is recommended. Two huts have a limited number of beds (78), it’s worth booking accommodation in advance.
We were in high season and at the weekend we had no problem finding a place for a tent, but there are many people anyway.
Around 11 am, bus trips arrive, and the area is getting crowded.
Whatever you plan to do, it’s best to do it early in the morning.
Bathrooms and toilets are divided into women’s and men’s sections, but you actually enter one large bathhouse.
Hot water is available for an extra charge.
Under a slightly larger tent, you can find a place to cook. There is also a separate place for washing dishes.
The campsite also has a small shop where you can get basic food and hygiene products.
At the campsite you can take a bath in warm geothermal waters, it can also be crowded. 😊
2. Pakgil
- Location: 5/5
- ground: flat, soft, grass
- Price: campsite 2000 isk
- Facilities:
- Hot water – included in price
- Cooking place: cave canteen, grill, fireplace
- Toilets and bathrooms – a good standard
- Staff: friendly and helpful, you can recharge your phone
- Extra: hut for rent
- Contact: website, +354 893 4889, helga@thakgil.is,
Pakgil can be reached by taking F214 north from Vik.
The section only takes 20 km on off-road roads, but I definitely don’t recommend traveling in a regular car.
The access road is beautiful but also winding and bumpy. It goes up and down, it is narrow, and stones fall down. All this, however, just adds to the value of the whole area, which seems to be cut out of a fairy tale movie. 😊 The campsite is located at the end of the Kerlingardalsvegur road and is surrounded by mountains. A river flows right on the side, and a small waterfall is literally a 5-minute walk away.
This is the most beautiful scenery in which we spent the night. There were no crowds, but we stayed in the area in the middle of the week. The cooking place is in a cave, which intensifies the atmoshere and experience of this place.
There are 3 trails of varying difficulty and length from the camping site: about 10, 14, and 17 km. The red and yellow trails lead up to the Mýrdalsjökull glacier.
We did a part of purple and yellow hike route in a Pakgil which was an amazing expierience!
3. Skaftafell
- Location: 5/5
- Ground: flat, grass
- Price: ISK 1800 per person per night in a tent, another night ISK 1450 when paid in advance,
- Facilities:
- Hot water – included in the price
- Cooking place: only three tables under the roof
- Toilets and bathrooms – standard good
- Service: helpful
- Extra: small shop, a hot meal, coffee tea – Vatnajokull Visitor Centre, organized tours available on site
- Contact: website, +354 470 8300
The Skaftafell campground bounces off Ring Road 998 west. You can also take a bus from Reykjavik – the journey takes less than 7 hours.
The campsite is located next to the parking, sometimes cars pass by, but not often.
There are benches and tables scattered all over the field, where you can prepare a meal, but there are only three tables right next to the bathrooms under the roof. It is crowded and cramped, especially when it rains.
From the campsite itself, there are several routes: the most popular in the direction of the Svartifoss waterfall. Still, you can also approach the Skaftafellsjokull glacier’s tongue, reaching the point Sjonarnipa and even higher going to the Kristinartingar peak. West of the campsite, you can find easier and shorter walking loops.
There is also a Vatnajokull Visitor Centre next to the camping site (where you also pay for accommodation). There is plenty of information about this place’s attractions, a souvenir shop and offers for organized trips such as walking on the glacier, climbing in ice, going out with a guide to the highest peak Iceland Hvannadalshnúkur, which can be booked on the opposite side. The offers vary depending on the season.
4. Vogar camping Myvatn Lake
- Location: 4/5
- Ground: soft, grass, hilly terrain
- Price: ISK 2000 per person per night in a tent
- It is possible to rent a 2,3,4-person room in a guest house
- Facilities:
- Hot water – included in price
- Cooking place: shared tent, several tables, and chairs – worn out
- Toilets and bathrooms – low standard, sulfur water
- Service: friendly and helpful
- Extra: pizzeria next door, wifi
- Contact: Vogar camping +354 464 4399
The campsite is located 2.5 km from Ring Road on Road 848. You go a little deeper into the area, passing by the car park on the left, you can park your car right next to the tent, although the area is hilly.
A bit further, there is an open tent with several cooking tables. There are also a few quite damaged chairs.
Toilets are newly built. In the neighboring building, there are three shower cabins of a low standard. Due to the vicinity of sulfur fields and geothermal waters – hot water in the shower smells of sulfur.
If you are traveling by car, Vogar Campsite is a perfect starting point to get to one of the most popular spots for fans of Games of Thrones – Grjótagjá cave (2.5 km – 30 minutes on foot), the hot spring complex – Myvatn Nature Baths (5km), Höfði Park (5km) with rock formations resulting from a volcano eruption, sulfur fields – Hverir (8km), Krafla volcano (17km), where several trails around the crater and lava fields are marked.
Despite some inconveniences, I still recommend this campsite because there are not many of them in the area. This is one of the cheapest options, and it’s a great starting point.
5. Bjarteyjarsandur
- Location: 4/5
- Ground: flat, grass
- Price: ISK 1500 per person per night in a tent
- Facilities:
- Hot water – included in the price
- Place for cooking: barbecue, tables
- Toilets and bathrooms – low standard
- Service: friendly and helpful
- Extra: restaurant with home cooking, handicrafts, access to books, washing up corner, a day at the farm
- Contact: Bjarteyjarsandur campsite +354 433 8831
If you’re looking for a truly Icelandic place, you can’t get better. The Bjarteyjjarsandur campsite is located at the end of the Hvalfjörður fjord – to get to it, you need to take road number 47 from Ring Road.
And there is a family farm run for generations, where they offer accommodation in a tent, rent a hut, and spend a day on the farm (for an additional fee). Everything you experience here promotes an ecological and sustainable lifestyle.
The campsite itself is not large, and there is no strictly designated cooking space. In front of the main building, there are tables and benches where you can cook, there are also umbrellas to shelter from the rain. Also, you can try home cooking, drink coffee, or eat a homemade cookie.😊
Bathrooms are of very basic standard, only two showers.
You can interact with many animals on the farm that live free-range: sheep, chickens, pigs, goats and rabbits, dogs, cats.
You can truly relax here by learning about life on an Icelandic farm and natural curiosities. The place is an ideal starting point to get to the Glymur waterfall (12km).
Recent Comments