Everything You Need to Know About Camping and Driving in Iceland

Camping and driving in Iceland is the most convenient and affordable way to travel Iceland, which is key for traveling on a budget considering the extremely high prices in Iceland; it is sustainable; and it allows for more independence and spontaneity than a hotel or Airbnb stay.

May-September is the camping season in Iceland, but summer (mid June-August) is the best time to camp, with July and August being the “warmest” and most popular. But know that summer does NOT ensure warm, dry weather in Iceland.

A few campsites are open all year, but the majority are open from May to September. However, a few campsites in the more remote areas or areas susceptible to harsh weather, may only be open from June to August.

The cheapest way to travel Iceland is to camp (or couchsurf) not only because you’ll save on expensive hotels or Airbnbs, but also because you’ll make all or most of your own food, which saves a significant amount of money. The average price for one meal, without a drink, at a restaurant is 2000-3000ISK+ (€15-22+).

Another perk of camping is that you can get away with planning very little, which is key for those who like to go with the flow and not be tied down to a strict schedule.

I spent 10 days exploring the Ring Road by campervan in July, which is the high of high season. A friend and I rented the most economical campervan we could find, which cost €100 per day (so €50 each). In order to get the cheapest price, our campervan had a manual transmission and it did not have a heater for sleeping at night. We saved €550 by renting a manual transmission campervan without heat, instead of an automatic transmission campervan with heat (for a 10 day rental). I was really nervous about not having heat because I do NOT do well in the cold, but it was totally manageable and we were thankful we didn’t pay extra for heat.

The majority of rental vehicles are manual transmission, so renting a vehicle with a manual transmission is exponentially cheaper than renting an automatic vehicle. Europeans (and the majority of the rest of the world outside of the US and Canada) predominantly drive vehicles with manual transmissions, so car rental companies only have a few cars for North Americans who don’t know how to drive manual; therefore, the price to rent an automatic vehicle is significantly more expensive. If you don’t know how to drive manual, try learning before you go to Iceland. It’s an extremely useful life skill.

Next, you’ll need to figure out if your Iceland itinerary requires you to have a 4×4 vehicle to drive on the F roads or not.

 

CAMPING AND TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

Priced low to high

** Prices reflect high season prices. If you visit outside of high season, prices will be lower.

HITCHHIKE AND TENT – Hitchhiking in Iceland is possible, but it can be difficult because there is little traffic and you could get stuck in the middle of nowhere for hours. Then add the unpredictable weather, rain and high winds. You’ll need a lot of patience, time and warm and rainproof clothes.

RENT A BASIC, COMPACT CAR  –  starts at €55 per day

• Sleep in your car
• Sleep in a tent
• Splurge and sleep in a hotel or Airbnb

RENT A NON-4×4 CAMPERVAN

• Manual transmission, no night heater, sleeps 2 – €100 per day
• Automatic transmission, night heater, sleeps 2 – €150 per day 
• Large campervan, sleeps 3-5 people  –  These are typically the fancier campervans with more bells and whistles, like a fridge and running water. The majority of these campervans have heat. The fancier campervans will overlap in price with the 4×4 vehicles at €170-230 per day.

4×4 VEHICLE + SLEEP IN TENT  – €100 per day

4×4 VEHICLE WITH ROOF TENT – €130+ per day

4×4 CAMPERVAN  – €160-300+ per day for 2-4 people.  

 

CAMPERVAN RENTALS

 

Go Campers has the cheapest campervans deal. My friend and I rented a manual transmission campervan, without a night heater, in the summer for €100 per day. It was NOT a 4×4 vehicle, so we did not go on the F roads.

Other campervan rental companies are Happy Campers and KuKu Campers.

You’ll need to book a vehicle in advance in the summer months and you can add on extras, like wi-fi and GPS, to your campervan rental.

CAMPING IN ICELAND

 

NO MATTER WHEN YOU VISIT ICELAND, YOU CAN EXPECT ALL SEASONS IN ONE DAY

The weather changes constantly and it can be extremely harsh. You should always be prepared for rain and strong winds.

IT’S MANDATORY TO CAMP IN A CAMPGROUND

Unless you have a tent (more on that below). With an increase of a few million tourists per year in Iceland, it’s now illegal to camp wherever you want.

WILD CAMPING IS ONLY ALLOWED WITH A TENT

Wild camping in Iceland is more of an exception than a rule. It is now illegal to spend the night in tent trailers, tent campers, campervans and cars outside of a campsite without a permission from the land owner. Wild camping in Iceland is allowed in some cases if you use a tent; however, there are A LOT of rules and restrictions.

CAMPGROUNDS IN ICELAND ARE QUITE CIVILIZED AND CLEAN

They have electricity, toilets, washing facilities, and most have showers. These are 1500-2000ISK (€11-14)/night per person, but usually closer to the lower end of 1500ISK. If you stay in a place without a shower, you can visit a public pool and use their shower for a small fee. There are a few free campgrounds in Iceland, but expect very basic facilities. See here for maps of campsites in Iceland, which includes the free campsites and year round campsites.

CAMPINGCARD ICELAND includes camping at 40 different campsites all over the country for 28 days for a one time fee of €159.

CAMPING RESERVATIONS ARE NOT NECESSARY, EVEN DURING HIGH SEASON 

You’ll see why when you arrive at your first campsite- the campsites are massive, wide open grass fields.

CAMP FIRES ARE ILLEGAL

Not that you’d have an easy time finding wood to make a fire anyway.

LEAVE NO TRACE

The ecosystem in Iceland is very fragile and fires have the potential to damage thousands of years of growth.

THE SHOWERS ARE HOT! 

Which is oh so nice and necessary after exploring all day in the cold. 

THE EMERGENCY NUMBER IS 112 IN ICELAND 

 

PREPARING FOR CAMPING IN ICELAND

 

GET AN ICELANDIC (OR INTERNATIONAL) SIM CARD

It will help keep you up to date on weather conditions, you can research as you go (which is great if you’re like me and plan very little), and keep your Instagram followers up to date 😉 I went with the Siminn, which has the biggest network in Iceland. It was around €22 for 10GB of data only OR 5GB of data, talk and text (which could be useful in case you need to make an emergency call). Getting an Icelandic SIM card was the easiest SIM card transaction I’ve ever done in any country. You literally insert the SIM card into your phone and it works immediately. No special set up or codes or nonsense is required.

YOUR CAMPERVAN/RENTAL CAR COMPANY SHOULD HAVE A COMMUNAL LEFTOVER FOOD TABLE, WHICH YOU CAN SHAMELESSLY RAPE AND PILLAGE

Because that’s what it’s for, after all.  This came in quite handy as we got quite a lot of food from here like salt, pepper, oatmeal, coffee, snacks, pasta, etc. And when you’re done your trip, you can leave what you didn’t use for the next people to rape and pillage.

THERE IS A COSTCO IN REYKJAVIK!  This was the greatest news. It’s a gold mine for cheap food, which is extra necessary in such an expensive country. However, you do need a membership to buy from Costco.

OUTSIDE OF REYKJAVIK, BONUS IS THE CHEAPEST GROCERY STORE IN ICELAND 

 

DRIVING IN ICELAND

 

THE RING ROAD (THE MAIN HIGHWAY AROUND ICELAND) IS ONE LANE EACH WAY 

And it’s very narrow.

THE SPEED LIMIT IS 90KM ON HIGHWAYS AND 80KM ON DIRT ROADS 

Don’t stray too far over the limit because speeding tickets are very expensive. Be aware of speed cameras.

THERE ARE SHEEP BESIDE THE HIGHWAYS ALL OVER ICELAND AND THEY OFTEN RUN OUT ONTO THE ROAD

I assume this is a big reason why the speed limit is so low because these guys will force you to slam on your brakes and come to a full stop at least a few times during your Iceland road trip.

THERE’S A SHOCKING AMOUNT OF ONE LANE BRIDGES ON THE RING ROAD 

This is likely another reason why the speed limit is so low.

AND A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF DIRT/GRAVEL ROADS

Definitely consider the extra gravel insurance for your rental car at an extra €10 per day.

THERE ARE LOADS OF “BLIND HEADS” ON SINGLE LANE DIRT ROADS

Blind heads are when you’re driving over a hill and can’t see anything on the other side, specifically if another car is coming. You will encounter a lot of these on the single lane dirt roads. Drive very slowly and keep to the far right.

IF THE WINDS ARE 15 OR OVER, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE

Iceland gets extremely windy because it’s a small island, with very few trees, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. And the wind can get dangerously strong. Keep on eye on the force of the wind on the Vedur website. We got stuck in winds of 13-14 while driving along the southeast coast and it was a little scary. And take caution when you open your car door because it could come right off when it’s extremely windy.

It might sound like Iceland is trying to kill you, but you’ll be fine 🙂

 

WHAT TO PACK

 

Campervan rentals come with the basic necessities of a stove, pots, a cooler, dishes, dish soap, utensils, pillows, mattress, sleeping bags and blankets. If you’re tenting, you’ll need to pack or rent these items.

• Flashlight/headlamp
• Towel
• Sleep mask
• Clothesline – for drying out wet, rainy clothes
• Costco card, if you have one. There is a Costco in Reykjavik.
• Large collapsible container for water (for cooking, cleaning and drinking). Or buy one.
• Food and snacks from home. I brought 8lbs/3.6kg and €70 worth of snacks from home. I’m not saying you need to bring this much, but I wasn’t unhappy that I did because Iceland is extremely expensive. I brought a lot of nuts, snack bars, peanut butter, beef jerky and some instant oatmeal.
• Allergy meds, if you have bad allergies – I was severely allergic to the grass or something in Iceland and it was unbearable. I hadn’t had allergies that bad in a very long time.

For a more extensive packing list, see What to Pack for Iceland.

You can rent chairs, a BBQ, wi-fi, and GPS etc from your campervan rental company. Chairs are nice to have.

 

MORE INFORMATION ON ICELAND

 

What to Know Before You Go to Iceland

How To Travel Iceland on a Budget

24 Free and Cheap Things To Do in Reykjavik