My 8 day south Iceland itinerary was nothing short of magical. There are so many wonderful places to visit in Iceland, but I couldn’t possibly see it all. I decided to focus this trip on the south coast, anticipating I’d love Iceland enough to return to see the rest of the island.
Before we dive in, let me start off by saying my itinerary is… aggressive and adventurous. I always dreamed of traveling to Iceland, so when a $600 nonstop fare landed in my inbox, I booked it without any planning. After sketching out my Icleand itinerary, I realized I should have booked for 10 days. I didn’t let that stop me, however, from trying to fit it all in. This post maps out my exact itinerary, but if you like to travel at a more sustainable pace, I recommend removing some of the things I included or stretching the itinerary out by at least two days.
Iceland Itinerary Overview
Below, I’ll go more in-depth on each day and what I loved and could have passed on. But, first, I wanted to provide a broad overview of the places we saw, the activities and hikes we completed, and where we stayed.
- Day 1: Reykjavík
- Activity: Rib Boat Whale Watching
- Points of Interest:
- Accommodation: Hilton Reykjavik Nordica
- Day 2: Ring Circle and Þjórsárdalur Valley
- Points of Interest:
- Accommodation: Summer Cottage in Hella
- Day 3: Þórsmörk (Thorsmork) Valley
- Activity: Þórsmörk Hike Day Tour
- Accommodation: Summer Cottage in Hella
- Day 4: South Coast Waterfalls
- Points of Interest:
- Day 5: Katla Volcano Ice Cave and Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
- Activity: Katla Volcano Ice Cave Tour
- Hike: Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
- Accommodation: Hotel Smyrlabjörg
- Day 6: Glacier Hike and Múlagljúfur Canyon
- Activity: Glacier Hike and Glacier Lagoon Kayaking (high winds got our kayaking cancelled)
- Hike: Múlagljúfur Canyon
- Accommodation: Hotel Smyrlabjörg
- Day 7: Glacier Lagoons
- Points of Interest:
- Accommodation: Hilton Reykjavik Nordica
- Day 8: Blue Lagoon and Return Home
- Activity: Blue Lagoon Visit
Day 1: Reykjavík
My goal was to hit the ground running to try to avoid jet lag. Our flight landed at 6:30 AM and we were off to whale watch in the capital at 11:00 AM. Sadly, it was suuuper windy. So, whale watching was cancelled for safety reasons. We got a speedy refund, but they didn’t try to contact us to let us know it was canceled. The customer service when we arrived was really great, so I’m 50/50 on if I’d recommend them in the future.
With the activity canceled, we ended up visiting the famous church ( ) and then drove around and went sightseeing amid the Seltun Geothermal area and the Krísuvíkurbjarg Cliffs. Day 1 of my Iceland Itinerary did not go according to plan, but we saw some things I hadn’t originally planned on seeing, so that was really cool!
Day 2: Ring Circle and Þjórsárdalur Valley
This was truly a jam-packed day. I expect most other travelers would only want to see about half of what we saw that day. My can’t miss stops were Þórufoss waterfall, Kerið Crater, Hjálparfoss waterfall, and Þjófafoss waterfall.
My favorite part of the day was when we visited Þjófafoss waterfall. It was our last stop of the day, and we got there around 8:00 pm. The drive to get there was pretty rocky and it was definitely off the beaten path. When we got there, however, we were the only people there and had the view all to ourselves! The view itself was straight out of a storybook.
Day 3: Þórsmörk (Thorsmork) Valley
This was a really cool day! When I discovered Þórsmörk Valley, I knew I had to add it to our Iceland itinerary. It’s a difficult place to get to, however, and most rental cars are not equipped to drive there. Due to that, I booked a hiking tour with Midgard Adventures. They drove us out to the valley in a Super Jeep. Unfortunately, it was pretty cold and rainy, so we were only able to hike about 3 miles instead of the 6 the tour normally does. Our tour guide, Anna, was able to take us to a hidden waterfall hike, however, which absolutely made up for it. I would recommend this tour operator, they were incredible! This hidden waterfall hike is scheduled on Day 4 of my itinerary in case your Þórsmörk hike isn’t adjusted due to the weather.
Day 4: South Coast Waterfalls
Everything I saw on Day 4 was absolutely worth seeing. The waterfalls were gorgeous and the black sand beach breathtaking! Try to start your day early, however, because the first waterfalls on the list are massive tourist attractions.
When seeing Skógafoss Waterfall, you need to do the hike behind it! You’ll see multiple more waterfalls, escape some of the crowds, and get a break from sitting in the car. This was my favorite hike of the entire Iceland itinerary.
We visited Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach after 8:00 PM and I really recommend that. It is a HUGE tourist attraction and tons of people will be there during high times. Even going at 8:00 PM, I still saw a lot of people. If you’re in Iceland in the summer and the sun never goes down, I would consider sleeping in late and visiting the big tourist attractions late at night.
Day 5: Katla Volcano Ice Cave and Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
The Katla Volcano Ice Cave Tour was not for the faint of heart. We had to travel over rickety plywood bridges and use safety ropes as hand holds. I would 100% recommend it for the more adventurous traveler. It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had.
Similarly, the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon hike was to die for. I said earlier that the Skógafoss hike was my favorite, but now that I get to this point in my Iceland itinerary, it may be the canyon. It was so breathtaking and felt like one of the easier hikes. Also, Justin Bieber filmed a music video here once! A random fun fact for you.
Day 6: Glacier Hike and Múlagljúfur Canyon
So, the Glacier Hike was really cool BUT I felt like it was a little too similar to the previous day’s ice cave tour. Personally, if I were to redo the trip, I probably would only do the ice caver tour. If I was redoing my itinerary, I might have spent all day on the Múlagljúfur Canyon hike.
The Múlagljúfur Canyon hike was SO much fun. But, I personally think All Trail’s “moderate” rating is actually pretty hard. So, it was definitely a more challenging hike than I had envisioned. Also, the road to get to the hike was not fun to drive on. It was gravel and had some big puddles we had to go through. I was thankful I was not the one driving. The hike was a can’t miss for me, however.
Day 7: Glacier Lagoons
On our final full day on our Iceland itinerary, it was time to start driving back to Reykjavík. We decided to take this day easy after our kayaking tour at our first stop, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, was cancelled. We saw both glacier lagoons and the diamond beach, and also stopped at different pullouts on the ride back. It was a day full of driving and an easy transition into the end of the trip.
Day 8: Blue Lagoon and Fly Home
On our final day, we were scheduled to hit the famous Blue Lagoon prior to our flight home. Unfortunately, my traveling companion was feeling a bit under the weather, so we decided to skip it. If she’d been feeling up to it, I do believe it would have been an excellent end to the trip. Nothing like visiting hot springs and getting super relaxed before a flight.
Honestly, even if you do half the things I did, your Iceland itinerary will be magical. In all of my travels, this trip currently ranks as the best I’ve ever taken. If you’ve been to Iceland, comment below with your favorite place/hike/activity!
Happy Travels!
XOXO, Mackenzie
