Iceland in a camper via Route 1

I've spent wonderful time, including 3 consecutive nights of NL action. The weather didn't cooperate with us in Jokulsarlon over 4 nights. No sunrise / sunset or NL during the visit. Because of that I felt I missed out on the opportunities in the area and want to revisit for a longer trip. I think 3 weeks will be enough to cover the whole country. I already got a feel of the area from Reykjavik to Hofn (on Route 1) and want to explore the rest of the country. Being in the country for extended period of time I can move around according to the weather and get the most out of it.

What I need help is the following things around Route 1:

1) Any areas on Route 1 you recommend as place to crash for the night. Something that can be used for sunset & sunrise or within close distance to opportunities

2) Any public hot springs along Route 1 that I can use for shower facilities. Anything will be helpful and I can map things along the way in advance based on recommendations.

3) Same applies to hostels / guesthouses / motels. I think staying in a real bed at some points of the trip will be necessary.

4) Any and all landscape / macro / abstract photography opportunities along Route 1 I should explore

5) Any glacier walks & ice caves I can explore

I am also looking for general guidance with other aspects of the trip. Since I am there for so long I guess it would make sense for me to get a cell phone. Any recommendation on something that is prepaid and will get good reception along Route 1? Any good restaurant recommendations along the way? Any places to get good beer?

Any kind of input would be appreciated.

There's an awesome website called International Photographer that has great Iceland resources... he sells an e-book and a large, waterproof map that has all the photography-related information that you can take in. I think he did his trip over 3 weeks as well.

I'm actually leaving tomorrow for two weeks, and I'm happy to answer questions and give advice when I return.

smmokan wrote in post #17053105
There's an awesome website called International Photographer that has great Iceland resources... he sells an e-book and a large, waterproof map that has all the photography-related information that you can take in. I think he did his trip over 3 weeks as well.

I'm actually leaving tomorrow for two weeks, and I'm happy to answer questions and give advice when I return.

Thanks, I found this map last night in my searches. It looks pretty good and I have it on my radar but at $35+ shipped I think its a little pricey for a folding map.

During my trip a few people in my group had this ebook.

It came recommended by one of the photographers on the trip and he knows both the authors. They were actually in Iceland same time as us and we ran into them once. We knew that they were in a certain yellow camper

I did not purchase this ebook yet but its on my list. I like it more than the above mentioned map because 96 pages long and has maps, photos, gps coordinates and tips for each place. I think it offers more value for fraction of a cost of just a map with locations.

I also found some suggested itinerary maps and will use this one as a base.

I highly recommend "Forever Light" by Sarah Merino and Ron Coscorrosa. It is a fantastic eBook and very inexpensive too. It contains a wealth of knowledge that will be very useful to you. (I'm not associated with them in any way. I purchased two of their eBooks and found them to be very informative.)

http://www.naturephoto​guides.com/e-books/iceland/

Have fun on your trip!

Bryan

bps wrote in post #17054048
I highly recommend "Forever Light" by Sarah Merino and Ron Coscorrosa. It is a fantastic eBook and very inexpensive too. It contains a wealth of knowledge that will be very useful to you. (I'm not associated with them in any way. I purchased two of their eBooks and found them to be very informative.)

http://www.naturephoto​guides.com/e-books/iceland/

Have fun on your trip!

Bryan

Thats the book I was referring to. For some reason the link got stripped from my original post.

I also did more research last night and I seem to find a lot of good info when I surf with my tablet. I found a website that has 2 free PDF books with a lot of information on Iceland.

Áning is a comprehensive list of hotels, guesthouses and other types of accomodation, including camping. It also has a list of all swimming pools in Iceland. It is an important tool for planning your trip to Iceland.

Around Iceland is a complete travel handbook that lists all places to stay, museums, tours, things to do, etc. In short this is a handbook for your travels all around Iceland. No other handbook is as complete as Around Iceland.

Together its over 100 pages of maps and information and things to do.

Pro tip for Iceland: every town over like 1000 inhabitants has a public heated pool with a really low entry fee. The pools have showers. These will save your life.

I did pretty much what you're planning with friends a few years back. There's camp sites literally all over the place so that's not a concern, though I'm not able to give you a list of the most scenic ones. Our number one absolute best purchase was a serious, up-to-date road atlas at the ariport upon landing, listing:
- camp sites
- main roads and off roads (Route 1 down to all the 3-number routes), including priods of the year during which they're closed.
- gas stations (this in particular saved our bacon more than once).

Cell reception around route 1 is not a problem that I can remember.

We had a similar itinerary to the map you showed above, except:
- we went inland from Vik (straight North) to Laki volcano. Very cool, but bring warm clothes because we camped out in near-zero températures - in August.
- we went slightly further to the north-east, stopping by Krafla and Husavik. Husavik was mostly forgettable, to be honest, but Krafla is worth a detour.

And lastly, sad news: you will not find good beer in Iceland . Especially in supermarkets, where the most alcohol a beverage can contain is 2.5°. You have to go to liquor stores for anything stronger.

I am incredibly jealous, by the way. That road trip was one of the best trips I ever made, I'd jump at the opportunity of doing it again.

Thanks for the tips. I've been doing more research in other places and finding tons of information. I installed several free Android apps about Iceland. They have tons of different locations and descriptions, some of them were new to me. I am trying to put down several places around Iceland that will serve as hotspots for various things I want to shoot around them.

I sadly know about beer situation from my first trip. I bought beer in supermarket, gas stations and liquor store and know about alcohol content. I tried a few local beers and was not impressed. Very simple light lager with not much flavor or aroma. Since alcohol sale is government regulated I was able to check the prices @ liquor store & @ airport duty free. It seems that Carlsberg (Danish beer) is cheaper than Icelandic beer and I get a mix of different brands to test them out. Since we are on a subject of beer and I happen to be a homebrewer and overall beer connoisseur. I think I might take a bottle of DFH 120 Min IPA (2012) which is 18% ABV. I will be the man with the strongest beer on the whole island

I am traveling in winter when most camp sites will be closed. There is no list of any kind on official websites about each camp site. I am only interested in using the facilities of the camp site, not in using it to actually camp. For pools in local towns I am reading about them and plan on visit many of them during day time and bad weather.

Ah. Well, even if you could use the camp sites' facilities, most of those I visited were outdoors so in winter...

Watch out for the roads. I hear even Route 1's closed sometimes in the winter. Hope you're renting serious wheels .

(still jealous though)

Skipping the Snaefellsness Peninsula? I just returned from a 12-day trip there, and I highly recommend spending at least a day (if not more) driving around the perimeter. It's absolutely gorgeous and there's essentially no one around. It's SO much nicer than the Golden Circle and some of the other "must-do's" on the south coast. I'd be happy to give you some more information via PM if you want.

IMO, it's worth it for Kirkjufell alone. I was there at sunset a couple of weeks ago (although there wasn't much of an actual sunset, and it was raining) and I had the place to myself.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.stevemokanp​hotography.com …rsonal-Images/i-Mj38zvJ/A

Very nice Steve!!

Bryan

Steve,

Great pic. I did not see Kirkjufel on my first trip but do intend to visit it on my second. I want to get a sunset & Northern Lights pics from the area.

Good luck! Good sunsets were few and far between when I was in Iceland. We had one good one in Stykkisholmur and one when I stayed down around Selfoss... other than that, overcast was the name of the game. Although I can't complain too much as we had great weather overall.

Great info here! I'm a home brewer as well and will be heading to Iceland for 9 days in late March 2015. Doing my research now! Had not counted on the beer situation. I will be going through IPA withdrawals it seems.

One of the items on the itinerary is the Game of Thrones tour in Akureyri. Has anyone done that?

I bought the Forever Light e-book. Definitely a good investment!

As a homebrewer I can tell you that Icelandic lagers are similiar to American BMC

Beer prices as I remember from February:

1) 2.25% 500ml can bought at supermarket or gas station - ~$2
2) Same beer but 4.5% strength on draft in hotel - $9
3) Icelandic White Ale 6 pack x 12oz - ~$15+
4) I had a pale ale with dinner in one of the hotels. It was pretty good but I looked closer on the label and it said it was brewed in California - $8

To help you with your IPA addiction - you can buy hop candy from several online vendors.