7 Days on the Ring Road

By Ava Laurent · Iceland · 2025-08-14

Seven days, one campervan, 1,332 kilometres. Day zero in Reykjavík, stocking up on hot dogs and patience.

Day one: Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall you can walk behind. Bring a rain jacket. You will get wet anyway.

Skógafoss had a rainbow on request.

Reynisfjara: black sand, basalt columns, and waves you never turn your back on.

Day two: Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, green and impossible.

Day three: Jökulsárlón. Icebergs, seals, silence.

Across the road, Diamond Beach, where the icebergs wash up on black sand.

Vestrahorn reflected in the wet sand. My favourite photo of the year.

Day four: the East Fjords, and Seyðisfjörður's rainbow street.

Day five: Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe. You hear it long before you see it.

Mývatn Nature Baths: the Blue Lagoon's quieter, cheaper cousin.

Goðafoss, the waterfall of the gods.

Day six: Akureyri, where even the traffic lights are heart-shaped.

Day seven: Kirkjufell at midnight, the sun barely setting.

Seven days on the Ring Road. Mostly waterfalls, mostly wet, completely worth it.