Is 16 days enough to self-drive the whole Iceland ring road in September, and fit in activities? [closed]

Is 16 days enough to self-drive the whole Iceland ring road in September, and fit in activities? [closed] - Vehicle in Between Snow Covered Field

I've booked a trip to Iceland for the 9th to the 25th September. It's me and my boyfriend and we're renting a campervan to drive around the island. I've been using a website called Sygic Travel to try and plan/estimate distances to do each day. Some places, such as hotels, I've used as markers to visualize the distances we would do each day.

A few things we'd love to do:

  • snorkelling silfra
  • horse riding (maybe in 2 places if possible)
  • whale watching
  • glacier walk

What I mainly want to know is, can this all be done in this timeframe? My possible itinerary can be seen here: https://travel.sygic.com/#/?trip=56b8ae5ecdb53

Any advice would be great, I'm so excited and would love to have it sorted with a bit of extra time in case of bad weather.


If it's possible, we're considering just pulling over anywhere and spending the night in the campervan. We'd appreciate information on this.



Best Answer

Yes, 16 days should be plenty of time in my opinion.

I have driven the ring road several times, sometimes in much shorter time, but then of course not with quite so many activities.

I took a brief look at your itinerary and it looks good. It covers many interesting places, although I would strongly recommend you to consider visiting the magical and beautiful Snæfellsnes peninsula. It's a little bit off the ring road, but it is worth it.

Although I don't have personal experience with camper-vans, I don't think you'll have any problems there. Travelers are usually allowed to park their camper-vans for the night in most places except close to residential buildings, protected areas, and on cultivated land. The best spots are often found taking side roads a little bit off the main ring road. There are also plenty of official campsites when you need facilities or you can't find any suitable spot. It's a great and flexible way of exploring Iceland. There might be days when the weather is bad and you would want to change your plans.

Drive carefully, especially when entering one-way bridges and on dirt roads. And make sure to have enough warm clothes. It can get quite cold in September, especially in the north.

Hope you have a great trip!




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How long do you need to do the Ring Road in Iceland?

How long does it take to drive Ring Road Iceland? Driving the Ring Road Iceland could take at least 6 days in summer and 12 days in winter. The ideal time though would be 10-14 days in summer and 20-25 days in winter.

How long does it take to drive the Ring Road?

Most travelers tackle the Ring Road in seven to 14 days, depending on how much driving you want to do each day and how long you want to spend at each stop.

How long does it take to drive the loop around Iceland?

Stick solely to the Ring Road and, in theory, you can drive around Iceland in about 17 hours \u2013 road and weather conditions permitting. But we strongly recommend against this for safety and enjoyment reasons.

Can you drive the Ring Road in October?

Almost all areas of Iceland are going to be accessible during October. This includes obviously Reykjavik, Golden Circle, Ring Road, but also it's still very possible to head into the Westfjords.



ICELAND IN A WEEK: The Ring Road by Campervan




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Images: Bibhash (knapsnack.life) Banerjee, Lgh_9, Dó Castle, Anete Lusina