South and West Iceland in 6 Days Self Drive Northern Lights Tour

Your memorable, Iceland adventure begins the very moment you arrive at Keflavik Airport. Once you pick up your rental vehicle, you’ll head directly for Reykjavik and your exciting, first night in Iceland.

If your flight arrives early enough, we have a great suggestion for starting your trip off the right way: Plan a visit to Iceland’s world-famous Blue Lagoon. Be sure to pack your swimsuit, so you can take a relaxing dip in the Lagoon’s soothing, geothermal waters, before heading to your hotel.

From Reykjavik you head to the Borgarfjörður region on your way to Snæfellsnes Peninsula famous for the majestic Snaefellsjökull volcano/glacier. Spend the day exploring the numerous places of interest including the basalt pillars of Gerðuberg, Búðir with its small wooden church surrounded by a lava field, Arnarstapi, a small fishing village and Djúpalónssandur, a black sand beach. On the north of the peninsula you will drive along the shore of the Breiðafjörður Bay, passing through charming fishing villages.

From Snaefellsnes you head back to the Borgarfjörður Region to explore this region better. You can make a stop at Deildartunguhver hot spring (the biggest in Iceland in terms of water production per second), Reykholt and the Hraunfossar waterfalls where the water flows out from beneath a lava field into the river below. You continue to Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park, considered a geological wonder of the world. This is a highly interesting area both from the geological and the historical point of view. Here you can see the effects of the tectonic plate movements which have opened cracks and fissures in the earth’s crust.

On your way along the south coast you will pass the Seljalandsfoss waterfall – you can actually walk behind it. A little further you pass Skógafoss waterfall, one of the highest in Iceland. At Skógar you will find a folk museum showing how people lived in past centuries in Iceland. The black sand beaches of the south coast are famous and you can take a walk on them in the little village of Vík or in Reynishverfi. After Vík drive back to Selfoss for a second night.

Now it is time to visit some of the most interesting and famous areas of Iceland. In the geothermal area of Geysir the hot spring Strokkur ejects its water column high into the air every 5 – 10 minutes or so and here numerous small springs boil and bubble. Afterwards you only have a short drive to Gullfoss, which many regard as Iceland’s most beautiful waterfall. Continuing to Reykjavik you pass through Selfoss and Hveragerði. Now you can either take some time to relax in Reykjavik or drive to the famous Blue Lagoon for a relaxing swim, if you did not stop at the Blue Lagoon on day one (approx. 120 km round trip).

It seems as if your journey to fabulous Iceland only began a moment ago, but now it is time to head back home, driving back to Keflavík Airport for your flight. Depending on your flight’s time, you may be able to squeeze in a last day in Reykjavík or an extra night in there to experience all the amazing things that the city has to offer.