Camping Around Iceland: Best of the Best

On a camping trip around Iceland, you’ll have your own rental car and camping gear. Simply follow the detailed itinerary provided, adding in a few extra stops if you like.

You’ll spend the first night of your trip at a hotel in Reykjavík. The next morning you’ll enjoy an included breakfast before heading into the countryside for your camping adventure.

Each night, you’ll pitch your tent at a campsite and settle in for a sleep under the summer skies. Lots of campsites have facilities like toilets, showers, communal kitchens, and even Wi-Fi. Some even have extras like on-site hot tubs or laundry facilities.

It’s best to book your trip at least a few weeks before you travel. This gives us enough time to organize your preferred accommodation and itinerary. For this reason, we’re unable to accept bookings with less than 1 week’s notice.

In the summer, which is the most popular time of year, booking a few months ahead is a good idea. In certain parts of the countryside, accommodation options are more limited and can be booked up well ahead of your trip.

You have to be at least 20 years old to rent a car in Iceland, or 23 years old for larger vehicles like jeeps and vans. You’ll need to have held a valid driver’s license for at least 1 year and present a credit card when you collect your car.

You don’t need an International Driving Permit unless your license is not in Latin script (for example, Arabic or Chinese).

Find out more about car rental in Iceland.

Absolutely! You can extend your stay in Iceland with extra days before or after your camping trip. Use these to fit in adventure activities like ice caving, or bus tours to attractions near the city.

If you want to customize the actual itinerary of your camping tour, this is possible for an additional fee.

Of course you can add extra adventures! We want you to be able to get the absolute most out of your trip to Iceland, so you can pick optional extra activities at checkout. You’ll be shown exactly what’s on offer for each day of your trip.

And if you feel like you just don’t have enough time to fit it all in, you can also add extra days.

The rules of the road in Iceland are similar to most other countries, although there are some local quirks that you might not be familiar with.

Iceland drives on the right and steering wheels are on the left side of the car. Distances and speed limits are given in kilometers only.

Roundabouts are very common in Iceland, especially in towns. If you’re not familiar with these, make sure you understand how to give way (yield) to other traffic.

In the countryside, you might encounter sheep on the road, or even reindeer in East Iceland. You may also come across gravel roads, single-lane bridges, and blind summits.

For all the info on how to handle these, see this guide to driving in Iceland.

Once you’ve paid your deposit for your trip, we’ll finalize bookings for your accommodation, rental car, and any activities. As soon as we receive confirmation of everything, we’ll email your travel documents to you.

We aim to finalize everything within a few weeks of receiving your booking request, but in busy periods this might take longer. That said, you’ll always receive all of your documents before your departure date.

You’ll be able to pick up your rental car at Keflavík International Airport from the arrivals hall. Before your trip, we’ll send you information about where to go in the terminal to collect your keys.

Make sure you have your driver’s license and credit card ready when you collect your vehicle.

If you land late at night, you can use the out-of-hours phone at the pick-up desk to contact someone who will be able to help you.

You also have the option to collect your rental car in Reykjavík, if you’re planning to spend some extra days in the city before your trip starts. If you’d like to do this, please let us know in the ‘Special requests’ box at checkout.

Yes, you can easily collect your rental car from Reykjavík instead of Keflavik Airport.

During the booking steps on our website, just let us know you'd prefer your pick-up/drop-off location to be in the city centre. We'll take care of it for you, no problem.

Just a quick heads-up: if you request different pick-up and drop-off locations (e.g. collect from the airport, drop off in the city, or vice versa) there's a one-way fee of around ISK 7.900 ISK (EUR 60). You'll pay this directly to the rental company when you pick up the car.

To give you freedom to be spontaneous and ability to choose your favorite spots, bookings at campsites are not included with our camping packages. You’ll get info on the best campsites in each area in your travel documents.

If you want to get inspired, check out this guide to camping in Iceland which is packed with recommendations.

Most campsites don’t require advance bookings. Fees are reasonable and comparable to other countries.

Good to know: Although it is possible to wild camp in Iceland, you need the landowner’s permission and camping isn’t allowed in protected natural areas. With that in mind, we strongly recommend using designated campsites.

Although Iceland is located near the Arctic Circle, it’s not too cold to camp in a tent there in the summertime. Winter temperatures and weather conditions mean it’s not a year-round activity though.

The warmest months are June and July, which see temperatures of around 12–15°C (54–59°F). It can be chillier at nighttime, but with a sleeping bag and warm clothes, you’ll stay nice and toasty.

There are no dangerous wild animals, like bears or wolves, to worry about. That said, you should be aware of natural hazards that you might not have experienced before. These include high winds, hot springs, and strong tides.

The safest way to sleep in a tent in Iceland is to stay on designated campsites, and there are plenty of these around the country.

Many campsites in Iceland have toilet and shower facilities, especially the larger ones. In more remote regions or on smaller campsites, there may be no facilities, or toilets only.

There’s no way to get closer to nature than by setting up your tent under the open sky. Travel to Iceland on a camping trip and you could:

• Take a road trip around the entire Ring Road (Route 1)
• See the Strokkur geyser erupt on the Golden Circle route
• Hop between jaw-dropping waterfalls on the south coast
• Witness the forces of nature at work at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon
• Relax and unwind in hot springs and geothermal spas
• Discover ‘Iceland in Miniature’ on the Snæfellsnes peninsula
• Be charmed by the magic of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland
• Walk along black sand beaches, like the famous Reynisfjara
• Learn all about Viking history at Þingvellir National Park
• Explore Iceland's breathtaking scenery on foot on a day hike

If you’re after even more inspiration, check out this blog on Iceland’s summer must-sees and must-dos.

When you book a camping package with Iceland Tours, there’s no need to bring your own tent, sleeping bags, mattress, or cooking equipment.

To make sure you stay comfortable throughout your trip, here’s a packing list you can follow when you're planning your Iceland trip:

• Warm thermal layers
• Wooly hat and gloves
• Sturdy, waterproof hiking boots
• Extra socks
• Flashlight
• Battery pack to charge your phone
• Washbag
• Sun lotion and midge repellent
• Sunglasses
• Sleeping mask (if you’re sensitive to light)
• Swimming gear, including towel

No worries! Iceland Tours is already offsetting the carbon footprint of your tour package. We've teamed up with an environmental fund in Iceland to cover the carbon offset for all our tours.

Carbon offsetting for international flights is not included, but we suggest checking with your airline or through a local environmental fund for options.