Campground Countdown
One of the coolest parts of this trip was that we camped around the entire island of Iceland. We stayed in a lot of different places and each campground was unique. A fun way for me to wrap up the trip was to revisit each campground, ending with my favorite. It was tough to order them, because there really wasn’t any campground that I disliked, and each of them was special in their own way. Yet, with no further ado, here’s my campground countdown.
8. Egilstaddir
The Egilstaddir campground is mostly ranked last due to the brevity of our stay. We only stayed two nights, so a big chunk of our time was spent busing, setting up, and breaking down. Our tents were also set up in pretty close quarters, but I like to think it just made our bond stronger. The town we were near also had a swimming pool within walking distance, which is always a plus.
Something seems off when the only campsite with beds is ranked number seven, but alas, Holar was nice but not my favorite. I actually missed our little tent village, although the beds were a blessing. We took our midterm at this site, so we needed actual classrooms which is why we got to stay indoors during our stay. There was a community room, a pool, and local hiking paths to explore on our free day.
6. Laugardalur campground in Reykjavik
We started and ended our trip in Reykjavik, allowing us to come full circle. This campsite was probably the busiest, which is to be expected because its next to the biggest city. Being so close to Reykjavik was fun and a little odd. Odd because it doesn’t exactly feel like camping when you’re just in a grassy field next to the city. Fun because we were in a field right next to the city. We got to spend our first few days exploring and Reykjavik also has the best pool by far. While it was lacking in views, it made up for that fact with restaurants, book shops, street performers, and a hub of Icelandic culture.
5. Skógar
Skógar had one of the best views because we were right next a Skógafoss, a beautiful waterfall that was the start of our 25 km hike. The facilities were nice and there was a great café on site that had great fries for only $5 (a pretty good deal in Iceland). We were only here for a few nights, but it was definitely one of the prettiest campsites.
Kerlingarfjöll was our campsite up in the interior. The only downside of this site was probably the cold and the wind. It could drop into the 30s, which meant we had to seriously layer up and cocoon on our sleeping bags for these nights. Still, the views were incredible. We camped next to a stream and could see snow peaked mountains when we emerged from our tents. The lodge across the river had a cozy feel to it and served hot chocolate to help combat the cold. However, the cold was appreciated when it meant we got to slide down the snow slopes for ice safety training.
Skaftafell was one of the most diverse and gorgeous places we stayed. One side of the park had an area where you could access the glacier Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Iceland. A short hike up the mountain led to Svartifoss, the coolest waterfall I saw during the trip due to its sweet columnar jointing. And another part of the park had a ten mile loop that traversed outwash plains, small forests, and more streams and waterfalls. It was a gorgeous and scenic site, and definitely one of my favorites.
2. Höfn
Höfn grew on me because we spent five nights at this campsite. It was nice because we were right next to a seaside town, meaning we got to explore to shops and art exhibitions in the local area, but there was also a gorgeous lagoon next to our site, a glacier not far off, and a waterfall the we could hike to in a day trip. There was also a really stellar pool close by that we went to most days. One downside of Höfn was that showers cost money, another justification to visit the pool and just shower there. The town was gorgeous and I really enjoyed my stay at this campsite.
My favorite campground was definitely at Lake Myvatn. The only downside is the bug for which the lake is named–“my” or midge in English. These little gnats tend to swarm the campground, so you have to be careful when getting in and out of your tent and when eating your dinner. Despite the bugs, Myvatn absolutely blew me away. The lake is gorgeous and a perfect spot for watching the late Icelandic sunset. At night, ducks come out of the water and waddle around the campgrounds. There are fissures across the street that are hiding caves in which we could swim. The Myvatn Nature Baths aren’t far off and if you’re a geology buff, it’s a great spot to see all sorts of evidence of different volcanic activity. I loved camping by the water, waking up by the lake, and going on spelunking adventures at this campsite. Although it’s a close race, Myvatn was my favorite site, midges and all.
