It’s not often you get to live out a long-time dream, but that’s exactly what we did in our Iceland experience!
Since my wife and I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty years ago, it has been our dream to experience Iceland together and what it had to offer.
Moved by the incredible sights and desire for adventure, Iceland had our names all over it. It wasn’t in our plans to go to Iceland until May this year. We were contemplating some other options or just saving the vacation time. Fortunately, we seem to have a knack for finding the best situations for ourselves and this certainly was one.
Despite only going for one week in September, our Iceland experience was fulfilling and just what we needed. We contemplated staying for longer, but we are going to Asia in 2026.
Now how do I tackle describing our Iceland experience, every sight we had seen or every moment of awe. I don’t feel quite capable of doing Iceland justice. It is a wonderful mystery, a surreal surprise, you simply must visit! With all that being said, I will do my best and share my top three highlights from Iceland.
For more moments, you can see them here.
Highlight #1 – Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Someone dear to me once said:
“You can’t fuck up a plan if you don’t have a plan”
At the end of Day 1, we were one stop behind where we intended to be. We missed our shuttle bus from the airport and spent longer than anticipated at our first two stops, Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss.
It was for the best as we soaked in the beauty of these two waterfalls and enjoyed a nice evening while the sun was still up, getting settled at Vik Campground in our camper van. By not extending, we avoided driving incredibly tired through the torrential downpour of our planned stop two hours away.
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PATRICK SMYTHE
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Hitting the road on time the next day, we set out to make up some time as we had a big day ahead of us. As helpful as ChatGPT was at organizing our plans, it is quite ambitious when it comes to squeezing things in. As we were driving, my fantastic co-pilot pointed out we were passing a spot that was potentially planned for our way home if we had the time.
We were keen to see what else Iceland had to offer after the incredible first day, so we decided to check out Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon.
This stop was unbelievable and left us stunned. We chuckled to ourselves as we walked down knowing how lucky and fortunate we were. We would continue to joke at every amazing spot we saw for the rest of our trip, “Iceland isn’t real”.
Highlight #2 – Vestrahorn Mountain
Unlike the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, the Vestrahorn Mountain was a planned stop and one we anticipated. Having only briefly seen a photo of Vestrahorn, I knew we were in for a sight, however, nothing could’ve prepared me for the night we had had. Still on our second day, we made a memorable stop on Diamond Beach and then continued our trek across Iceland to reach Vestrahorn Campsite, on the foot of Vestrahorn Mountain.
Fortunately, we arrived with a few hours to spare before sunset, giving us enough time to get settled after a long day, but also some time to explore the Stokksnes Peninsula. Can it get any better than this? Clear skies, black sand, incredible mountain backdrop. Stunning. I would strongly urge anyway who goes to Iceland to stay here.
Our day didn’t end after cooking a nice meal in the back of our camper, sharing a bottle of wine, and playing some card games. One thing we really hoped to see before coming to Iceland was the Aurora Borealis. As soon as we picked up our camper van the day before, we were monitoring the Aurora Forecast, hoping we were going to luck out and catch a glimpse.
As the sun set, it was partially cloudy but I saw a window after midnight where the clouds might part. We couldn’t see anything in front of us but glancing back at the mountains I swear I could see some faint streaks of light in the sky.
Having heard that phones pick up the aurora better than the human eye, I took out my phone to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me. We were onto something! Just after midnight and under the moonlight, we walked back out to the peninsula to catch the sights. It was quite romantic, just us two together under the moonlight experiencing the awe that Iceland has to offer.
This was a magical day, one that I will cherish for a long time.
Highlight #3 – Reynisfjara Beach
Our first taste of Iceland’s fluctuating forecast came on Day 3 when we woke up to sideways rain. Having trekked as far east as we were going, we made our way back to cover our planned sights that we didn’t have time to see on the way. One of the places that I anticipated was seeing the basalt columns at Reynisfjara Beach.
I saw that Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie, The Odyssey, was filmed here. Having read some of The Odyssey for the Greek Mythology class I took in university as my arts elective, I was pretty pumped to see the black sand beaches that we may see Tom Holland and Matt Damon on.
Despite the high winds and rain, I wouldn’t have traded it in for a clear day. Look at these views and the contrast between the bland sand beach and the gloomy sky and surging white waves. Having also arrived later in the day after a long drive, there were hardly any people.
This is a must visit in my wife and I’s eyes, and I am excited for anyone who will go visit the beautiful black sand beach, fascinating rock structures, and awesome waves.
Please be aware and warned that this beach can be dangerous due to the deadly sneaker waves which have claimed numerous lives.
To end your trip, go visit one of Iceland’s thermal bath spas in Reykjavik. We went to Sky Lagoon and it was a perfect way to end the trip for some rest and relaxation.
I do wish we spent some more time in Reykjavik, it seemed like such a vibe. We were walking around a lively area and it was really cool to see how Icelandic people experience their Friday nights.
Renting a camper van is the right way to experience Iceland. It felt like we were taking on Iceland, navigating it on our own and embracing the adventure. My wife and I have been camping our entire relationship but have stepped up our game in 2025, camping year-round. We even camped in negative fifteen degrees. Reflecting on it, all the camping we did this year has been for our enjoyment and benefit for our Iceland experience.
And that caps off our highlights and Iceland experience which my wife and I are in generally in agreement with. There are so many more moments I’d love to share, but you just must go and experience Iceland for yourself.
