The Ultimate Guide To Camping In Iceland

Whether you are trying to visit Iceland on a budget or simply love sleeping in the great outdoors, camping is one of the best ways to not only save money, but experience Iceland. I recently spent 1 week road tripping and camping all around Iceland, and it truly was the trip of a lifetime!

Before I left for my trip, I was super curious about what camping in Iceland would be like, so to help you prepare for your outdoor adventure, I’ve put together this post! Happy camping!

 

Can I still camp in Iceland if I’m a beginner?

Yes! I certainly wouldn’t consider myself an expert camper. While I have set up a tent before and went on many camping trips with my family growing up, it has been years since I have pitched a tent! My friend who came on the trip with me had never tent camped before, and we had a blast!

 

Cost of Camping In Iceland

One of the biggest benefits to camping in Iceland is how much money you’ll save! Iceland can be very expensive, so the easiest way to cut down on costs is to stay at campgrounds. 1 night’s stay at a hostel can cost around $20-$60, while hotels cost around $150-$450 per night!

The most I paid to camp in Iceland was 2400 ISK (~$20), and the least I spent on a campsite was 1000 ISK (~$10). Talk about a great way to save money!

It is important to note that campground fees are typically paid per person, not per tent!

 

Campervan versus Tent Camping

Tent Camping

The cheapest way to camp is in a tent. You can either bring your own or rent camping equipment. Rental car prices range from $35 per day for a mini vehicle to $250 for a higher end vehicle which can be taken off-roading.

During my week in Iceland, we rented the cheapest mini vehicle we could find, and it only cost us $230. There were definitely times when I was worried about our little car being able to handle pothole-filled gravel roads, but we made it all around the 18 hours of Iceland’s Ring Road in 1 piece! That being said, if you have the extra budget, it may be worth spending on a more durable car or 4×4 vehicle.

 

Campervans are a more expensive option and range between $90 per day to $350 for a higher-end motorhome. The nice thing about campervans is that there is very little set up/take down involved each day. You can basically just roll up to a campground and settle in for the night. You will, however, still have to pay to park at campsites throughout Iceland.

I am SO glad that I chose to spend my time in Iceland tent camping! Setting up our campsite took us less than 30 minutes each day, and we were even able to set up easily in the dark one late night using our car headlights. We saved a ton of money this way, and camping definitely added an extra element of adventure to our trip which I really loved! I would definitely say that camping enhanced my overall experience in Iceland!

 

Camping Equipment

If you are like me and don’t take a lot of camping trips, you probably don’t own a ton of camping equipment. Lucky for us, you can still camp in Iceland thanks to Iceland Camping Equipment Rental! This was especially helpful for me considering I visited Iceland for a week as a layover before I moved to  Spain. With all of my belongings in tow, I certainly didn’t have any room for camping equipment.

How it works:

Iceland Camping Equipment Rental is conveniently located in Reykjavik and offers 24/7 pickup and dropoff, which is perfect if you are flying in/out at odd hours (like I was).

It is super easy to reserve equipment online, and Iceland Camping Equipment will have it all prepared for you and ready to go when you arrive! Their customer service is amazing, and Delphine did an excellent job answering any questions I had about renting and was super responsive.

What you’ll need:

• Tent
• Sleeping Bag
• Sleeping Mat
• Pillow
• Fleece blanket-I didn’t order these and totally wish I had! For extra cold nights, a blanket definitely helps.
• Tarp-we lucked out on weather and it didn’t rain much when we were camping. I saw a lot of other campers with tarps and it definitely is a good idea to have one for weatherproofing purposes.
• GPS or Icelandic Sim Card for navigating

 

 

Other Items You May Want:

• Cooking Equipment and Plates-I was only in Iceland for a week, so I opted not to get any cooking equipment. We had so many stops on our Iceland itinerary that we barely had time to cook, and mostly ate easy meals that didn’t require cooking. If you are in Iceland for an extended period of time or can’t live without hot food, you will definitely want to rent this!
• Inverter-Our car had a USB charger which was great for my phone. Since I am a blogger, having an inverter for our car allowed me to charge my camera and laptop, and an additional phone if necessary which was key!
• Cooler-perfect for keeping your food cool, which is great since you will probably want to stock up for the trip in Reykjavik.
• Chairs-great if you plan on spending some time lounging outside your tent.

 

All of the equipment I rented from Iceland Camping Equipment Rental was clean and worked extremely well. Our tent was super easy to set up, and was perfect even for beginning campers like us!

Even if you plan on bringing your own camping equipment to Iceland, I highly recommend checking out the Iceland Camping Equipment Rental website for any items you don’t already own or can’t fit in your luggage (or cant bring on a plane, like a cook stove!).

 

Special thanks to Iceland Camping Equipment Rental for making my camping adventure in Iceland possible! As always, my opinions are 100% my own! 

 

How to Find A Campsite

Another great thing about camping in Iceland is how easy it is to find a campsite! Campsites are located in virtually every town and sometimes in between. We only had trouble finding a campsite one night when we attempted to get ahead of our itinerary and wound up on the world’s longest gravel road before reaching the next town.

If you are worried about finding campsites each night, consider getting a roadmap of Iceland-you’ll notice them everywhere!

 

What are campsites like?

All of the campgrounds I stayed at were unique. Some had more cover and protection from the wind than others, and the facilities and amenities available ranged widely as well.

Typically, I found that more expensive campgrounds offered better amenities-warming rooms, heated bathrooms, individual showers, and even kitchens (so I was able to have hot meals during the trip!). All of the campsites I stayed at had running water and flush toilets, which was a big plus. I also had an opportunity to shower every day, which was great.

The only downside to camping in Iceland? You can’t have a fire! This was totally something I missed about camping in the US, but there really isn’t as much firewood available in Iceland.

 

 

 

What kind of food can I make and bring?

 

If you are planning on camping for more than a week, I would definitely recommend bringing a camping stove along. I managed to camp for the week without one, but was definitely ready for some hot meals when my trip ended! About half of the campgrounds I stayed at had cooking facilities, so there were stoves available some of the time and my friend and I made some simple pasta dishes. Pro tip: check the free food bins at these camp sites-you might find staples like rice, pasta, salt, and pepper!

We made sure to stock up on food in Reykjavik, and again before we got to some of the more rural areas in Iceland. We purchased goods like bananas, apples, peanut butter, jelly, lunch meat, breakfast bars, bread, and of course road trip snacks!

Can I camp for free?

Before I visited Iceland, the internet told me that I could camp for free outside of private property and National Parks. It sounded too good to be true, and to be honest, it kind of is. A lot of the land we drove past on the Ring Road seemed to be private property, and, to be honest, it is much nicer staying in a campground with access to facilities. It is also better for the local environment (and economy) to stay in sanctioned campgrounds, and you’ll avoid any awkward situations involving accidentally camping in someone’s yard.

 

What is the best time to camp in Iceland?

While it is totally possible to camp in Iceland year round, I would recommend planning a camping trip in the Spring, Summer, or Fall. I visited Iceland in September and the weather was perfect! Shoulder seasons like Spring or Fall are especially perfect as sometimes prices are lower and there are fewer tourists. A perk of visiting in summer is the midnight sun-you can have longer days as the sun only sets for 3-5 hours!

 

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Do you have any great tips to share or questions about camping in Iceland? I’d love to see them-comment below!

Don’t forget to check out some of my other Iceland posts:

• Everything You Need To Know About Visiting Iceland’s Blue Lagoon
• Unforgettable Iceland: Snorkeling in the Silfra Fissure
• The Ultimate Iceland Packing List For Ladies

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