Camping in Iceland: Everything You Need to Know
We spent 14 days traveling around Iceland in a camper van and found it to be a very enjoyable experience, but much different than our camping experiences in the United States. Here are some helpful tips to help you prepare for the ultimate Icelandic camping adventure.
Read Next: Our Favorite Campgrounds in Iceland
How Do I Camp in Iceland?
Most people we saw camping in Iceland had either rented a camper van or had a tent. While we did see some traditional campers, RVs, or pop-up tents on the top of vehicles, we saw more camper vans than anything else. You can rent a camper van from several different companies. We rented ours from Kuku Campers, as they had amazing reviews and were affordable.
If you do choose the camper van route (which we absolutely loved), you have choices regarding camper vans. We chose the 2WD version without a heater, as it was the most affordable. Car rentals are not cheap in Iceland! However, this means that we pretty much had to stick to the paved roads (Ring Road is all paved), and could not venture onto the F roads (inner Iceland). It was just warm enough with your sleeping bags in September to sleep without heat, but if you are traveling in the colder months, you might want to upgrade to the heated van.
Some camper van rental companies out supplies you might need to camp (sleeping bags, cooler, french press, etc.) and a lot of the supplies are already included such as a cooking stove, utensils and plates, and cleaning supplies. We only had to purchase fuel for the stove and we rented a cooler, as we brought our own camping gear in our suitcase. Many of the campgrounds come equipped with most things you need to prepare and cook your meal. If you are tent camping and do not have your own stove with you, make sure to look for campgrounds that have this included.
What Gear Do I Need?
Thermals: If you are tent camping or camping without a heated van in the colder months, these are really nice to have on while sleeping or wandering around the campground to find the restroom late at night. We camped in September and the weather changed a lot in a two week period. Some days we experienced sun, other days rain, extreme winds, and cold nights.
Sleeping Bags: If you are traveling in the colder months (September-May), I recommend renting a sleeping bag, rather than renting blankets, as this will trap in your heat and keep you warm. If you have a heated camper, this is not as necessary. We brought our own sleeping bags with a temperature rating of 30F and stayed warm, without a heated camper.
Headlamps: We used these every evening at the campgrounds. They are especially nice to have in the months where you do not have as much sunlight. Of course you can use your cellphone flashlight, but we liked these for reading in the camper van in the evenings.
Cooler: If you plan on getting groceries every other day, eating out, or just buying shelf stable food, this is not necessary. It stayed cool enough outside in September that most of our items would have been fine without it. We really just wanted cold beverages, so we mostly used the cooler for this purpose and rented one at Kuku Campers. It was not the most efficient cooler I have ever used, but at least we had a container to keep the ice in.
Camping Pillow: We packed our backpacking pillows which fit in the palm of our hand when deflated. We bought some cheap ones that probably are about the same price as renting a pillow. However, they are not as comfy as a giant pillow that you would typically have on your bed, but then again, you don’t have to borrow a used pillow.
Optional: backpacking food: I’m pretty sure we were the only campers that had brought this with us, but it was really nice for a few of the evenings. These meals are dehydrated and very light weight so they did not take up much room in our luggage and we could rehydrate them with our camping stove. Most people just bought a lot of supplies at the grocery store and prepared and cooked their food every evening. The groceries are affordable and you can easily find everything you need to make a quick and easy meal (pasta, soup, sandwiches, etc.). Some nights were did not feel like putting much effort into making a cooked meal, and it was very convenient to have something cooked in only a 10-15 minutes, without any preparation.
How Do I Find and Book a Campsite?
We found our campgrounds each day by searching on Google Maps or by searching this website. Having cell data is essential for this, and SIM cards are available all over Reykjavík. We rarely had issues with cell phone reception and were able to find campground easily, using our phones. You can rent a GPS as well through the car rental companies, if you do not want to use all of your data mapping everywhere.
You cannot reserve campsites in advance online, and you do not need to. The only exception I found to this was at Reykjavík Campsite, where you can book online in advance, and actually save 10% in doing so. I had the greatest fear that despite reading this beforehand, there would not be enough room for us to camp anywhere, and we would be stranded without accommodations for the night. Most places had plenty of room for everyone and even when a campground was packed, I never saw anyone turned away.
Almost all campgrounds have a reception area where you pay. Only two campgrounds that we arrived at did not have a reception, and rather a camp guard came around to the sites and collected the money. If you arrive late, they will come around in the morning to collect.
Most campgrounds take cash or card. I did not see a lot of people paying with cash in general in Iceland, but Mosskogar Camping was the only campground we visited that only takes cash.
You can typically check-in and pay until 10PM (22:00). If you did happen to arrive after reception closed, in most cases you can park for the night and pay the next morning.
You are only allowed to camp at a designated campground in Iceland. You need permission from the land owner to camp anywhere else in Iceland.
When Can I Camp in Iceland?
You can camp in Iceland all year round! However, many of the campgrounds close for the year around mid-September or October. We were traveling during the first two weeks of September and did not have any issues finding a campground during this time, but some were just starting to close for the season. Some campgrounds are open all year round, such as Reykjavík Campsite. You can find lists of the open campgrounds on this site, and many other places online.
If you do plan to camp in Iceland out of the peak season (June-August), then you many want to consider a 4WD vehicle. We did not have any issues camping in September (it was 50F as the low), but anytime past this you might be running into snow.
Camper and car rentals are much more affordable outside of the peak season. The camper van was almost double during the summer months, and we saved a lot of money renting it in September. Also, they are usually booked far in advance during the summer and it might be difficult to obtain one if you are planning your trip without a lot of notice. We were able to secure ours with only a few weeks notice, since it was the shoulder season.
What Should I Expect From an Icelandic Campground?
There are no assigned campsites at the majority of campgrounds, you just park where you can find a spot. The only exception I found to this was at Mosskogar Camping, as they did assign us a spot when we arrived.
Campgrounds in Iceland charge per person, not per vehicle or tent. The majority of them cost us anywhere from 1500 ISK - 2000 ISK per person ($12-$20 USD). Typically, hot showers are included in the cost, but sometimes you do have to pay for this separately.
Many of the campgrounds have an indoor kitchen area and dining area. Often times you will find everything you need in the campground kitchen to prepare, cook, and eat your meal. However, this is not always the case, and it is a good idea to at least have the basics. We did find sinks to wash our dishes at all of the campgrounds. Þakgil for instance has their dining area in a candlelit cave, but you will need to provide your own items for cooking and preparing your meal.
Some of the campgrounds do provide a washer and/or dryer at an extra cost. This does come in handy as Iceland does not have many self-service laundromats. We ended up having our laundry done for us at a place in Reykjavík, not realizing laundromats were hard to come by.
It is forbidden to build a fire in Iceland and we did not find any campgrounds where having a fire was an option. We often spent time hanging out in the heated dining halls until it was time for bed.
