8-day Itinerary (critiques or suggestions welcome)
 

Hi all,


After much consideration, my dad and I have settled on an 8-day trip for a father-son-vacation in late September of this year. We are proponents of 'slow travel' and are looking for moderate hiking (he's going to be 69), taking in the landscape and meeting locals. Here's a rough itinerary:

Day 1: Land early in Reykjavik spend the day there

Day 2: Drive to either Stykkishólmur or Borgarnes use it as a base to explore the west and the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Day 3: Continue exploring the west

Day 3: Continue exploring the west

Day 4: Drive from the west to Vik, using it as a base.

Day 5: Explore the south coast

Day 6: Explore the south coast

Day 7: Drive from Vik to Reykjavik, spend final day in Reykjavik

Day 8: Fly home to New York (probably a midday flight)

Does this itinerary make sense to you? I know it's not very detailed, but I figured it was more important to start macro before going micro. Happy to take suggestions! Thanks a lot.

I've never been to Iceland so have no suggestions. But, you may want to flag the moderators and ask that they tag this question as Iceland.

Both the Snaefellsnes peninsula and South Coast are very beautiful area with lots of natural attractions. Looking at your itinerary, it will be a long driving day from West to Vik and you may want to break up the long drive and spend a night in Selfoss in South Coast.
Reykjavik is not very big and I think spending 1 day is more than enough. You may want to add the Golden Circle to your itinerary as it is only 1 hour drive from Reykjavík.
I love Stykkisholmur and I suggest you make it your base in Snaefellsnes
There are many easy to moderate hiking trails in both these areas
More details and photos on https://bigsmallmoment.wordpress.com

I don't think Iceland lends itself to staying in a place as a base - it really is ideal for a road trip. I would not want to stay in Borganes much longer than it takes to stock up on some supplies at the Bonus there and then be on your way. Why not stay on the Snaefelsnes to see the Snaefelsnes. If you base in Vik or Borganes, you are going to be doing a ton of back and forth driving.

I agree with db6040: stay on the Snaefelsnes to see the Snaefelsnes, it's one of the most beautiful parts of Iceland (my favorite for scenery).
We stayed 1 night in Stykkishólmur, only because it's the ferry terminal for the Western Fjords - fun, colorful little town. Our base for Snaefelsnes was Hellnar, which I think was well located to allow us to explore the peninsula for 3 days.
The South has a lot of attractions, make sure you allow enough time for them. They are usually close to the road and easily accessible. Maybe a different base instead of Vik? One that's more centrally located for the South, and make Vik your eastern most destination?
Put everything on the map, all the places you want to visit and see how it looks like. You can't and you don't want to drive too fast, there will be tons of unplanned stops for pictures. Iceland is a very beautiful country.