We are considering an early September trip to Iceland and wondering if there is one place we could use as a home base for about a week. We don't want to stay in Reykjavik or another city, and we also don't want to drive around a ton / split the week between different hotels. But we do want access to a variety of outdoor sights and activities to keep us entertained (waterfalls, glaciers, hot springs, hiking, horseback riding). Would be ideal if it was quiet, secluded, and romantic. Would this be realistic in Iceland? If so, where should we look?

isemida,

we did a 10 day tour of Iceland a few years ago and IME it is really difficult to see much in Iceland without travelling around, I'm afraid. We made the mistake of trying to stay put in just a few places, and it didn't really work. You could however do a nice trip of a week or so without too much driving, by going from Reykjavik to the Golden Circle, down to Vik, a day trip to the jokulsarfon [inland lake where there are icebergs] and across to Hafnjarfjudor just south of Reykjavik before going back to the airport.

to get ideas of what is possible, have a look at the discover the world website:

http://www.discover-the-world.co.uk/...xcursions.html

they are quite expensive, but they will give you an idea of what is possible.

to book accommodation, including places with horseriding, the iceland farm holidays website is really good - we booked most of our accommodation that way:

http://www.farmholidays.is/

it is a wonderful place, but we found that you do have to work a bit harder than in other places to get the most out of your time there.

Thanks @annhig, I was just reading your wonderful trip report and thinking that we might be trying to do the impossible here. Might have to go back to the drawing board and see if we can find another country with gorgeous scenery, good September weather, and enough outdoor stuff to keep us happy in one place for a week.

isemida, glad you enjoyed my warts and all TR!

Iceland is such a unique place [and one to which you're unlikely to go more than once] that if you're going to go, it's worth taking the time it needs [ideally 2 whole weeks] and going in the middle of summer when you have the wonderful long days.

as for where to go for a week in September, how about the north of Lake Garda? there's sailing and windsurfing on the lake, walking up in the Dolomites to the north, and great food. Easy to get to from Venice airport. or .the Dordogne /Lot? - canoeing down the river, biking, walking in the hills...or...well, the world's your oyster, really.

How long are you staying in Iceland? If it is just one week then maybe consider basing yourself around or in the town of Borgarnes. Takes just over an hour to get there from Reykjavik. The immediate surrounding countryside around Borgarfjörður is stunning, and you can also get to travel around the Snæfellsness peninsula - again stunning with PLENTY to see.

If it is longer than a week then you might run out of things to do..maybe head North, base yourself in say Akureyri and enjoy the many sites of Northern Iceland??

http://www.northiceland.is/WhattoSeeDo/