Iceland: How to Split Up 7 Days self-drive
 

I am planning for July 2015 and would like to do a self-drive that begins/ends Rekjavik. I have looked at self-drive itineraries from travel companies but none does quite what I want. I am worried, though, that this plan I have devised might be inefficient? A few hours of driving each day is ok with us--my husband loves to drive and will be energized by the long daylight hours.

Is this a reasonable itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Rekjavik (6 a.m.) and depart immediately for Seljalandsfoss (ON Seljalandsfoss)
Day 2: Porsmork via bus, overnight Porsmork (reserve hut) (ON Porsmork)
Day 3: Return to Seljalandsfoss and on to Hofn (ON Hofn)
Day 4: Hofn to Skatafell (ON Skatafell)
Day 5: Skatafell to Vik (ON Vik)
Day 6: Vik to Gullfoss (ON Gullfoss area)
Day 7: Rekjavik (Blue Lagoon) before flight out at 1PM

I will be extremely disappointed if you don't get to the cat's back from Porsmork:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tiktok-africa/5938411662/

Oh how breathtaking. I have been toying with Skogar to Porsmork as an overnight. That pic might convince me.

There are a lot more stolen photos towards the end of this trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...of-heights.cfm

IN which case we could do:
Day 1: Arrive Rekjavik (6 a.m.) and depart immediately for Skogar (ON Skogar)
Day 2: Skogar to Fimmvörðuháls (hike) (ON Fimmvörðuháls hut)
Day 3: Fimmvörðuháls to Porsmork hike, bus back to Skogar then onward to Hofn (ON Hofn)
Day 4: Hofn to Skaftafell (ON Skaftafell)
Day 5: Skaftafell to Seljalandsfoss (ON Seljalandsfoss)
Day 6: Seljalandsfoss to Gullfoss (ON Gullfoss/Golden Circle area)
Day 7: Rekjavik (Blue Lagoon) before flight out at 1PM

I don´t get why you´d want to travel to Höfn just to stay the night there? Why not just stay an extra night in Skaftafell and explore the area based from there?

Also , not sure how you´re going to drive from Gullfoss to the Blue Lagoon, have a soak in the Blue Lagoon and get to the airport for 1pm. (is your flight AT 1pm or is that the time you need to be there? Either way it´s impractical)

My advice - after visiting the Golden Circle drive to Grindavik and stay the night there. Then you´ll have time to check out the Blue Lagoon the next day.

Schlegal I am sure you have thought of this but just in case ... If you do the overnight hike you will have to bring sleeping bags and food. They are not provided at the hut. Which means you also must bring backpacks capable of carrying that stuff. And good rain gear is a must.

Still well worth it.

Absolutely, cold, we are planning on bringing out camping gear.

mikeyred--I think I had Hofn in there because my initial (unrealistic) plan was to try to get all the way up to Akureyri and then cut back to Rekjavik. That's way too much driving and when I realized that I think I left Hofn in there. If it isn't worth the drive we would absolutely skip it. Thanks.

And we have to be at the airport by 1. It didn't seem unreasonable to me to get up, drive two hours to the Blue Lagoon, arriving by 9 or so and then soaking and heading to the airport. We are open to changing that, though. And I will look into your suggestion.

Also--Hofn is mentioned as a jumping-off point to tour Jokulsarlon and that is on our "must" list. But, of course, it is between Skaftafell and Hofn so staying in Skaftafell makes sense, too.

just got a chance to see your trip report, cold, very enjoyable!

Schlegal - do Besseggen someday.The view from the top is etched in everyone's memories.

I feel like I am finally getting the hang of these names. I was really intimidated by them at first.

Good luck in Iceland. Someone would tell us to go to the corner of kgprbdk and dkbjdsgt and we'd go "could you write that down please". Too many consonants in unfamiliar patterns for us.

Schlegal - this might (unlikely) be helpful if you are impatient like this OP:

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-...r-Iceland.html

Thanks! That's the questions I have been googling for days (unsuccessfully).