Iceland in July with two teenage boys
 

Hi all -
We are taking two of my nephews (cousins, aged 13 and 14) to Iceland in July. We have 10-12 days. They're a bit tough to keep entertained; anywhere with "ruins" and "museums" would just not work. We thought Iceland - with its horseback riding, whale watching, geysirs, thermal springs - might be a better option.
At first we thought about doing the Ring Road. However, I’m a bit worried that a true trip around the ring road should be at least 10 days plus a few in Reykjavik. We'd be tight for time. I’m also concerned that there isn’t much to see/do in the eastern half of the country and our fussy 13 and 14 year old boys may be bored with long days in the car. (Note, the adults might love some of the sites on the eastern coast, but long days in the car followed by a puffin colony might not cut it for these kids.)
As such, I’m wondering if we can try to do three stops - (1) a stay in/near Vik (maybe see the Westman Islands, hike on a glacier, black sand beaches, and a few of the waterfalls), (2) a stay up north in Akureyi (horseback riding, river rafting, whale watching out of Husavik), and (3) a stay in Reykjavik (some of the day trips - the Golden Circle, Snaefellsnes Peninsula, etc). I’m not sure how easy this is; how best to coordinate it; or if it’s even a good idea. Would we drive straight to the south shore/Vik upon arrival, then back to Reykjavik for a few days, and then drive up to Akureyi before circling back to Reykjavik to fly out? Or would we drive down to Vik, then drive right up to Akureyi before ending with a few days in Reykjavik? Would it be crazy to do Vik, then Reykjavik and then fly to Akureyi before taking a return flight from Akureyi to Reykjavik to catch a connecting flight home? Or fly directly to Akureyi, spend a few days, drive to Vik, then Reykjavik? Any idea how the fees are for picking up a car in Reykjavik and dropping in Akureyi or vice versa?
Thanks in advance for suggestions.

I just posted a trip report about my trip w/ my two boys last summer. I had the same concerns about the ring road. I ended up w/ a shorter trip. However, my worry was similar to yours and based on how I know they behave on road trips at home. If I drove them 4 hours to look at Puffins they probably would refuse to get out of the car.

The things they were most interested in doing were the snowmobile or ATV type tours, ice climbing, etc. Super active stuff. My younger son wasn't old enough for some of these activities - but I suspect you can find tours that will fit the ages of your kids. There are also caves, scuba, deep sea fishing (a huge hit), etc. The public geothermal swimming pool was also something my kids really loved.

We were only there for 4 days so we stayed in Reykjavik. I would suggest searching on Expedia or Trip Advisor or other similar website and checking out all the tours and activities and see what they are interested in.

Do not worry, Eastern part has such amazing landscapes and views that you will not need any attractions, just drive and admire! Ring Road can be done in a week, but it depends how long you would like to stay on each place. For Reykjavik a day is quite enough, but plan one day for Blue Lagoon, your teenagers would love it, plus there are a lot of interesting and colourful geyser stuff on the way there.

Scigirl, I read your trip report and I think we'll definitely give the fishing and the hike a try.
At this point we're hoping to fly into Reykjavik and connect to Akureyri for 3 nights, back to Reykjavik and straight on to Vik for 3 nights, and then end in Reykjavik for 3 nights. The problem I'm having is finding hotels. Lots of first and second choices are booked. I'll keep looking though!
Thanks again