I am interested in this thread - I am also going there next summer for a conference and Hope to add about 4 days of exploring!

Great information here.

You are in for a great trip but I see you are missing out on one thing. When you drive from the south side to Lake Myvatn, there are so many great places to see on your way north. There is a whole row of cute little villages & fjords, most of them with their own quirkiness and fun.

I myself love to visit Borgarfjordur Eystri and I am happy to see you are going there too. It's a little detour but the road there is fantastic (be aware, I like driving on odd roads :) ) but there are so many places you will drive through and it might be a good idea to allocate a day or two..or more for that leg of the journey, just so you don't feel hurried and will regret later for not stopping at so many beautiful places.

I also suggest, if time allows, you go to Husavik too after Lake Myvatn.

I would skip an overnight in Hvolsvollur and just drive leasurely all the way to Vik and stop at the different sites and stay there. That would give you time to take a hike in Skaftafell the day after.

Look out for the preserved shark...and run the other way. lol

I am so happy with http://www.goiceland.com/ for my rental car. Now they have started a photo competition too where you can with all your rental fees back http://www.goiceland.com/blog/want-y...ar-for-free/4/
I was so sore when I saw it started AFTER (Murphy's law hey?) I left Iceland for this year but I will be back next year again so. :) (I go there every year)

Remember to bring the best Mosquito repellent & afterbite cream you can find. Bring nets too for your heads, just to be sure you are fine in case you will be at Lake Myvatn when the Mosquitoes hatches in clouds. Even the Midges can be in abundance but it's rare you see it like in this video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0BhQm27RA4

I am positive you will have a great time! :)

Egads! Note to self: do NOT go on a boat across the lake! Yikes!!

hehe! Tally! That is a VERY rare sight! :)

"I would skip an overnight in Hvolsvollur and just drive leasurely all the way to Vik and stop at the different sites and stay there. That would give you time to take a hike in Skaftafell the day after."

EXACTLY what I was going to say. Hvolsvollur (not a very nice place by the way) to Hofn is a LONG drive. Vik on the other hand is stunning. Vik to Hofn is about 300km, so still quite a drive...

I think y'all misunderstood my itinerary. Hof not Hofn. Hof is a tiny hamlet just south of Skaftafell, near Ingolfshofdi (SW of Jokulsarlon). We'd spend the next day hiking at Skaftafell and spend the night at Hof again. We'd either drive from Hof to Lake Myvatn, or maybe spend a night in between in Egilsstadir.

The place I found in Hvolsvollur is away from the town. I'm trying not to pack too much into that day because I bet we'll still be jetlagged. Then the next day we can see the sights along the southern coast and end the day near Skaftafell at Hof.

Any opinions on Akureyri and that area? I found the coolest place to stay there so I'm contemplating adding a 2nd night, and maybe one less night at Myvatn. I'm a bit concerned about the buggies there. If they're on full blast, I don't think I'd be a happy camper there, even with a head net.

Taking the ferry to Grimsey so you can pass the Arctic circle?

I changed the plans a bit. :) Instead of Snaefellsness at the end of the trip, we're going to spend 2 nights in Akureyri and spend the extra day there driving around Trollaskagi peninsula. Then a day driving to Reykjavik (maybe stop at the Settlement Center or anywhere else interesting) and end with two days in Reykjavik. I can't wait!!

Glad I just found this thread as am working on a plan for June, 2015 also. We have 17-18 days so will drive the ring road plus Snaefellsness and western fjords. Planning is great fun!

Does anyone know of anyplace which offers a two full day horseback riding "tour?" Not near Reykjavik but somewhere (North) we could do in the middle of the ring road journey.

sorry, no fly, I'm not a horsey person so can't help you there.

I suggest looking at the farm holidays website that I link to upthread as they have info there about farms where you can stay that offer riding, which might be the best way to organise it.

I'm pleased to see that you can fit the western fjords into your itinerary - they were really one of the highlights of our trip. that and the ferry trip from the fjords over to the Snaefellnesses peninsular - you get to see so many birds in flight.

Thanks, annhig. I had tried that website last week but they only publish short rides, nothing overnight. Lots of places in the world have inn-to-inn type rides which are great fun but not for beginners as they usually entail 6 to 8 hours a day in the saddle.

But they're on my list for when I am forced to write to tour ops. I'm hoping that what we want is not too popular but available on request somewhere (but in the north or western fjords like Heydalur is).

I'm not sure what you are really after No Fly, but I found this on that website - there is at least one full day ride offered in the western fjords towards the bottom of the list:

http://www.farmholidays.is/search-result/?activities=2

the tourist board might also have a list of riding tour operators.

hope you find what you're after.

I finally found a farm that offers the two day ride we wanted but they are too close to Reykjavik. So we will skip riding on this trip.

For the record I booked the 16 days with Nordic Visitor.

shame you won't get your riding in NoFlyZone, but you should have a great time in Iceland.

give my love to the puffins!

I would recommend a day or 24 hour trip to Westman Islands where you will see millions of puffins (the largest puffin colony in Iceland). You can take the ferry, only takes about 30 minutes. And e.g. check Ribsafari /www.ribsafari.is where you will bounce on waves while enjoying the nature and they stop at spectacular sea caves and rocks etc. You can also check out the swimming pool at the islands which is one of the best in Iceland.

Have fun,

Bookmarking - I'm planning on being there July 2015, in a similar trip :D

We're back! Had a great 2 week trip driving around the ring road. I'll post a trip report soon. :)

Welcome back! I'm off on mine on Friday :)

glad you had a god time Tally. please post a link here to your TR when you do one.

Just posted it! It's not so much a report as a summary. I'm happy to jabber about any of it that anyone wants to hear about. :)