Opinions for 8 nights in Iceland Itinerary
 

Friday, July 15, 2011 Home - Keflavik
Saturday, July 16, 2011 arrive Keflavik and drive towards Akureyi (this drive is 265 miles - might not make it - will go as far as possible the first day )
Sunday, July 17, 2011 overnight in Myvatn
Monday, July 18, 2011 overnight in Egilsstadir
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 overnight in Hofn
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 overnight in Vik
Thursday, July 21, 2011 explore Gullfoss (Golden Circle)
Friday, July 22, 2011 continue to explore Gullfoss (Golden Circle)
Saturday, July 23, 2011 drive to Keflavik and visit Blue Lagoon, overnight in Keflavik
Sunday, July 24, 2011 early morning flight Keflavik-Home

I am a serious amateur photographer and very interested in photographing the landscapes. I am not really interested in the cities - I prefere the countryside.

Is this itinerary overly ambitious for my husband and I? This trips averages about 100-150 miles per driving day. I realize it is a lot of driving but It seems better to just drive the Ring Road rather than head north and back track to the south and then back track back to Keflavik.

comments about interesting places near these stops are especially welcome

The driving doesn't look overly ambitious but you are missing a few great landscapes.

Take a look at Snaefellsnes as your first stop. (http://www.west.is/SeeDo/SnaefellsjokullNationalPark/)

The westfjords are spectacular (http://www.westfjords.is/media/w800/...e35040121d.jpg) but you won't be able to visit them at the same time as the ring road.

Take a look at the Diamond circle(http://www.northsailing.is/husavik-/) near Myvatn. I'd recommend skipping Hofn and staying another night around there somewhere. Dettifoss and Asbyrgi should not be missed. Askja might be a bit too far.

The beautiful village of Seydisfjordur(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sey%C3%...C3%B6r%C3%B0ur) instead of Egilsstadir.

See if you can fit some of these location in the south into your agenda: Landmannalaugar, Black Beach (near Vik), Thorsmork, Thjorsardalur, Vestmannaeyjar.

Otherwise just keep your camera ready as you'll want to stop your car and take a few pictures mostly everywhere I think.

This itinerary looks good to me. However, if you're a serious photographer you'll probably spend more time in the scenic places than the average person. This is my experience as a tour guide working with several photo tour leaders in Iceland.

Lucky for you, it stays light enough for photography for about 22 hours this time of the year.

There is a broken bridge in the south of Iceland, just East of the village Vik. It broke - washed away - in a flash flood three days ago. The road department is working on a new bridge and cars are being transported accross the river on a flatbed truck and people are transported in an old German army truck.

The situation should be better once you get there in a few days from now.

Also, if you have a 4x4, you can drive along an alternative route wich is so beautiful for photographers. You could spend one week there alone if you like landscape photography.

This route is called Fjallabak Nyrdra and takes at least 6 hours to drive all on gravel roads and through some unbridged rivers.

caution - if you are hiring a car, even a 4x4, because of insurance restrictions, you are not allowed to drive on F roads - just A s [like the ring road] and Bs. sounds like the road that ITG is referring to may be one of those.

based on our experience, your proposed trip is doable, so long as you don't want to stop for long periods to do things!

an alternative, alluded to above, is to concentrate on the west of Iceland, which includes the spectacular Western Fjords and bird cliffs. this could include Vik [though there would be a bit of back-tracking] and the golden Circle.

are you intending to book accommodation in advance - July is high season so that might be a good idea!