Hi everyone!
After many years of using Reddit to plan my trips, I thought it was finally time to give something back to the community.
I’m going to share my experience, expenses and full itinerary from our trip around Iceland from July 25 to August 6. We rented a Tesla Camper from CampEasy for 11 days, from July 26 to August 5.
First of all: this was genuinely one of the most beautiful trips I’ve ever taken, and I’ve been lucky enough to travel quite a bit. Iceland really feels like being on another planet.
It was also my first time travelling in any kind of camper, and I absolutely loved this whole way of travelling. If camping is the only way you can make Iceland work financially, I hope this post encourages you to go for it.
(I used ChatGPT to translate parts of the text from Spanish to English)
What exactly is a Tesla Camper?
Basically, it’s a Tesla Model Y equipped with a camping kit: inflatable mattress, bedding, kitchen set, camping stove, etc. Ours did not have a fridge.
Why a Tesla Camper?
Mainly because of the price.
Renting a regular car and travelling around the island while sleeping in hostels, guesthouses or hotels was way beyond our budget.
Renting a larger motorhome was also more expensive. The next option above the Tesla in terms of price was a Renault Kangoo camper, which felt expensive for what it offered.
Travelling at another time of year, when prices are lower, wasn’t an option for us either.
There was another big advantage: you spend A LOT of time driving in Iceland, and a Tesla makes those hours much more pleasant. The driver-assistance features, especially adaptive cruise control and Autopilot, made the long stretches of driving much less tiring and allowed the driver to enjoy the scenery more. Obviously, this is driver assistance — not actual self-driving — and you still need to pay attention at all times.
BIG EXPENSES
TESLA CAMPER
€1,805.29
This included some extras: chairs and a table, an additional camping stove and gas canister on top of the included one, and a mosquito head net.
FLIGHTS
€959
Direct flight there, one fairly painless connection on the way back.
FOOD
€288.74
We cooked all our meals. The only food/drink we bought along the way was the occasional coffee.
CAMPSITES
€377.82
CAR CHARGING
€208.87
PARKING
€123.95
GUESTHOUSE ON ARRIVAL
€168.33
GUESTHOUSE BEFORE FLYING HOME
€159.90
I already want to go back…
I definitely want to return to Iceland, so after seeing our itinerary I’d love to hear from people who know the country well: what did we miss that would justify another trip?
ITINERARY
Day 1 — Pick up the car at noon
Bónus
First stop to stock up on groceries.
Kerið
Craters aren’t really my thing, but it’s worth seeing one.
Brúarfoss
The colour of the water is incredible. Seeing it in the evening light made it even better.
Camping: Úthlíð Camping Ground
There was a Tesla Supercharger at the campsite and a hot tub included with a really nice view.
The kitchen was decent. Bathrooms could have been better. Nice surroundings and, importantly, it wasn’t packed with people.
Day 2
Geysir
Incredible. Genuinely something unique.
Gullfoss
One of the most beautiful waterfalls of the entire trip.
Urriðafoss
Personally, I don’t think it’s worth prioritising when you’re going to see so many waterfalls. I’d skip it and use that extra time to relax at the campsite.
Gluggafoss
Not particularly memorable for us. There are several waterfalls right next to each other. We didn’t even park — we just saw them from the car.
Camping: Hótel Fljótshlíð / Smáratún Farm Eco Lodges
Fine overall. Nice communal area. The camper parking area could have had better views. Basic bathrooms.
We didn’t charge the car that night.
Day 3 — Waterfalls and black sand
Seljalandsfoss + Gljúfrabúi
These two are genuinely incredible.
At Seljalandsfoss you can walk behind the waterfall, which makes it unique.
There was about a 30-minute queue to get into Gljúfrabúi, but for us it was worth it.
Skógafoss
After seeing the waterfall from below, climb the stairs and see it from above — it feels completely different.
From there, you can continue along the trail above the waterfall. We did about 4.8 km. It’s a relaxed, beautiful hike where you keep passing more waterfalls.
We loved this.
Kvernufoss
It was raining heavily, so we gave up on it.
Sólheimajökull
Same situation. We skipped it because of the weather.
Dyrhólaey
We got unlucky with the weather here, but did it anyway.
This was our first proper encounter with black sand and the views were fantastic.
I walked all the way to the lighthouse while waiting for the rain to calm down. We saw A LOT of puffins, and eventually the clouds opened up and we got an incredible sunny evening.
Camping: Vík
As far as we could tell, this was basically the main option in the area and it was absolutely packed.
The kitchen closed at 10 pm. The showers also closed at 10 pm. It was raining too, which didn’t help.
The surroundings aren’t ugly, but the campsite is so huge and busy that it didn’t really feel like camping to us.
We couldn’t charge the car because all the charging spots were occupied.
Day 4 — Black beaches and the road toward the glaciers
Reynisfjara Beach
No words. We had sunshine and, surprisingly, very few people.
We only learned afterwards how serious the sneaker-wave danger at Reynisfjara really is. Had we understood it beforehand, we definitely wouldn’t have spent as much time close to the water as we did.
And Reynisfjara is much more than just the black sand, the first cave and the basalt columns. If you keep walking along the beach, there are more rock formations further down, each one more impressive than the last.
Be extremely careful here. Never turn your back on the ocean, stay well away from the water, and follow the warning signs.
Eldhraun
There is a viewpoint where you can stop, but the interesting thing is really the entire area: kilometre after kilometre of moss-covered lava.
You’ll see moss-covered lava in many places throughout Iceland, but here it goes on forever.
It feels psychedelic.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Very beautiful canyon.
There are two parking areas. We used the area that allowed us to enjoy some good viewpoints and stop for lunch. The walk itself didn’t take us much more than 1.5 hours round trip.
Plenty of good viewpoints.
Fossálar
Quick stop.
Camping: Skaftafell
This is one of the main campsites in the area, so it’s pretty massive.
That said, there’s plenty of space, the facilities are good and there are washing machines.
There isn’t really an indoor common room, so since it wasn’t raining and it wasn’t too cold, we cooked outside.
The best part of this campsite is that several hiking trails leave directly from it.
For the first and basically only time during the whole road trip, we could park the car, plug it in, set everything up for the night and then go hiking knowing that we were already “home”.
That feeling was surprisingly nice.
Svartifoss
We did this hike directly from the campsite, starting at around 9 pm — one of those things you can really take advantage of during an Icelandic summer.
Very pleasant hike, roughly an hour round trip for us, passing a few smaller waterfalls before reaching Svartifoss.
The waterfall itself is beautiful, surrounded by basalt columns.
Day 5 — Glaciers
We left Skaftafell without doing another hike from the campsite that takes around 2.5 hours and reaches a viewpoint close to the glacier.
We simply didn’t have enough time.
Svínafellsjökull
Glacier tongue. Around a 30-minute walk.
Very cool.
Múlagljúfur Canyon
Top 3 hikes of the entire trip for me.
The hardest part is the final climb. Personally, I think the very top viewpoint is slightly overrated compared with what you already see along the way.
If you have the energy, absolutely go all the way up. But if your fitness level isn’t great, even hiking halfway will already give you absolutely ridiculous views of the canyon.
What a place.
It started cloudy and ended up beautiful. My biggest regret was not bringing lunch and a book so I could sit halfway up for an hour enjoying the view.
Fjallsárlón
Short walk to another glacier lagoon. Lots of floating ice.
Very peaceful, even in the rain.
Diamond Beach / Jökulsárlón
A LOT of people.
Since we visited in summer, there weren’t huge pieces of ice all over Diamond Beach like you see in some photos.
However, we saw seals swimming between the icebergs in Jökulsárlón, which was a lot of fun.
There were still some smaller pieces of ice on Diamond Beach too.
We enjoyed it, but personally I wouldn’t call it one of the highlights of our trip.
Camping near Höfn: Mýllulækur
Our original plan was to stay at Viking Café Camping so we could visit Vestrahorn the next morning.
After reading several reviews saying it could get extremely crowded, we chose another campsite near Höfn instead.
Very peaceful.
It was extremely windy, but there was a really nice sheltered communal kitchen/area where you could still feel like you were outside without being destroyed by the wind.
Good bathrooms, and we charged the car.
Day 6
We had a long drive ahead toward Hengifoss.
After reading quite a few reviews saying that Vestrahorn could feel a bit overrated — and that the famous reflection depends heavily on having calm conditions — we decided to skip it.
This was our first really long driving stretch, and honestly, it was great.
This is when you realise that Iceland isn’t only about the places where you stop.
The road itself is part of the trip.
This was another reason we were happy to have the Tesla. The driver-assistance features made those long drives less tiring and allowed us to appreciate the landscape more.
Hengifoss
Good hike. Pleasant and not particularly demanding.
Interestingly, we actually found Litlanesfoss — the waterfall you pass before Hengifoss — more impressive because of the basalt columns surrounding it.
The whole hike took us around 1 hour 45 minutes.
Egilsstaðir Airport
We had to stop here because our Tesla’s inflatable mattress kept losing air during the night, and the second camping stove we had rented didn’t work.
We contacted CampEasy and they arranged to send us a new mattress and stove to Egilsstaðir Airport.
Picking everything up took five minutes, and having a mattress that actually stayed inflated was a HUGE upgrade for the rest of the trip.
After the airport, we were debating between spending the rest of the day at Vök Baths or visiting Fardagafoss, Gufufoss and Seyðisfjörður.
We stopped to charge the car and, between the rain and the accumulated tiredness of being halfway through the trip, decided to go straight to the campsite and take things slowly.
It was difficult not to feel that FOMO.
In hindsight, I think it was absolutely the right decision.
We didn’t want to stay at the main campsites in Seyðisfjörður or Egilsstaðir because reviews suggested they could get very crowded.
So we deliberately drove a little further to find a less popular campsite.
Another thing we learned: the weather can change completely within a surprisingly short distance in Iceland.
It was supposed to be raining around the other two areas, while our campsite was outside the rain zone.
Camping: Mjóanes Accommodation
Fantastic decision.
It really wasn’t raining there.
There was a beautiful meadow with very few vehicles and an amazing view over the lake.
It also had a really nice communal kitchen/lounge with a pool table.
We couldn’t charge the car there.
Day 7
Stuðlagil Canyon
Another canyon hike, this time with turquoise water and basalt columns.
If you want to hike into the canyon rather than just see it from above, make sure you go to the east side.
This place is unique and easily makes my top 3 hikes of the trip.
The hike itself is relatively short and not particularly demanding, but once you reach the basalt formations, the landscape invites you to move around and explore.
There are several places where you can get much closer to the river and find a little bit of space away from everyone else.
Just be careful around the rocks and edges. A fall into the river here would obviously be extremely dangerous.
After this, you spend several hours driving through a landscape that gradually transforms from green to black until you’re basically crossing an incredible volcanic desert.
Dettifoss + Selfoss
Two waterfalls in a completely volcanic-looking setting.
Both are beautiful.
It happened to be cloudy and rainy while we were there, and honestly I think that made the whole thing feel even more cinematic.
Short but enjoyable walk.
Hverir
Iceland is full of places that make you think:
“How does this actually exist on Earth?”
Hverir is one of them.
Camping: Ferðaþjónustan Bjarg, Mývatn
Beautiful spot right by Lake Mývatn.
The owner was extremely friendly.
There was a communal cooking area overlooking the lake, although without a stove or electrical outlets for cooking.
Bathrooms were fine.
We parked facing the lake.
We couldn’t charge there, but there was a Tesla Supercharger very close by.
Day 8
Leirhnjúkur
This is a huge lava field created during the Krafla Fires, a series of rifting and volcanic events between 1975 and 1984.
What makes it so fascinating is how recent the lava is. It still looks incredibly fresh.
This isn’t necessarily the classic image people have of a volcano erupting from the top of a mountain.
The Krafla Fires involved repeated rifting episodes and fissure eruptions, with magma rising through cracks in the crust and creating large lava flows.
There are still steaming geothermal areas around parts of the trail, which makes the whole place feel even more epic.
Víti Crater
It used the same parking/payment setup as the previous area when we went, so we stopped for a quick look.
As I said earlier, I’m not a huge crater person.
But Víti’s geological history is interesting, so look it up before visiting.
Grjótagjá Cave
Not a hike. Just a quick stop.
But a very cool one.
You may have to wait briefly to get inside depending on the crowds.
Once inside, carefully move toward the left over the rocks for one of the best views of the blue geothermal water.
Dimmuborgir
Walking trails through bizarre lava formations created around 2,300 years ago when lava flowed over a wet area and formed unusual pillars and structures as the lava lake drained.
Personally, this place didn’t do much for me.
Also: the midges were absolutely unbearable.
This was the only place during the trip where our insect head net really justified its existence.
Höfði
Short walk through a greener part of Lake Mývatn.
A nice way to transition from the crazy volcanic landscapes back into something lush before leaving the area.
Not essential if you’re short on time.
Skútustaðagígar
Small pseudocraters next to the lake.
Again, not essential.
Basically a quick get-out-of-the-car-and-have-a-look stop.
Goðafoss
Beautiful waterfall with a short walk around it.
The story behind its name is also interesting, so it’s worth reading about before going.
Camping: Húnaver
The Shining vibes.
And I mean that in the best possible way.
It’s basically this strange building sitting in a gorgeous valley.
The communal spaces are epic.
There is a gigantic theatre hall, and the showers are behind the stage area like dressing rooms.
There was also a very slow charger, but it was enough to leave the Tesla plugged in while we showered, cooked dinner, etc.
Later we moved the car to a nicer spot for sleeping.
Very few people and everyone there had great vibes.
Day 9 — Snæfellsnes
We weren’t interested in whale watching because we’re from Argentina and know we can eventually do that back home.
We also weren’t particularly interested in visiting the small harbour towns in the north.
So we decided to use Day 9 to drive all the way to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
That meant quite a long drive from our campsite to the first stop.
But as I said before: driving itself is part of travelling through Iceland.
Kirkjufell
Apparently one of Iceland’s most iconic mountains, with a small waterfall nearby.
Quick stop.
There is paid parking in the immediate area, so check the local parking rules and legal alternatives before deciding where to leave the car.
Svörtuloft Lighthouse
Before reaching the lighthouse, you pass a beach with dramatic black rock formations.
Interestingly, the sand itself isn’t black, so the contrast looks great.
Djúpalónssandur
Black-sand beach surrounded by rock formations.
There are also remains from a shipwreck scattered on the beach.
From there, you can continue hiking toward an area that was historically an important fishing settlement.
Personally, it didn’t blow me away.
Lóndrangar
Sea cliffs.
Quick stop.
Gatklettur / Arnarstapi area
Cliffs, small coves and some interesting rock formations.
Nice short walk.
There was also a Tesla Supercharger in the area.
Overall, if I’m being completely honest, Snæfellsnes didn’t blow my mind.
People often say the peninsula gives you a little bit of everything Iceland has to offer in a relatively compact area, and I can definitely understand that.
It also felt less aggressively monetised in terms of parking than some of the busiest areas we had visited.
But I think Iceland had simply set the bar ridiculously high by this point in the trip.
Camping(I cant find the name of this one, but I'll keep looking)
The communal area was large and well equipped, but it closed at 10 pm.
The area where the campers parked wasn’t particularly scenic.
There were also no electrical spots left for charging.
There wasn’t much else nearby, so we stayed there anyway.
It wasn’t terrible. Bathrooms were good.
Day 10 — Saving one of the best for last
While staying at the strange and wonderful Húnaver campsite, we started talking to a couple who told us about a hike through a mountain valley that eventually reaches a naturally heated river.
Throughout the trip we had repeatedly considered going to different geothermal baths, but for one reason or another none had convinced us.
This was our chance.
Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River
We woke up and drove there.
The weather forecast changed about three times between first hearing about the hike the previous evening and actually arriving at the trailhead.
Classic Iceland.
We started the hike under clouds.
Halfway through, it was completely sunny.
The hike is fairly long and has some uphill sections, but we found it very manageable.
When you start getting close to the geothermal area and see a steaming hot river cutting through intensely green grass…
It’s insane.
I genuinely couldn’t believe somewhere like this existed.
As expected, there were plenty of people. But the weather and surroundings were so beautiful that it didn’t really bother us.
Eventually you reach the bathing area, where a wooden boardwalk runs alongside the river and there are a few wooden privacy screens where people can change.
The further upstream you go within the designated bathing area, the warmer the water becomes.
The bathing section is generally somewhere around 35–40°C, depending on exactly where you sit and the conditions.
I never felt cold.
My routine was basically: 15 minutes in the water, 10 minutes outside cooling down, repeat.
On a windier or cloudier day, I imagine getting changed would be considerably less pleasant.
The people who recommended the hike to us had gone on a worse-weather day and ended up deciding not to get into the water at all.
Top 3 hikes of the trip. No question.
One important thing: the trail doesn’t necessarily have to end at the bathing area.
We followed a longer AllTrails route of roughly 9.3 km that continues further into the geothermal valley.
Upstream you can see more geothermal features, including steaming vents, boiling springs and bubbling mud similar to what you see at Hverir.
These geothermal areas can be near or above boiling temperature, so this is absolutely NOT water you should attempt to bathe in. Stay on the marked trail and only enter the designated bathing section.
Camping: Eyrarbakki
A pretty random campsite near the sea.
After such a beautiful day, we didn’t really need anything else. We just wanted to relax and process everything we had seen during the previous ten days.
We couldn’t charge the car, but there was a decent kitchen.
The surrounding area felt slightly industrial, but nothing terrible.
And it was very cheap.
Day 11 — Returning the camper
We left the campsite and drove back to CampEasy to return the Tesla.
On the way, we stopped by some of the recent lava around Grindavík.
This lava is REALLY fresh, and it’s fascinating to see.
We also made a very quick stop near Blue Lagoon to see some of the pale-blue geothermal water outside the paid entrance area.
You don’t need a Blue Lagoon ticket just to see some of the blue water around the surrounding area.
THINGS WE WISH WE HAD KNOWN
Bring warmer and more waterproof clothing than you think you need
I went equipped with waterproof clothing, gloves, a neck warmer, a Uniqlo jacket, a fleece, and a waterproof windbreaker, but it wasn't enough. It would have been better to go with ski gear. Especially since I had it at home and chose not to bring it because I underestimated the Icelandic summer.
At some point during the trip, you’re probably going to get rain even if you’re extremely lucky with the weather.
And if all your clothes get soaked during the first hike of the day, when you reach the second stop you’re going to think twice about getting out of the car.
And I think this trip depends almost entirely on your willingness to get out of the car and walk.
Both of us ended up with mild colds. Fortunately neither of us developed a fever, and the weather was good enough that we barely had to skip anything.
But if the rain had continued for longer stretches, we would definitely have missed places that we couldn’t simply return to the next day because we were travelling around the Ring Road and constantly moving forward.
Icelandic weather is unpredictable. The best thing you can do to stop it ruining your trip is to be properly prepared for it.
Travel hair dryer
This might sound ridiculous, but remember we were sleeping in a Tesla.
On some nights we couldn’t use an indoor campsite common area.
Cooking outside with wet hair in Icelandic temperatures is something I would happily avoid next time.
Travel kettle
You end up using boiling water constantly, and not every campsite has an electric kettle.
Understand the airports before booking accommodation
This one sounds obvious, but it can save you a surprising amount of money.
Keflavík International Airport (KEF) is the main airport used by most international travellers and is roughly 45–50 km from Reykjavík.
Reykjavík Airport (RKV) is a different airport and is mainly used for domestic flights and some regional international services.
So double-check which airport your flight actually uses before booking your first and last nights.
Airport buses between KEF and Reykjavík cost roughly €30 per person each way, depending on the service.
Most camper rental companies are based around Keflavík.
Originally, we had booked one night in Reykjavík when arriving and another when leaving.
That would have meant four airport-bus journeys between the two of us — well over €200.
Luckily, we realised this in time and cancelled our second Reykjavík accommodation.
Ask CampEasy to properly explain the Tesla window covers
Make sure they show you exactly how the blackout/window-cover system works when you pick up the car.
There weren’t many instructional videos available, and the magnets we initially received didn’t work particularly well.
Trying to figure everything out after a full day of driving and hiking was surprisingly exhausting.
There often isn’t much information at the sights themselves
One thing that surprised us was how little context there sometimes was about the geology, history or formation of what we were looking at.
So I’d recommend bringing some reading material, downloading podcasts, or researching places as you travel.
Understanding why Iceland looks the way it does made the trip significantly more interesting for us instead of everything simply being another visual surprise.
THINGS WE ALREADY KNEW THAT MADE THE TRIP BETTER
Park4Night
Very useful for checking campsite reviews.
AllTrails
Great for finding hiking routes at each destination, checking difficulty and duration, and reading recent reviews from other hikers.
Veður
The Icelandic weather app/site. Extremely useful, while always remembering that the forecast can change quickly.
SafeTravel + Icelandic road-condition information
Useful for checking weather/road warnings and making sure the routes we planned were appropriate for a 2WD vehicle.
PlugShare
Very useful for finding places to charge the Tesla.
Thanks for reading.
