Bikepacking in Iceland

Day one. We arrived at the Reykjavik airport and took our boxed bikes to the campsite in the  Icelands capital itself. The bus takes you straight there as it's one of the official stops for this route.

It was nearly sunset by the time we built our tent and unboxed the bikes.  Note that the Reykjavik campsite can store your flattened bike boxes for a reasonable fee, so when it's time for you to fly back, you can reuse the same boxes, you arrived with.  

The campsite has a cooking area, showers and toilets. Note, that some theft of valuables may occur due to it being a big campsite in the capital.  Don't leave your phones, satnav's etc unattended. 

Day two was windy, so it wasn't easy to proceed. We spent most of it just leaving Reikjavik's suburbs and industrial areas. Though the landscape changes rapidly. It was interesting to see how it shifts into Iceland's wilderness. 

We found a nice campsite with a heated swimming pool. The perfect way to finish the day!

On day three we reached Geysir and Gullfoss waterfall. Very impressive indeed. You can feel the power of nature in the places like that. 

This part of the route followed a busy road, which is part of the "Golden Triangle" where most tourists go as a must.  The traffic was rather heavy with buses full of tourists and other vehicles.   

Day four. We cycled nearly 100km today, half of it was a volcanic desert. We saw no shops, no campsites and no one around in general.

Wild camping seemed difficult on these rocks, so we had to pedal further to the hotel. At least we could recharge a bit! Thinking retrospectively, this was probably one of the most expensive hotels I have ever booked. Everything is pricey here. try to cook your food as much as possible and camp in nature where possible if on a budget. 

Day five. We reached Landmannalaugar which has hot springs! That was a great way to relax after rough roads all day. The area is also famous for its colourful mountains and has become a semi-sacred place for many hikers, mountain bikers and other nature lovers. It is fairly remote, but full of people camping and sharing stories and... food. One cool lady gave us a chunk of cooked lamb as their group prepared more than they could eat. Cheers! 

Day six was about water, fords to be more precise. We crossed over 10 of them and damn, the water in Iceland is cold! The route led us through the most remote area so far. We met almost no one except a few off-road cars passing by. 

Make sure you have some swimming shoes or slippers as the rocks underwater can be very sharp. It is easy to get injured when crossing those fords.

Day seven was all about pedalling, we had to reach Vik in one day. These hills... It was wild and untamed land to cross, full of volcanic rocks covered in moss. The landscape often felt like another planet.

Vik was a nice town to visit, but sadly the weather was getting worse, very cloudy and windy. I will always remember those black volcanic sand beaches nearby and the famous rocks in a stormy sea, the ones from Game of Thrones. 

On day eight we reached the famous plane crash. It's an American Navy plane. Rain has come and we were properly soaked, but it was worth it. We stopped at the Skogar campsite for the night. 

Day nine. We explored the first waterfall from the inside. Seljalandsfoss. The weather was already rough, so extra splash from the waterfall felt like a risk we could tolerate. 

Day ten was super wet, we just cycled as fast as we could, wrapped in our waterproofs and pushed back towards Reykjavik. I haven't seen much that day, sadly due to the weather conditions. 

On Day eleven we reached the Land of Ice and Fire at Hveragerdi. Our pace throughout the trip was good, so we had some extra time before our flight back to London. With that in mind, we took a day off from cycling and stayed for a second night at Hveragerdi campsite. Done some hiking around and got a chance to swim in some hot springs as a reward!

On day twelve we finished our cycling trip and reached Reykjavik after cycling over 600km. We crossed over 10 cold fords and experienced all sorts of roads and landscapes. What a journey it was!

As we arrived in the capital a bit earlier, we took some time to explore Reykjavik and visited the famous Blue Lagoon too. 

A brief review for those thinking of doing a similar route. 

• The weather in Iceland is quick to change. Make sure you have good waterproofs and a spare set of clothing for the time in the tent. Do everything you can to keep that spare set dry. Have a neck warmer and gloves, ideally, merino baselayers if possible. 

• Rivers can be dangerous to cross after heavy rain, don't risk if you it's too deep and the current too strong. 

• Buy products in shops and cook for yourself as much as possible.  Any cafe or restaurant will charge you a small fortune. It is not a cheap country to visit. I live in London for some context and it's cheaper here. 

• Camp when possible as hotels are pricey too.

• Have enough water and food with you as some areas are remote.

• Carry a first aid kit and a backup phone in case you have an accident. Some days you don't meet a single person a whole day, so you may not be able to get quick help if stuck somewhere.