Hi, guys. My name is Ashley and today I'm going to be taking you on a tour of five
campsites we visited on our recent trip to Iceland.
Now, despite the fact that we went during the springtime the campgrounds were operating on winter
based schedules -- meaning not a lot of them were open.
This was our experience.
Welcome to Selfoss -- Selfoss? -- campsite in Iceland.
Tonight is night one out of nine or ten nights here in Iceland.
We're doing Ring Road in a campervan.
It is April. It is cold and it is snowy, but it's lovely!
Selfoss campsite is located just south of Reykjavik and slightly west of the Golden Circle.
After touring the Golden Circle for the day, this was an easy spot to get to and set
up just in time for dinner.
Registration for two adults staying one night costs us 3500 krona,
plus 600 krona for the optional jacuzzi access.
I want to make this video, because before coming here I was trying to figure out what
campsites are open in the winter and I couldn't find much information.
The information I did find led me here, but I'm hoping this video can help people
that are planning to travel during the winter months around Ring Road camping.
Icelandic law now specifies that you must camp at a designated campsite and
not just anywhere on the side of the road. So, definitely keep that in mind
when planning and budgeting for your adventure no matter the season.
The good news is camping at legitimate campsites grants you access to the perks of the facilities.
Washer and dryer. Such a nice perk especially when you're camping.
These are the restrooms. No one's in here I checked.
Pretty simple. Two toilets.
The bigger one I've been using this to just change in, because it has a little bit more room.
And then there's three showers. That's my stuff in the corner.
I'm getting ready to take a shower.
You know, simple. Straightforward.
It's very clean in here, so that's it.
Those are the bathrooms.
Okay, so I just got out of the shower. Super warm. Free --
which I hear is kind of rare for campgrounds. Usually they charge for showers.
I don't know this is my first campground that I've been at around here, but
it was warm and efficient, so that was satisfying.
I just want to point out two things before I forgot:
There is a Bonus about, I think, a minute away.
We had to grab some last minute sugar and we found it there no problem.
And, also there's a local pool.
And, the pools here are famous in Iceland.
A lot of Icelanders go there just to
hang out and enjoy a nice dip in the cold weather.
That's also like a minute away if you want to go there.
And, just before I walk out of here. This is the kitchen area.
So, plenty of seating, a little couch in the corner there and some cooking options.
You've got the stovetops over here and some sinks.
So, it's a nice little perk.
A little messy in here right now. It looks like some people are drying off their clothes in the corner, but
I'm not going to complain.
Overall, this campsite was great!
We were allowed to park wherever we wanted, so
most campers were close to the bathroom facilities.
The staff was friendly and the property was well maintained.
No spectacular views, but the convenience of being near a pool and a grocery store couldn't be beat.
Good evening. Tonight is night two camping around Iceland along Ring Road.
We are heading south east along Ring Road and I cannot pronounce the town
name or the campground, so I'll just throw that in here.
We arrived at the campground a little bit after 5:00PM.
We've been ice climbing all day, which was
amazing, but because we arrived late there was no check-in.
We had nobody to give money to for the campsite.
And, the showers are closed for the evening.
Other than that, there's a little kitchen and some bathrooms, so everything that we need to
just tuck in for the night and we'll settle everything else in the morning.
Before I wrapped up for the evening, though, I had to take a walk around the gorgeous property.
There were two major waterfalls right in our backyard.
While a lot of bus tours stop here during the day, after sunset you'll have the place to yourself.
Not to mention, once the night sky is in view, you might even be lucky enough
to catch a stunning display of the Northern Lights.
Good morning. So, we woke up to discover that the campground is actually just closed.
Well, maybe not fully closed, but I'd say limited down to the bare necessities and no staff.
It's no surprise that we missed this tiny sign
inside the main building when we arrived the night before pointing us to their
winter policies and booking info.
This campground costs 1500 krona per adult
and must be paid online if you are traveling anytime other than the summer.
The bathrooms were open all night, as was the kitchen and there was also a washing
machine available for 300 krona.
And, as for the showers...
There are no showers available for winter campers.
They're closed for the season, but if you're here
during the summer it does cost 300 krona per three minutes.
So, figure out how shower really quick.
Other than that, we have to pay online for our spot tonight
or for last night. So, we'll take care of that on our way out.
But, just want to follow up that the facilities here are not completely open
during the winter, but you can still camp here in a pinch.
And, one more shout out for this waterfall.
It was a personal favorite of mine and if you've got the
right clothing for it, you can crawl in and get a truly up-close view.
If you're looking for even more adventurous options, this is one of the touring
companies here in Iceland. They run right out of this campground. This is
actually the group that we went with, or the guide that we went with, yesterday
for ice climbing except he met us at the glacier not at this specific location, but if
you book a tour with South Coast Adventure, you'll probably be coming here
to start your journey.
Even though we weren't able to enjoy the full amenities
of this campsite, I still loved exploring the property and taking in all the
landscapes it had to offer. I'd recommend it for a one night winter stay, but I'd
be more inclined to suggest it for a summer stay instead.
Good evening. It is about eight o'clock and it is our third night camping in Iceland.
We are now on the south shore of Iceland and we are in the national park
with the largest glacier in Europe.
We are camping at Skaftafell campsite and so far, it's beautiful.
I promise I'll run around with my camera in the morning and
actually show off the campground, but it's getting kind of dark and I just
want to check in with you guys.
It was 3500 krona for the two of us to
camp here for one night. There are showers and restrooms walking distance
from the camp -- campervan that we have.
And, that's it.
We made a couple of friends already, getting ready for dinner, so I'll check in with you in the morning.
And, I should say this: if you're camping here during the winter
you have to sign in at the Visitor Center and that's right next door to the campground.
Really super easy and you get a little thing to put in your dashboard
so they know that you have paid and that you can be here.
So, that's that!
The best kind of exhaustion is the kind that hits after a day of gallivanting around Iceland.
Our evening concluded with a quick barbecue, ramen and some warm showers.
The only trick was figuring out how to get back to the campervan.
Just to help you out in case you're camping in Iceland. It is very, very dark at most
campgrounds at night.
This is my walk.
I have my headlamp on. This is my walk back to our campervan.
It's not far, but it is so incredibly dark around here.
Okay.
My tip: bring a flashlight, bring a headlamp, bring a friend.
So scary out here.
I know there's nothing out here, but just walking in the dark alone is frightening enough.
Oh. There we go. I can see it.
Okay. Good night.
The bright, morning sun was more than we could have hoped for to kick off our day.
Out of the three campgrounds so far, this was easily the cleanest and most organized.
Each camper had their own spot --
many with picnic tables available and electric hookup options.
The surrounding mountains and distant glacier were captivating.
The facilities were spotless
and included a small dishwashing room with an extended countertop, a couple of
shaded picnic tables, some outdoor sinks which were turned off for the season and bathrooms.
I think there are normally separated men's and women's bathrooms,
but at the time of our visit only one side was open, so everyone shared the
same space. That might be the case for the entire winter season.
As for the showers they were completely free, warm and incredibly clean.
This is honestly a campsite I wish we had more time at.
We were camping in a national park with a glacier just a short walk away.
We spent the morning exploring the area,
but could have easily spent another few days there hiking and taking in many more sights.
I would highly recommend a stop here to anyone traveling along Ring Road.
Night four: middle of nowhere.
After a few hours spent traversing scenery that
could only be compared to the North Pole, we arrived at our fourth campsite.
It's worth noting that these campsites were not all visited back-to-back. We planned
a few Airbnb's along our route, including one last night in the east fjords.
But, this video is all about the campgrounds, so let's get back to it.
This campsite really was in the middle of nowhere.
The town... I'm going to call it a town... featured a
tiny church, a cafe, turf cottages and the campground, which was completely snowed in.
Despite this, upon check-in at the cafe
the man helping us told us we could park anywhere we wanted in the campground, but
the bathrooms were closed for the season so we'd have to use the bathrooms in his
house on the other side of town.
It was pretty confusing and for about ten minutes
we tried to figure out where we could park in the campground before
eventually giving up and asking if it would just be okay for us to park right
outside of his house instead. He said "yes."
The house was a bit unusual itself as I
felt like all eight of the people working in the town lived in that house
though there were signs inside for visitors directing them to the bathrooms
and showers. I got the impression that this one building was also a hotel, but
I'm still not sure.
Fortunately, we were able to take showers and use their
kitchen to cook our dinner that night.
Even though we did not technically stay
in the campground, I have to say that it looked like it would be an amazing place
to camp in the summer. It was very well laid out and included picnic tables, a
playground and hiking trails. There was also some excitement being in such a remote location.
We paid a little over 1300 krona per person to
stay one night and I'd gladly spend that again for a summer trip, but for a winter trip,
I would probably just book a turf cottage.
All right! Last night camping in Iceland.
And, we're here with nobody else.
Not an owner in sight. Not a farmer.
There's a little house. There's a beautiful view.
And, from what I'm gathering, this is a great place for seal watching, although I
haven't spotted one just yet. I don't know if it's the season for it. I guess not.
Funny fact though: as I'm walking around I read a sign that said two
people were murdered here. So, we're in the middle of nowhere in Iceland.
Ghosts around I'm sure.
It's interesting. It's beautiful, but it's super quiet
and a little eerie at the same time.
So, wish us luck and hopefully we'll see you tomorrow.
As we set up for dinner, I did try to find out where we could leave
money for our stay, but I was met by a few blank stares.
Is this where I pay?
We prepped the last of the food we had with us.
Keith: "We're roughing it. We're splitting one hot dog."
Ashley: "Are you at least toasting the bun?"
Keith: "Yeah."
Then we settled in for another evening under the Northern Lights.
The next morning we woke up early to explore the property, which included hanging out with the
nearby horses, finally spotting a seal in the water and enjoying the pure serenity
of the location. This was easily one of the most memorable campsites we stayed at.
The landscape itself offered much more than words could ever express.
Good morning. We survived the night and I just wanted to show you the facilities now
that we can actually see them. This is the wash house. It is mostly closed right now in April.
Nothing. Nothing's open except for one bathroom and I'll show you that.
They do ask for a donation for using the toilets.
There might be showers in here normally, I guess, during the summer
season, but right now we don't have anything except for this guy.
Very simple. You can tell it's maintained, though. There's a lot of toilet paper and the
trash has been emptied. It's pretty clean, you know, campground-wise.
And, this light was broken. So, all night we were in and out with flashlights, but that's it.
Just to hold us over for the night, it was fine and hopefully we will shower later on today.
Also, they have this nice perk of the outdoor sinks. So, if you have any
big pots or pans in your camper, it's a good place to wash them out.
And, of course this gorgeous view with a couple of picnic benches.
I can really see this being a very nice spot during the summer -- it's beautiful right now -- but
just not a lot open.
So, that's it. We're getting ready to hit the road and head to Reykjavik
to conclude our adventure here in Iceland.
Camping in Iceland is absolutely the best experience you could have to
explore and immerse yourself in the country. I recommend it for flexibility
and just adventure. I know you're visiting this video because you're
already considering it so I hope you go through with it. And, don't let the winter
limitations deter you because it really wasn't that terrible. We had some
spectacular views and amazing campground experiences and I hope I was able to
articulate that in this video. If you have any questions feel free to leave
them below and I'll try to answer them as best as I can
based on our experience and if you've gone already and you want to contribute
some tips feel free to do so. We're here to help each other have the best
vacations possible. So, thank you for tuning in.