Exploring West Iceland - Keflavik to Reykholt

A red-eye flight, 30+ hours without sleep and the start of a fantastic 11-day journey

Dec 10, 2023

Iceland Itinerary - Day 1

Keflavik Airport - Icelandair arrival 6:15 am
Airport Duty-Free Shopping and Blue Car Rental
Borgarnes - our first town of the day, Geirabakari bakery, Bonus grocery store, and The Settlement Center
Grábrók Crater - climb up a 2000-year-old volcanic crater
Reykholt - home of Snorri Sturluson and the Snorrastofa museum and his medieval pool
Waterfalls - Hraunfossar and Barnafoss
Guest House - our first night’s lodging at Hrísmóar 2

The view across the water to a snow capped mountain under bright blue skies with wispy white clouds in Borgarnes, Iceland. — Borgarnes, Iceland - May 2023

Arrival in Keflavik

After a loud and sleepless red-eye flight from Seattle, WA my husband, son, and I landed at 6:15 am ready for the longest road trip we’ve ever taken, following Iceland’s Ring Road (Highway 1) around the country. Our travel plans took us clockwise and included as many scenic side trips and hikes as we could fit in each day. Stepping out into a brisk May morning on the tarmac helped clear our sleep-deprived heads and by 8:00 am we had our luggage, a duty-free supply of beverages and snacks for our travels, and a rental car pointed northeast learning all about Icelandic highway signs (most are low to the ground, never overhead) and roundabouts in real-time.

Exploring Borgarnes

The 45-minute drive east to Reykjavik flew by and from there, it was another hour or so north on Highway 1 to Borgarnes, a charming mid-sized town and the main hub of West Iceland. Stop number one was the lovely Geribakari bakery for breakfast and espresso and finally, we let ourselves relax in the beautiful scenery accompanied by generous servings of caffeine and sugar. Stop number two was the Bonus grocery store next door to pick up food and supplies for the next few days.

My husband, John and son, Ryan enjoying coffee in front of a curving wall of windows in a bakery in Borgarnes, Iceland. — Ryan (left) and John (right) at Geribakari

Our trip was planned as a series of seven one-night stays around the country, ending with two nights in Reykjavik and all but two bookings were in private guest houses or apartments instead of hotels. The opportunity to meet our thoughtful hosts and end each day in comfortable, quiet surroundings with mini kitchens to prepare our meals added a special element to our trip. I brought a foldable cooler in my suitcase so we could stock up on breakfast items, picnic lunch staples, and something easy to cook in the evenings. With an ice refill in the morning, this arrangement worked perfectly and I highly recommend it if you’re considering a Ring Road trip of your own.

A sculpture with double steel wings extending from a curved ram's horn carved from stone overlooking the water in Borgarnes, Iceland. — Brákin monument in Borgarnes at The Settlement Center

Our final destination in Borgarnes was The Settlement Center which wasn’t open but we explored the grounds until we found the Brákin monument, a large stone and metal sculpture that resembles a giant wheel or ram horn with wings overlooking the water and Hafnarfjall mountain. The events leading to this monument are depicted in the Icelandic Sagas and retold by the Reykjavik Grapevine in 2018. If you’d like to learn more this article is a good place to start.

Grábrók Volcanic Crater

From Borgarnes we drove 30 minutes northeast on Highway 1 to the Grábrók Crater for our first picnic lunch and a viewpoint to see the full breadth of lava fields surrounding this area. The crater and lava fields were formed over 2,000 years ago and are covered in a thick layer of hardy, slow-growing moss that changes color with the seasons. It’s a steep but direct walk up the stairs to the top of the crater and if it’s not too windy you can follow the path all the way around to enjoy a birds-eye view of the valley.

Myself and my son looking sleepy at Grábrók and the views climbing up the crater and across the lava fields. — Ryan and I at Grábrók and the view from the top of the crater.

Reykholt - The Snorrastofa Museum and Snorri Sturluson

After the crater and lunch, we still had three hours to fill before check-in at our first guest house so we headed south again on Hwy 1 and then east on 50 to 518 for a quick stop in Reykholt and a visit to the home/museum and pool of Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241). Snorri is known for being a historian, politician, and author, having written some of the Icelandic Sagas in this very location. It’s a fun stop for anyone interested in post-settlement Icelandic History.

4 images showing scenes from Snorri Sturluson's museum and hot pool. A statue of Snorri on a pedestal, the circular hot pool with a tiny pool house and a stone and earth horse pen with antlers above the entry. — Photo 1 Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241), Photos 2 & 3 Snorralaug (Snorri's hot pool), and Photo 4 a structure built for Snorri's favorite horse.

Waterfalls - Hraunfossar and Barnafoss

Continuing east on 518 a 20-minute drive brought us to Hraunfossar and Barnafoss, two beautiful waterfalls with easy parking right off the road. At Hraunfossar (meaning “lava falls”) groundwater flows through the lava rock directly into the Hvítá River while Barnafoss (Children’s Waterfall) has beautiful, light blue water cascading down a series of rapids before reaching the riverbed below.

A blue sky with clouds stretches above a brown moss covered landscape. In the foreground the Hraunfossar waterfall flows from lava rock directly into the blue river like a series of cascading bridal veils. — Hraunfossar

Foamy, light blue water flows downhill in a series of rapids to the river below. The rocks are black and gray lava rock and the sky is bright blue with wispy white clouds. — Barnafoss

Accommodations - our first guest house in Iceland

It would have been fun to explore the area more but by this point, we were starting to worry if any of us were awake enough to drive the final 10 minutes to our guesthouse. I eventually ended up with the keys and we arrived at check-in to settle into our first tiny home in the country, a cozy, warm one-room cabin with floor-to-ceiling windows and a peaceful view across the fields. We unpacked the car, barbequed hamburgers for dinner, and collapsed into the hot tub for a quick soak before bed. A delightful end to our first day in Iceland.

Our wood sided tiny house in the country with large windows seen from outside with a table, chairs and a barbeque. Second image is the peaceful view across the empty fields in front of us under a blue sky. — Our 1st guesthouse and the view from the deck

If any readers have followed this same route I hope you’ll share some pictures in the comments!

In the coming weeks, I’ll continue to write about each day of our May 2023 trip along Iceland’s Ring Road posting photos and highlights from our journey around this beautiful country. If you’d like to read the full series click here to begin.

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