Travelling around Iceland in a camper van was one of the best decisions we made. It gave us complete flexibility, plenty of freedom, and meant we could finish each day wherever we happened to land.
And the best part? We didn’t book a single campground in advance. We simply turned up, crossed our fingers, and always found a spot.
If you’re planning a similar trip, this rundown of the campgrounds we stayed at will give you a clear idea of what to expect – from kitchens and showers to laundry setups, costs and the overall vibe.
Some of the Iceland campgrounds were basic, some were brilliant, and a few surprised us in ways we didn’t expect. Here’s how they stacked up.
Contents
This article may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link, I may receive a small commission. Read the full disclaimer here.
A Little Background
We visited Iceland right at the end of August and into September 2025, so right on the edge of peak season.
I had read beforehand that some campgrounds closed down for the winter on 1st September but all of these were open, at least onto that first week of September.
We had the camper van for eight nights as we drove the Ring Road, staying in these locations.
Campgrounds we Stayed At
These are the campgrounds we stayed at in our camper van as we drove around Iceland.
We didn’t book any of them in advance, just turned up each day. Most of them don’t take bookings in advance. We mostly arrived around 5-6pm and had no issues getting a place.
We didn’t need electricity which saved us $15-20AUD (1300-1800ISK) per night.
We also had our own cooking facilities, so didn’t usually use the camp kitchens, except to wash dishes afterwards or occasionally as a place to hang out.
In some places showers were included in the camping fee, others had an extra charge.
Camping Selfoss
Cost – 6500ISK
Kitchen/Common area – Basic cooking facilities. We made breakfast here. Not huge, but a few tables to sit at to eat and socialise.
Showers – Nice hot water, but just shower curtains separating showers. No privacy to get dressed, which I was to learn was not unusual.
Laundry – one washer and one dryer. 900ISK each. Had humorous note about not working properly and may take ages
Overall vibe – decent, solid option
Hvolsvöllur Camp Site
Cost – 5800ISK
Kitchen/Common area – Not great. Small and old with no room to sit. We didn’t use it at all.
Showers – Required 400ISK in local coins which we didn’t have so no shower for us! There were multiple toilet blocks, the ones we used were new-ish and heated which was nice.
Laundry – I noticed a washing machine in the kitchen but didn’t note details as I wasn’t using it.
Overall vibe – Okay, but facilities were mostly bad. Location was close to food options. Fine just to park and sleep for a night.
Vik Camping
Cost – 4400 + 600 for 2 x showers
Kitchen/Common area – Large kitchen with multiple cooking stations. Plenty of seating and nice welcoming vibe.
Showers – open plan, no privacy here at all. Open from 7am to 10pm. Need to get tokens from reception, 300ISK for five minutes.
Laundry – 800 each for washer or dryer, 100 for soap. Speak with reception, they will accompany you to machine and turn it on. Set hours, closes at 9pm.
Overall vibe – great common areas but very busy park could do with more bathrooms. There was often a lineup out the door for the ladies toilets.
Camping Höfn
Cost – 2600 + 200 for showers
Kitchen/Common area – decent kitchen and facilities, half inside, half outside. On the smaller side though as was always filled with people.
Showers – 100 for 3 minutes, 200 for six minutes. In terms of size, privacy and layout, the best yet, but only seemed to get about a minute of hot water before it went lukewarm warm
Laundry – Not one on site but they will send out your clothes. We used a laundromat in town. Was really good, clean and warm, but also very expensive – 1500 each for a wash or dry.
Overall vibe – Another good solid choice without being amazing. Half the price of other places – I had to check the paperwork, it did have 2 people on it, but still not sure if they made an error.
Húsavík Campgound
Cost – 4400
Kitchen/Common area – There really isn’t one, just a sink outside for washing up
Showers – Included in the price. Clean and hot, no time limit. Individual unisex shower rooms.
Laundry – Just one washer and dryer for guest use, 800ISK each.
Overall vibe – Everything was good but basic. Nothing here to criticise, except maybe the lack of a camp kitchen. We don’t need one so not a dealbreaker for us.
Camping Hamrar
Cost – 5350
Kitchen/Common area – Small kitchen that gets very crowded. Great common area, perhaps a little small but there weren’t alot of people here so not too bad.
Showers – Individual showers, plenty of hot water.
Laundry – Looked good. 10x100kr coins needed
Overall vibe – a good option near Akureyri. The campground is huge, so I can image there might be times in summer where there are a lot of people here.
Snorrastaðir Campsite
Cost – 4800
Kitchen/Common area – decent sized kitchen and common room. Some items available for sale (cash or card) on an honesty basis.
Water temporarily not good for drinking – needs to be boiled first
Showers – Two large showers with good hot water
Laundry – Didn’t appear to be one, but I didn’t search for it.
Overall vibe – The rural location was lovely. We would have explored more if it wasn’t raining for the whole evening we were there.
Reykjavik Eco Campsite
Cost – 6925 (10% discount for booking on their website in advance – we booked about half an hour before we arrived)
Kitchen/Common area – There is a huge kitchen with multiple stations inside and out, with a large common room. I did find it to be a bit chaotic and untidy, but there were a lot of people using it.
Showers – Showers were included in the price. We were near some secondary showers, not the main ones, and they were decent.
My only gripe was that they had those timer taps that you push in, and the water stays on for 30 seconds or so and then turns off.
I’ve had them before in other places and they drive me nuts, but I guess they do their job, making me have a shorter shower.
Laundry – Laundry room with multiple machines. 990 per wash or dry load. Again, the laundry seemed chaotic with clothes hung all around. There were also luggage storage lockers here.
Overall vibe – this is a big campsite with a lot of people. It is split into two parts, one side mostly RVs and campers, the other, smaller campers and tents. We were on the latter side.
There was a food van selling fish & chips (which we tried. They were okay, one serve was enough for the two of us, but they weren’t amazing) and a secondary bathroom/shower/sink area which meant we didn’t have to walk over to the main area.
It was a lot quieter here than the other section. There is a hostel with bar and restaurant also associated with the campgrounds, so meals, drinks etc are available there too.
We walked from the campsite down to the waterfront at midnight to see the Northern Lights. It’s a safe area to walk around.
Other Campgrounds
There is one more campground I want to mention, more as a precautionary tale than a recommendation. On our final night, our plan had been to stay at the campground in Borgarnes.
When we arrives we found a very basic campground. The location was similar to a carpark near a swampy beach area.
It was unmanned, with a small amenities block including a single shower, two toilets and a sink for washing dishes.
We found it unappealing, so drove on. It was only about an hour into Reykjavik, so we stayed there instead.
Overall, staying in campgrounds across Iceland added so much colour to our road trip – all had hot showers after a cold, rainy day (except the one we didn’t have coins for) and kitchens where everyone compared notes on the weather and their waterfall count.
None of the places we stayed were perfect, but each one offered something useful, whether it was a great location, friendly atmosphere or simply a warm place to wash the dishes.
If you’re travelling in a camper van, don’t stress too much about booking ahead.
We found every place welcoming, affordable by Iceland standards, and easy enough to use even when facilities were a little rustic.
Hopefully this list helps you decide where you want to stop – and what you can expect when you do.
If you want to read more about our Iceland journey, including what we did each day, you can find all those stories here in the itinerary.
You can also read my reviews for Guesthouse Aurora and Kef Guesthouse, the places we stayed the night before in Reykjavík and after in Keflavik.
Iceland is an unforgettable place to explore, and I hope these campground notes make planning your own trip just a little easier.
TRAVEL PLANNING ESSENTIALS
Find flights – I always use Skyscanner as my starting point when searching for flights. One search will give many options including airlines I may not have thought of. This means I can find the best possible flights to suit my needs
Book accommodation – my go to is always Booking.com for the best places to stay. It’s not just hotels anymore, but hostels, apartments, B&Bs and more. I love that the bookings are usually cancellable, and that I can book now and pay later.
Hire a rental car – RentalCars.com is my go to here. It allows me to do just one search and it finds cars from many of the different supplies, so no checking multiple websites to compare.
Get travel insurance – you would have heard by now that saying “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel”. If we’ve learnt anything from the last couple of years it should be how essential travel insurance is. I use CoverMore for my insurance.
Pick up an eSIM – I tried an eSIM on my last trip and it was fantastic. I set it up before I went so it was ready as soon as I landed, and I still had access to my home number for emergencies. Get your own eSIM at Airalo.
Book activities, tours & attractions – I use a few different websites for this. Viator and Get Your Guide tend to be the first places I look. In Asia, Klook often has more options, and in Australia it’s Experience Oz.
Manage your money – the best way to manage your different currencies is with an account from Wise. You can hold money in many different currencies, and use them with the ATM card or from your phone.
