Camping sites in Iceland

Húsavík Camping Ground

Húsavík Camping Ground is the town campsite on Héðinsbraut at the north edge of Húsavík in North Iceland, within walking distance of the whale-watching harbor and the town pool. It takes tents, caravans, campervans and motorhomes. Facilities are practical rather than fancy: toilets, showers, a cooking area, a washing machine and tumble dryer, free Wi-Fi, electrical hookups and a waste discharge point. There's no booking system, so you choose a pitch, then check in and pay at reception. The Húsavík campsite opens from mid-May to the end of September. Expect to pay per adult per night, plus extra for electricity and laundry and the national lodging tax per unit. Rates change each year, so check with the operator (+354 792 0160) before you arrive, and note that the town's summer festival, Mærudagar, makes late July the busiest stretch. For camping in Húsavík, two or three nights works well. Ásbyrgi canyon is about 50 minutes' drive northeast, Lake Mývatn and Goðafoss are both around 45 minutes away, and the GeoSea sea baths are a short drive up the headland.

Kirkjuhvammur

Kirkjuhvammur is the Hvammstangi campsite, set in a grassy hollow above the fishing village in Northwest Iceland, about 6 km off Route 1 and roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes from Reykjavík. The old Kirkjuhvammur church stands beside the tents, and walking trails start right from the field. It is one of the calmest overnight stops on the western half of the Ring Road. The Kirkjuhvammur campsite has toilets, a washing machine and electric hookups for campervans and trailers, plus a playground for children. For a hot shower and a soak, the Hvammstangi swimming pool is a short walk down the hill. The village below has a supermarket, gas, a restaurant and the Icelandic Seal Center. At the campsite's current rates, adults (17+) pay 1,800 ISK per night, seniors (67+) and disabled guests pay 1,500 ISK, and children camp free. Electricity is 1,000 ISK and a 400 ISK tax is charged per vehicle. You can pay online in advance or when you leave. The site runs from late spring into fall, and opening dates shift from year to year, so check with the campsite before an early or late-season trip. The best reason to stay two nights is the Vatnsnes peninsula just north of town. A gravel road loops around it past seal colonies on the shore and Hvítserkur, the 15-meter basalt sea stack, which is under an hour's drive from camp. Give the full loop half a day.

Kiðagil

Kiðagil is a summer guesthouse with a campsite and restaurant beside the bridge over Skjálfandafljót, halfway up Bárðardalur, the long valley south of Goðafoss in North Iceland. It sits about 23 km off Route 1, so you leave the Ring Road traffic behind and wake up with the river and a handful of farms for company. The Kiðagil campsite is a large, quiet field next to the house with toilets, showers, water and electricity. Soccer goals stand beside the tents and there is a playground a short walk away, which makes it an easy pick for families. Inside, Kiðagil Guesthouse has 17 rooms, five of them with a private bathroom. The restaurant cooks local food such as smoked trout, Arctic char and lamb fillet, with crowberry cheesecake for dessert. The real reason to base yourself here is the waterfalls. Aldeyjarfoss, with its basalt columns, is roughly 15 km farther up the valley, and Goðafoss is about 25 minutes back down toward the Ring Road. Akureyri is about an hour away by car and Lake Mývatn a little over an hour, so both work as day trips. Kiðagil opens in summer only and does not publish set dates or camping prices online, so confirm both with the house before you go. Coming off the Sprengisandur highland route (F26), you reach the campsite about 20 km after the road drops into the valley, which makes it a good first night back in the lowlands.

Landmannahellir Campsite

Landmannahellir is a campsite and hut area in a grassy mountain meadow in the Fjallabak highlands, about 11 kilometers west of Landmannalaugar. You get the same rhyolite country as its famous neighbor with far fewer tents around you, which makes it the quieter place to sleep in the area. The Landmannahellir campsite holds about 50 tents and has toilets, showers and grill areas. If you'd rather not pitch a tent, the Landmannahellir huts offer heated sleeping-bag space with running water and kitchens, and there's a stable with paddocks for horse trips. Trout fishing in the nearby lakes and day hikes on the surrounding peaks fill a spare afternoon. The service center is open from mid-June to September 16, and July and August fill up, so book ahead in peak season. Prices change each year, so confirm current camping, shower and hut rates directly with the operator before you go. Getting here takes a 4x4. Landmannahellir sits on the F225 (Landmannaleið), a highland road that usually opens in late June or early July and fords several streams, and rental contracts forbid two-wheel-drive cars on it. From Reykjavík, plan on roughly three and a half hours, and since there's no shop or gas station, fill the tank and buy food in Hella on the way in.

Laugar

Laugar í Sælingsdal is a campsite and small geothermal hamlet in the Sælingsdalur valley in the Dalir region of West Iceland, 16 kilometers north of Búðardalur. It's about two and a half hours' drive from Reykjavík, and the reason to stop is the hot water: a pool on the grounds and a saga-era hot pool on the hill above. A stream runs through the campsite and splits it into several smaller camping areas, set back far enough from the road that traffic noise stays out. Facilities are simple, with toilets, hot and cold water, electricity hookups and showers. Reception is in the lobby of the swimming pool, run together with Dalahotel on the same grounds. The pool, Sælingsdalslaug, has hot tubs and a sauna fed by water from a borehole on the property, and entry is paid separately. The bigger draw is Guðrúnarlaug, a small stone-walled hot pool rebuilt in 2009 and named after Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir of Laxdæla saga. It holds six to eight people at around 42°C and is open at all times. Camping rates and the campsite's season change from year to year, so confirm them with Dalahotel before you arrive. One night at Laugar is enough for most people, and it works well as a stop on the way north toward the Westfjords or the Strandir coast, with shops and gas in Búðardalur.

Lónsá Campsite

Lónsá Campsite is a small campground at the farm Lónsá on the northern edge of Akureyri in North Iceland, run alongside Lónsá Guesthouse. Staying here means quieter nights than in town, with groceries and restaurants a short drive away. Lónsá is just off Route 1 as it leaves Akureyri to the northwest, about 5 minutes' drive from the town center and around 4.5 hours from Reykjavík. That makes it handy for a night on the Ring Road, or as a base for day trips around Eyjafjörður and east to Goðafoss. The guesthouse is the main business at Lónsá, and current camping details are hard to pin down. Prices, facilities and opening dates are not published, so call or email Lónsá Guesthouse before you arrive to confirm that pitches are available. If you need a larger campground that is open year-round, Camping Hamrar by the Kjarnaskógur forest on the south side of town is the safer choice.

Raufarhöfn

Raufarhöfn is the northernmost village on the Icelandic mainland, on the Melrakkaslétta coast of Northeast Iceland, and the Raufarhöfn campsite puts all of it within walking distance. The campground sits by a small pond next to the elementary school and the sports center on Skólabraut, a short walk from the grocery store and the harbor. The main sight is the Arctic Henge (Heimskautsgerðið), a stone monument on the hill above the village, and around midsummer the nights here barely get dark. Iceland restricts overnight stays in campervans to campsites, so park for the night down in the village rather than up at the Henge. Facilities at the Raufarhöfn camping ground are simple: toilets, washing-up sinks, showers, picnic tables, electrical hookups for campers and motorhomes, and a place to empty portable toilets. Next door, the sports center has an indoor pool and a sauna. An overflow area on the sports field takes extra tents but has no toilets or electricity. The season runs from May 15 to October 1, as long as the weather holds and temperatures stay above freezing. The municipality handed the campsite to a private operator in 2024, so confirm the current rate and how to pay when you arrive. Getting here is part of the trip. Raufarhöfn is about two hours' drive from Húsavík and three from Akureyri, so plan to stay the night rather than turn straight around.

Reykholt

Reykholt is a small geothermal village in Biskupstungur, South Iceland, just off Route 35 on the Golden Circle between Þingvellir and Geysir. Hot water from the ground heats the greenhouses that keep this part of the country growing tomatoes and cucumbers all year, and on cold days you can see steam rising from vents and greenhouse roofs. Two villages in Iceland share the name, so check which one you mean. This Reykholt is in Bláskógabyggð, while the Reykholt where the medieval writer Snorri Sturluson lived is in Borgarfjörður in West Iceland, well over two hours away by road. The main reason to stop is Friðheimar, a tomato farm at the edge of the village where you eat lunch among the plants inside a working greenhouse. Its kitchen is open every day from 11:30 to 16:00, and in summer it pays to book a table online. Among other things to do in Reykholt, the sports center has an outdoor swimming pool, and Faxi waterfall is about 10 minutes away by car. The drive from Reykjavík to Reykholt takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. That makes the village a sensible overnight base for the Golden Circle, so you can see Geysir (about 20 minutes away) and Gullfoss (about 30 minutes) before the day-trip buses arrive. The village campsite beside the Aratunga community hall is open in summer, and the Secret Lagoon at Flúðir is about 15 minutes south.

Reykjavík Eco Campsite

Reykjavík Eco Campsite is the main campsite in the capital, at Sundlaugavegur 32 in the Laugardalur valley, about 2 kilometers east of downtown Reykjavík. It sits next door to the city's biggest geothermal pool, which is about the best morning routine a camper in Iceland can ask for, and it holds a Vakinn environmental certification at bronze level. The Reykjavík campsite is open year-round, including winter, though what you can bring changes with the season. From October 15 to April 15 only Area A is open, and only to motorhomes and campervans, so tent campers need to come in summer. Caravans, folding campers and trailer tents are accepted from May 15 to October 15, and stays are capped at seven nights in any 30-day period. Facilities cover the basics well: a guest kitchen and lounge, toilets and showers, outdoor sinks, wifi across the grounds and a barbecue area (campfires aren't allowed). There's also card-only laundry, paid luggage storage, lockable boxes with a power outlet and free swap shelves where campers leave food, gas and gear. Reception is staffed 07:30–22:00, and there's no shop or gear rental on site. The 2026 online rates are 3,555 ISK for a tent pitch and 3,735 ISK for a campervan pitch without power, or 5,715 ISK with 16A electricity, each including one adult. Extra adults aged 13 and over pay 3,150 ISK, children 12 and under stay free, and a 400 ISK lodging tax is added per unit per night. Booking online gets a 10% discount and the four-digit gate code. Laugardalslaug is a few minutes' walk away, and the Family Park and Zoo and the Botanic Garden share the same valley. Bus 14 runs to the center, which is also a 20- to 30-minute walk, and highland bus tours leave from in front of the campsite each morning. For a campervan trip, the eco campsite in Reykjavík is the obvious first or last night before the drive to Keflavík airport, about 50 minutes away. For a very early flight, though, a campsite near Keflavík saves time.

Tjaldsvæðið við Skógafoss Campsite

Skógafoss campsite is the campground for Skógafoss waterfall in Skógar, South Iceland, now on a new site about 2 km from the falls. The old field below the waterfall is no longer in use, and a path from the new site crosses the Kverna stream on a footbridge and reaches Skógafoss in about 20 minutes on foot. To find it, turn off the Ring Road (Route 1) onto Skógavegur toward Skógar, then turn left at the large sign for Skógræktarfélag Rangæinga, the local forestry society, and follow the road in. Skógar is about 2 hours' drive east of Reykjavík and about 30 minutes west of Vík, so camping near Skógafoss splits the south coast neatly in two. Facilities are basic. The operator lists toilets, cold fresh water and a disposal point for portable toilets, with no showers or electric hookups, so arrive self-sufficient. You can't book a pitch. Turn up, choose a spot and pay by scanning the QR code on the service building, and expect to pay 2,100 ISK per person per night in 2026. The real reason for camping at Skógafoss is timing. Walk over in the evening or early morning and you share the falls with far fewer people than at midday, and the Fimmvörðuháls trail starts right at the top of the staircase. Sólheimajökull and the Seljavallalaug pool are a short drive away, while restaurants and the Skógar Museum are close by in Skógar itself.

Tungudalur

Tungudalur is a wooded valley on the edge of Ísafjörður in the Westfjords, and its campsite is the town's main place to pitch a tent. Trees around the pitches take the edge off windy days, and the Bunárfoss waterfall runs straight through the middle of the site, splitting it in two. Motorhomes, caravans and folding campers use one side of the stream, while tents go on the other. The older service building holds reception, toilets and a shower. The newer one, built in 2011, adds more showers, an accessible toilet with shower, a laundry and an indoor kitchen with a microwave, toaster, tables and chairs, which counts for a lot on a wet Westfjords evening. The Tungudalur campsite is open from May 15 to September 30 and works on a drop-in basis only, so you can't book ahead. In 2026 adults pay 2,500 ISK a night, seniors and disabled guests 1,600 ISK, and children 14 and under stay free. Electricity costs 1,500 ISK and a lodging tax of 400 ISK per unit is added. The washing machine is 1,100 ISK and a 40-minute dryer cycle 800 ISK, and there are also a children's playground and free wifi. The site sits about 900 meters off Skutulsfjarðarbraut, the main road into Ísafjörður, a short drive from the town's shops, restaurants and the Sundhöll Ísafjarðar pool. Since Ísafjörður is about 6 hours' drive from Reykjavík, it pays to stay at least two nights. Camping in Ísafjörður puts Bolungarvík and Suðureyri within about 20 minutes, and Dynjandi is roughly an hour and a half to the south.

Þakgil

Þakgil (Thakgil) is a grassy canyon campsite in the hills northeast of Vík in South Iceland, close enough to the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap that you can hike to a glacier viewpoint from your tent. The name means roof canyon, and the jagged, moss-covered ridges around it make it one of the most striking places to camp on the South Coast. Getting to Þakgil takes some commitment. Turn inland off the Ring Road just east of Vík onto Road 214, then follow about 14 to 16 km of rough gravel with steep, bumpy sections. It isn't an F-road, but a 4x4 or high-clearance car is the sensible choice, and there's no winter service. Plan on about three and a half hours from Reykjavík. The Thakgil campsite has tent and camper pitches, a handful of small cabins, toilets and showers. Its best feature is the dining room, a natural cave fitted with a grill and a fireplace. The operator lists camping at 3,000 ISK per person aged 12 and over. Marked trails start right at the site, from a short walk into a side canyon with a small waterfall to the longer Remundargil hike that climbs to a view over the Kötlujökull glacier. Most people stay at least two nights so they can hike in daylight without rushing. The site is open in summer only, and the operator lists September 30 as its closing date, so check the official website for the opening date before you drive in.