Decision to Camp in Iceland

When Jasper turned one we spontaneously spent three weeks wandering around Europe, including five incredible days in Iceland. We wanted to rent a camper van, but because we were traveling there so last minute in the middle of the busy season (August) many companies had no availability or were extremely expensive, so we decided to look into tent camping as Iceland as 200+ campgrounds! We were planning to travel ultralight and didn’t want to take up space hauling camping gear, so looked into rentals instead and came across a company called Iceland Camping Equipment Rental and decided to rent a tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and cooking equipment from them for a four day three night camping trip while we explored part of the Ring Road around the perimeter of the country. I was a bit leery about tent camping with a toddler in Iceland because the weather is famously unpredictable with average high temperatures not climbing above the 50s Fahrenheit even in the middle of summer. However, I was definitely willing to give it a try to experience Iceland!

Day 1

We stayed in a hotel in Reykjavik our first night in Iceland as we flew in late, but picked up our camping gear the next morning at Iceland Camping Equipment’s location near the BSI bus terminal. We do a lot of backpacking and felt that the tent, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads weren’t very high quality despite what the website claimed, but they looked like they’d do the job.

Good to know: While Iceland Camping Equipment has specific store hours, you can make arrangements to pick up (and drop off) your gear 24/7 as long as you give them notice about 24hrs in advance. Very convenient if your flight arrives at an odd time.

After getting our gear, we decided to stop at a thrift shop to look for something warmer for Jasper to sleep in as we had packed extremely light for our entire trip and didn’t think he’d sleep well crammed into a sleeping bag with one of us. Fortunately, Reykjavik has awesome thrift shops and we found one that was just children’s clothes and scored a really thick fleece lined bunting suit with a hood that we decided would be perfect. After that we stopped at a Bonus grocery store to get some food for our camping adventure and then headed out of town onto the Ring Road shortly after noon.

Good to know: We only spent $106 on food for the three of us for our four days in Iceland by simply grocery shopping versus eating out. We did all our shopping at a grocery store chain called Bonus that had decent prices and really great fresh pastries and bread! We ate a lot of those pastries, cheese, instant noodles, and some fresh produce.

We spent the afternoon traversing a popular route known as The Golden Circle that connects several very popular sites - Gullfoss Waterfall, a geothermal area with a geyser, and Thingvellir National Park. It was a lot to see in one afternoon so we started looking for a campsite pretty late in the day. Since Iceland has an abundance of campgrounds and we read that they are generally beautiful, clean, and well equipped with sheltered cooking areas, showers etc. we didn’t try to figure out where we were going to stay in advance. Instead, we got a sim card so we’d have data and just looked up what campgrounds were close to us when we decided we were done for the day. We found Happy Campers interactive campground map to be especially useful! Since it was already evening, we decided to go to our closest campground located in the middle of a little town. I unfortunately forgot to write the name down so can’t tell you exactly where it was, but it wasn’t anything too special so you’re not missing out. When we arrived it was packed with camper vans but the host said there was still room for some tents and so we got our first experience with the typical style of these campgrounds where you just pitch your tent anywhere in an open field instead of a set numbered spot like most US campgrounds. It was raining pretty hard after Justin paid for our campsite at the office, so we ended up sitting in the car eating our dinner of cheese and bread as it got progressively darker since I just couldn’t bear to get out and pitch a tent in such wet weather. Finally, Justin very kindly got out and quickly pitched the tent by himself after which we quickly shuttled our gear into it and fell asleep in a jet lagged daze to the sound of rain pattering on the tent. Amazingly, we all slept well through the entire night with Jasper sleeping between us in his bunting suit with the hood on.

Good to know: Campgrounds in Iceland typically cost between 10-20 euros per person, but children are usually free. Jasper was free at each place we camped. The fees still seemed a bit steep to us at first, but when we saw that each place we stayed included bathrooms, hot showers, and sheltered cooking facilities, it didn’t feel as bad. If you’re going to do a lot of camping, it might end up being cheaper to get a Campingcard - a pass that covers up to two adults and four children in one unit for any campground for 28 days. It currently costs 179 euros and you can buy the pass online or at gas stations, information centers, campgrounds, and other locations around Iceland.

*Taking in Silfra Fissure - a rift between tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park*

*A beautiful little waterfall in Thingvellir*

*Chasing a busy baby/toddler around Gullfoss*

*How we slept together in the tent - Jasper slept great between us in a cozy bunting suit in lieu of a sleeping bag.*

Day 2

In the morning, we once again woke up to the steady sound of rain. At that point, I have to admit I was pretty discouraged and feeling very morose about our decision to tent camp with Jasper as I imagined day after day sitting in the tent or car with an active 1-year-old trying to escape the weather. We had brought Jasper’s little toy bag to the tent and were glad we did as he kept busy playing for an hour while we waited to see what the rain was going to do. When it didn’t show signs of letting up, we eventually made a dash for the covered cooking area where several other campers had already gathered to dry out wet gear. We used the electric kettle to make some hot water and were impressed to see that they also provided a microwave, gas range, coffee maker, some dishes, and lots of condiments. After a breakfast of instant noodles, we packed up our soggy tent and headed for Seljavallalaug hot spring - the oldest swimming pool in Iceland (check out our guide to visiting geothermal pools in Iceland with a toddler for details on all the hot springs we visited with Jasper during this trip!)

*Making breakfast the next morning in the cook house*

*A dry space & toaster, dishes, gas range, coffee pot, electric kettle, and condiments in the cook house were much appreciated!*

We stopped at the Assolfsakirja church and then took a lovely hike to and a quick swim at Seljavallalaug hot spring. When we got back to our car a girl who was hitch hiking approached us and asked if we could take her to nearby Skógafoss Waterfall. It was fun chatting with her and since Skógafoss is one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland, we were planning to visit it anyways. Although it was pretty crowded, it was incredibly beautiful and didn’t disappoint. We spent the rest of the day slowly driving the approximately 3 hours up the coast to Jökulsárlón - a stunning glacial lagoon full of icebergs that was at the top of my “must see” list for Iceland. A quick look at Happy Camper’s map helped us find a wonderful spot at Svinafell Campground, only about 40 minutes from Jökulsárlón. The tent area was just a giant field by the cook/bath house with a gravel parking lot on one edge, but we still thought it was beautiful nestled against the hills with views of little white houses with red roofs. Plus, the cook/bath house was by far the nicest of our trip with multiple showers and a huge dining area full of windows and rows of tables heated to a cozy temperature by a stove. We used their range to cook some pasta and enjoyed eating it while watching the moody weather out the windows. After dinner we spontaneously decided to run up to Jökulsárlón since it stayed light so late. When we arrived we pulled into a little gravel lot with a few other cars and started exploring the black gravel beach on along the ocean, which was littered with huge chunks of ice that floated out to sea from the glacial lagoon and then washed back on shore. It was such a surreal site! It was a stormy evening, but suddenly the light began to warm and change color and we were suddenly treated to an incredible sunset, complete with sun rays shining down through the clouds over the icebergs in the lagoon. We hardly knew which way to look as it seemed like everything was constantly changing and getting more beautiful by the moment. Everyone who was there kept saying to each other, “Can you believe this?!” It really was so incredibly magical.

Good to know: Every campground we stayed at had free wifi within a certain radius of the check in area (so not at our tent by in/near the buildings), which was nice to use a bit as we only had data on one phone and would certainly be nice if you didn’t have data at all.

*Our short but stunning hike up the canyon to Seljavallalaug hot spring*

*Moody views from our tent at Svinafell campground*

*Pitching our tent with other tents in the big grassy field at Svinafell*

*Looking out at the field of tents, parking area, and cook house/bathrooms*

*Inside the cook house at Svinafell Campground - definitely the most beautiful/luxurious one of our trip*

*Eating some pasta we cooked on their stove with the cookware we rented*

*Wandering amongst chunks of ice that had washed onshore from the glacier at Jökulsárlón*

*And then the sun began to set and gave us an absolutely magical experience*

*Rays of light over the lagoon and icebergs at Jökulsárlón*

Day 3

We slept well again and finally woke up to a clear morning with no rain! It was pretty chilly though so we hung out in the tent for awhile waiting for things to get a little warmer before braving a shower and breakfast. Although each campground had showers, Svinafell was the only place we used them and they were clean with piping hot water. After packing up we decided to forgo another visit to Jökulsárlón as the experience the night before seemed unbeatable and instead give ourselves more time to drive the 2-ish hours to the popular black sand beach of Reynisfjara near Vik. Just before reaching the beach, we passed a classic white church with red roof that you see all over Iceland, right as a flock of sheep ambled passed. Another of my favorite moments in Iceland! We were able to easily locate the large free parking lot by the beach and enjoyed soaking up some sun and playing in the black gravel (it’s not really sandy). The other thing about the beach that we thought was even cooler are the dramatic basalt columns. Definitely a lot of interesting geology! After we had our fill of Reynisfjara, we headed off to see another waterfall, Seljalandsfoss, which is popular due to the fact that you can actually walk behind it on a narrow trail that runs around the base of the cliff it plummets over. We didn’t walk behind it as there was a pretty long line to do so, but I loved taking pictures of the falls and we spent quite awhile enjoying the other trails in the area. After Seljalandsfoss we didn’t really have a plan so decided to just wander, which led us on a loop through the countryside north of Reykjavik. We decided to look up whether Iceland has wild berries and were delighted to discover that there are quite a few varieties of wild berries that can be harvested from late summer into the autumn. We decided to give it a try and shortly after that started to see cars parked along the side of the road and people wandering around with baskets, so we knew we must be in the right area for berries. We stopped and started searching and quickly realized that the ground cover was absolutely covered with tiny berries that we learned were called crowberries - a hearty berry that thrives in the tundra. While they aren’t popular for eating plain due to their slightly bitter taste, they are used for things like jam and we picked and ate quite a few because when else would we find ourselves picking wild berries in Iceland? Jasper loved it and was great and finding and picking those itty bitty berries with his tiny fingers. After awhile we also found some wild blueberries, which were super delicious! After berry picking we decided to look for a campground and found one nearby called Akranes campground located right next to the ocean on the outskirts of the little town of Akranes. We paid for a spot and since the campground was nearly empty, got to pick a nice grassy spot with sweeping ocean views. This campground had the least impressive facilities with a very small cook area without a stove, but it did have a microwave and electric kettle so we were able to make instant noodles. After eating dinner we went exploring and were delighted to discover that the campground was next door to a small farm with beautiful fluffy Icelandic horses. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day of spontaneous exploration.

Good to know: Iceland has many varieties of edible wild berries that can be harvested from late summer into autumn. Check out this great article on berry picking in Iceland for a fun free activity!

*Another decent night of sleep. Note the portable noise maker we brought to maintain Jasper’s sleep routine.*

*Playing with toys in the tent to give it a little time to warm up before venturing out of the tent*

*Quintessential Iceland moment near Reynisfjara*

*Exploring the super cool basalt columns at Reynisfjara*

*What could be more fun than picking and eating wild berries in Iceland?*

*We found an abundance of wild crowberries*

*Setting up our tent with ocean views at Akranes Campground*

*The cookhouse at Akranes Campground - pretty basic but you can get the job done with the electric kettle and microwave!*

*Preparing our dinner of various kinds of instant noodles*

*Beautiful Icelandic horses right by the Akranes Campground*

Day 4

We decided to spend out final day in Iceland with some more geothermal explorations so headed off to experience the unique Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach in downtown Reykjavik. Justin wasn’t interested in joining us for this one as it was pretty crowded, but Jasper and I paid the $5.50, showered, and headed to the warm pool down in the lagoon. It was pretty tepid so we got cold quickly in the 40 degree weather and headed to the busy hot pool up on a deck looking out at the beach where we were welcomed by a large group of lovely locals who even took turns pulling Jasper around the pool on a floaty (you can get all the details for planning your own visit here). When we were done with Nauthólsvík, we did some thrift shopping and then took a hike to a lighthouse just outside town, followed by a soak in the Kvika geothermal foot bath. Sitting there as a family with our feet in a stone pool filled with hot water looking out over the ocean at the end of another adventure filled day was the perfect way to close out our time in Iceland. I started the trip feeling pretty discouraged about our decision to tent camp and ended it feeling rather sad that it was all over so soon as we returned out camping gear to Iceland Camping Equipment and headed to the airport.

Good to know: If you’re traveling with a little one and want to go in the water somewhere but weren’t prepared for that, we saw that you can buy Pampers Splashers swim diapers in the Bonus stores we visited

*The warm pool at Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach*

*The hot pool at Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach*

*Testing the water temperature at the Kvika geothermal foot bath*

*Soaking in Kvika was the perfect way to end our incredible trip to Iceland*

Final Verdict - To Camp or Not?

Final verdict on whether or not to camp in Iceland with a baby/toddler? I would say yes if you’re adventurous and on a tight budget! It was definitely doable despite the rainy weather with no leaking in our tent and we all slept better than expected. The campgrounds all have indoor cooking areas so your little one can stretch their legs out of the elements if the weather is bad and some of the campgrounds even had baby friendly features like changing tables. All that said, if we went back to Iceland and were able to plan further in advance, I would rent a camper van instead, simply because it’s a pain dealing with rain in a tent regardless of whether you have a baby or toddler!

Tips for Tent Camping in Iceland With a Baby

Consider bringing (or purchasing on arrival) a warm bunting suit for your baby or toddler to sleep in instead of a sleeping bag. It’s hard for little ones to stay inside sleeping bags and using a bunting suit instead of a baby/toddler specific sleeping bag means that it can double for daytime use. Jasper slept super well in the thick bunting suit we thrifted for him when we arrived in Reykjavik and also wore it almost every day during our outdoor explorations as it was quite cold and windy.
Bring a travel sized noise maker. Even if your little one doesn’t usually sleep with a noise maker, I’d recommend it as other campers make noise around your tent and the noise maker helps to drown it out. A noise maker function or app on your phone could work too.
Every campground we stayed at had a microwave and/or electric kettle so you can come up with a way of heating milk if your little one still takes a bottle. Jasper was already weaned on our trip, but it would have been easy to warm a bottle in a pot of hot water or microwave, shake well to disperse hot pockets, then test on your hand for temperature level.
Take something into the tent with you at night to entertain your little one in the morning if you wake up to rain or really cold weather and want to wait awhile in your tent before venturing out. We travel with a small bag with toys for Jasper and we took that into our tent every night to let him play with in the morning and were glad we did, especially the first morning when we woke up to heavy rain.
Per usual, the campgrounds only have showers, so if you want to bathe your little one during your trip or it’s an integral part of your bedtime routine, try out showering with them before your trip. I showered with Jasper at Svinafell Campground and it went pretty smoothly. There were hooks for hanging our clothes and towel and the water was unlimited and nice and toasty.
Some of the campgrounds had laundry facilities (usually an extra fee) if you need to wash your little one’s clothes. Alternatively, take them into the shower with you and then pay for just the dryer or use the clothesline if provided or drape them somewhere in the cookhouse or car if the weather is rainy. None of Jasper’s clothes got dirty enough to need a wash and no blowouts thankfully so we didn’t end up having to do any laundry during our time in Iceland.
Be prepared for any kind of weather! Iceland is famous for its unpredictable weather and you might even get snowed on during the summer. The good news is that there are plenty of little towns to buy supplies and if you decide your wardrobe isn’t quite up to par (or you travel ultralight like us and don’t want to bring too much clothing) we’d recommend visiting some thrift shops to get warmer gear, rain clothes etc that you can either take home or re-donate.

Have you tent camped in Iceland with a baby or toddler? We and our readers would love to hear your experience and tips. Leave us a comment!

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