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12-Day Iceland Itinerary: Golden Circle & Vatnajokull area

A 12-night road trip around the Icelandic ring road, starting and ending in Reykjavik, including excursions to the highlands and various natural landmarks.

Expert-built 12 days · September Medium pace Self-drive · 4x4Iceland in September: what to expect

An Iceland trip expert planned this 12-day route for a real client's September trip: Ring Road With Landmannalaugar. It passed our checks for daily driving, highland roads and season, which is why it is one of the 177 expert-built plans in our Iceland itineraries.

The day-by-day plan below has every stop, with photos and what to see. Duplicate it to set your own dates, change the pace or swap stops; the original stays as the expert wrote it.

Trip highlights

  • Gullfoss
  • Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
  • Geysir Geothermal Area
  • Skógafoss
  • Seljalandsfoss
  • Þingvellir National Park
  • Reynisfjara Beach
  • Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon

Your route across Iceland

The journey, day by day

Open any day for the full plan — stops, drives, and where to stay.

  1. ReykjavikDAY 1

    Reykjavik

    2 stopsReykjavik
  2. Reykjavik/SelfossDAY 2

    Reykjavik/Selfoss

    5 stops1.5 hrsReykjavik/Selfoss
  3. Golden CircleDAY 3

    Golden Circle

    4 stops1.5 hrsGolden Circle
  4. Highlands/HellaDAY 4

    Highlands/Hella

    5 stops3 hrsHighlands/Hella
  5. South Coast/KirkjubaejarklausturDAY 5

    South Coast/Kirkjubaejarklaustur

    6 stops3 hrsVik
  6. Vatnajokull areaDAY 6

    Vatnajokull area

    4 stops3 hrsHofn
  7. East FjordsDAY 7

    East Fjords

    7 stops2.5 hrsEast Fjords
  8. MyvatnDAY 8

    Myvatn

    4 stops2.5 hrsMyvatn
  9. North IcelandDAY 9

    North Iceland

    5 stops2 hrsAkureyri
  10. West IcelandDAY 10

    West Iceland

    5 stops3.5 hrsBlonduos
  11. HusafellDAY 11

    Husafell

    3 stops1 hrsHusafell canyon baths
  12. West/AirportDAY 12

    West/Airport

    4 stops3 hrsBorgarnes

Guides to the places on this route

Each stop below has a full guide on iceland-trip.com, our sister site written by the same team: how to get there, parking, seasons and what to expect.

Also on iceland-trip.com: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall · Skógafoss · Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach · Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon · Svínafellsjökull · Múlagljúfur Canyon · Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon · Höfn · Stokksnes / Vestrahorn · Djúpivogur · Hengifoss · Vök Baths · Stuðlagil Canyon · Earth Lagoon – Myvatn · Goðafoss Waterfall in Iceland: Complete Visitor Guide · Things to Do in Akureyri: Attractions, Museums and Local Experiences · Husafell Canyon Baths · Hraunfossar and Barnafoss: Visitor guide · Vidgelmir Lava Cave · Hvammsvik Hot Spring · Reykjavik

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