4 Days in Iceland - Tesla Camping

[Zalc]

Part 1: Planning

Ever since seeing the lava flows at Kiluea in 2015, I’ve wanted to be able to see it again. We missed last year’s Iceland eruption due to Covid. When I heard in August that it was active again, we booked tickets (55k RT UA) for a short 3 day trip on the first dates we could, in early September.
This trip needed flexibility as both Eruptions and Icelandic weather are fickle. I tried looking into renting a campervan, so we could be super flexible on where we sleep. Unfortunately all the companies wanted about $1000 for any AWD camper with heat and an auto transmission.
As I was about to just bite the bullet, I saw an ad for a new company (rentatesla.is)  that rents out the Tesla Model Y LR in Iceland, and one of the options is to rent with a mattress that fits over the folded rear seats. They were asking about $1150 for 3 days after the optional insurance coverage, so we decided to upgrade for a  few reasons:

• It’s a short trip and will involve many hours for driving. Having a comfortable car as opposed to a rattly van is very tempting, and autopilot promised to let the driver also be able to appreciate the incredible views.
• We’ve never driven a Tesla before, and this would be a good way to truly experience what it’s like to live with.
• Gas is expensive at about $8.50 a gallon, while electricity is both very cheap & Supercharging was included in the rental for September. 
• We’d have the freedom to park anywhere and not be restricted to places with electricity, as Tesla’s Camp Mode keeps the car plenty comfy overnight at the cost of about 10% of range.
• Charging would not be an issue as there were 3 superchargers along our route as well as at least a dozen 3rd party fast chargers.

The owner of the company (Konrad) was very nice and accommodating, even buying a specific customized foam mattress and privacy shades  for us to bring and test out in place of the air mattress that they have by default.

Since we were only going for 3 weekdays, we brought our own frozen food in a cooler and planned to use our small Hotlogic warmer to warm our dinners for each night, and brou ght our camping stove to boil water for Coffee, Sides and Soups as needed.
An interesting quirk that I discovered about Tesla is that none of the cars have AC outlets built in, so we needed to bring a 110v Inverter. A Little research showed me that newer Teslas output is 16v from the DC outlets and not 12v, so any random inverter will not work, it must be able to accept the high voltage. After a little hunting on amazon we bought this one and it worked well. This ended up being even more helpful as the model Y was delivered from Tesla without the USB-C ports due to part shortages.
 
Unfortunately for us, this eruption stopped after 17 days, about 2 weeks before our tickets. We decided to make the best of it as I had been seeing just how much there is to experience there and changed our plans to try and see a bit of each thing Iceland is famous for.

For researching itineraries we read up on DD and used a few custom google maps that we found online.
Here are some links:
Our General Itin (Includes Supercharger locations)
Happy Campers Campsites.
Waterfalls.
Photos.
Reddit Supermap.
Hot springs.

To Be Continued

[Dan]

Very cool idea!

[ushdadude]

General question about camping, where do you shower?

[Zalc]

General question about camping, where do you shower?

That’s something I was nervous about as well.
Almost all of Iceland’s 100+ campsites have hot showers with various levels of cleanliness.
We showered at the campsite in Thingvellir national park and while basic, it was very clean and individual stalls.
YMMV though, and it’s a bit hard to research as reviews don’t generally talk about that.

Aside from that, If you stop at any of the hot spring spas you’ll shower on the way in and out.

[Zalc]

Day 1: Waterfalls, Horses and and Epic Campsite.

The night before we drove to EWR and parked our car at a hotel 5 minutes ($35 for 4 days via Onairparking.com at the Renaissance Newark Airport), checked in, got delayed by almost 2 hours on the tarmac, and ended up landing the next morning at about 9am in KEF. The car rental company sent us Flybus tickets to bring us from KEF to the BSI bus station in central Reykjavik where the car is, it’s about a 45 minute drive. Buses wait at KEF for the planes to land, so you don’t need to worry about missing your bus to Reykjavik.
IMG_1620 by Zalc F, on Flickr


The car was sitting in the station parking lot,
pickup by Zalc F, on Flickr
and after creating an Icelandic Tesla account (US Accounts will not work) and accepting the vehicle share, we just unlocked the car, loaded it and got going towards the south coast, stopping at one of the supermarkets for some other food & Water essentials. Chabad’s kosher list for reference

Driving with the Tesla was really nice, as the Autopilot took off the desire to speed in the slow limits by limited autosteer to 10Km/h above the limit of 90, and let us put most of our focus on the amazing sights around as opposed to matching traffic speed.
autopilot by Zalc F, on Flickr

Our first stop was the Tesla Supercharger where we topped the car off while making brunch,
supercharging by Zalc F, on Flickr
then we continued to the first real stop: Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall you can walk behind. This one is one you are able to see on the highway from a distance, and it just keeps getting bigger as you drive up until you are right there.
It was really cool to be able to see it from all the angles, and having a warm and sunny day made all the water very refreshing.
This was actually the ONLY time on the trip that we needed to use our rain gear, everyone we met was marveling at the amazing weather.

From The Front by Zalc F, on Flickr
Side by Zalc F, on Flickr
Rear by Zalc F, on Flickr
Facing away by Zalc F, on Flickr

Since we were 2 hours of schedule and had to be at Vik on time for the horseback riding, we skipped the other waterfall at that stop and continued on to Skógafoss, which was incredibly picturesque, with a full rainbow at the base of the powerful falls.
At first it seemed crowded but if you walked up a little closer you were able to see it without any crowds.
Rainbow by Zalc F, on Flickr
Full View by Zalc F, on Flickr
crowds by Zalc F, on Flickr
Video by Zalc F, on Flickr

After this I tried driving up an old gravel Quarry road along a mountain as described in this video, but unfortunately it seems the road has been fenced off since the video and we moved on.

We stopped for a snack at the top of Dyrhólaey overlooking the black sand beach - the drive up is well paved but very steep!
Cliffs by Zalc F, on Flickr

And then quickly moving on to catch our horseback appointment in Vik.
The Icelandic horses are very different from the ones we are familiar with in the US and have a different riding style. They have a unique gait called the “Tölt” , which is about the speed of a Trot but far smoother and more comfortable to ride, and we were looking forward to trying that.
To the dismay of my lower body, my horse much preferred to trot and would only Tölt for a few moments before starting to bounce, but seeing the rest of the group having such a smooth ride at speed was very interesting.

IMG_1703horse2 by Zalc F, on Flickr
river crossing by Zalc F, on Flickr
name by Zalc F, on Flickr

After that we hung out on the beach for a bit, having it fully to ourselves, before heading to our most anticipated part of the day - the campsite at Þakgil where we’d stay the night.
The road up is about 45  minutes of very rough gravel with many blind corners and hills, and the landscape constantly unfolded with new Jaw Dropping views around each bend, from mountains to glaciers riverbeds, it felt like driving on another planet. You really need an SUV with 4wd and some clearance to be able to drive the road confidently, but we did see all manner of cars at the end, including medium sized RV’s.
Road by Zalc F, on Flickr
Road by Zalc F, on Flickr
Road View by Zalc F, on Flickr
Road champ by Zalc F, on Flickr

 We eventually arrived at the campsite, an idyllic valley surrounded by steep green slopes with a small glacial stream running throughout the campsite.
The way most campsites in Iceland work is that there is no advance reservations for campers (Only cabins), you just show up, pay the per person fee (usually between 1-2000 ISK) and park your car anywhere on the grass.
We drove the car out to the edge of the site to have a bit more space (as we didn’t need an outlet), set up  the car mattress:
Campsite by Zalc F, on Flickr
Campsite by Zalc F, on Flickr
Camp by Zalc F, on Flickr
Camp by Zalc F, on Flickr
CampMode by Zalc F, on Flickr


And had dinner in the mountain cave at the campsite.
After dinner I heard that the clear night had potential for some Northern light activity, but not as much as the previous few days. We decided to try and see it given that we don’t know when we’ll be back and the next nights had a disappointing forecast.
After climbing up a zigzagging path above the camp to see more of the sky, we were not sure of we were seeing it or not and there were some greenish smears in the sky, but finally around midnight they did show themselves for a few minutes and we managed to witness the curtains of light dancing over the mountains before fading.
Modern smartphones are capable of capturing the auroras better than the human eye, so this is kind of what it looked like once we let our eyes adjust to the darkness. It was just enough that I might just try chasing them again in the future...

Campsite Path by Zalc F, on Flickr
Lights 1 by Zalc F, on Flickr

To be continued…

[Yaalili]

Great report and pictures!

[Dan]

Great TR. Pity you missed the cave waterfall next to Seljalandsfoss, it's a very cool one. I enjoyed it more than Skógafoss.

Did they provide sheets to cover the roof of the car?

Aurora is one of those things that looks much better in picture than in person. It's rare to get a stunning display visible to the naked eye.

[Zalc]

Great TR. Pity you missed the cave waterfall next to Seljalandsfoss, it's a very cool one. I enjoyed it more than Skógafoss.

Did they provide sheets to cover the roof of the car?

Aurora is one of those things that looks much better in picture than in person. It's rare to get a stunning display visible to the naked eye.

We did decide to skip Gljufrabui due to time constraints.

We ended up only having time for about half the stops I had marked on each day.
I’m not upset about it though, as what we did see was more than enough.

For the things we skipped, we would watch a YouTube video or 2 on the Tesla’s screen to at least get a feel for what they’d be like.

[Something Fishy]

For the things we skipped, we would watch a YouTube video or 2 on the Tesla’s screen to at least get a feel for what they’d be like.

To get a feel for Gljúfrabúi you'd need to dump a bucket of water on your head while watching the video, but even so you wouldn't be close.

IMO it's the most UNskippable thing till the Vik area, at least.

[Something Fishy]

I have some other comments but no time now lol. Overall great TR so far.

[Zalc]

After this I tried driving up an old gravel Quarry road along a mountain as described in this video, but unfortunately it seems the road has been fenced off since the video and we moved on.

After we left I heard that there is another road that accesses this ridge. The Turn off the ring road is about 1.4 miles down the road, and you double back on a gravel road to the path.

[Zalc]

Did they provide sheets to cover the roof of the car?

The shades quoted above do not include a roof cover, but we tried looking in and it's pretty hard to look over inside through the tinted roof.
You'd have to buy one separately, there are lots of options online like this one

[Dan]

IMO it's the most UNskippable thing till the Vik area, at least.

Agree. Very unique, just wish we had more time.

[ushdadude]

IMO it's the most UNskippable thing till the Vik area, at least.

Agree. Very unique, just wish we had more time.

Agreed....although it was much cooler 15 years ago when you literally had to wade in to get there

[Zalc]

Day 2: Canyons, Glaciers & Icebergs.


We awoke a bit later than we planned, due to staying up for the Aroura.
The car’s camp mode worked perfectly, keeping the car warm and dry while using about 10% of the battery power. The mattress is pretty comfortable for a lightweight person, but if you are a side sleeper you’ll definitely feel through the mattress.
We made coffee using the glacial stream near our parking spot, reorganized the car, freshened up in the camp’s bathroom and headed on our way.
IMG_1763 by Zalc F, on Flickr

IMG_6118 by Zalc F, on Flickr

We had a LOT of driving ahead of us - All the way to Jökulsárlón and back in one day.

We headed back to the highway, and after 2 hours arrived at Fjarðarárgljúfur canyon.
Canyon by Zalc F, on Flickr
IMG_6156 by Zalc F, on Flickr
Canyon Edge by Zalc F, on Flickr
IMG_6145 by Zalc F, on Flickr

30 minutes later we stopped at the Supercharger with about 10% range left and plugged in for a much needed recharge while Davening and having Brunch.
Charging by Zalc F, on Flickr
The car added 230km in the first 15 minutes, but by the time we were ready to move on it was already almost fully charged.

We stopped for a quick peek at nearby Kirkjugólf, where some of Iceland's famous Basalt columns rise out of a field and look like a tiled floor,
Basalt by Zalc F, on Flickr

Then headed towards the main event of the day - kayaking on the glacier lagoon. We were running later so I don’t have many photos of the drive, but the rest of the drive is stunning, as you pass multiple glaciers and waterfalls.
IMG_6353 by Zalc F, on Flickr
Glacier by Zalc F, on Flickr
More Glaciers by Zalc F, on Flickr

I was curious about the extent of the glaciers melting so I looked it up in Google Earth timelapse, and was pretty shocked to see the speed at which this glacier is melting. At the start of the 20th century the glacier reached the ocean, and by 80’s it was 2 miles back. Since I was born the edge of the glacier has retreated almost another 2 miles(!) and continues to recede at about 250m per year. The lagoon is impressive and looks amazing, but its very existence shows the speed of change here in Iceland, and how future visitors might have a very different experience.

Here’s an article that visualizes it well.
Short Documentary “After Ice”:


The tour was great and lasted over an hour, cruising around some larger glaciers while keeping a safe distance as they tend to flip over every so often, and getting up close to some smaller ones that present less danger. They give you a drysuit to keep you warm in case of falling in.
IMG_6216 by Zalc F, on Flickr
IMG_6215 by Zalc F, on Flickr
IMG_6220 by Zalc F, on Flickr
IMG_6206 by Zalc F, on Flickr
IMG_6207 by Zalc F, on Flickr
Baby Berg by Zalc F, on Flickr


After the Kayak tour, we stopped at Diamond Beach.
This was probably one of our favorite stops. We got there as the tide was going out, so the shorelines were littered with countless icebergs of all shapes colors and sizes, while Iceland’s shortest river carried larger icebergs out from the lagoon to sea.
It was so warm outside that you could pick up a block over your head and it would melt a steady stream of pure water into your mouth!
IMG_6304 by Zalc F, on Flickr
IMG_6329 by Zalc F, on Flickr
IMG_1920 by Zalc F, on Flickr



Then it was a dash back east as far as we could get, stopping to charge over dinner. We ended up stopping for the night 5 hours later at 11pm at the campsite in Hvolsvöllur which was across the street from a supercharger.
The campsite was nothing special, some fields surrounded by trees for privacy and pretty basic facilities. There was no office to check in, but a staff member came by for the $14 per person payment in the morning.

We did skip Svartifoss as we were too tired for the hike on the way back and had an early morning the next day, plus we were having a bit of waterfall fatigue at that point.
Maybe another time.

almost all Photos are unedited iPhone 13 photos, and are pretty accurate to what things actually looked like.

On Another note: Every time I write one of these TRs I remember why there are so few of them... It takes forever!

[Dan]

Nice, the kayaks were all booked in advance when we went. Luckily I got to do that in Antarctica several times

[tavster]

Beautiful pics! Now i'm starting to understand why @Something Fishy is there every other week 

[Shmueli]

On Another note: Every time I write one of these TRs I remember why there are so few of them... It takes forever!

Every time I read a TR I make sure to "like" it because of this reason.
After all the time someone puts in to write and edit a TR it's the least I can do to show appreciation.

Maybe if everyone tried to do the same, there would be more of an incentive to write TRs.

[Yo ssi]

Every time I read a TR I make sure to "like" it because of this reason.
After all the time someone puts in to write and edit a TR it's the least I can do to show appreciation.

Maybe if everyone tried to do the same, there would be more of an incentive to write TRs.

I sure hope people aren't writing TRs for likes!

[aygart]

I sure hope people aren't writing TRs for likes!

I would imagine that they want their effort appreciated and that is a good way to show it.