Camping in Iceland Over the Summer

The best way to see the vast beautiful landscapes of Iceland is to immerse yourself in them. Pack your bags for the ultimate Iceland road trip and get ready for the most amazing camping of your lifetime.

Camping in Iceland allows you to enjoy the best sunsets and sunrises from the comfort of your bed. Well, the it might never get dark in Iceland over the summer, but the sun does still set and it is breathtaking. Camping will not only save you money versus a hotel or hostel but it also allows you to be on your own schedule without worrying about getting to your next reservation.

We rented our equipment from Iceland Camping Equipment. As the original camping rental company in Iceland, they have the experience to have everything perfect for any traveller. We recommend renting camping equipment in Iceland rather than bring your own as it is bulky and most airlines charge per bag.

The booking is easily done online, where you can select exactly which camping gear you need. We arrived to Reykjavik at 1AM and let them know of our late arrival in advance. We were provided a code to pick up the camping supplies anytime after business hours. The same applies for drop off if your flight is really early or late in the day.

Our camping gear for Iceland in the summer

1. Two person waterproof tent

2. 2x sleeping bags good down to -7ºC

3. 2x self inflating mats

4. 2x compressible pillow

5. Camping Stove with propane

6. Coleman camping cooler

7. Tableware set for 2

8. Cook set for 2

9. Power inverter for car, to keep all our camera gear charged

10. Portable WiFi hotspot with service covering virtually the whole island

We rented the camping equipment for our entire 8 day – 7 night stay in Iceland for approximately $620. Remember this is the total cost for supplies for the both of us.

Where to camp in Iceland

Iceland has many high quality campgrounds with plenty of space and amazing facilities, with many locations featuring hot water, kitchens, WiFi and more. You can either pay as you go at each campsite or purchase the Iceland Camping Card.

The Iceland Camping Card costs €149 and is good for 28 nights at 42 conveniently located campsites around the country. The card is good for two adults and four children. If you will be staying in Iceland for more than one week, it is a great way to save money. For trips under seven days, it will probably be cheaper to just pay at each campsite.

For the 2017 summer season most campsites range from $11-25 per person per night, depending on the location and services.

What about free camping in Iceland?

If you are looking to camp for free in Iceland there are two important things to remember: the law and the environmental impact.

Many people think you can just camp anywhere you want in Iceland for free. Icelandic law regarding camping outside of organized campsites exists to help preserve the country’s natural beauty. Make sure there are not any signs forbidding camping around and you can camp in a location a tent for only one night. We highly recommend you read up on the complete current laws regarding camping.

If you are camping out on your own, always remember the environmental impact it has. You might be the only camper at a location for the night, but having somebody stay there every night does add up.

Make sure to disturb the environment as little as possible and stay in areas that already have some sort of infrastructure for camping. Most importantly, always carry out any trash you might have made during your stay.

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