On 7 February 2025, I set off on another photography trip to Iceland. After my previous visit in March 2024, it didn't take long before I felt the urge to return to this extraordinary island. Fortunately, my photography friends Hans and René felt exactly the same. Together, we hoped to experience an even more wintry Iceland than on our previous journey. Although that wish was only partly fulfilled, the trip once again rewarded us with breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable photographic moments. Just as we had done in 2023, we travelled around the island – this time in a 4x4 instead of a campervan.
DAY 1
From a grey and rainy Keflavík Airport, we headed north towards the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The further north we drove, the whiter the landscape became. Our plan for the day was to photograph a number of picturesque churches, enjoy the snow-covered scenery and reach our first overnight stop. By late afternoon, however, that last part became quite a challenge as the weather suddenly turned truly wintry and we found ourselves driving through a snowstorm. Fortunately, the conditions improved again not long afterwards.
DAY 2
After a fresh blanket of snow had fallen overnight, we set off to photograph the iconic Mount Kirkjufell. From there, we continued our journey towards Akureyri, stopping to photograph several beautiful waterfalls along the way. It was a long drive over stunning snow-covered roads, although the further north we travelled, the less wintry the landscape gradually became.
DAY 3
Before first light, we were back in the car. Today's itinerary included just two photography locations, but they were among Iceland's most impressive: Aldeyjarfoss and Goðafoss, two powerful and spectacular waterfalls. Reaching the first one proved to be quite an adventure. Although we had planned a 3-kilometre hike, it turned into nearly 4 kilometres because large blocks of ice blocked the road, forcing us to park the car earlier than expected. The hike to Aldeyjarfoss itself involved plenty of slipping and sliding over snow and ice, but the breathtaking view on arrival made every step worthwhile. We then continued to the equally famous Goðafoss. Unfortunately, it wasn't as wintry as we had hoped. After our visit, we faced another long drive towards Seyðisfjörður in northeast Iceland.
DAY 4
From the fishing village of Seyðisfjörður in northeast Iceland, where we began the day photographing its iconic church at sunrise, we continued south towards the stunning – and increasingly popular – locations of Eystrahorn and Vestrahorn, where we would also spend the night. By now, winter had given way to what felt like every other season in a single day. We experienced just about everything the Icelandic weather could throw at us. At times, the conditions were so poor, with heavy rain and strong winds, that photographing certain locations simply wasn't possible and we had to skip them. That's all part of travelling through Iceland – even if it's sometimes a little disappointing.
DAY 5
Today, we spent most of our time exploring the area around Höfn. If you're visiting Höfn, a trip to the black sand beach of Stokksnes, with its spectacular views of Vestrahorn, is an absolute must. Since our guesthouse was located right at the foot of Vestrahorn, we were already standing in the dunes and on the black beach at sunrise. We happily spent the entire morning photographing this incredible landscape. In the afternoon, we drove back to Skútafoss, a waterfall we had been forced to skip the previous day because of the poor weather. Later that day, we enjoyed photographing the ice blocks scattered across Diamond Beach. Despite the rain and heavy cloud cover during the evening, we were rewarded around 11:00 p.m. when a gap appeared in the clouds above the glacier lagoon, allowing us to witness the Northern Lights.
DAY 6
Today was another varied day, with ever-changing landscapes and weather. After starting the morning at two glacier lagoons, we continued along Iceland's spectacular south coast towards the village of Vík, where we would spend the night. Along the way, we visited a stunning canyon before ending the afternoon at the famous Black Sand Beach, where powerful waves crashed against the shore – an incredible sight to witness. And of course, no visit to Vík would be complete without stopping by its iconic church.
DAY 7
The day began with terrible weather, forcing us to skip Reynisfjara Beach. Unfortunately, just like last year, it was nothing but rain. We continued our journey towards Reykjavík, hoping for better conditions. Fortunately, the weather improved at several of the waterfalls that were still on our itinerary for the day. Afterwards, we drove on to Reykjavík to check in to our hotel for the final night of the trip. The forecast for the evening looked promising, with a chance of seeing the Northern Lights. Although the three of us had visited Iceland many times before, none of us had ever taken the time to explore Reykjavík. We decided to spend our final evening photographing the city, hoping we might also catch a glimpse of the aurora.
We certainly didn't regret that decision. Reykjavík turned out to be a beautiful, vibrant and atmospheric city – one that I can highly recommend. And to make the evening even more memorable, we were treated to a spectacular display of the Northern Lights. The perfect finale to an unforgettable road trip around Iceland.
Below you'll find the photographs I captured during this unforgettable road trip around Iceland...
