6 most scenic roads in Iceland

Iceland is full of highlights and has sights to offer that are rarely found in such abundance. If you are planning a road trip through Iceland, you might ask yourself what are the most beautiful roads in Iceland? If you are planning a round trip through Iceland, you will probably rent a car and drive along the ring road. But which roads should you not miss on a round trip through Iceland? Which roads are the most scenic in Iceland? We will tell you in our blog post, have fun!

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Itineraries for Iceland

If you want to drive the most beautiful roads in Iceland from Iceland, then it makes sense to combine them with an Iceland travel route. We have put together three beautiful itineraries for your Iceland road trip:

• Iceland in 7 days I highlight itinerary in Iceland’s south

• Iceland road trip | 14 days dreamlike round trip incl. highlands

• Westfjords Iceland I 3 days itinerary through Icelands most beautiful region

The most scenic roads in Iceland

In the following we have compiled the, in our opinion, most beautiful and impressive roads of Iceland. For some of them you need an off-road vehicle with four-wheel drive, but some are also accessible with a normal rental car. On some routes you have to drive through smaller rivers, so you have to ford them.

This is not always easy and neither possible nor allowed with a normal rental car. You need a real four-wheel drive car. What you have to pay attention to when fording rivers, we have described in a separate article:

• • Fording rivers in Iceland: guide & tips for Iceland newbies

#6 Möðrudalsleið in Northern Iceland

• passable with normal rental car? yes
• Difficulty of the route: easy
• are there fords? no

Möðrudalsleið is a small detour from the ring road in the north near Egilsstaðir. You drive here about 40 km almost parallel to the ring road and do not even really need an off-road vehicle for this stretch.

Because the track is not an F-Road and therefore it is not mandatory to use a four-wheel drive vehicle here. The track is not asphalted, but still good to drive and it leads through incredibly beautiful and barren landscapes. The route is very inhospitable and desert-like.

Partly you drive up serpentine roads and otherwise maneuver your car through deserted areas on which probably no other car will meet you.

If you drive along the ring road in the north of Iceland, make sure you take this little detour. You will not regret it.

#5 Pakgil

• passable with a normal rental car? probably
• Difficulty of the route: simple
• are there fords? no

Þakgil is a road of only 15 kilometers near Vik and leads you from the ring road in the south to the campsite of the same name, which is idyllically situated in a gorge.

But even if you don’t want to spend the night here, you should drive this road, because the track to Þakgil (sometimes spelled Pakgil) is one of the dream roads of Iceland.

You’re not quite in the highlands of Iceland yet, but it certainly feels like it. You drive over partly very adventurous tracks. It goes up and down, winding past narrow rock faces and in the distance you can see pointed volcanic rock glistening black in the sun.

Often the ground is very uneven and you drive over very sharp rocks. Sometimes you can only drive at walking speed. In the descriptions on the Internet, we have read designations such as “the valley of Mordor” or “the valley of the trolls and elves” to this gorge.

This sounds very funny, but it comes very close to reality. It is really incredibly beautiful here.

#4 Öxi Road

• passable with a normal rental car? yes
• Difficulty of the route: simple
• are there fords? no

Öxi Road is a short dirt road that branches off the Ring Road in the East Fjords of Iceland and rejoins the Ring Road after a few kilometers.

The small detour is worth it though, because the road feels like a highland road and awaits you with spectacular views. The Öxi Road is actually no longer an insider tip, because we met many other tourists there, also many with normal rental cars. But still one of the most beautiful roads in Iceland. Who is in the southeast of Iceland, should drive this small side road in any case, because it offers so infinitely more than the almost parallel ring road.

You drive here on gravel roads, but at the beginning (coming from the south) up a steep serpentine road. Once at the top, a phenomenal view of the valley stretching for miles in front of you and the waterfall next to you reveals itself. Simply fantastic! In the further course you drive along a wildly flowing river, which knows how to shine with some smaller waterfalls. Later on, the road gets wilder and wilder and invites you to numerous photo stops. If you don’t drive here, you really missed something!

#3 Road to Látrabjarg (Westfjords)

• passable with a normal rental car? yes
• Difficulty of the route: simple
• are there fords? no

The Westfjords are a beautiful corner for an Icelandic road trip anyway. Nowhere else is it so pristine and quiet.

When you drive through the Westfjords, you feel super secluded and can enjoy the beautiful landscape almost alone. One of the most beautiful roads in this phenomenal region of Iceland is the route to the Puffins to Látrabjarg. This cliff is located in the far west of the Westfjords and the road is not even that difficult to drive, but leads partly directly past a cliff and over dusty tracks, where you better not meet any oncoming traffic.

You constantly drive along the turquoise blue fjords and just before you get to the cute puffins in Látrabjarg, the route gets really tough again. I don’t need an off-road vehicle here, but sometimes strong nerves. If you have a little more time in Iceland, then you must look at the Westfjords and then of course to Látrabjarg. The puffins and of course the beautiful road. Read here our travelogue about a 3 day trip through the beautiful Westfjords:

• Westfjords Iceland I 3 days itinerary through the most beautiful region of Iceland

#2 F206 & F207 to Laki Crater

• passable with a normal rental car? no
• Difficulty of the route: medium
• are there fords? yes some

The Laki craters, of which there are 130 in total, are a spectacular natural phenomenon and can only be reached by a four-wheel drive vehicle. The Laki craters result from the remains of the eruptions of the Laki volcano.

The largest and most famous eruption of Laki dates back to 1783 and was one of the largest eruptions of a volcano in the history of Iceland.

The way to the Laki craters is via the F-Road F206 and F207, which turn off from the southern ring road. The two F-roads are only passable with an off-road 4×4 vehicle, as there are also some fords to cross.

You will have to use F206 on the way out and F207 on the way back, as the entire route is planned as a one-way road. The reason for this is that everything here is so narrow that in some places 2 vehicles would never fit side by side. As you can see, the road to Laki is quite adventurous.

And it is beautiful on top. It is again very barren here and often you have to struggle at walking speed over sharp stones and boulders or ford long rivers. The route is also doable with a normal SUV like the Dacia Duster and offers really phenomenal landscapes.

Apart from the actual hike at the destination of your trip, which is of course also totally impressive. Attention: The track is not completely marked on Google Maps. But there is enough signage on site. You can read more about this in our travel report on the Laki craters in Iceland:

• Laki Crater in Iceland | By rental car to the highlands

#1 F208 (south) to Landmannalaugar

• passable with normal rental car? no
• Difficulty of the route: medium
• are there fords? yes, many

Landmannalaugar is a wonderland of rainbow colored mountains, black lava fields and hot springs. Landmannalaugar is located in the Fjallabak Nature Park in the middle of the highlands of Iceland.

The mountains and lava fields are the result of thousands of years of volcanic activity.

The huge Laugahraun lava field, for example, was formed after a volcanic eruption in 1477. In our opinion, the most beautiful road in Iceland is the southern F208 to Landamannalaugar. This road is incredibly varied and leads over mountains and through valleys and completely inhospitable areas.

One risk with this route is the many fords along the way. There are probably 40-50 rivers and streams that you have to cross. But only a few of them are really challenging. These are also absolutely doable with a normal off-road vehicle (e.g. an SUV like the Dacia Duster). On the southern F208 we have really seen the most stark landscapes on our entire Iceland round trip.

If you want to know what other routes there are to Landmannalaugar and what you should consider when getting there, then read our travel report:

• Landmannalaugar I Complete guide for 1 day l Travel tips