Leave your bike at home, bring your gear, and Ride with Locals. Your support vehicle is available at each endpoint, equipped with spare fuel, water, tools, selected spare parts, and emergency first aid kit. Ride with Locals insured and officially authorized to run tours in Iceland by the ITB in accordance with Act No. 80/1994.
Day 1 - Selfoss to Bjarkalundur (280 kilometers / 174 miles)
Today, you will ride from Selfoss, past the Þingvellir National Park, where the oldest continually running parliament in the world first assembled in 930 AD. From there, this ride will take you to a mountain road F550 along the glacier Langjökull to Húsafell and strands of the countryside to Bjarkalundur for the first night.
This trip highlights the town of Selfoss, Úlfljótsvatn Lake, Nesjavellir Power Station, Þingvallavatn Lake, Þingvellir (original site of Iceland’s parliament), Þingvallaskógur Forest, Skjaldbreiður volcano, Þjófahraun Lava Fields, Mount Skriðutindar, Mount Hlöðufell, Lambahraun Lava Fields, Húsafell, and Langjökull.
Day 2 - Bjarkalundur to Patreksfjörður (188 kilometers / 117 miles)
You will ride Barðaströnd to the south coast of the Westfjords. It is amazingly beautiful! With the view over the Breiðafjörður bay, with its hundreds of islands and islets, it is simply breathtaking. Between the mountains, you will find yourself driving narrow fjords, in and out. This ride will take you all the way to Látrabjarg cliff, the most western point in Europe.
This trip highlights Barðarströnd (a nice ride trough fjords with wonderful view), Látrabjarg cliff (your best chance to see puffins in Iceland), Red Sand Beach in Rauði Sandur, and Patreksfjörður town.
Day 3 - Patreksfjörður to Ísafjörður (214 kilometers / 133 miles)
You will see many different fjords, even fjords within fjords. From mountain passes, you will have an overview of spectacular mountains and fjords, and you will also drive to the bottom of small beautiful fjords with small lakes waterfalls and rivers. At one point, the most spectacular waterfall in Iceland will suddenly and almost unexpectedly grab your eyes.
This trip highlights a very nice mountain view, beautiful fjords, Dynjandi waterfall, and Ísafjorður town.
Day 4 - Ísafjörður to Djúpavík (270 kilometers / 168 miles)
Ísafjörður is one of ten most attractive towns and villages in Iceland. Soon after you start your drive, you will come to a small village of Súðavík. It is the home of The Arctic Fox Center. The arctic fox is a fascinating animal, living in the wild in Iceland. As you continue, it is recommended to enjoy the scenery and the fjords all the way to Djúpavík.
This trip highlights Súðavík town, The Arctic Fox Center, awesome scenery and fjords, and Djúpavík town.
Day 5 - Djúpavík to Ófeigsfjörður to Djúpavík (113 kilometers / 70 miles)
Strandir is probably the shortest of the six scenic days, but it will take you to the most remote places inhabited in Iceland. Djúpavík used to be one of the busiest villages in Iceland, but only for a very short period of time. Located at the Reykjarjförður on the east coast of the Westfjords, it was never an ideal site for a village or a town.
In 1934, a herring factory was built. Then, in 1944 the herring stock started declining and vanished altogether in 1948. All the residents moved away and the buildings were abandoned to rot. From Djúpavík, you will ride the steep coast line with spectacular scenery all the way to the very end of the road in Ófeigsfjörður. From there, it is only possible to walk the rest of this area.
On your way, you will pass another abandoned herring factory that was built in 1942-1944 and closed down in 1952. These abandoned factories seem like art in themselves. Perfect photographic scenery with a blend of cracked concrete and rusty steel keep lot of stories. On your return, you will take a bath in a special pool, Krossneslaug, which is located in the rocky seashore. From the pool, head back to Djúpavík, where you will spend the night.
This trip highlights Djúpavík town, Ófeigsfjörður, Ingólfsfjörður, Krossaneslaug, a very nice pool located in the rocky seashore.
Day 6 - Djúpavík to Stykkishólmur (321 kilometers / 199 miles)
Today, you will ride the coastline to Drangsnes. Drangsnes is a very special and beautiful fisherman’s town, where you can see Grímsey Island. From Drangsnes, you will head to Hólmavík, followed by a trip to Borðeyri, which is the smallest village in Iceland with only 13 inhabitants. Then, ride to Laxárdalsheiði and Bíldudalur.
This trip highlights Drangsnes (a small fisherman’s town), Hólmavík town, Borðeyri (the smallest village in Iceland), and Stykkishólmur town.
Day 7 - Stykkishólmur to Selfoss (245 kilometers / 152 miles)
From Stykkishólmur, you will take the old mountain road, Kellingaskarð, which is not official anymore, to the south part of Snæfellsnes. Then, you will ride the so called “Mýrar”, a long flat area to Borgarnes. Borgarnes is a very popular place to enjoy a short stop (either for tanking or eating) when traveling between south and north Iceland on F1.
From Borgarnes, you will ride to Skorradalsvatn Lake, over Dragháls to Hvalfjörður, which was a part of F1, but now there is an underwater tunnel passing the fjord. Hvalfjörður translates to "whale fjord", because it was a common place to see whales in the early days. It is very beautiful and it will be a fun ride with a lot of turns. In 1948, a whale cutting factory was built. It was closed down in 1989 and opened again in 2009 and is still active today. Then, you will ride along Kjósaskarðsvegur to Þingvellir National Park and back to Selfoss, where you started.
This trip highlights Borgarnes town, Skorradalsvatn, Hvalfjörður or whale fjord, and Þingvellir National Park.
Skill levels required for this tour:
Beginner
- can ride for two to three hours
- minimal riding experience
- assistance required
- comfortable with curves and leans
- basic experience with unsurfaced roads
- short distance ascents and descents
Intermediate
- can ride for three to four hours
- average riding experience
- little assistance required
- comfortable with extreme curves and leans
- average experience with unsurfaced roads
- steep ascents and descents
