Iceland Log Day 3: Coastal Loop & Dracarys

Felicita Hawes
Apr 20, 2024
2 min read

Riding our red rental dragon along the coast of Iceland

Day 3: Early morning drive to see multiple waterfalls mythically created by giants, and finishing our day with the warmest Lava show in Vik- Dracarys

Iceland’s coastal loop may be a road trip, but it feels like a quest—just with more snack breaks and fewer White Walkers trying to ruin your day. As you wind along the Ring Road, the landscape shifts so dramatically it’s like the showrunners swapped out entire sets between scenes. One minute you’re cruising past black‑sand beaches straight out of Dragonstone, the next you’re staring at moss‑covered lava fields that look suspiciously like the place where someone definitely whispered “winter is coming.” Waterfalls tumble down cliffs like they’re auditioning to be the next backdrop for a brooding Jon Snow monologue, and every coastal village feels like it could host a very polite, very Icelandic version of the Night’s Watch. By the time you’ve circled back to where you began, you’ll swear you’ve traveled through half the Seven Kingdoms—minus the political drama, plus better pastries.

Planning The Trip

Armed with google maps and the 12 dollars a day international travel data plan from AT&T we were on the road again in the early hours of the morning.

Well...truth be told Anika had all the locations mapped and planned out. Which made life so much easier! Seriously, we just used google sheets for this trip - its free, and gets the job done for budgeting, comparisons, and color coding. We're two girls on a budget and this was our treat to ourselves.

But here is the guide we followed. Which we broke into three easy steps.

1. Pick Your Loop (There Are a Few!)

Iceland has several day‑trip loops, but the most popular and manageable in a single day are:

The Golden Circle — waterfalls, geysers, and a rift between continents
The South Coast Loop — black‑sand beaches, glaciers, and dramatic cliffs
The Snæfellsnes Peninsula Loop — “Iceland in Miniature,” with lava fields, beaches, and mountains

Choose based on your vibe:

Adventure? South Coast.

Classic sights? Golden Circle.

Variety? Snæfellsnes.

2. Build a Simple, Flexible Itinerary

Aim for 4–6 major stops. Iceland rewards spontaneity, so leave room for “mysterious steam rising from nowhere” detours. Trust me this one was worth it. We took our time and even with only four hours of daylight we saw a lot, and also found a spontaneous hike of stairs which took us up a mountain for spectacular views.

Leave some room for spontaneity, it has a soft charm to it even in the freezing cold.