Day 5 on the Ring Road Iceland…Today would be our last for the ring road trip. We needed to head back to Reykjavik from Akureyri for our flights the following morning and we had quite a drive ahead of us too coming from Northern Iceland but with no major planned stops along the way. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too long, maybe just about 5 or 6 hours of driving. So far I had been quite impressed the MazdaRati 323 had made it this far. Now it just needed to get us back into Reykjavik for one last stretch before our flights took off…
On the drive back to Reykjavik
Driving alongside the western coast
I just liked the shots of all these mountains so I’m just finding room for them…
We stopped here for a short while at this ravine
The drive back was scenic and we did make several stops along the way but none were ever more than thirty minutes at a time. The weather coming back was great too as the sun was out for much of the drive. Starting out from Akureyri, the first portion of the drive was extremely mountainous with several streams and lakes along the ring road. Our first stop was at this section of road where there seemed to be close to a hundred horses just hanging out.
They just wanted to stare at us…
They were as curious as we were when we stopped as they just stood there and collectively stared at us. It was an interesting stop…
We continued on and eventually came to an area which I have no way to really describe other than it looked to be an area consisting of lava rock that was covered almost entirely of moss with some brush growing in some areas.
Yeah, it was weird…
It extended for miles back over the other side of the road.
Everything was just covered in that moss…
The view from across the road
We hiked around for a bit on top of this area. 
However, we didn’t venture too far out as you could only see what rocks you were stepping on part of the time as they were so heavily covered with the moss. When you would take a step on it, your foot would sink about 3 inches. It was an interesting place to say the least.
A close up of what we were walking on
We continued driving from here and followed the western coast of Iceland for much of the way back. There was one more waterfall we had come across before getting back into Reykjavik and it was just off the road.
I still have yet to figure out what that rock formation was meant to be…
Next to the falls…
After walking around this waterfall area for a bit, we had just an hour before getting back into Reykjavik. When we got back that night, we lucked out again with clear skies and were able to see the Northern Lights once more from our rooftop terrace at our guesthouse.
We all stayed up for a while catching the light show outside and then said our goodbye’s to the others that we’d met that week at the guesthouse.
Friends in Reykjavik…
Northern Lights in Reykjavik
All and all, it was an amazing five day road trip and I hated to see it end. So far in my travels, Iceland has been my favorite country I’ve traveled to and I definitely plan to return here someday so if anyone is looking to go, you have a seasoned travel companion that will join you.
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What an amazing country,Rory. Unbelievably rugged and beautiful at the same time. No wonder you love it so much – very unspoiled by ‘civilization.’
Hey Rory, just stumbled on your blog and my best friend and I are tackling a similar trip this year so seeing this was very inspiring! I was wondering when you travelled? We’re heading out the first week in October and I’m a little nervous about the rainfall I’ve been seeing in the averages posted on sites for that month. Either way, we can make the best of it. Just wondering on your thoughts?
Hi Carrie! Glad to hear you’re making the trip there, I think you’ll have a great time. The first time I traveled in Iceland, I had gone in mid-late September and the weather was a bit chilly but not too bad. It did rain on us off and on but didn’t really put a damper on the trip. You’ll definitely want to bring a rain jacket and waterproof hiking boots, or something similar to allow you to still run around without worrying about the rain or getting soaked. The weather changes there quite often and dramatically so I wouldn’t put too much faith in a 7-10 day forecast. Also, it depends on what part of the country you’ll be in as well. There’s a lot of difference between the south, east and north as well as areas along the coast. Just bring as much weather proof gear as you can then ignore the weather as much as possible:) Trust me, it won’t be the rain that’ll get you down, it’ll be the wind! My first trip in Sept wasn’t too bad for wind but wow, when I went back in April/early May, the wind was downright brutal. Again, it’ll vary day to day but just make the best of it. It’s Iceland after all! Such an exotic and amazing place!