Icelandic Adventure

There are some days when travelling feels relaxing.

And then there are days like this — where every hour somehow tops the last.

Day 3 of our Iceland Campervan Adventure took us deeper into North Iceland as we travelled from Hólmavík towards Varmahlíð, driving through frozen landscapes, coastal roads and quiet mountain valleys that felt almost untouched by the outside world.

What started as another scenic driving day quickly turned into one of the most unforgettable nights of our lives.

Because by the end of the evening, Iceland had one final surprise waiting for us — a powerful G4 Solar Storm that lit up the sky with one of the strongest Northern Lights displays the country had seen in years.

And honestly?

Nothing could’ve prepared us for it.

Leaving Hólmavík

We woke up to another freezing Icelandic morning with snow surrounding the campervan and crisp air pouring in every time the doors opened.

There’s something oddly peaceful about mornings in Iceland during winter. Everything feels still. Quiet. Almost frozen in time.

After getting ourselves sorted and checking the roads and weather conditions for the day ahead, we set off once again — coffee in hand, cameras charged and absolutely no idea what the next few hours were going to bring.

The roads out of Hólmavík immediately reminded us just how remote this part of Iceland really is.

Long empty stretches of road twisted through mountains and hugged the coastline while snow drifted across the landscape around us. Some parts felt almost post-apocalyptic in the best possible way — not another person around for miles, just us and the sound of the wind outside the campervan.

And somehow, every single corner revealed another ridiculous view.

Melstaðarkirkja & Iceland’s Quiet Beauty

One thing we quickly learned about Iceland is that some of the smallest stops become the most memorable.

Melstaðarkirkja was one of those places.

Sitting quietly amongst the snowy landscape, the little church looked almost cinematic against the white surroundings and dark winter skies. There wasn’t a crowd. There weren’t tour buses.

Just silence.

That’s something Iceland does incredibly well — making even the simplest places feel dramatic.

We spent a while just taking everything in, filming, flying the drone and appreciating how peaceful the entire area felt before continuing further north.

Frozen Waterfalls & Hidden Gems

As the day went on, we stopped at places that honestly felt like hidden secrets.

Kerafossar was one of them.

The waterfall crashed through frozen rock formations surrounded by thick snow and icy cliffs, creating one of those scenes that barely feels real when you’re standing there in person.

What made these stops even more special was how quiet they were.

In peak summer, some of Iceland’s attractions can become busy with tourists, but travelling in winter felt completely different. At times we had entire locations completely to ourselves.

Just us.

The sound of the water.

And endless snow-covered landscapes stretching into the distance.

Driving Through North Iceland

The driving itself became one of our favourite parts of the day.

North Iceland feels enormous.

You can drive for ages without seeing another vehicle while massive mountains tower over the roads around you. Frozen lakes appeared beside us out of nowhere while the coastline constantly shifted between dramatic cliffs and peaceful black sand beaches.

Flóðið Lake was one of those moments where we simply had to pull over.

The lake sat completely still beneath the winter sky while snow-covered mountains reflected across the water. Everything looked untouched.

It almost didn’t feel real.

The roads eventually brought us through Blönduós, a small coastal town sitting beside the powerful Blanda River. Even driving through Iceland’s smaller towns feels surreal because of the landscapes surrounding them.

One minute you’re passing houses and fuel stations.

The next you’re driving beneath giant mountains through heavy snow.

Crossing Vatnsskarð Pass

One of the most dramatic parts of the day came as we crossed Vatnsskarð Pass.

The weather changed quickly up there.

Snow covered the roads while strong winds swept across the mountains, creating that classic Icelandic feeling where conditions can shift completely within minutes.

But the views were unbelievable.

As we climbed higher through the pass, North Iceland opened up around us with enormous valleys, frozen hills and endless landscapes stretching for miles into the distance.

This is the kind of driving that makes Iceland so addictive.

Every road feels like an adventure.

Sauðárkrókur & Glaumbær

By the afternoon we reached Sauðárkrókur, another quiet northern town surrounded by dramatic scenery and icy coastlines.

We stopped at the beach to take in the views and film some drone footage as the light slowly started disappearing across the horizon.

Winter days in Iceland feel short.

You quickly become aware of the fading daylight and the race against time to see as much as possible before darkness arrives.

Before ending the day, we also visited Glaumbær Turf Farm & Museum — one of Iceland’s most historic and iconic turf houses.

Seeing the traditional turf buildings buried beneath snow genuinely felt like stepping backwards in time. It gave us a glimpse into how harsh life in Iceland must’ve once been, especially during the brutal winter months.

Standing there surrounded by frozen landscapes and historic homes made you appreciate just how resilient Icelandic people truly are.

The Night Everything Changed

As evening arrived, we made our way towards Lambeyri Campsite for the night.

By this point we were exhausted.

It had already been an incredible day filled with scenic roads, waterfalls and endless winter landscapes.

But Iceland still wasn’t finished with us yet.

Throughout the day we’d been hearing rumours online about increased aurora activity due to a powerful G4 Solar Storm moving across Earth.

People were saying the Northern Lights could become extremely active overnight.

Still, we tried not to get our hopes up.

Aurora forecasts can change quickly and Icelandic weather is unpredictable at the best of times.

But then it happened.

The Strongest Northern Lights We’d Ever Seen

At first, faint green streaks began appearing across the sky above the campsite.

Within minutes, the entire sky exploded into colour.

Green aurora danced overhead in massive waves stretching across the horizon while pillars of light twisted and moved above us faster than we could even process.

It didn’t look real.

The sky was alive.

At one point the Northern Lights became so bright they were reflecting across the snow around us.

Cars started pulling over nearby as people stepped outside in complete disbelief.

Nobody spoke much.

Everyone just stood there staring upwards.

We spent hours outside in the freezing cold filming, photographing and simply trying to take it all in.

And honestly, no camera will ever truly capture what it looked like in person.

It was one of the most surreal experiences of our lives.

Final Thoughts on Day 3

Day 3 ended up becoming far more than just another driving day in Iceland.

It became one of those rare travel days you know you’ll remember forever.

From frozen waterfalls and mountain passes to quiet coastal towns and historic turf houses, North Iceland completely blew us away yet again.

But the Northern Lights?

That changed everything.

Seeing one of the strongest aurora displays Iceland had experienced in years felt like witnessing something genuinely magical.

And somehow… we were only three days into the adventure.