Hello,
I recently signed up to the forum as i'm in the market for an LR4, but also now in the planning stages of a trip to Iceland. I been doing some research and looks like there's quite a few place that specialize in Defender rentals, considering my groups size and that we're going there end of November I recommended it as the best traveling solution to tackle the ring road.
I was hoping and wondering if anyone has had an experience with rentals in Iceland who is willing to share good advice, aside from not driving through Iceland in end of November.
Really looking forward to interact more and grow in the community, I actually was involved in the Mustang community for sometime, until I was banished for lack of crashing into crowds, j/k

Thanks again!

 

I was there in March of 2016 (and going back this October). I managed to rent a Defender from Bluecarrental.is. Unlike many of the other Defender rentals available, the one from Blue Car is pretty much stock, including skinny tires. The truck was definitely well-used, though it still made the trip that much more memorable. During the off season, I don't recommend travelling into the interior of the island as some of the roads do become impassable except to only the most balloon-tired, heavily lifted/outfitted trucks.

In a week, we managed to put 2000km on the truck going from Reykjavik, to Akureyri (gorgeous out there!), down to Vik (black sand beaches), then back to Reykjavik. As much fun as the Defender was, the rattles, wind noise, and having to correct for crosswinds got fatiguing. Still worth the experience, mind you.

Stick to the main roads, don't overestimate you or the truck's abilities, and you won't be another American tourist for the locals to laugh and roll their eyes at.

I definitely recommend downloading an offline map for the country. That was well worth it to be able to navigate without having to stop every three minutes to ask for directions and butchering Icelandic trying to pronounce their street names and landmarks.

Food is excellent there, though very pricey. Make sure to have an Icelandic hotdog with all the fixings while in Reykjavik. Also, gas station food, especially the premade sandwiches and wraps, are not a bad way to go while you're on the move. Loads better than anything you can find here.

 

Thanks Gripen!

Probably explains why I seen Bluecarrental.is as the cheapest, considering the time of year to be on the safe side I'll probably focus looking into ISAK and Ice-Rovers. Being the primary driver my plan is keeping to the ring road as close as possible using the most capable vehicle available considering terrain and extremely variable weather conditions. The route you took sounds exactly what we're planning for so really look forward to it. Really would love to hear how your October trip goes.

Of course, Iceland's best restaurant is definitely on my list, I think as a native New Yorker it's in my blood the need to judge other people's pizza and Hot dogs, so I'm really excited for that!

 

In downtown Reykjavik, if you're looking for some good food after a night of bar hopping, I recommend Ali Baba's for some shawarma. I know, crazy to go to a country with such rich culture to try a food that's not from there. However, when looking for something to hit the spot while you still have your buzz going, Ali Baba's the place to go to. There is also one of the hotdog stands in the square that they're adjacent to, too.

If Blue Lagoon is on your agenda, make sure to make reservations for it. Some trip guides will say that reservations are recommended, but my wife went to Iceland in February 2017 to be turned away because she did not have reservations.

Plenty of waterfalls along the ring road. There are some historic sites along the way, too. I recall going from Reykjavik to Akureyri finding the ancient ruins of an early settlement. Basically, it was just the foundation stones of a large building from hundreds of years ago, but was so cool. So make sure to leave room in your schedule to just explore on a whim.

You're doing it right by wanting to rent a vehicle. Sure, there are tour buses, but renting a vehicle and exploring at your own pace was much more rewarding. Driving there is pretty similar to here in the states. Couple of things to remember: There are no free right turns. If you're at a red light, you can't turn until it's green. Some parking lots use timers that are sorta on an honor system. If I remember correctly, you need to have a clock (kinda like the "Out to lunch, be back at *clock face with hour and hands*" signs on some businesses), set the time that you arrived, and you're good for however long that lot allows. Or, learn the hard way and get ticketed for not having the clock. Weird thing is that you pay parking fines at the local bank. At least, that was my experience in Akureyri. Whoops.

Oh, the wife stated that the offline map she downloaded and used was from maps.me

 

Again can't thank you enough!! I'll definitely put Ali Baba on the to do list! Not sure about the lagoons, but I'm planning on sharing your advice with my group, but that's really good information to know if we decide to go. We're not the tour group type so renting a car was pretty much a 99% agreement on, nothing beats the freedom of making your own plan. I read traffic laws which are pretty similar to the US, more so to NYC I guess since we don't have right on red, yea I'm the annoying out of towner who forgets that and waits for a green. Also thanks for the heads up about the clock, actually first time I came across this I think, so I'll make sure to pack one. Really looking forward to taking pictures of all the waterfalls, ruins and northern lights. I'll look into maps.me, I already got HERE maps which offers offline download too, and also looking into maybe getting the Garmin SD card for Iceland for my Garmin GPS.

I'll try keep an updated progress of how this planning goes.

 

Just wanted to say thanks again Gripen! I shared all the info with my group and they were very grateful. After some talking we decided to not go with a Defender, there was talk for going with a Land Cruiser, but after finding a good rental place and comparing their fleet, I was surprised to find and convinced everyone the better option, I booked a Disco 5. So really looking forward to seeing what it's capable of, especially since I'm in the market.

 

Sounds good. Should make for a very comfortable and enjoyable ride for your stay.