August in Iceland | ULTIMATE travel guide

If you are traveling to Iceland in August, then you are in luck, my friend, because I have the most comprehensive guide for August planning for your trip to Iceland!

Hello, Team Iceland. Welcome back to my channel. My name is Jeannie, and I am your guide for all of the Iceland planning things. Before we get too far into this video, you know what time it is, it’s time for the review of the week.

This one comes from Dana who purchased my Ring Road e-book, and she writes, “I spent hours on Google and purchased four Iceland guidebooks, and still felt confused. Then I discovered Jeannie’s amazing, wonderful, informative map. If you’re heading to Iceland, stop the googling insanity and use this travel guide instead.”

Whoa. If that is not the most beautiful thing I have ever read! You guys know how much I appreciate these reviews and kind words, so thank you so much, Dana.

You guys, seriously, no matter what time of year you’re planning your trip, I wrote this book so you can literally plan your trip start to finish. I spent years gathering all of the information that I’ve put into this map, and it’s literally helped so many people navigate their time around Iceland.

Grab your own copy of my book + map!

Daylight hours

August in Iceland is kind of this magical month where you still have the long daylight hours, but the nights are getting a little darker. All in all, it’s a pretty good time to travel because you still have these long days, but the midnight sun is going away, you can at least get some sleep. The beginning of August has 18 hours of daylight, and remember, we are now losing daylight hours. At the end of the month, it’s down to 16 hours of daylight.

Weather in August

August is still pretty much considered summer. You’re thinking nicer temperatures, beautiful green grass, and not only that, but the animals are running around and the tours are all on. It’s somewhat warm with the average temperatures being from 10 to 15 degrees Celsius or 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. You can still expect plenty of sun, but also always be prepared for wind and drizzly rain.

One of my absolute favorite things about August is…towards the end of the month, the Northern Lights start coming back! It’s a never guarantee that you’re going to see them but this is when it’s getting dark enough at night for the lights to start making an appearance.

Sightseeing in August

Good news: ALL areas are fair game once again! You are free to travel about the whole country: Reykjavik, Golden Circle, Ring Road, Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Westfjords, and the Highlands. Really, this is just an amazing, amazing time to travel to Iceland, roam free, explore all the things, see all the places because pretty soon it’s going to change.

Remember the downside of this is that everyone knows how amazing summer in Iceland is, so this is still peak tourist season. Places are busier, hotels are more booked up, it’s more expensive to rent things and take tours.

Another thing to note about August is that puffins leave around the middle to the end of the month. A lot of people that are traveling to Iceland with the purpose of seeing the puffins, you’ll want to come before that because one day they’re just gone.

Driving in Iceland

It’s EASY! (Pretty soon it’s not going to be easy, so don’t get too excited about this.) Like I said, all of the roads are open, it’s summer, everyone is out and about, driving around and going to the Highlands. All of the roads are accessible and especially on the main paved roads. For the most part, you can rent a 2wd vehicle if you’re sticking to the main roads. However, if you’re planning on traveling into the Highlands, then you will need a 4wd vehicle.

Which brings me to my pro tip for August in Iceland. Rent a four-wheel drive vehicle for your trip. August is such a great month because of all the things that we’ve just discussed: it’s still beautiful out, you can access all the regions of the country…so I highly, highly suggest renting a four-wheel drive so that you can travel into the Highlands. Take advantage of this beautiful time of year and get into some of the least traveled places of Iceland! I know that renting a four-wheel drive can get expensive, but don’t you worry, friends, I have you covered because Blue Car Rental has offered to give my readers a special discount.

Exclusive offer for IWAV readers, Blue Car Rental is offering 5% off your total rental price! The discount will automatically be applied at checkout when you use my VIP link above – no code needed!

Festivals + Events

• Þjóðhátíð – this is an outdoor music festival that takes place in the Westman Islands. This is literally the most anticipated weekend of the whole year for a lot of locals, so if hanging out in lopapeyasa with the locals, on an island off of the coast of Iceland, listening to outdoor concerts, and dancing around bonfires sounds fun to you…then you are going to want to head to Þjóðhátíð. Just know that you have to book tickets really far in advance, so you can’t just pop on in. Also, traveling along South Iceland at this time of year is usually really busy traffic-wise because that’s where all the locals are going.
• Menningarnótt – a culture festival that takes place in Reykjavik. You can find music, art, and other activities going on. This is kind of marking the end of summer for the locals, so it’s a really fun time around the city, you can find a lot of things to do.
• Reykjavik Pride Festival – one of my all time favorite events! Iceland is already really progressive in the LGBT community, but this weekend is extra special. There’s a huge parade, there’s literally glitter unicorns, rainbows everywhere, it’s so much fun. If you’re in the city, then you are in for a treat!
• Firework show at Jökulsárlón – yes, just as magical as it sounds! All you have to do is pay a small entrance fee, which goes towards the search and rescue team, so it’s all for a good cause.

I hope you guys loved this info! As always, make sure to like and subscribe, so that you don’t miss anything.

Happy planning,