How To Get to Thakgil Campground in Iceland- A few weeks out from our trip to Iceland I stumbled upon Thakgil Campground (or also known as Pakgil), after briefly looking at photos I knew I had to go. The problem was it was difficult to figure out how to find Thakgil Campground and hiking area, even figuring out if the road was drive able without 4 wheel drive. This campground had a diving area in a cave, I was determined to go! After long research and a weary drive in we made it, and it was all worth it! Here you can read how to find Thakgil Campground, driving the road to the campground, and more.
Where is it located?
Thakgil Campground is just right outside of the town of Vik. Typing the campground into our GPS never seemed to work. The best way to find the campground is to search for Hotel Katla, which is only about a 5 minute drive along Ring Road 1 from the town center on Vik. This will bring you to a gravel road named Kerlingardalsvegur.
From Hotel Katla is where you will begin your drive to Thakgil. The drive along Kerlingardalsvegur is 14 kilometers long until you reach the campground.
The Road to Thakgil
What on a map seems like a simple short drive off Ring Road 1, will actually take you up to another hour of driving to reach the campground. The road Kerlingardalsvegur is all gravel and quite full of bumps, hills and pot holes. This turns many people away. We turned onto this road knowing it might be a difficult drive in our GoCampers Campervan, which you can read about our trip here. We came prepared with a back up plan, knowing that if we needed to turn around we could go to Vik Campground for the night instead.
The gravel road is in great condition for the first few kilometers, it actually takes you past a few homes and some farmland.
Eventually the road does seem to turn, the potholes to avoid get wider and the hills get steeper. We did not have 4 wheel drive on our campervan but we were able to make it in the steady rain.
My husband drove and thought the road wasn’t as bad as he thought it might be. After driving some thin roads in Ireland this seemed not too terrible.
There are a few areas to pull off the road, these are sometimes used to let people pass, and there are even some hiking trails along the way in.
Taking a few stops along the way, our drive along the 14k road did take us 45 minutes to a hour to reach the campsite.
Although it was raining the view coming is was incredible, we took a few stops to soak it in.
Once arriving at the campground we were so glad we took the time to find this hidden gem in Iceland.
Tips for Driving
Go slow, we didn’t accouter too many other drivers a long this road, but you never know when someone is coming.
Some people even honk their horns when approaching a sharp turn or hill where they cannot see the other side.
If not feeling confident find a place to turn around and check out the campsites in Vik.
There are no rivers to cross, so I believe 4 wheel drive is not necessary. Just got slow to avoid rocks and potholes, and I wouldn’t attempt if your car sits too low to the ground.
When To Go
Because of the difficult road to get to Thakgil the campground it only open during the warmer months. They stay open until September 15th most years, but are very flexible. They ask that you contact them if you plan on coming around closing, they might even stay open for you!
The summer months are the best time to go, the green moss all around gives you a sense that you are on a different planet!
Campground Fees
Most campgrounds in Iceland charge a per person fee. This one is a tad bit steeper than most, but 100% worth it!
Cabins: kr. 25.000 per night (approx. 205 USD).
Camping: Camping 2.000isk for 12 years old and older (approx. 16 USD) 12-16 years of age pay only for one night however stayed 1 or 2 nights or more.
1 shower is included per night (but no one really monitors this)
Facilities
Once you arrive at the campground, go to the small cabin by the shower house to check in! Only one person works here at a time and this cabin is where they live. Since its such a difficult drive they stay 4 days on before the next employee comes in to switch shifts.
Inside the cabin is where you will pay your campground fees, they even had a special deal inside! Fermented shark and a Breviann shot! A must in Iceland so we decided to try it out here after one of our hikes. Read more about it here.
Showers are included with your fees, they were very clean and had amazingly hot water. Which felt great after our rainy hike around Thakgil.
One of my favorite parts of this campground was the dining area! You actually get to eat inside a cave! The campground sets up candles along the tables and a wood burning fireplace is lit each evening. This made a perfect spot to quietly enjoy our meal. After hiking around we were fixing dinner at midnight! We enjoyed our Backpacker Pantry pad thai and some Mountain House Dark Chocolate Cheesecake by candle light. Such a fun experience!
What To Bring
It really depends on your type of trip to Thakgil on what to bring, whether is be a cabin, tent, camper, campervan or just visiting for the day.
You can check out what we packed in our campervan here.
Once in the campground there is no access to food, come prepared with breakfast, lunch and dinner unless you want to make that drive out and back again. We loved the Backpacker Pantry meals, Oatmeal and these awesome pourover coffees.
If Hiking:
Bring plenty of water. We love these and these for hiking and traveling.
Hiking poles came in handy while crossing a few steams and hiking up and down hills. these poles are affordable and pack-able!
You can read everything I brought for Iceland is my Iceland Summer Packing List.
Hiking Trails in Thakgil
If planning on hiking in this area, which is a must. Read my post on the Hiking Trail Guide to Thakgil. This post will tell you all you need to know about the hiking trails at Pakgil.
I really would recommend this gem to anyone visiting Iceland. I often pick this spot out as one of my fondest memories from Iceland, and our 5 week trip around Europe. Thakgil made me feel as if I was alone on another planet, I have never seen anything like it. What a feeling we had while hiking this yellow-green moss area, looking over a glacier, the run offs and not a person, building or car in sight. Absolutely incredible!
You can always hike here as a day trip if you don’t want to camp or stay in a cabin:
Vik would be a great area to stay in if not camping. Get a early start drive in a spend all day there.
For more on Iceland check out these posts:
3 Days on Iceland’s South Coast
What to Pack for Iceland: Summer Months
Hiking Trail Guide in Thakgil, Iceland
Iceland’s Glymur Waterfall Hike
Landbrotalaug Hot Pot Spring and Where to find it
Bruarfoss Waterfall Hike: How to Find It
14 Stops on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula
Renting with GoCampers Iceland
Skogafoss Waterfall: The Hike Behind It
This is so inspiring. I love your blog and I enjoy reading all your travel articles. I was just thinking of doing a day trip to Thakgil. Do you think I have to pay just to visit the place and hike around?
Aww why thank you! I appreciate your kind words. No you only have to pay if you are camping. You can park your car in the lot or pull off area and not pay.
Hi, This is so inspiring and makes me want to visit as well. Could you tell me which hike at Thakgil did you do? I have seen there are three different loops and it would be nice to have some insights 🙂 Thank you so Much!
I forget the name of the trail but I believe it was the purple colored trail.