Visiting Iceland in September
As the summer ends in Iceland, September sweeps in, bringing with it the first hints of winter. Still, September remains one of the best times to visit: crowds are fewer, there are plenty of daylight hours, and roads remain open for easy access to the entire country.
As the month moves on and days begin to shorten, brilliant sunsets cast a fiery glow across the landscape. The burning skies mirror the radiant fall colors you’ll encounter across moss-laden lava fields, charging rivers, and quiet fjords.
For the most part, the weather in Iceland during September remains mild. You do start to see occasional overcast skies and days with rain, but even inclement weather can be cleared away at a moment’s notice by bright and sunny skies.
Keep in mind that that same unpredictability can also bring swift bouts of cold weather with fierce winds clawing inside your jacket – a warning of what’s to come in the months ahead.
Still, there’s a palpable sense of energy running through the country in September. Despite everyone returning to work and school, it seems like locals aren’t ready to let go of the summer just yet. There are plenty of festivals to enjoy in Reykjavik in September, and the beauty of the fall landscapes encourages people to spend as much time outside as possible before the winter.
For travelers, September is also delightfully quiet after the busy months of July and August, and the country is still totally open for easy exploration. With nature still as beautiful as it is in the summer months, there are also the added bonus of stunning sunsets and nights now illuminated by the aurora borealis.
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Weather
September is a time of transition in Iceland as the long days of summer give way to shorter ones and cooler autumn temperatures start to set in. The weather is also more unpredictable than in the summer, and conditions can change in an instant. You should come prepared for the possibility of occasional rain showers all throughout the country.
In September, Iceland sees average high temperatures of 50°F (10°C) with lows of 42°F (6°C). But as always in Iceland, when it comes to weather, expect the unexpected. You might catch a day where temperatures shoot up to somewhere between 60 and 70°F (15–20°C), or one where they dive down to below 32°F (0°C).
Reykjavik & South Iceland: Reykjavik and the capital area is usually the warmest place in the country at this time of year, thanks to northbound Gulf Stream winds. You can expect weather similar to that in Reykjavik throughout South Iceland, West Iceland, and the long arm of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula that juts out above Reykjavik.
North Iceland & the Westfjords: If you’re traveling in regions like North Iceland, or heading northwest into the remote Westfjords, you should expect chillier temperatures and the potential for the first snows on the mountains (although don’t expect it to stick around). Both regions are not far from the Arctic Circle and are the first to see winter descend.
Highlands: In the Icelandic Highlands, the wild interior of the country, temperatures also being to plunge faster than in the rest of the country. Due to its elevation, the weather here is far more unpredictable than any other region, with powerful gusts of wind, rain, and snow possible at all times of the year.
Unless there’s been some particularly bad weather, the Highlands usually remain open and accessible for the first half of September.
Daylight: The average number of daylight hours across September is around 13 hours per day: 14 hours at the beginning of the month which dwindles to 12 hours by the end.
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Events
Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF)
In September, one of Reykjavik’s biggest events takes place: the Reykjavik International Film Festival. For 11 days, film fanatics flock to the city to enjoy films from around the world.
Most screenings take place in Reykjavik’s art-house cinema, Bio Paradis, but you can also catch films at places like Harpa Concert Hall or on a big screen set up in one of the city’s many swimming pools.
Réttir
The annual “Réttir” event is one of the most important times of the year for Icelandic farmers. This is the annual sheep roundup when farmers set out across the countryside to round up their livestock who have spent their summer roaming where they please.
It’s a challenging task; as you travel in Iceland, keep an eye out for sheep perched on mountain tops, and the farmers picking their way out to them either on foot or horseback. Once herded together, the sheep are sorted out to their proper owners, during which there’s a lot of socializing, merry-making, and drinking.
Farms around the country now offer Réttir tours, letting you ride horses, chase sheep, and swill back Brennivín – the Icelandic black death – alongside locals.
Reykjavik Jazz Festival
Founded in 1990, the Reykjavik Jazz Festival takes place in Iceland’s capital at the beginning of September. Hosting a variety of styles and performers from across the world, it’s the second-longest-running festival in Iceland and is becoming popular among international jazz artists.
You can catch performances in the city’s cafés, parks, record stores, and bars.
EVE Online Fan Fest
For fans of the MMORPG game EVE Online, the week-long fan fest in September is the biggest in-person event of the year. It’s a huge celebration of the successful sci-fi video game created by the Icelandic company CCP Games.
The game takes place in the future, where players can explore space, mine resources, trade goods, and engage in battles with others in wars that sometimes last months. The event is a huge get-together for the players, with parties, pub crawls, meetups, panels, and more.
Oktoberfest
Each year the Student Union at the University of Iceland host their Oktoberfest in September (yes, they do find themselves funny). Still, it’s a fantastic opportunity to imbibe Icelandic beer alongside locals, who you’ll find open and social after they have a little golden amber whetting their lips.
Pace yourself though, as some Icelanders drink like they’re trying to catch up to the rest of the world – Iceland only legalized beer in 1989.
Where to visit in September
With the entire country still open and comparatively mild weather, most places in Iceland are well worth a visit in September. To help you choose, here are some of our favorite spots.
The Westfjords
The Westfjords is definitely one of the best places in Iceland to visit in September. Already Iceland’s least-visited region, come September, this entire region is quiet, empty, and stunning.
Home to giant fjords and table-topped mountains left behind after ice-age glaciers melted, the scenery is larger than life. There are hot springs to soak in, the stunning natural gems of Dynjandi waterfall and Látrabjarg cliffs, and divine fall colors and birdlife on show in the Vatnsfjörður Nature Reserve.
Vatnajökull National Park
Nowhere can you see the colors of fall better than in Vatnajökull National Park. In Skaftafell, a pocket of glacial valleys and scraggy hills surrounded by the grandeur of Vatnajökull ice cap, the burst of oranges and reds is fantastic on the area’s many hiking trails.
Up north, there’s even more beauty on the trails around the canyon Jökulsárgljúfur, particularly around the horse-shoe-shaped canyon Ásbyrgi. This area, part of the national park despite not sharing any borders with it, shelters one of the country’s largest forests as well as hiking trails that trace the rim of the canyon.
Thórsmörk
For the first half of September, buses still travel between Reykjavik and Thórsmörk, a small pocket of birch woods and valleys in the Highlands filled with shifting black sand and glacial rivers.
Visiting here is all about hiking and taking in some of the country’s most spectacular nature on offer. Lush green moss grows on basalt-grey cliffs, waterfalls cascade down canyon walls, and trails meander into the hills that lie in the shadow of three glaciers: Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull, and Tindfjallajökull.
There’s also a good chance to see an Arctic fox in the wild.
What to do in September
Hit the hiking trails
Come September, the summer tourist crowds depart and Iceland quiets down again. Luckily for you, that means that you’ll find yourself with plenty of alone time on the country’s hiking trails.
Whether you’re hiking to the hot spring river in Reykjadalur Valley or undertaking a grueling 5 days along the legendary Laugavegur Trail, there’s something invigorating about spending time immersed in Icelandic nature without bumping into other visitors.
There is a trade-off to these blissfully quiet trails though; in September, Iceland’s notorious weather can turn your merry jaunt through the mountains into a potentially life-threatening situation, so always remember to register any hiking plans you have with Safe Travel and keep an eye on the forecast.
Hunt the northern lights
With the return of dark skies at the end of August, September offers plenty of opportunity to see the northern lights. Rippling and pulsing across the sky in shades of green, and sometimes even pink, white, and purple, this is one of the most unforgettable experiences one can have in Iceland.
Although the nights aren’t as long as later in the autumn or winter, there’s still a good chance to see the northern lights and weather conditions are typically much nicer than in winter.
Forage for fresh berries
Iceland might not strike many as a country where foraging for fresh food is a big part of the culture, especially when you consider most traditional foods are fermented, pickled, and dried.
But come September, the hills come alive with locals bent over, scouring the underbrush for fresh berries. If you see a group of people going over the hills with a fine comb, feel free to jump out and join them; your reward will be a bucketful of blueberries, crowberries, bilberries, and rowanberries. It’s the perfect snack to have while exploring Iceland. And don’t worry, there are no poisonous berries in Iceland.
Kayak on Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
September is also the last month of the year when visitors in Iceland can go kayaking on the famous glacier lagoon. Located in the southeast corner of the country, this vast body of water is filled with giant chunks of ice slowly being pushed and pulled by strong undercurrents and winds whipping across the icy water.
It’s one of the most famous sights in the county, so it can be crowded. But getting out on the water in a kayak is a chance to leave the other visitors behind and get up close to the impressive icebergs.
4X4 in the Icelandic Highlands
The vast, desolate interior of Iceland is the region known as the highlands, and unless the snow has arrived early, for the first half of September (before officials declare the roads closed), it’s still accessible.
This is a place to push yourself outside of your comfort zone – only 4WD vehicles are allowed, and if you’re driving, you’ll have to tackle the toughest roads in the country, fording rivers as you go. For many, Landmannalaugar is the destination to beat in this region, known for its exceptional hiking trails and colorful rhyolite mountains.
Deeper in the interior you can also visit places like the geothermal valleys and mountains at Kerlingarfjöll, or adventure across the entire plateau via route F35, spitting you out in the north. However, here more than anywhere else you’re at the mercy of the elements, and you will need to be prepared for dangerous conditions.
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