Iceland Truck Glamping at Hvítá Trucks: An Honest Primer

Iceland truck glamping sounds like a gimmick until you actually sleep in one. Hvítá Trucks by Ourhotels puts you inside a converted expedition truck on the bank of the Hvítá river at Hvítárbakki in Borgarfjörður, West Iceland, about an hour from Reykjavík. Here is the practical, honest picture of what a night is really like and whether it suits you.

What the trucks actually are

These are six rooms built inside restored 1970s US Army trucks, not tents and not caravans. Each truck holds a single, double, or triple room, and every one has its own ensuite bathroom with a shower and toilet. This is the part that surprises people: you get a real bed, full heating, and free wifi inside the metal shell. The rooms are soundproofed, so the novelty stops at the exterior. Inside, it works like a compact hotel room, which is exactly why it holds up in Icelandic weather rather than being a fair-weather stunt.

The riverbank setting

The trucks sit in open countryside beside the Hvítá river, with mountain views and very little around them. That emptiness is the point. In winter, a dark rural sky with no town glow gives you a genuine shot at the northern lights straight from the truck steps. In summer, the same spot sits under the midnight sun, so you can be outside at midnight in full daylight. There is an outdoor hot-water pool on the grounds, which is the right way to end a cold evening or a long driving day. The Hvítá Inn is next door and shares the site, so breakfast (served roughly 07:00 to 09:00) and the restaurant and bar are a short walk, not a drive.

Who it suits, and who it does not

This is a strong fit for couples wanting a novelty night, families after something their kids will actually remember, and self-drive road-trippers using West Iceland as a base. It is not a full-service resort and it is not spacious, so if you want a large suite, room service, or a lobby to lounge in, look at a conventional hotel instead. The trucks reward people who plan to be outdoors most of the day and just want a warm, unusual place to land at night.

• Getting there: about 60 km / roughly a 1-hour drive from Reykjavík, north through the Hvalfjörður tunnel.
• Best timing: winter (roughly September to April) for aurora; summer for the midnight sun and the outdoor pool.
• What to bring: layers and a warm jacket for stepping out to the pool or aurora-watching, plus swimwear; a headlamp is handy on dark winter nights.
• Nearby by car: Deildartunguhver hot spring (about 25 minutes from Borgarnes), Reykholt village (about 10 to 15 minutes), and the Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls (about an hour), all on the same Hvítá river system.
• Good to know: ensuite bathroom in every truck, full heating, free wifi, a shared kitchen with complimentary coffee and tea, and free parking.

Where to Stay

Hvítá Trucks is the accommodation this whole primer is about: a converted expedition truck on the Hvítá riverbank in Borgarfjörður, with the dark skies and open horizon that make aurora and midnight-sun watching so easy right outside your door. It shares its site with the Hvítá Inn, so you get breakfast, restaurant, and hot pool on hand while keeping the novelty of sleeping in the truck. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: Zairon via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.