Safetravel information Iceland

 

Weather and conditions on the main roads:

Nothing out of the ordinary in the forecast as of now.

Check out the actual road and weather conditions here.

Highland roads are impassible/closed in all Iceland. Tourists often mistake 4×4 for a vehicle that can take on all terrain, which is of course not the case and this must be explained as damages can cost thousands of dollars. Not all the closed/impassible roads will be closed with a bar over the road so it‘s important to inform our guests that driving there is strictly prohibited! The highland-road map can be found here.

ATTENTION: It‘s important not to follow GPS-devices blindly as not all take closures into consideration and will lead tourists on to mountain roads that they are not equipped for. This often happens because these roads are often shorter in distance while being very rough and much slower.

 

Conditions in the highlands:

 

Fjallabak: River grow significantly in rain! Medium flow as of now, passible on 4x4s like Dacia Duster given that the right way is chosen and appropriate driving behavior is shown.

Lakagígar: When raining, rivers grow to the point of them being impassible for smaller 4x4s!

Sprengisandur: If drivers drive slowly through the rivers it shouldn‘t be a problem for smaller 4x4s. The road resembles a washboard in the southern part.

Kjölur: Has recently been fixed, the worst part is now towards Kerlingafjöll (unusual).

Kaldidalur: Fixed a little over a week ago.

Askja: Smaller 4x4s (Jimny, Duster, Rav4 etc.) are recommended to take route F905/F910 through Möðrudalur as the river crossing in Lindaá on F88 has been troublesome.

 

 

Conditions in popular tourist sites:

 

Þórsmörk: No rental cars are allowed in Langidalur or Húsadalur so cars must go to Básar. The rivers can grow when raining or in high temperatures. Only modified vehicles or drivers with experience of Krossá should attempt to cross it! Steinholtsá river has been troublesome due to people choosing the wrong way – the quieter the river the deeper! In river Hvanná there’s a sandpit that drivers need to be aware of!

 

Landmannalaugar: Area is quite wet. Dómadalsleið (route F255) has recently been fixed but there are already some bumps.

 

Geysir og Gullfoss: Nothing remarkable or unusual about the conditions.

 

Dettifoss og Selfoss: Road 864 in the east has recently been fixed. 862 on the west side is very rough and narrow!

 

Goðafoss: Nothing remarkable or unusual about the conditions.

 

Látrabjarg: Don’t go to close to the edge – it’s very sensitive and loose.

 

Rauðisandur beach: The mountain road to the beach is very narrow and steep, without any protective rails. Can be scary and challenging for a lot of drivers.

 

Reynisfjara: is always dangerous due to the unpredictability of the waves. It‘s not every wave – it‘s every 7th or 10th or 12th wave that goes a lot further up the beach than the rest making it difficult to assess danger upon arrival. There are no rocks in the ocean that break the waves and only a few meters of shore there‘s an underwater cliff so the pulling factor of these already powerful waves becomes even greater. On top of this the sand is very fine ash which makes it extra difficult to get away from these waves.

Same applies to Kirkjufjara beach, it‘s CLOSED due to this fact and also Djúpalónssandur in Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

 

 

 

Aðstæður á gönguleiðum:

 

Esjan: Nothing remarkable or unusual about the conditions.

 

Skaftafell: Nothing remarkable or unusual about the conditions.

Laugavegur: Snow cover of about 1 ½ km around Hraftinnusker and because of the common fog up there it’s a must to have a GPS! The glacial river Bláfjallakvísl between Álftavatn and Emstrur is knee deep. Þröngá in Þórsmörk is a bit under the knee but the current can be very strong! Good to link elbows with partner or have hiking poles for balance! Correct equipment is a must in the fall!

 

Fimmvörðuháls: Fall is here and the trail not for everyone! Forecasts do not foresee the conditions on the top and conditions can change in a matter of minutes even though the forecast says otherwise. Hikers need to be well equipped and prepared, both physically and mentally, for any kind of weather! 8-10-hour hike with no drinking water on the way!

 

Reykjadalur: Nothing remarkable or unusual about the conditions.

 

Jökulsárgljúfur: Nothing remarkable or unusual about the conditions.

 

Víknaslóðir: Nothing remarkable or unusual about the conditions.

 

Hornstrandir: Colder temperatures nowadays.  No services can be found here so visitors need to be self-sufficient, camp in designated campsites and leave nothing behind! It’s strictly prohibited to light fires anywhere in the area! Eastern part (east of Hlöðuvík) are prone to difficult weather conditions and is dangerous for the thick fog that covers it in N/NE-winds – limits the visibility to 50m.

 

Lónsöræfi: Little snow. The road is passible but only those with experience with the rivers there should attempt to cross them! Hike from route 1 to Múlaskáli is about 20 km. Hikers from the north should contact Snæfellsstofa (470-8330) and hikers from the south should contact Gömlubúð (470-8330).

 

Kerlingarfjöll: Keep in mind that thick fog can come over the area with little to no warning.

 

Glymur: Nothing remarkable or unusual about the conditions.