Best roads in Iceland?
Discussion
Get a proper 4x4 we broke (suspension) the Octy (AWD) in only 36 hours, it could not cope with some of the dirt roads.
We used a Land Cruiser as a replacement, and Kia Sorento since.
We were going off the beaten track to some of the calderas but still surprised it broke that soon.
We used a Land Cruiser as a replacement, and Kia Sorento since.
We were going off the beaten track to some of the calderas but still surprised it broke that soon.
Edited by BoostMonkey on Friday 10th August 15:36
Proper 4x4 is necessary, I went in July 2007 and was most thankfull I chose a Landcruiser for going anywhere off the main ring road round the Island. Frankly a 4x4 car just isn't going to cut it there if you've got any petrolhead tendancies. 
Jacked up Landrover on balloon tyres? I'm not sure if the road up the Myrdalsjokull volcano Route 221 will be open in Feb but it is very impressive for it's scary drops and stunning access to the glacier for snow mobiling. A 4x4 car certainly would struggle in summer though so maybe not unless you hire some decent wheels.
Jacked up Landrover on balloon tyres? I'm not sure if the road up the Myrdalsjokull volcano Route 221 will be open in Feb but it is very impressive for it's scary drops and stunning access to the glacier for snow mobiling. A 4x4 car certainly would struggle in summer though so maybe not unless you hire some decent wheels. Hmm I may need to upgrade then....
We are only going for 4 days and plan on visiting the below:
The Golden Circle
Seljalandsfoss
Skogafoss
Vik
Jokulsarlon
Did either of you visit Jokulsarlon? What are the best places to take photos from? Is there much traffic on the main ringroad or do you pretty much have it to yourself?
Any other tips? Quirky driving rules also?
We are only going for 4 days and plan on visiting the below:
The Golden Circle
Seljalandsfoss
Skogafoss
Vik
Jokulsarlon
Did either of you visit Jokulsarlon? What are the best places to take photos from? Is there much traffic on the main ringroad or do you pretty much have it to yourself?
Any other tips? Quirky driving rules also?
matt3001 said:
Hmm I may need to upgrade then....
We are only going for 4 days and plan on visiting the below:
The Golden Circle
Seljalandsfoss
Skogafoss
Vik
Jokulsarlon
Did either of you visit Jokulsarlon? What are the best places to take photos from? Is there much traffic on the main ringroad or do you pretty much have it to yourself?
Any other tips? Quirky driving rules also?
We did a similar tour a few years ago, only in September. We had a Vitara but that set of destinations is all on decent tarmac roads - although you'll have snow and much shorter days than we did. The roads were good and fast, although we did see a local pass us and then immediately get pulled by a hidden cop car in the middle of nowhere!We are only going for 4 days and plan on visiting the below:
The Golden Circle
Seljalandsfoss
Skogafoss
Vik
Jokulsarlon
Did either of you visit Jokulsarlon? What are the best places to take photos from? Is there much traffic on the main ringroad or do you pretty much have it to yourself?
Any other tips? Quirky driving rules also?
We also nearly ran out of petrol on the way to Jokulsarlon, don't underestimate how far it is and how sparseley populated Iceland is. Amazing place to visit and I'd love to go back.
moribund said:
matt3001 said:
Hmm I may need to upgrade then....
We are only going for 4 days and plan on visiting the below:
The Golden Circle
Seljalandsfoss
Skogafoss
Vik
Jokulsarlon
Did either of you visit Jokulsarlon? What are the best places to take photos from? Is there much traffic on the main ringroad or do you pretty much have it to yourself?
Any other tips? Quirky driving rules also?
We did a similar tour a few years ago, only in September. We had a Vitara but that set of destinations is all on decent tarmac roads - although you'll have snow and much shorter days than we did. The roads were good and fast, although we did see a local pass us and then immediately get pulled by a hidden cop car in the middle of nowhere!We are only going for 4 days and plan on visiting the below:
The Golden Circle
Seljalandsfoss
Skogafoss
Vik
Jokulsarlon
Did either of you visit Jokulsarlon? What are the best places to take photos from? Is there much traffic on the main ringroad or do you pretty much have it to yourself?
Any other tips? Quirky driving rules also?
We also nearly ran out of petrol on the way to Jokulsarlon, don't underestimate how far it is and how sparseley populated Iceland is. Amazing place to visit and I'd love to go back.
The ring road was pretty deserted even in July. Iceland has a population about the same as Camden and most of the live in Reykjavik, so anywhere away from there will be very quiet.
Jokulsarlon was amazing when we went, there were boat tours of the lake so you could get close to the icebergs. I don't know if they run in winter though. Is the lake frozen?
My map has a petrol station in Hella and 5 between there and Jokulsarlon. It's well worth getting a proper map as the one from the car hire company wasn't the best. Probably worth checking which petrol stations are likely to be open too.
Jokulsarlon was amazing when we went, there were boat tours of the lake so you could get close to the icebergs. I don't know if they run in winter though. Is the lake frozen?
My map has a petrol station in Hella and 5 between there and Jokulsarlon. It's well worth getting a proper map as the one from the car hire company wasn't the best. Probably worth checking which petrol stations are likely to be open too.
Me and the missus went to Iceland for our honeymoon. In October. We hired a 4WD Suzuki Baleno estate which took us on a full circuit of the country, plus an almost lethal trip down to Seisfjordur (or something - where the ferries come into). It was almost lethal 'cos the road there was completely snowed up and we only had summer tyres with no chains (the hire car bod said we didn't need them at that time of year!)
The road across the top was quite fun too. That was covered in snow as well, and we passed a winter tyred Legacy that had fallen off the side of the road on the way.
It's good advice to upgrade to a proper 4x4 - we took some (clearly non-essential) component off the base of the car on some of the minor roads. By minor roads, I mean anything other than the round-island route 1, as even that is non-tarmac in places (the bridges are wooden and some sections are gravel/ice).
Having said all that, it's a fantastic, magical and truly awesome place. Have fun!
The road across the top was quite fun too. That was covered in snow as well, and we passed a winter tyred Legacy that had fallen off the side of the road on the way.
It's good advice to upgrade to a proper 4x4 - we took some (clearly non-essential) component off the base of the car on some of the minor roads. By minor roads, I mean anything other than the round-island route 1, as even that is non-tarmac in places (the bridges are wooden and some sections are gravel/ice).
Having said all that, it's a fantastic, magical and truly awesome place. Have fun!
Did a seven day driving tour in Iceland in March.
Amazing place but would definatley upgrade to a proper 4x4, we had a Honda CRV and it just coped but had to give it some serious wellie at times! A landcrusier or equivalent with proper 4wd and low ratio box definatley the way to go. Petrol stations are often far apart, always fill up if you are less than half a tank and going past one! Take food, water, blankets, and buy a shovel and tow rope as hire cars come with nothing. We came across some americans who had got stuck in a snow drift, lucky for them as it was the middle of nowhere, no phone signal and on an offroad track. We dropped them into the nearest village where they arranged a tractor to go tow them out. The weather changes very very quickly, especially as you climb above the cloud level.
Great place but needs to be treated with utter respect!
Amazing place but would definatley upgrade to a proper 4x4, we had a Honda CRV and it just coped but had to give it some serious wellie at times! A landcrusier or equivalent with proper 4wd and low ratio box definatley the way to go. Petrol stations are often far apart, always fill up if you are less than half a tank and going past one! Take food, water, blankets, and buy a shovel and tow rope as hire cars come with nothing. We came across some americans who had got stuck in a snow drift, lucky for them as it was the middle of nowhere, no phone signal and on an offroad track. We dropped them into the nearest village where they arranged a tractor to go tow them out. The weather changes very very quickly, especially as you climb above the cloud level.
Great place but needs to be treated with utter respect!
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