Travel Tramp’s Survival series hits the road to bring you the very worst advice for Surviving an Icelandic Road Trip.
Read on and maybe, just maybe, you won’t find your expensive rental car teetering over the edge of an erupting volcano.
This is how you survive an Icelandic Road Trip.
Be Prepared for Anything. Absolutely Anything…
Iceland is a vast and unforgiving country. Advice probably doesn’t get much more vague than this. But be prepared. Be prepared for anything this country can throw at you. And it will throw everything it has at you.
You’re in ‘Iceland’, what the hell did you expect?
The Ring Road…
Route 1. This will become home for your Icelandic road trip. This 800 mile route circles the country. Hence the name ring road. It’s long and empty. You can drive miles without seeing a soul in this sparsely populated nation. But the beauty of it is that it’s incredibly difficult- but by no means impossible- to get lost. Just keep driving and eventually you’ll make it back to the start. Ingeniously, almost every sight you’d ever want to see, from glaciers and volcanoes to waterfalls and reindeer, are found along the way. It’s the main road through most towns and the best way to see as much as possible, especially if you’re low on time.
The mighty Skogafoss is literally on the side of the road…
Don’t ignore the road closed signs…
This may seem like fairly obvious advice, but it’s incredibly tempting to just push on into the unknown. Even with the warning signs. The road ahead might look clear, and you’re in a 4×4- what could go wrong? No. Just don’t. Don’t. Route 1 might be the country’s main road, but in winter- which is most of the year- even this can be closed off and become impassable. And if you get stuck, there’s not much you can do except pay a RIDICULOUS amount of money to be rescued- and to look like an idiot.
A road closed sign definitely means that the road is closed. Got it?
During my road trip in March, Route 1 was impassable for a huge stretch in the East Fjords. Being a first timer in the country, I fully expected the number one road to be a functioning one…I was so very wrong. It was okay though, the 4 hour coastal detour was pretty incredible…
The weather will destroy you…
This is Iceland. One moment the sun is shining and then within minutes the mist descends. Driving through this sudden onset of vacant, endless whiteness is certainly a hazardous endeavor.
The road is there somewhere…
And then the haze will clear. It’s no easy climate to tackle. You’ll take visibility for granted when you’re driving elsewhere.
And then the weather cleared…sort of…
Get a 4 x 4…
You saw all that snow right? You’re going to need a heavy duty vehicle. In winter it’s a must to get anywhere and in summer the extra firepower on the road won’t hurt.
Especially if you want to get off that road…
Sign up for Volcano insurance…
Remember that scene in Family Guy? Well in Iceland it’s no joke. Sign up for every kind of insurance they hurl your way. Ash, sand and gravel cover are an absolute must. Remember how I said Iceland will throw everything it can at you? Don’t forget it and be prepared.
Get Provisions…
That goes for stocking up on supplies too. Keep the car packed with food and snacks in case you get stuck. Icelanders love hot dogs, so gorge yourself at the petrol stations. You never know when the next one will appear.
****Travel Tramp Tip**** Head to Bonus, the Icelandic supermarket, for cheap provisions. Watch out for the beer though. You might be disappointed by an unexpectedly weak 2.5% lager here. Head to the wine shop for the real stuff.
And get reindeer insurance too while you’re at it…
Finally…
Made it through a hard day’s driving? Dodging reindeer, erupting volcanoes and mad weather takes it toll on even the most intrepid adventurer. This final piece of advice will really help you to survive, and even conquer, your Icelandic road trip…
Get a hotel with a hot tub…
What better way to relax than the Icelandic way? Book a place with a steaming hot tub or hit up a thermal bath. Make the most of this volcanic nation.
Richard Collett
What’s missing? Have your say on surviving an Icelandic Road Trip below!
You got me with your title on How to Survive an Icelandic Road trip! Driving on the barren, curvy roads I actually though the same thing. How do you survive this? Then out of nowhere a geyser shot up without warning next to us and then I was hooked. That was the coolest thing we have experienced driving down a small empty road! Then we noticed how rustic and beautiful the land is.
Haha yes an Icelandic road trip is an experience, that’s for sure. The best part is not knowing what will appear next, geysers, glaciers, even icebergs!
We went to Iceland this past winter and wow, the driving was intense. Although my partner is a very experienced winter driver, we were unprepared for the degree of pure ice, elevated roads with no guardrail, and the unpredictable weather that made it impossible to even stop without sliding off the road. Fantastic trip, but what a crazy drive.
The weather was insane! But the scenery, the country….everything made the driving worth it! Did you make it around the whole island?