Driving in the winter time can be tricky in Iceland. We've had a lot of snow in the last few weeks and roads have been closing down frequently due to snow and storms.
I've been travelling quite a bit in the last few days as I've been teaching my course in Social media marketing in both Isafjordur in the Westfjords and Kirkjubæjarklaustur in the east. The roads were icy, I caught storms and on the mountains there was a lot of snow on the road. But I was well prepared and really enjoyed my trips. Though I was driving in the dark all the time I used the opportunity to take a few photos of the northern lights and the beautiful winter scenery :)
The right vehicle
I recommend you rent a 4x4 with studded tires and take into account that you might need a few extra hours for the trip.
Be prepared
For safety you should also make sure you have extra food and drinks in the car and a warm blanket in case you get stuck somewhere. Have a full tank of fuel and let someone know at the hotel or where you're staying when you expect to arrive, so arrangements can be made if you don't show up. You can call 1777 for updates on traffic conditions before you head out into the country side in winter time.
The sign in Seltún, Krýsuvík where you can find geothermal springs. The wind was over 20 m/sec, snow and very little visibility.
An angelica standing in the ice by Seljalandsfoss waterfall.
A fishing boat in safe harbour in Súðavík, in the Westfjords.
Better not drive too fast on the icy roads. This one had lost control and rolled over in the snow. Luckily, no one got injured.
A charming old farm in Hestfjordur in the Westfjords with the northern lights dancing above it.
A picture can never do the northern lights justice, but they simply filled the sky right above me, and were reflected below on the semi-frozen sea. It was impossible to capture the scale of it, but here is a glimpse. To realize the size of it, the mountain in the picture is about 3-400 meter high.
The northern lights were so bright that you could have driven with the headlights off. I don't recommend it though ;)
Have a nice trip! :)
Hjörtur
For more images and articles, like Raving Ravens on Facebook or follow me on twitter.
Comments