Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BUS PASSPORTS
Bus Passports
- open tickets allowing you unrestricted travel on certain routes - are currently
offered by Reykjavík Excursions (
W
re.is) and Sterna (
W
sterna.is), and are a lot cheaper than
paying for the same fares as you go. They're only available through the summer and are
subject to roads being open.
Reykjavík Excursions
seven options range from their Hiking Passport (10,500kr), covering a
return trip to Landmannalaugar and Skógar, to the full Ringroad (35,000kr), which lets you orbit
the country in either direction, though you're not allowed to double back on your route; and
the Combo, which covers the Ringroad and Interior routes but is only valid between 7 days
(49,000kr) and 15 days (77,000kr).
Sterna
's offerings are split between the Full Circle (37,000kr)
and tag-on options to include the West Fjords (59,000kr) or the Interior Kjölur route (38,000kr).
Interior routes covered by bus tours from
Reykjavík include the
Fjallabak route
, which takes
you past Landmannalaugar's thermal springs and a
wild gorge system; and trips across the country to
Mývatn either via the impressively barren
Spreng-
isandur route
or the easier and slightly more
scenic
Kjölur route
. Local tours tackle the trip to
the mighty
Askja
caldera south of Mývatn; and
Lakagígar
, site of a massive eighteenth-century
eruption in the south of the country.
card, buy a
dedicated
card
for a particular brand
of station (N1 is probably the most widespread).
Annoyingly, some automatic pumps are designed
so that you have to select the amount you want in
litres and pay before filling up, which means you
risk buying too much. Fuel currently
costs
245kr
per litre for standard unleaded petrol (95 Octane,
or
blýlaust
).
Car rental
Car-rental agencies
, offering everything from
small economical runarounds to motor homes
and gas-guzzling four-wheel-drives, are found in
settlements across Iceland, though in smaller
places the selection will be limited. Hiring in
Iceland is expensive and you might save money
by organizing things
in advance online
: once
here, the Reykjavík tourist information o
ces also
have each rental agent's brochures for directly
comparing prices.
Rental-rate options boil down to two types: a
daily rate
, which covers the first 100km, after
which you pay per additional kilometre; or an
all-inclusive
rate, which fixes a flat daily fee. Check
how much of the
CDW
(Collision Damage Waiver)
you'll be liable for - it's often very steep and only
brought down by paying an extra daily premium.
One-way rental
(hiring the car in Reykjavík and
leaving it in Akureyri, for instance) attracts an
additional relocation fee. Rentals of over a week
attract discounts, as does renting outside the tourist
season (mid-June to late August).
Including CDW and unlimited kilometres,
prices
for a small sedan such as a Toyota Yaris start around
15,000kr per day, or 92,000kr per week. For a four-
wheel-drive, however, you're looking at 30,000kr
per day, 180,000kr per week, plus heavy fuel
consumption.
Campervans
- while upwards of
58,000kr per day, or 300,000kr per week - begin to
look better given that you save money on accom-
modation and eating out.
By car
Driving
around Iceland allows far greater flexibility
than taking the bus.
Car rental
is expensive for solo
travellers but might work out a reasonable deal if
you're in a group, and it's also possible to
bring your
own vehicle
into the country by ferry (see p.31). UK,
US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand
driving
licences
are all valid for short-term visits.
In summer you don't necessarily need a
four-
wheel-drive
to experience the heart of the
country, when both the Kjölur (Route 35) and the
Kaldidalur (Route 550) open up to carefully driven
conventional vehicles; these roads, however, are still
very rough, and rental agencies do not allow their
cars to be driven along them. Four-wheel-drive is
essential for other Interior routes, most often
because of sticky sand and numerous rivers (again,
note that rental agencies - and their insurance
companies - will not cover you for accidents at river
crossings). Whatever you're driving, and wherever
you are, note that you must not drive or pull off the
road or track, apart from at designated passing
places or car parks - aside from the often unstable
verges, you can cause serious erosion damage to
the landscape.
Except in the larger towns,
fuel
pumps are
increasingly automated and sometimes completely
unstaffed
:
you pay at the pump using your credit/
debit card with PIN. If you don't have a credit/debit
