Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rte F206 (just west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur) is generally passable from mid-June to mid-
September (check on
www.vegagerdin.is
)
. It's a long, rugged 50km to the Lakagígar crater
row. The road is absolutely unsuitable for 2WD cars, as there are several rivers to ford.
Even low-clearance 4WD vehicles may not be suitable in the spring thaw or after rain,
when the rivers tend to run deep. Take the bus tour if your car is unsuitable.
The Sandar
The sandar are soul-destroyingly flat and empty regions sprawling along Iceland's south-
eastern coast. High in the mountains, glaciers scrape up silt, sand and gravel that is then
carried by glacial rivers or (more dramatically) by glacial bursts down to the coast and
dumped in huge, desert-like plains. The sandar here are so impressively huge and awful
that the Icelandic word (singular: sandur) is used internationally to describe the topograph-
ic phenomenon of a glacial outwash plain.
Skeiðarársandur is the most visible and dramatic, stretching some 40km between ice cap
and coast from Núpsstaður to Öræfi. Here you'll encounter a flat expanse of grey-black
sands, fierce scouring winds (a cyclist's nightmare) and fast-flowing grey-brown glacial
rivers. A note on respect:
do not
drive off-road in these expanses. It is illegal, and hugely
destructive to the fragile environment.
HOW TO AVOID BEING SKUA-ED
The great sandar on Iceland's southern coast are the world's largest breeding ground for
great skuas (Stercorarius skuain Latin, skúmurin Icelandic). These large, meaty, dirty-
brown birds tend to build their nests among grassy tufts in the ashy sand. You'll often see
them harassing gulls into disgorging their dinner, killing and eating puffins and other little
birds, or swooping down on you if you get too close to their nests.
Thankfully (unlike feather-brained Arctic terns), skuas will stop plaguing you if you run
away from the area they're trying to defend. You can also avoid aerial strikes by wearing a
hat or carrying a stick above your head.
