Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Highlands
Why Go?
You may have travelled the Ring Road thinking that Iceland is light on towns; that sheep
seem to outnumber people; that you haven't encountered an N1 service station for many a
kilometre. Well, you ain't seen nothing yet. In the interior highlands, there are practically
no services, accommodation, bridges - or guarantees if something goes wrong.
Gazing across the desolate expanses, you could imagine yourself in the Australian out-
back, or, as many have noted, on the moon. And those aren't overactive imaginations at
work -
Apollo
astronauts trained here before their lunar landing.
This isolation, in essence, is the reason that people visit. Although some travellers are
disappointed by the interior's ultra bleakness, others are humbled by the sight of nature in
its rawest form. The solitude is exhilarating, the views are vast, the access is limited (these
4WD-only roads are generally only open in summer's peak, but are served by all-terrain
buses), and it's immensely tough but equally rewarding to hike or bike these cross-country
routes.
