Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Strætó
( 540 2700;
www.straeto.is
)
BUS
Bus Passes
Bus operators offer 'bus passports' every summer (valid from mid-June to the first week of
September), with the aim of making public transport around the island as easy as possible.
At the time of research, none of the passports cover the Westfjords, but services along the
highland Sprengisandur and Kjölur routes can be included.
If you're considering touring Iceland by bus, do your homework before buying a bus pass.
It's still significantly more convenient (and may be cheaper, if you are two or more) to hire
your own vehicle.
Passes lock you into using the services of one company, and no Icelandic bus company
offers the perfect network - each has significant geographic gaps in service, and most
routes only run once per day. Strætó has the biggest network but is not a part of any pass.
You may be better off buying separate tickets for each leg of your journey, using the bus
service that offers you the best route at the time.
'Iceland On Your Own' Passports
Reykjavík Excursions and SBA-Norðurleið work together to offer 'Iceland On Your Own'
passports; full details are found at
www.ioyo.is
.
The strengths of these passports: services along both the highland Kjölur and the Spren-
gisandur routes; good services in the south (using the strong Reykjavík Excursions net-
work), and coverage in the north that includes Akureyri to Húsavík, Ásbyrgi and Dettifoss
(using SBA-Norðurleið's network).
Disadvantages: They're not cheap! There's a gap in Ring Road coverage on the west
coast, with circular passes heading north via the highland Kjölur route, then taking the Ring
Road.
Circle Passport
Reykjavík to Varmahlíð via the Kjölur route, then follows the Ring Road
around the country (Ikr42,000).
Beautiful South Passport
Travel along the full south coast (Reykjavík to Höfn); includes
routes to Gullfoss, Þórsmörk, Landmannalaugar and Lakagígar (5/9/11 days Ikr36,000/
53,000/60,500).
Beautiful South Circle Passport
South coast (Reykjavík to Skaftafell), plus Landman-
nalaugar (Ikr22,000).
