Basic Information about traveling in Iceland

There are a few websites you want to check before and during your stay in Iceland. These websites show you how the road condition is and if the weather will have a big impact on your travel plans.

• www.road.is This website will show you how the road conditions are. This is especially important to check if you are travelling in Iceland between September and May. In this period it is more likely that roads close because of bad weather. But it also shows if roads are slippery or if there will be a lot of snow. Many roads even have webcams to show you how the road looks at that exact moment.

• www.safetravel.is Here you will find out if there are bad weather conditions that can interrupt your travel plans. On this website you can also make your travel itinerary to let authorities know where you are going so they can help more easily if something goes wrong.

• www.vedur.is Here you'll find the weather forecast for the upcoming days. Just know that the weather in Iceland can change quite quickly, so it is good to check this one just before you hit the road. If there is a weather alarm, that part of the country will either be yellow, orange or red on the map. If this is the case, you might want to stay off the road for that time. On this website you can also check how big the chance will be for you to see the auroras.

If Icelandic people say it is not safe to travel, it means it is not safe to travel, so listen to them and these websites.

I really love driving around in Iceland. And the best places are the places with the least amount of other tourists (in my opinion). So if you want to avoid other people you might want to get away from the ring road once in a while. Of course there are amazing things to see on the ring road, but that’s where most people stay. So take a detour once in a while!

And if you see the sign at the tp of this page, make sure you stop there. It usually means there is a pretty waterfall, and interesting historic spot or just a beautiful view.

Check out other signs you need to know here.

Do’s and Don’ts while traveling in Iceland:

Do:

• Enjoy nature

• Take pretty pictures

• Watch the signs beside the road. They might tell you you’ll need a 4x4 jeep for a certain part of the road. Or they tell you a certain road is closed. Do not just dismiss these traffic signs

• Understand that nature calls the shots in Iceland

• Be flexible. If you are travelling in Iceland you’ll have to be flexible. It could happen that some roads are closed because of a storm / floods / snow / ice / elves on the road / etc. The weather will be a guiding factor on your travels. You might have planned to go somewhere, but if there’s a snowstorm raging over and Icelanders advise you to stay inside, you are staying inside that day. Period.

• Think before you do

Don’t:

• Litter

• Go off road. It is strictly forbidden to drive off road. Also when you go into the highlands you are not to drive off road. Icelandic nature is very fragile and it can take years for off road tracks to disappear again. And once a path is made other people might think they are allowed to go there as well

• Stop on the road to take pictures. Always look for a place to safely stop. Too many accidents happen because tourists stop all of a sudden because they see something pretty and want to take a picture immediately

• Take ugly pictures. It’s a crime and nearly impossible to take ugly pictures in Iceland

>> Pledge to be a responsible tourist in Iceland

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