visiting the highlands of iceland is like a journey to another planet
as the days are getting longer and glacial water starts running through the streams
patches of lush green moss cover the dark volcanic soil
and this is not the only sign of life
in early july curious visitors from far away places migrate to this remote spot of the island
here we have one of the first of these two-legged adventurers who successfully
journeyed on gravel and through rivers to the highlands of iceland
we have to be quiet because so early in the season
this particular species can be skittish and a little camera shy
skittish were you kidding thank you sir david i'll take it from here you are most welcome jerry most
of iceland's iconic places are seemingly located around ring road one but the popularity is to a
good part thanks to their accessibility because in the highlands of iceland you arguably find way
more impressive locations that are an absolute paradise for hiking and stunningly photogenic
the harder to get to and in this video we will talk about
what it takes to explore this otherworldly place
now the reason why i'm so drawn to iceland is because
it really gives you the opportunity to experience and be one with the raw
power and beauty of nature while not having a lot of tourists and people around you
the size around the ring road certainly can get very crowded so these remote places are
the perfect escape for anyone who's up for an adventure and feels home out in nature
quick fun fact i'm actually currently in location where they shot star wars rogue
one but to get into the highlands you need to solely drive on gravel roads fort rivers
and hike to places so you need adequate gear a fitting vehicle and a lot of planning as well
most of these beautiful places can only be accessed in summer some roads open in june most of
them open in july but start closing in september so check road is for the latest update and current
status of those roads there's also this table which i will link in the description below
that shows you the average opening time so when you book your trip to iceland you know
roughly when to expect what roads are open at what time but also there can be always a
reason for example a flooded river or so that just prohibits you from continuing so build
in flexibility into your plants into your route because you may have to turn around
also very important come prepared for the days you spent in the highlands because there are no
gas stations and even less grocery stores around in the highlands actually no gas stations inside
the highlands but a few outside so definitely fuel up definitely stock up stock up on water as well
have a full water tank when you go in well i don't you can always refill it in rivers but definitely
also on your hike take enough fluids with you in case you get lost so in case you get stuck
whatever it's always good to have water with you and also layers of clothes very important
in iceland always have some layers because the sun can come out and it's getting really
warm when you hike up somewhere but then when you are at the peak or you're in the shade it
gets really freezing so definitely have layers of clothes always key and for the non-survival
uh gear the most important thing is a sleeping mask because in summer it doesn't get
dark at all really at all so you definitely need a sleeping mask in order to enjoy
and get some beauty sleep definitely the most important gear if you want to get proper sleep
and the weather in the highlands like anywhere in iceland can be quite volatile
and windy so that's why we're in a cave right now but always before any trip or any hike check
video.is or download the app and check the weather conditions for the next couple of hours a day
to the highlands you will get on so-called f roads which are the mountain or highland roads which are
not maintained roads which are only open in summer
and two-wheel drive cars are forbidden on those streets so when you rent a car
or camper van get a 4x4 most rental cars have a sticker up front in the driver's cabin that
tells you if you're allowed to drive on f roads and if in doubt just ask your rental company
so when you venture out in iceland one thing you very likely will encounter are rivers and
crossing those rivers the risk is always fully on your side no insurance is covering this
here we go the river won and now the excursion bus has to pull them out
the damage can be quite expensive in the thousands of euros or dollars whatever you're paying
but if you know how and if you can cross the river we'll mitigate the risk the current and
the depth of the rivers are constantly changing actually even during the day so you want to go
early in the morning when the sun hasn't melted a lot of glacial water yet but one thing you
definitely want to do is plan your route and maybe even use a drone to figure that out
so one misleading thing can be to go in where the water is calm but that's a sign of depth so don't
do that also go very very slowly five kilometers at max and you'll be golden it's all good then
next step always go with the stream because going against the current increases the wake the wave
in front of your car and the risk of your engine pulling in water and motor damage is actually the
most common cause here of of damage on rental cars and the 4x4 happy camper has actually a
snorkel so the risk is definitely reduced of sucking of water being sucked in by the engine
if you're unsure to cross the river just don't do it the risk is too high
you can also wait for smaller weaker cars if they can cross it you know your chances
are that you can make it as well but obviously experience on how to cross a river counts as well
always look for dutch duster if the duchy duster makes it you'll be fine with this thing
also signs like this at rivers that indicate how deep it is so that gives you a little bit of an
indication but most rivers don't have those so you need to scope it out for sure but always keep
in mind risk is on your side nothing is covered it's not recommended to do it so keep that in mind
okay let's talk about how you have to drive on these air roads these
gravel roads first of all you want to go slowly while it is allowed to drive
in theory 80 kilometers per hour on these streets here you never can get those that fast unless the
road conditions and the weather conditions are absolutely perfect generally you go half the
speed if not less so always go slowly also don't panic uh never like just do any erratic movements
you see these like lanes carved out oftentimes in the street so when you have oncoming traffic
you sometimes have to go onto the loose gravel and that's when it gets when you car starts swimming
so always when you have oncoming traffic try to be careful with that because it can be quite slippery
then and your car starts swimming and also never ever go off-road on in iceland because that's
it's destroying the nature and it's fine very very highly so with when you follow that you can just
go into these dusty gravel roads and you're good to go
okay there's one more thing one more hazard you can encounter on the streets of the highlands
and that's actually quite a cute one and it's a little cheap uh they happen to be one of the top
causes for accidents on the roads of iceland in general so keep an eye out drive careful
whenever you see a little white thing on the side actually also black sheep they can be even more
tricky to see because you may think that there are stones so be careful think about the cheap
so sheep aside another sign that you come across quite a few times is this funny one here with the
two bumpy cars blind head um this is mostly positioned when you can't see behind a hill
and people rush over these hills and so you may want to take those more carefully slowly because
you can't see oncoming traffic when you see one of these here attention and believe it or not also in
the highlands there's a tons of campgrounds and mountain huts and some of the campgrounds have
even showers and if they don't just jump into the next river or hot water pot whenever you
think you're miserable in a camper van in the rain and it sucks well there's worse things oh my god
so since you get to quite some remote places when you go out into the highlands
you want to keep safety very much top of your mind as well like think about
always carrying a phone with you taking some gps tracking device maybe also your phone and
there's also the website safetravel.is where you can leave your itinerary so
that at least the authorities know where they could possibly find you if you get lost
or something happens to you so always a good good thing to keep in mind i said generally i would say
it's definitely good to travel alone like be it a guy or a girl because it's generally a very safe
country like crime is very low here the only the only danger really is is your own negligence or
stupidity of and engaging with the nature so if you're careful that front should be good to go
and lastly enjoy the adventure cherish the moments out in nature and also on the gravel roads i can
totally recommend renting a 4x4 camper van the freedom flexibility and convenience it provides
even in the wilderness is unbeatable and you can just focus on our beautiful planet
if you don't have enough yet of iceland i have a bunch of other videos including a
documentary about the volcano you can check out right here and if you enjoyed this video
please hit the like button subscribe and as always have a good morning have a good
night whenever and wherever you are around this beautiful planet bye bye