This year, the cops and park rangers had to spend time to catch people who has been driving off road and thereby left tracks in the Icelandic nature that at times, will take decades to heal.
The law is simple, you are not allowed to drive off road unless its clearly marked. If you get caught driving off road, you can experience a hefty fine as the above American got to experience. He had to pay over 2000 US dollars in fines. But the real downside is the damage he made on the very delicate nature of Iceland. Plants and flowers here live in a very harsh condition and they take a long time to grow. There are Icelanders causing great damage to the nature when they drive their big SUV’s as can be seen in this new video here showing someone driving like he owned the place! 🙁
Iceland is full of fantastic roads and most of the are well marked with signs telling you what to expect ahead, what kind of car needed to go further. Get decent maps where all roads are well marked so you won’t spend time trying to reach a destination that you reach in the first place. If you follow our rental agreement, you will have no problems.
(Map from the Icelandic road administration)Driving the F-roads in The highlands of Iceland is a magnificent place to drive. The scenery is big and powerful, at times you only see black mountains and black sand. There is only one gas station up there called Hrauneyjar which is the last stop before the great highlands. There you can fill up your car, use the facilities, get a meal before heading out to the wilderness. The roads up there can be pretty rough so make sure you to your time and again, do not drive off road.
As always, on any trip, know what you are up to, find out what the local rules & regulations are. Take your time and enjoy the fantastic visual Iceland has to offer!
Bon voyage! 🙂 #GoIceland