<- Quick reference travel guide Sprengisandur Route ->

Travel Guide Sprengisandur Route

Region: Highland
Coordinates: 64.807985° N 18.140960° W

Region: Highland
Coordinates: 64.8666632 ° N 18.1166662° W

This part of the interior, the so-called Sprengisandur route, is the longest stretch between the South and the North and is passable by 4wd vehicles during summer. It is mostly very desolate and barren. Only where there is water, sparse vegetation can be found.

In earlier times, when people were more superstitious than they are nowadays and believed in ghosts, giants, elves and outlaws, the few who dared use this route rode as fast as possible through and sometimes exhausted their horses. The word for to exhaust in Icelandic is “sprengja”, hence the name of the area.

The present route lies further east than the original one and the distance between the last farm in the South and the first one in the North is approximately 250 km. The obstacles en route are rivers, which have to be forded. They swell when it is warm, the glacial melt-water increases and when it also rains they become dangerous. The scenic beauty makes this route unforgettable.

Sprengisandur route main attractions:
Hruneyjar Sigalda Versalir
Nyidalur – Jokuldalur – Vonarskard – Kidagil

You can also wive: Mt. Arnarfell – Hofsjokull Glacier

HIGHLAND ICELAND SAGA

View Map of Sprengisandur Route.

Highland travel guide

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