Indeed, this time the familiar SUV will face quite different tasks – F-type roads in the Icelandic highlands, dozens of fords and rocky tracks where driving ordinary cars is not recommended or even prohibited.
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“I still don’t understand this Iceland – the beauty is everywhere like from paintings. It seems you drive three kilometers and stop again, something impressive again. Beautiful from left to right. If we had six or eight months here, there would be enough activities for the whole season,” shares A. Sutkus about the impressions of the first week.
The journey to Iceland began with almost two thousand kilometers of driving from Panevėžys to the northern part of Denmark, from where two days on a ferry awaited to Iceland. Already here Audrius’s attention was drawn to the car park – the majority consisted of SUVs prepared for travel with rougher tires, roof tents, and other necessary equipment. Among them were many American SUVs, various generations of Defender models, and smaller SUVs were not lacking either, but four-wheel drive is an inseparable attribute of traveling here.
A familiar car, new conditions
“The car makes us very happy, we are driving the same one we traveled through the Balkans with. It knows us, we know it,” says the traveler and adds that so far he has not encountered places requiring very deep off-road driving knowledge, but a basic understanding is definitely necessary here.
Major modifications to the Defender were not needed for this trip, but they had to prepare for cold, wind, and moisture. The travelers equipped the roof tent with an additional heat-retaining layer. It helps not only to maintain a comfortable temperature when outside at night it is only 3–4 degrees Celsius but also reduces wind noise. A diesel heater is installed in the tent, which will be useful for drying clothes and bedding soaked from rain. A. Sutkus says this is one of those items that might not be used, but if needed, it is better to have it and not use it than to regret not taking it when needed.
The first signal that the conditions on the trip would be harsh was received by the travelers still on the way, when the ferry stopped for a few hours in the Faroe Islands. Fog, moisture, and strong wind made it clear what part of the world the couple had ended up in. Although the weather here is harsh, Iceland welcomed them very hospitably – customs formalities after leaving the ferry took only a few minutes and the journey around the island began shortly after.
In the first days, they had to get used to the local everyday life. Cash is almost unnecessary in Iceland – it is only needed if you want to pay for a shower at campsites. Outside the cities, narrow roads and single-lane bridges require attention: one driver enters, and the oncoming driver must wait. Such an agreement between drivers works but does not allow forgetting to admire the surrounding views.
From birds to moon-like landscapes
One of the couple’s first goals was to see the Atlantic puffins, which have become a symbol of Iceland, whose largest colony in the world is located in the Vestmannaeyjar Islands in Iceland – about 700 thousand bird pairs breed here. The travelers arrived on the island before the end of the birds’ season, so they could closely observe the birds caring for their chicks in caves.
But the most vivid impressions began after turning off the main road circling the island. Audrius says that in the most popular places, mass tourism is felt: campsites are full of travelers from various countries, and queues form at common areas.
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To escape from that, one has to choose F-category roads leading to the Icelandic highlands. Here the wild side of the island reveals itself – gravel, sharp stones, steep climbs, and one ford after another. This is exactly where the reason why the couple wanted to come to Iceland with their SUV becomes clear. Rocky roads, soft ground, rivers, and steep climbs allow reaching places that would be impossible to reach with a passenger car. However, even properly prepared equipment is not invulnerable – on one of the fords, a sharp stone irreparably cut the side of a tire.
“In half a day, you can cross thirty or forty fords, and after a while, it starts to seem normal,” says the traveler and adds that seeing other travelers and evaluating their Defender, they feel properly prepared for the challenges of Icelandic nature.
The route is dictated by the weather
In Iceland, the travel plan has to be reviewed and adjusted daily. Due to rain, rivers quickly flood, and fords become deeper, roads are closed, and their condition can be monitored on a special online map, which, like the weather forecast, has become a daily tool. The weather is even harder to predict because on one side of the mountains it can pour rain and blow strong wind, while a few dozen kilometers away the sun shines.
Changeable weather also shapes the local lifestyle. Audrius noticed that Icelanders always have warmer and waterproof clothing, food, water, tents, or chairs in their cars. As soon as the sun appears, they get on bicycles and head to nature, trying to make the most of every brighter hour and enjoy summer as long as possible. For travelers, such preparation also becomes everyday life: even on a sunny morning, you have to get out of the car with a warm sweater and always have a jacket, even gloves, because weather conditions can change within minutes.
“The wind and rain are so strong that no matter what waterproof clothes you wear, you get wet within minutes. Here you always have to watch road maps and think about what will happen tomorrow or the day after,” says A. Sutkus.
According to him, for a person who wants to actively explore Iceland, an SUV is a necessity. This is also shown by the local car park: the island has many powerful SUVs with large wheels. Even buses transporting tourists often have six-wheel drive and large tires.
You can also see very high-clearance vehicles built on truck platforms designed for driving to remote places.
In the first days, the travelers have only just begun their acquaintance with Iceland. Waterfalls, geological formations, whale watching trips, and the northern lights, whose season has already started, await them. However, the first week already allowed them to understand the most important thing about this magical place: “Iceland is about nature. There can be many attractions, museums, activities, but the main wonders were still created by nature itself.”
