Winter Driving in Iceland and Tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- A short video to show winter driving conditions in Iceland and some useful driving tips.
My wife and I went on a road trip to Iceland in Feb 2016. On the first day of our trip, we got stuck in a snow storm. I have shared our experience through this video. Hope this gives you an idea of the ever changing driving conditions in Iceland and helps you prepare for your winter trip.
If you need more information, check out our post oh driving in Iceland
bit.ly/2fZSBC5
I live in Iceland and just want to make one thing clear, all of the scenes in this video are while driving in normal winter conditions and would not be considered to be a blizzard or bad weather and noting even close to what we would call zero visibility, they where all quite normal winter conditions, we do sometimes have zero visibility and that means ZERO, you would not be able to drive or see anything almost not even the hood in your own car, and if it had been a real storm the roads would have been closed :) a good tip is to use the local weather report and road condition map at all times and obey what they say:) but other than that this is a nice winter video:)
To add/confirm your tips a bit if you don't mind, as I've been to Iceland twice already:
1. When possible, choose automatic gear, not manual. You do not want to multitask, especially in the winter. But definitely have a 4WD.
2. Do check the weather, but keep in mind that in Iceland, the weather can change every 5 minutes. One minute it's sunny, the next it's snowing.
3. Yes. Definitely drive between the poles.
4. You don't need to watch videos, as you need practice more.
5. Definitely bring food and water!!! Very important! Lots of water. Snacks (ex. chips) are a good option.
6. If you have one, bring a drone! You don't know when you'll have a great aerial shot, and the fact that you can stop at any time, plus no buildings or people for disturbance, makes this even more incredible.
Overall, Iceland has become one of my favorite counties in the world and it is by far one of the best places to practice driving. Miles upon miles with no one on the road will be exhilarating. Although one time our car did run out of gas in the middle of the road when no one was around (scary but adventurous stuff!)
Thanks for the additions!
There are 2 serious things to watch out for:
Blowing snow: Even if you can see fairly well, in gusty winds the visibility can suddenly drop to zero for long moments. TAKE YOUR TIME - SLOW DOWN!
Slush patches: You may be driving at speed, and suddenly there is a patch of slush ahead - if you hit it at speed, you suddenly become a passenger, with no control. TAKE YOUR TIME - SLOW DOWN!
Another Canadian here.... I've driven in both Canada and Iceland, and I think it's challenging for anyone not used to winter driving... Biggest benefit in Iceland was using studded tires... even better than my standard snow tires here at home. There are also many types of "snow" - often when it's really cold, it's easier to drive, as the snow is actually dry. It's often most dangerous around the zero Celsius point (freezing) when you can suddenly get ice under you and have zero grip. Terrain can make a difference too... any idiot can drive on a straight and level city road in snow.... but in areas of Canada and Iceland, there are remote areas, little or no maintenance, and no-one is coming to help if you get into trouble. Biggest tip I would give is to carry survival gear if you are outside an urban area.
Hi Simon. Thank you for your input!
We've been there during Christmas time, the shortest days of the year, been driving mostly during the night, with little to no sight, with occasional snowstorms. One time almost ran into a horde of deer, another time almost lost the way because the navigation system lost its signal. One time driving through the night with only the snow visible flying towards the vehicle, illuminated by the headlights, had a, despite only driving like 30-40km/h, a very hypnotic effect. Despite all of this, we made it and it was quite an adventure ^^
As a canadian, I feel like everyone is exagerating ? XD I am planning a trip to iceland, and when they said no visibility I feel like you could still clearly see ? XD
Hi Dahlia, maybe you are used to such conditions. It was the first time for me. The visibility definitely had dropped. The video probably doesn't do justice to the actual conditions. Regardless of whether you are used to such conditions or not, does't harm in being a bit careful and prepared for Icelandic roads.
I agree being careful is always best. I certainly will when I go to Iceland.
I do agree with Dahlia :D visibility was still ok. :D I was driving four times in Iceland including Westfjords and I really had zero visibility so I needed to stop my car...
Those are pretty standard conditions in the winter when the temperature drops below 0"C. The main thing weather wise that a Canadian should keep in mind, is that there are multiple freeze/thaw cycles in the winter, and there is often rain -> sleet -> snow, so the ice can be smooth and hidden.
Only the roads close to Reykjavík get treated with salt and grit. The rest of the roads that are kept open are just plowed.
Rent a car with studded tires for extra grip.
Take a look at www.road.is for road conditions, en.vedur.is for, you guessed it, weather. Windspeed is reported in m/sec and pressure in hPa, so the conversion should be easy for a Canadian.
I recommend leaving your travel plans with www.safetravel.is.
Please treat my home with respect. :-)
It might be challenging for people who have never driven on snow. I made my driving licence when there was heavy snowy winter with temperatures as low as -20 Celsius. The conditions shown in the video is nothing compare what I've experienced high in the north Iceland mountains. Literally, the wind was so strong and snow so heavy so you couldn't see for more than 2 meters and the road was entirely covered in snow, your only hope was yellow poles on the edge of the road. I've passed like 5-6 cars in the ditches. Some people are hitting the brake when losing grip or panicking - it's the worst.
i would love to visit this place
I WENT TO ICELAND AND MY BALLS FROZE OFF IN THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. I WILL GO BACK NEXT SUMMER TO FIND THEM.
Thanks for this great tip on driving. We are stoked to visit Iceland in February!!
Strangers Abroad no worries! I am sure you will have a great time!
Hi Pratik, were most of roads like this?
I would be going in Feburary, Can you give a brief for; 1. where (region/cities) did you find the slippery icy roads? 2. Do you have experience driving in such extraordinary conditions? 3. When you say the car was shaking, was it difficult to control?
It will help me assess my options.
Thanks.
Tarun JaiRaj Narwani hi Tarun, we found such roads on the Golden circle route. but that was only because there was a snow storm that day. the roads are usually nice and clear if the weather is good.
no I did not have any prior experience driving in such conditions. that's why I chose to get a 4wd with snow tyres.
yes the car did shake a bit in heavy winds. the best thing to do is check the weather conditions properly before venturing out. we didn't so we got stuck in a snow storm that day. the roads in Iceland are actually very very good. enjoy your trip!
Hey Pratik, thank you so much for your detailed reply. Also, thanks for your wishes. By the way, did you take the SCDW insurance or the included CDW.
I would be accompanied by my friend who is not a regular driver. Would you advice to exchange steering with him during the trip?
Tarun JaiRaj Narwani hey Tarun, I just got the normal insurance. did not get anything extra. roads in Iceland are good so you should be fine. just avoid driving in bad conditions. watch a few videos on how to drive on icy roads.
Hey Pratik, Thanks a lot buddy for your critical information and advices. They are going to help me a lot. :)
Tarun JaiRaj Narwani did you do the trip in February? How was the drive? We are planning in feb 2018.
The tips you write are "OK" yet incomplete. There are also many more tips and advices to take in than just these 5.
My comments for tip 1:
- 4WD or an AWD give better tractionin icy conditions, nut that's about it. As a rule, a AWD/4WD is a SUV with a higher center of gravity than normal sedan-style cars. When you get hit by a blast of wind, lose traction on black-ice or go a bit too fast into a curve and try to compensate through the steering you are more likely to have the car swerve and flip. It takes years of experience and knowledge to drive a top-heavy SUV in winter conditions.
The benefit is undeniably better traction, higher clearance and better driving in heavy snow. But… You shouldn’t be in conditions where any of those benefits come to play. You need to plan your trips on today’s weather and road conditions and rearrange your schedule if there is bad weather ahead.
A SUV in capable hands can get you out of a bad spot, but usually those capable hands also stay away from those bad spots. A SUV in inexperienced hands can get you INTO serious trouble.
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On tip no. 2: Weather condition checking is essential, but one also has to check the current road condition as well on the roads one plans to drive. If the weather forecast is scetchy one should rearrange the plan to avoid the bad weather, or postpone the journey one is planing to take.
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Tip no. 3 is quite alright. Did anyone who has ever driven in Iceland notice that the reflectors on both the regular poles (seen in the video) and the mountain poles actually "point down" to where the road is ??
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Tip 4 is pretty useless because you can't learn to drive in ice and snow by watching a video, or reading a blog ---> you can't learn to fly on the way down ;-) Iceland is NOT the place where travelers shouls learn to drive in ice and snow.
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Tip 5: Don't forget to have a working mobile as well.
Thank you for your comments and additional information. I agree with what you have added for most of the tips however I do feel that tip 4 is NOT "useless". Yes you cannot learn to drive or fly a plane by watching a video, however you can better prepare yourself mentally and get a sense of what to expect by watching videos. I am saying this from my own experience. I watched a few videos before going to Iceland and these gave me some very useful tips on what to do and what not to do in icy conditions. And this helped a lot.
Thanks. What I'm refering to is the actual "doing" part :-) I can fully agree that you can get some mental preperation, but it still won't help when the driving technique people need to know when unexpected situatons occur. So many people fly off the road onto the steep embankbents, or have a full head on collision because the car started to slide a little bit and their reactions to it were wrong. This video was cought last year: /watch?v=U3ZEl7TA7x0
A good tip is to dont be stupid. Have seen people (Both Native and tourists) drive at 90+ KPH with less than 50m visibility. Always drive depending on weather and road conditions.
Bonus tip. The Yellow sticks have two different markings on them. Single large reflective on the right, Smaller dual reflectors on the left, That way you can see if you are about to go off the road (or already have)
How fast you driving most of the time especially in dangerous conditions.....
Winter driving in Iceland tips? Let a professional do it. I was in Iceland in March this year and we had three days of white out conditions where we were driving to different locations. If you don't know what you're doing (in feet of snow and unpredictable wind shear), don't do it!
Beautiful!
Hey Pratik! Just getting down to our March 2018 itinerary planning - for now, restricting our self drive to the Golden Circle only as it is possibly the most touristy path and hence better maintained and (hopefully!) busy. Looking to do Snaefellsness and maybe a bit of the South Coast through tours. Did you drive these roads as well?
Hi Radhika, the Golden circle roads are well maintained. In fact all the major roads in Iceland are well maintained. You just need to check the weather. Yes we did drive along the south coast on route 1. The roads were fine. But we had hired a 4WD with snow tyres and that helped on icy roads.
Hi Pratik, is driving relatively easy in Iceland especially when its different to driving on the left side of the road ? Were there any issues with car rental , as in any minor damages? Also which winter month did you go?
Hi Darshik, yes it was relatively easy driving in Iceland. The roads are really good there. We had no issues with the car rental but we didn't go off the main road anywhere. We went in Feb.
Great tips .you travelled in which month?
Hi Pradeep, we went in Feb
Thank you for this. :)
You are welcome! hope it helps you if you are visiting Iceland
Im just wondering, do we really need to add the gravel Protection and ash protection insurance for our car rental? We're going there end of this month. (we just going to do golden circle and southern part) Thanks in advance.
Hi Norafiqah, we did the golden circle and southern part as well. From Reykjavik to Jokulsarlon and we did not get gravel and ash protection. I guess as long as you stick to the main roads, you will be ok. Here is a small post we did on driving in Iceland, has our itinerary at the end that might help -
www.nomadmemories.com/travel-tips/2016/11/5/what-you-need-to-know-about-driving-in-iceland-in-winter
Do you have to have a four wheel drive during winter? or Just only winter tires?
Steven Chutuk no you don't have to. I did see people driving 2WD. But it is better to get a 4WD.
Alt Gott in Íslenskaland!
Þetta er vegurinn!
what kind of camera were you using? it's so clear
Yea it is quite clear. I have used Samsung Galaxy S6 phone camera and Cannon G7X
Damn, this is not good for my confidence... I was planning on Landing in Reykjavik at 11am, collect a car and head to Djúpivogur in the South East Fjords... I don't think it is going to be possible... Worried now... REALLY worried...
Hi Bruce, the video is only there to make people aware of the conditions. If you take the right precautions, you will be OK. Also this is not how the conditions are all the time. We only experienced one bad day out of our 7 days there. The roads were amazing the rest of the days and I really enjoyed driving in Iceland. :)
pratik waghela - Thanks buddy!
how long do you plan to devote to this drive? it is pushing 10 hours...
No Guidebooks - Hello, I chalked it down to a bad idea, a very bad idea. I changed my flight and will now be leaving a day earlier. I have now also booked into a hotel near Hörgsland which I calculated to be roughly in the middle. I have an AWD vehicle hired too.
wise move! just take it easy. there's A LOT of amazing stuff to see between those two locations... could easily do 4 or 5 days along that route.
mammamia... going to iceland next february... guys the road was always like this???
Alexandre Panizzo no not all roads were like this. This is the worst that we encountered!
thank you !!! Can't wait for borealis (hope so)
Question, did you need to obtain a special permit in order to drive in Iceland?
No, you do not need to. All you need is your international driver's license (at least for a US citizen, not sure where you're from...)
No I didn't my UK license was enough. But international drivers permit should work. Worth checking before you go though.
Nice video!!!!!
so a snowstorm = a slight breeze so some snow gets kicked about? Tourist....... honestly this was about as exagerated as it can get, and even if it got a lot worse later or earlier, you dont go out when its zero vis unless of an emergency.
And just a tip: a 4wd has better grip under throttle only, when cornering or braking a 4wd drive is not under any icy conditions better then any other form of drive.
Mattis Vik it definitely was not a "slight breeze". may think that I have exaggerated but it wasn't fun to be out there in the "slight breeze".
Also the weather changed suddenly. Had we known it was going to get bad, we wouldn't have gone out.
so what was it? like 20m/s windspeed? considering that your car wasnt rocking by the wind i dont see how i could have been any more. I mean a small crossover like that will shake violently in a literall slight breeze (11-14 m/s) so i simply dont belive you.
Its not that i dont think it was a scary experiense for yourself, but i simply dont belive you have the knowlege to know if you are actually in a storm or not. And with the right conditions for snowdrift even 4-5 m/s will seem quite scary with temporary white-out. See we tell tourist to not go out even if its normal winter conditions outside, simply because we know that literaly anymore the a slight breeze will cause people to get i serious trouble. Belive me when i say that i have pulled more then a couple of tourist in rental cars out of snowbanks during even perfect conditions. And the amount of people that have almost crashed into me personaly simply because they couldnt keep the car going straight on a perfectly straight piece of road is so many that i have lost track, but 80% were in EU-registered cars or cars with avis/sixt/eurocar printed down the side. All driving either to fast for the conditions or busy looking at " the lovely reindeer/mountains/fjords"
Mattis Vik The car was definitely rocking. Maybe my definition of snow storm is different to yours. Look I am no expert in snow storms nor I live in a country where it snows like in Iceland. My video is simply my experience and my opinion. Since you are so knowledgeable about snow storms and driving conditions may be you should create a video to share some of your knowledge. As a tourist I will appreciate it and I am sure there will be others like me who will appreciate it too. :)
Hey if you come to Finnmark, Norway i am more than happy to give a small lesson in actual safety and tips when driving and also a litle about how to interpred the weather forecast etc. And you can film it if you want. Although i dont think it will be very entertaining. And in my experience, nothing can even come close to experience. It is something that i guess you dont have unless you have never not been driving on shit roads in shit conditions.
Mattis Vik thanks for the offer. Would love to visit Norway it is on our list. I will be in touch when we start planning.
Which license do they need for hiring the car?
Harry McCrea i just had my UK driving license.
thank you for your reply. I dont have UK driving licence. i have an Indian driving licence.
I am not sure but I think you might have to get an international driving license made.
They don't call it Iceland for nothing ❄
@Brisdad53 This is old and it was a joke. Relax, I know quarantine is tough but you still need a life. Enjoy your weekend.