Driving In Iceland During Winter
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2024
- We had been to Iceland in Jan 2020 and shot a few clips while driving around. Not only did we witness some incredible scenery but we also experienced challenging weather conditions. Please note, this is NOT a guide for driving in Iceland by any means.
Read more about our trip here: www.lifeasweexplore.com/post/...
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Hi... update, we done the drive.
had an accident, 10m outside Vik, our car swerving off the road, and the snow is too thick to get back to main road, the wind blew so hard it went total "white"out on windshield. Stranded near cliff side, which is scary if I recall it now, my Son got the whole thing on video since he was riding shotgun.
It was 0800hrs driving, but its pitch black outside. Being near Vik, the tow truck arrived within 10min. They help us back on the road, it was fast, efficient and not to expensive approx Eur. 150 (I think?).
My advice, drive EXTREMELY Slow, try to leave 1 or 2 hrs early, everything would be ok. Just be cautious and extra patient, and Icelandic road will reward you with a beautiful scenery
Lesson learned, but I will not hesitate, to be driving again, if I ever come back to Iceland. The view was simply breathtaking and its absolutely beautiful. Once in a lifetime experience. Iceland was just beautiful in every way.
Sorry to hear about the accident 😞 I’m glad it wasn’t serious and you made it back on the road quickly, and ultimately enjoyed your trip. Thanks for the tip as well.
glad you were safe!! may i ask what car were you driving? 4x4 or 2wd?
We are driving a 4x2, it's small/medium SUV, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross hybrid. I guess the car's ground clearance play a good part since (fortunately ) no single bump or scratch in the car.
Best Winter Iceland video by far. No talking. No posing. You put us in the car and take us along without trying to be funny or cute. You nailed this. On my favorites list.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed the video 😊
Thank you for the video! First of all, I liked it that it was not a video with people talking to the camera and showing himself all the time. You showed views, with a short explanation in words, excellent! I really appreciated that and loved the video. Very challenging the trip! I would have stopped sometimes until the weather was better. Called my attention that you only saw one sunset, why is that? I loved the horses, specially the blond one with blue eyes! but they were all beautiful. The views were amazing. I live in a country that never snows so all of it calls my attention. Greetings from Uruguay!
I am so glad you like our style of video :) Thank you for telling us. It is very encouraging. The reason that was the only sunset we saw was because it was cloudy all the other days of our trip. We were glad we could witness at least that one. About the bad weather.. We briefly stopped at Vik and assessed the situation. As scary as it was, we relied highly on the weather updates and the authorities had not placed any driving restrictions, and we also saw locals move about as if it was a normal day. But in the end we were happy we made it back to our hotel safely without the weather getting worse on our way :)
@@JyothiVummiti I believe when you arrived at your hotel, you felt relief and had a very deserved long warm bath =)
Wow! Those waterfalls are beautiful !
Those intermittent blizzards are something else !
Thanks for the magnificent tour!
Thank you 🙏 I’m glad you liked the video
Great Vid. The weather changes in Iceland are SO crazy. My wife and I were married at the Black Church in early October of 2013; 60 degrees F and bright sunshine. Woke up the next morning with eight inches of snow on the ground, and it snowed for a day and a half. It was cool, but crazy!
Many Thanks for your Video, that was exactly what i was looking for, very general video of Iceland during Mid Winter, and wow I am really surprised of what I see, and it is really interesting that most of what you drive in the south part of Iceland was almost no snow!!
I was at the end of January, I loved this video because you made me feel like I was there Again. It's so magical how this land changes so suddenly. And even with those wild blizzards. You can't help but feel the beauty of the place. Coming back on November 12th. Hope it's a little calmer than January
Wonderful video. Thank you for sharing!
it is so beautiful! I can’t wait to go in January 2024
That’s exciting ☺️ it is more beautiful in person, videos and photo’s don’t do justice
Beautiful video.
Thanks!
We love it. We was there November 2021
Very beautiful place.
awesome footage, this is exactly what i was looking for planning a trip in january.
Thank you 😊 Have a fun trip
Dude!! I went to Iceland in feb 2020 and experienced these exact same conditions while driving along the southern coast. It was wild!! Watching this totally brought me back and I miss Iceland so much.
I can’t wait to go back 😊
Meu sonho é sentir a solidão e paz que é dirigir por elas
very ,very beautiful video !
Honestly, it has been very hot in Southern California these last few weeks, and I am under my fan to keep cool. But watching these icy unforgiving blizzards, I had to throw a blanket over me. I loved your Iceland road trip. I want to go someday. I want to see the beaches with the black sands and the clear diamond ice sculptures glistening on the shore. Iceland is a truly mesmerizing and otherworldly country.💙❄️🌨️💙❄️🌨️💙💦🌨️❄️💦💙🌨️❄️💦💙🌨️❄️💙
Thank you so much! I do hope you go someday, Iceland should be experienced in person.
Seems I am a latecomer to this video, but I was looking for something that might depict what I can expect on my early-February trip to Iceland. Your trip seems to be nearly what mine might be in both timing and locations. I can only hope mine ends up as spectacular as yours. Thanks for sharing.
Wow..🥰 beautiful and scary at the same time. What a rush. 🏔️❄️🌊 😬😳😱 Love this video 😱🥰
just amazing....!
Thank you 😊
Best video i've saw on UA-cam
Thank You
Thank you so much :)
Great video footage. It gave me lots of idea how the icelandic drive looks like. I am heading there on early March I am sure it will help. Have agreat year.
I'm glad you found this helpful. Have a fun trip :)
This proves that the Jimny is a versatile car. This mini beast can tackle snow and mud.
Yessss... we made the right decision in renting this car 😁
@@JyothiVummiti I hear a lot about rental companies trying to scam renters and getting them to pay ridiculous amounts for damage they didn't cause. The undercarriage seems a favorite culprit as it's not insured. May I ask which rental company you used and were you charged for any damages? Thanks
Very nice video, thank you for the explanation
Awesome video! Planning first trip in March and bit nervous about driving in winter so your video gives me a reality of expectation of how unpredictable it can get ✨
Thank you! Hope you have an amazing trip. As long as you check the weather forecast regularly and drive slowly you should be ok.
Thanks for the vid! was there during winter 2018 I gotta say I enjoyed every moment in Iceland except the driving part, just way too scaryyy :/
I totally feel the same
Fantastic video, thanks so much!
Thank you
I wouldn't fancy breaking down there..... But eerily beautiful landscape though.
I really looking forward to December 2022 I planned go on a Northern lights tour in Iceland and see some more attractions
I am going from November 30th until December 5th. Enjoy you trip! And lets hope for good weather :)
Excellent video 👍👍
Kapil Peraka Thank you 😊
you are living up my dream. driving in my dream country during my dream season with my dream car
I would do it all over again 😊
What an amazing experience of a lifetime! It is a very well made video practically taking us viewers along with you in silence. Loved it! I also noticed you were driving the Jimny, how did that hold up in the strong winds?
Thank you! The car held up well for the winds we experienced, if it were any worse then may be not. We probably wouldn't have been driving out in the first place. It truly is an unforgettable drive :D
ang ganda ng snow mag ingat ka jan kabayan
Sorry I do not understand your comment 🤷♀️
Earth 🌎 is beautiful.
We all should look after it.
It is our Blue Planet..
Amazing video!! I am going to Iceland next week and was wondering what to expect while driving. Scary! But now aware of how it might be like. Renting a 4WD too.
That’s exciting!! Have a wonderful trip 😊
@@JyothiVummiti Thanks!!
How was it? I'm going next week.
@@MF-pk2gf It was a fantastic trip! In terms of driving and roads, we did over 1250km in total, over 7 days. Most roads have ice and some with snow patches. The weather varied and during the same drive you can sunshine and clean roads, to getting into a cloud of wind and mist where you can see maybe up to just 10m in front of you. We took it very easy and slow. Going well below the max permitted speed is a necessity and advisable. We had a 4WD (automatic Ford Kuga) and it was perfectly fine.
Que maravilla Islandia
After driving in snowy weather for a few hours I get bad back pain from my muscles tensing up the whole time Cheers!
Nice
Nice video ! I love it because it’s all just a beautiful scenery without much talking😄 btw, how do you record it? It looks clear. I don’t see any mirror reflection & didn’t shaking 👍🏻
Thank you.. I shot the video on an iphone
I'm reading so much online to avoid driving the loop of iceland during winter, but I see you guys managing it just fine here...seems to me it's possible as long as you're safe, patient, and know how to drive a car in the winter...
I wanna say yes as long as you are prepared for the worst and know how to drive in winter like you said
I am planning to go on December and plan on driving. I dont have experience driving in snow. What are your suggestions?
did you go?
@@aanshutoshshrestha3720
I was there at the end of January for 6 days and managed to go around the entire ring road in three days all by myself but man was it scary as fuck at times especially in the north
Are 3 days enough to cover everything on the ring road? we plan to do ring road on our next trip.. may be sometime during warmer months..
3 days?! That’s insanely fast.
nice
I’ll be there Jan 15-18th. Not planning on driving through the ring road at all. Primarily from Keflavik to Stadir and from Stadir to the Sky Lagoon then to the black beach. Will I be on safe and clearly marked main roads primarily?
Ring Road in 3 days!!! Is that a full-time driving road trip?
Just curious , despite harsh conditions , were you able to drive through the ring road to completion ??? Also any pointers hotel breaks?
We didn’t do the ring road, we only went south upto the lagoon and diamond beach
How often does the weather stay cloudy for days on end in the winter? My mom and I are thinking about going to Iceland in February or March of 2022 to see the northern lights but can't leave work and school for too long so I'm worried we could go and not get any clear days. As much as I want to go to Iceland for everything else as well would it make more sense to go to somewhere like Alaska specifically to see the northern lights?
Iceland’s weather is so unpredictable that it changes every hour. We were there for five days in January and never had a clear sky to see northern lights. I’m not very sure about Alaskan winters and the chances of seeing northern lights there, I’ve only visited during the summer. I know it’ll be way colder in Alaska for sure.
@@JyothiVummiti this is true, another thing is that despite having clear sky, that does not garanty at all that you will see northern lights, they come and go and little to no way to predict it
Do they drive only with winter tires over the year? I guess id do that
Very lovely Video, and the best part, informative without being noisy by too much narrative, just short written notes on screen, explains everything... 5 Thumbs up!
quick question, do you stop during heavy blizzard or you drive along at lower speed?
thanks and greetings fr Indonesia (will be in Iceland Dec 2022)
Thank you so much! We panicked and stopped the first time because we weren't sure what to do. But then when we saw other vehicles drive by slowly, we mustered the courage to drive. We still had to stop occasionally when the visibility was absolutely zero. Hope you have a great trip!
As a Icelander...Try not to stop, rather drive slowly looking for the sticks on the right side of the road to gide you, with a help of your passanger if you have one. If you stop you might get hit from a car behind you. Ofc if you dont see anything you need to stop and put the hazard lights on.
@@baddisnae4128 more like..do not drive around in winter if you're not familiar with the island and sudden weather changes.. better wait until summer..more expensive but safer and days are a lot longer
@@chrisharder4854 you can still have accidents in the summer
Hello, great video! I'm going there next january. I want to ask, in thiese panic modes, it's allowed to just stop the car in the road? Or can I get in trouble for that?
We had to stop a couple of times for few mins because of zero visibility. When we saw cars moving very very slowly we just followed them. I think it should be ok to stop now and then in those conditions
Great video! Any luck seeing the northern lights?
Thank you! No luck, it was cloudy the entire trip.
hi. May I know what filming gear you used? We’re from Singapore and will be visiting Iceland in March. Would love to document such a clear video for the road trip memories
Hi there! We used an iphone to record all our clips and no other fancy equipment. Have a fun and exciting trip.
We did this same trip last winter. How much did it cost to fuel up your vehicle?
We made sure the tank was full every morning before we started.. it cost roughly around 35-40 USD each time..
Do you remember what the average snowfall was when you were there? I’m debating on if I need a 4x4 because I’m used to driving in snow. But the forecast is for about an inch of snow a day.
The snow fall wasn’t heavy but it might be different in other parts of Iceland and the weather can change very quickly
@@JyothiVummitidoes weather change and wetaher forecast match ?
Yes the forecast is fairly accurate
How are the drivers in Iceland, are they considerate of others, watchful and not trying to roll 50 mph when this conditions are occurring ? I’m going in January myself and would be so worried if a car plows into me if I’m trying to wait out the storm.
We did not have any issue with that as far as I can remember. Everyone drove carefully during the storm
Great video! I just came back from Iceland and loved the beautiful and amazing circle drive. I would never do it in Jan. though. I heard they only have 4 hrs. of daylight then. Did you just drive during those 4 hrs. or is it not completely dark?
Thank you! I remember having 5-6 hrs of light during our travel. It is definitely not enough though, your sightseeing is limited to only a few places per day. And you’re constantly worried about the weather and don’t want to be stuck out in a blizzard after dark.
If I were to go back it will be in the summer
@@JyothiVummiti exactly! Thank you! Feel the same way about driving around in ICELAND
Wild footage, you seem like an experienced driver, have you done this kind of thing before?
Never 😁.. it was a scary and stressful experience on an otherwise beautiful vacation
@@JyothiVummiti Well that was some impressive driving skills.
@@JyothiVummitiWow ! This was your first drive in snow . I also do not have experience in driving in snow. Do you suggest on driving in winter . I am planning to go in mid December.
Not first time in snow but in blizzard like conditions. My only suggestion is to keep checking the weather forecast every hour at least and drive slowly.
Why didn't you stop when the winds were too strong? No place to stop?
Yes.. there weren’t many pull outs and we couldn’t see much.. so driving ahead slowly was the only option
I will drive in iceland with the same car next month (october), i think the weather will be better, but do you have any suggestion? Is the first time driving in such colder/northern country
Iceland's weather is very different from any other place so I recommend checking for updates every hour. Besides that go slow and enjoy the views.
I plan to visit in August 2022. Do you think we would get to see good snow in the northern Iceland.
We weren’t able to visit northern Iceland during our trip and I’m not sure if it would snow as early as August
May be check vedur.is for accurate information
I assume you have to keep driving in the blizzards?
Yes but the weather was bad only on one of the four days we were there
Mind if I ask what camera you used to film all of this?
We shoot all our videos on an iphone, no fancy equipment 🙂
Hi Jyothi, thx for this amazing insight!! Very helpful. I'm planning to rent a 4X4 camper van in December during Christmas holidays!! Did you stay in hotels during the night? did you book them in advance? thx!!
Thank you 😊 Yes we stayed in hotels during our trip. We booked our hotel near Reykjavik in advance but we booked the one in South Iceland the morning of our drive. We made sure the weather was ok for the long drive before we decided to go South.
Ayyy I'm planning to go this December too!
Great video! Which weather forecast website or app did you use while you were there?
Thank you 🙏.. we used vedur.is and road.is.. they are the most reliable
@@JyothiVummiti Thanks for the advice! ❤️
@@JyothiVummiti Are these websites or apps? Did you find the websites more accurate than apps? Thank you for the wonderful video! We are going in November of 2022 and I'm concerned about the driving, so this was very helpful.
Thank you 😊 These are websites and they were pretty accurate, we did not use any apps
Seems very dangerous if you're not an experienced driver..looks slippery..better to wait until summer
Awesome🙆♀️🙆♂️🏔👏
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can you stop on the side of the road when its zero visibility then wait out?
Vehicles did stop occasionally but they kept moving slowly for the most part. I’m not sure if you’re allowed to stop and wait out.
Amazing atmosphere ! Can I ask how much daytime did you have per day ?
We travelled in January and there was only around 5 hrs of daylight
@@JyothiVummiti Thanks for answering ! And the nights were pretty dark I guess ?
It depends on where you stay.. Reykjavik is lit at night and not a great place to stay if you want to see northern lights.. we stayed just outside Reykjavik but unfortunately they didn’t show during our whole trip
@@JyothiVummitiHey ! Can you pleas share your itenary. How long did it take to complete south ? 1day to reach and 1 day to get back to west ?
@@user-vb7fm5jl3h please watch the other video on my channel. We filmed what we did each day.
Hiya, was this car adequate enough ? Did it withstand the weather well and did you feel safe enough in the snow ? .. we're going in jan 2021 and have been looking to hire this car or similar. Would you recommend ? thanks. :)
Yes, the car was great. We had no problems driving in snow. Although you must know it’s manual transmission. We rented from Blue Car Rental. Please ask before hand if you want automatic.
And it’s a two seater.
@@JyothiVummiti Did it have aircon? Looking at going in November and all the cheap cars have no aircon, don't know if we'll freeze!
Yes, it had an aircon. We had absolutely no problems with the rental.
@@Pucenator I am going in November of this year. How were the roads when you went?
I am planning to do entire ring road from 28 November to 8 December. Is the time enough to explore???????
I'm not entirely sure.. we toured only a little bit in the south and west and felt 5 days wasn't enough. If I had to guess 10 days is not enough time to do the entire ring road.
You went throw any F Road? Or they were closed.
Thank you
No stuck with the ring road.
Awesome video Jyothi. I felt like I was sitting in the driver's seat :-). I am heading there for MLK weekend for 4-nights. Debating whether to rent a car or go on tours. Seeing your videos makes me want to drive as well. Will have to decide based on the weather a day before my trip. Did you guys do the Ice Cave tour?
Thank you :) You should definitely rent a car to be able to explore more freely. We did not do the ice cave tour this time, may be when we go back
@@JyothiVummiti Just back from a 4-night winter road trip and wanted to THANK YOU so much as your video gave me the courage to drive as the posts at TripAdvisor kept scaring me :-). Iceland experience is at a whole different level when you drive and enjoy the views from front row seats!! Went as far South as Hofn to see Vestrahorn, managed an Ice Cave tour near Jökulsárlón, and got lucky with an insane display of Northern Lights while driving back to Rek on Route 1. Snæfellsnes peninsula is pure magic. Felt like I am in the Game of Thrones era :-). Can't wait to go back and spend an entire week there in winter for Photography as I had to rush at every place for a day trip with only 5 hours of daylight.
@@JyothiVummiti Being alone on roads with some crazy winds and snow while gas light on gave us an adrenaline rush that will stay with us for the rest of our life. Played "Oo Antava Oo Oo Antava" song to death :-).
@@kitsva Yay! Glad to hear you had a great trip and saw northern lights too!! I can't wait to go back and spend more time too.
@@kitsva I can totally imagine the rush :D
Hello,
I am planning for a 8-day ring road tour this march. My question to you is did you opt for any additional insurance from the renting company?
I guess we took the sand, ash and wind insurance on top of the standard ones. Hope you have a great trip
Hello,
So my 8 day itinerary stretched to 10 days and this video is an accurate representation of icelandic weather. We drove in similar conditions for two days and we were absolutely scared as hell. I have fallen in love with iceland, it is a place which is stunningly beautiful and absolutely brutal. Will visit again.
Thank you for sharing your experience after your trip. Iceland is truly the beauty and the beast… :)
i need friends from iceland
Did you see the nothern lights?
We did not unfortunately, ended up being cloudy the entire trip
omg this is super scary af!!! am planing to go iceland during the month of may next year. will the weather be like this too??? will a normal car be feasible for the month of may? or 4wd will be safer?
Sorry I’m not sure about the weather in May, I’m guessing the snow would have melted by then
hey hi hope you are doing good. i did the trip in may and the roads were fine and pleasant to drive. but am planing to head down to iceland again in feb during the winter. do you manage to see northern lights? by looking at your videos I kinda gauge how dangerous it will be. and I will be travelling solo.@@JyothiVummiti
@@victorecholima That's exciting!! Hope you have a fun trip. We did not see northern lights due to cloudy nights but there is a high chance you might. Yes the driving conditions can be quite scary for the inexperienced, it's best to avoid driving out in wind/snow if not comfortable. Otherwise as long as you take precautions and are prepared for the worst, you should be ok.
@@JyothiVummiti what car did you rented? 4wd or 2 wd?
What all insurance did you take? And, ha Lovely video ❤
We too everything the rental company gave us, didn't want to take a chance.
When I lived there it was against the law not to stop and help people who were stranded.
❤❤❤ thanks high majesty the beautiful coldness part places in Iceland . And save and protect the tension of the volcanic eruption near you or be prepared going earth equake of the volcano near you ,the place. Cite
Read something about not renting a car due to the blizzards and potential wind damage not covered by insurance. How true is this?
Our rental company had sand and wind insurance, you can ask them prior to renting. The only thing I remember is you can’t drive your rental car off road
Is that a jimny!?
Yesss
Don't they use salt on the roads?
I’m not sure.. May be they do within city limits
What type camera shoot with?
We used an iPhone.
What a nice video! Is this car manual and 4WD? What's the most stressful part when you are driving? I had only driven manual for like few hundreds kilometers and I never drive in snow and storms before, do you recommend me to choose manual? I love manual cuz it's cheap but I'm very inexperienced😝
Thank you 😊.. Yes the car was manual and 4WD.. We personally have driven manual vehicles before, so it was ok.. but if you are not comfortable with manual we wouldn’t recommend.. the most stressful part for sure was the weather.. 🙂
Jyothi Vummiti Thanks for telling me. Does the weather makes driving manual more difficult?
Not necessarily.. It’s just that the weather and poor road conditions might be stressful enough and switching gears might just add to the stress if you are not used to driving manual
Jyothi Vummiti May I ask which part of the country often have the worst weather when you were driving?
Chen Kaiming, on our 5 day trip we faced bad winds only on one day while driving in the south.. Although on the other days we experienced snow and dense fog, it was not as bad
where did you rent the car?
Blue car rental
@@JyothiVummiti thank you
1:31 KFC???
No way would I drive in Iceland in winter, it's bad enough in summer. Those flimsy metal bridges over rivers and you feel like you are aquaplaning across them. A few years back a 4x4 carrying a family came off one of those bridges into the river below killing most of the passengers, terribly sad.
That’s really sad.. I have to say driving in Iceland on that day is the most scariest thing we had done in all our travels
@@JyothiVummiti not to belittle your experience, but if you want to experience how its to drive on iceland during winter, and really have to fight the elements, you will get that on other parts of the country. westfjords, the northern part and eastern part. i drove through the westfjörds few days ago, over the mountain passes it was 30 m/s and snowfall, to suxh an extend that it damaged the paint on my car. but as strange as it may sound battling conditions like thsi is actually rather fun, you probably saw all the huge modded suv's and vans over here. its literally a sport to travel over the highlands and glaciers in the wintertime. off road
Driving a campervan in a blizzard with high winds = you'll be on the news..renting out cars and campervans in winter weather should be illegal. These companies have profits in mind, not your wellbeing
Did you guys have any marijuana? That would be one helluva high with all the surreal scenery...
Haha 😂