Road trip guide
Use this Highlands road-trip guide before you book a vehicle or lodging. It explains the route choices, F-road pressure, season limits, base logic, and official checks that decide whether a Highlands drive is realistic.
Route essentials
A Highlands road trip is realistic only when the season, vehicle, road status, driver confidence, and backup plan all work together.
The Highlands are not a normal scenic detour from the Ring Road. The routes are remote, services are sparse, and many access roads are F-roads with rough surfaces, steep sections, narrow tracks, or river crossings. The decision is not just whether the scenery is worth it; it is whether your specific trip can absorb the uncertainty.
For most travelers, the best Highlands plan is either one focused destination with a Highland-approved vehicle or a guided/highland-bus option that removes the hardest driving. A full interior crossing or deep Askja-style route belongs to experienced highland drivers with time, fuel, and a willingness to turn back.
Good to know
Structured route plan
Use the ordered route before adding optional detours. Times are editorial estimates; current conditions decide whether the drive is sensible.
Sleep near the Highland edge and leave with fuel, food and a turnaround rule.
Use this route section only after confirming the chosen approach, vehicle rules, river conditions and current opening status.
Add the crater lake only when the approach is already open and the Landmannalaugar day has spare margin.
Skip when: the route is running late; visibility makes the viewpoint poor valueChoose the approved approach, parking plan and walk before leaving the lowlands.
Turn around early enough that the final F-road section is not driven tired or late.
The most approachable Highland self-drive shape when the approved route, vehicle and conditions align.
Cut first: Bláhylur (Hnausapollur).
A deliberate south-to-north route with Kerlingarfjöll, Hveravellir and a northern overnight.
Cut first: Hveravellir.
A remote specialist route for properly equipped, experienced drivers with a full backup plan.
Cut first: Optional detours outside the base route.
The safer default when reaching Þórsmörk matters more than making it a self-drive achievement.
Cut first: Optional detours outside the base route.
F-road opening, forecast, river state, vehicle approval and driver experience are separate checks. Check the official source.
If depth, line or exit is uncertain, turn around or use specialist transport. Check the official source.
Progressive route map
The ordered route remains available without loading the interactive map.
This keeps the route guide fast while the complete stop sequence stays visible.
Start with the least difficult route that gives you the landscape you came for, then add difficulty only if your vehicle, time, and confidence justify it.
| Route shape | Best for | Planning caution |
|---|---|---|
| Landmannalaugar focus | Travelers who want a southern Highlands taste with hiking, rhyolite mountains, and one clear destination | Access still depends on F-road status and river-crossing judgment near arrival; smaller SUVs can often avoid the final crossings by parking before them. |
| Kjölur, Kerlingarfjöll, and Hveravellir | A north-south interior taste with geothermal landscapes and easier route planning than deeper F-roads | Still remote, gravel-heavy, weather-exposed, and not a shortcut to treat casually. |
| Askja or north Highlands | Experienced drivers building a remote north or east Highlands route | Long distances, rough tracks, river risk, and limited services make this a poor first Highlands self-drive. |
| Sprengisandur crossing | Very experienced highland drivers with a suitable vehicle and a flexible multi-day plan | Remote, exposed, and not a scenic shortcut for normal visitors. |
| Þórsmörk | Travelers who want the valley and hikes more than the self-drive challenge | The river crossings are serious; guided super jeep or Highland bus transport is often the better planning move. |
If this is your first Iceland road trip, do not use the Highlands to prove how adventurous the itinerary is. Use them when they solve a clear trip goal: a Landmannalaugar hiking day, a Kerlingarfjöll geothermal stop, a guided Þórsmörk visit, or a carefully planned interior corridor. On a Landmannalaugar approach, treat Landmannaleið as a route decision and Bláhylur (Hnausapollur) as an optional crater-lake stop only when the chosen F-road approach and time margin support it.
An Askja route should be planned as one remote system. Hrossaborg can be a short volcanic stop near the F88 turnoff, while Drekagil and Öskjuvatn belong to the deeper Askja commitment. Do not add the latter two unless the vehicle, road status, fuel, weather, and turnaround margin already support the full route.
The southern Highlands need the same discipline. Uxatindar belongs to a Langisjór and Skælingar plan, while Einhyrningur belongs to a Þórsmörk-edge or hiking-led day. Both are destination-level choices, not extra pins to attach to an ordinary South Coast drive.
F-road pressure comes from slow progress, rough surfaces, river crossings, sparse services, and the possibility that conditions change after you start driving.
SafeTravel is explicit that Highland driving is different from ordinary driving. Conditions can change quickly, not all 4WD vehicles suit all F-roads, and river damage risk stays with the driver. That should shape the route: fewer fixed stops, no late-day river decisions, and no plan that requires the road to behave exactly as hoped.
The best base is usually on the edge of the Highlands, because it reduces the penalty if the road is slow or the weather changes.
| Base area | Best use | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Hella, Hvolsvöllur, or Selfoss | Southern Highlands approaches, Landmannalaugar planning, and South Coast pairings | Do not assume a Reykjavík return is easy after a slow F-road day. |
| Highland edge lodging or huts | Slower hiking-focused trips where the Highlands are the main purpose | Availability, facilities, access rules, and reservations need early verification. |
| North Iceland or Akureyri side | Kjölur, Hveravellir, Kerlingarfjöll, or northbound route planning | Avoid stacking this after a tiring Ring Road transfer. |
| Reykjavík | Guided day tours or Highland bus plans where someone else handles the hard access | Weak base for a long self-drive Highlands day unless the route is deliberately simple. |
If the Highlands are only one part of a larger trip, protect the night after the route. A flexible edge base is more useful than a cheaper room that forces you to drive rough roads, then make a long paved transfer in the dark or wind.
Season decides whether the route is even a self-drive candidate, while same-day weather decides whether an open road is still a good idea.
| Timing | What works | Planning move |
|---|---|---|
| Early summer | Some edge routes may begin opening, but deeper roads can remain closed or fragile. | Keep the Highlands optional and choose a lower-risk route if opening dates are uncertain. |
| Mid-summer | The strongest window for normal Highlands self-drive planning. | Still check road status, river conditions, wind, and rental permissions before departure. |
| Late summer into early autumn | Often workable, but weather, daylight, and early closures become more important. | Avoid routes that depend on perfect conditions or late-day crossings. |
| Winter and spring | Normal self-drive Highlands planning should be off the table. | Use specialist guided transport or choose a different region. |
Do not hard-code Highlands dates into the itinerary. The official road status is the deciding source, and the weather forecast can still change the plan after roads open.
Choose a guided or bus-based Highlands plan when the destination matters but the driving risk is not worth owning yourself.
This is not a downgrade. A guided route can be the better plan when it protects the rest of the trip from vehicle risk, river anxiety, and weather-driven uncertainty.
Commit only after the route, vehicle, base, and backup plan all pass the same practical checks.
These are the decisions most likely to change whether the Highlands belong in your itinerary.
No, a normal 2WD rental is not appropriate for Highlands F-road planning. Use a Highland-approved 4x4 and confirm the exact roads with the rental company.
Highland roads are generally a summer self-drive topic, but exact openings vary by road and conditions. Check Umferdin before planning and again before driving.
A focused Landmannalaugar plan or the Kjölur/Kerlingarfjöll corridor is usually more realistic than Askja, Sprengisandur, or Þórsmörk self-drive. The exact choice still depends on road status, vehicle approval, and driver confidence.
Only cross if the vehicle, route, depth, current, and your experience all make it clearly safe. If you are unsure, do not cross; turn around, wait for better information, or use guided transport.
Usually not unless the Highlands are the main purpose of the trip. A short South Coast itinerary is often better without the extra F-road risk and backup-day requirement.
By ThorPublished Updated
Use these sources for the current details this page cannot safely freeze into permanent copy.
Highland driving guidance, F-road cautions, river-crossing risk, and safety checks.
Official current road notifications and condition checks before entering the Highlands.
Government road authority context for Highland roads, remoteness, fragile terrain, and F-road limitations.
Official forecast and weather-warning source for exposed Highland travel.
Protected-area access notes for Landmannalaugar, including F208/F224 and final river-crossing context.
Route stops
Use these nearby regions, Highland anchors, and driving guides to decide whether the route belongs in your actual trip.
Þórsmörk is a sheltered Highland valley behind the South Coast, worth planning for if you want serious hiking and glacier-framed scenery, but only when access, transport, and weather make the effort sensible.
Hveravellir is a 534-hectare protected geothermal area on the Kjölur route: use it as a 15-30 minute boardwalk stop, a pool-and-rest break, or a hiking base only when highland checks support that exact plan.
Mývatn is a lake-and-volcanic landscape area in North Iceland, best planned as a multi-stop base where craters, lava fields, geothermal areas, and baths compete for time, with enough flexibility for conditions and nearby route choices.
Landmannaleið helps prepared Highlands travelers understand the F225 approach toward Landmannalaugar, especially when deciding whether Dómadalur, Fjallabak scenery, current road conditions, vehicle permission, and backup options justify the route.
Route context
Open region and driving guidance that changes access, season, or the route decision.
Choose North Iceland when you can spare several days for Akureyri, Mývatn, Húsavík, and canyon country; one rushed overnight barely reaches the region.
A route-first guide to deciding whether Iceland’s South Coast works as a day trip, one-night drive, or slower two-night route.
Choose the safer next decision
Start with the place that matters most, then verify the road, vehicle, season, and backup route before booking around it.
