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 enroute are rivers, which have to be forded. They swell when
it is warm, the glacial meltwater increases and when it
also rains they become dangerous. The scenic
beauty makes this route unforgettable.
Hiking. This part of the Interior offers
a great variety of possibilities for short or long hikes. In
most cases it depends on the individual traveller to decide which
hillock or mountain is the best vantage point, or how far to go into
the wilderness. Long hikes require good planning, preparations,
and physical fitness. The psychology has to be considered as
well. Sometimes the vast, barren landscapes, and the solitude
overwhelme hikers, who are travelling alone and do not meet a soul for
days on end.
After the establishment of Europe's largest national park,
Vatnajokull, on June 7th, 2008, Nyidalur/Jokuldalur became one of the
centres for the NP wardens.
Selfoss 106 km, Fludir
85 km, Arnes 64 km, Hotel Hrauneyjar
35 km, Nyidalur 89 km, Myri in
Bardardalur 185 km, Godafoss 222 km.
drive both ways
across between Reykjavik and lake
Myvatn and between