Information about Iceland

General

Iceland is an amazing country to go on a bicycle tour. The landscape is unique, the important roads are all paved, food and water is frequently available. The rough inland routes offer a good opportunity to get prepared to a longer trip on non paved roads somewhere else in the world. The Icelandics are very friendly. Weather may not be the same as on the Maledives, but after an acclimatisation peridod (almost) everybody feels ok with it. Weather conditions aren't as worse as some travelogues suggest. top

Roads

For some years now, Iceland can be cycled on an (nearly) all paved Ring Road. Roads almost always lack adequate shoulders, but traffic is scarce and so rarely dangerous. To my knowledge, the only non paved part of the Ring Road is between Egilstadir and Myvatn. More adventerous cyclists are considering of course the rough inland routes. These routes are not paved and demand sometimes river fording. To appreciate the beauty of Iceland, a side trip to the Interior should not be omitted. top

Climate

In summer Iceland enjoys cool but pleasant temperatures. Daily temperatures are quite stable around 10°-20° C, nighttimes at 0°-5° C. As an overall rule the clima is more wet and temperatures more stable at the coast (especially in the South), the Interior is drier and cooler. You enjoy daylight for about 18 h per day in summer, in the night it's just too dark to read a book without a torch. top

Accomodation and camping

Those who want to keep to the Ring Road while find always an accomodation within a day's distance (except for Egilstadir-Myvatn). Camping sites exist in most settlements and are often well maintained. Outside of villages you can put up your tent almost everywhere, near Reykjavik is more problematic. In the Interior you don't have an alternative for wild camping (Sprengisandur, Kjölur). You want to put up your tent anywhere, look for a water source during the day. top

What to bring

First of all I strongly recommend a rainsuit that can withstand 12 h of nonstop rain (GoreTex). For cycling normally a light sweater is enough, maybe a polar fleece. Your tent should have a good architecture and be completely waterproof. I never experienced storm in Iceland, but it remains a possible event to occur. For cooking I used the Dragonfly model from MSR, this is a very good option. I used two sleeping bags, a cheap one and a fleece inlet. When you want to take a better model (down to 0° C) you will be ok without the fleece of course. I don't recommend down stuff, because of the wet weather conditions. top

Maps

I used only the "Ferdakort" (=touring map) 1:600'000 from "Islandkort". This map could be found in a bigger bookstore in Switzerland and should be available elsewhere too, they sell it together with a nice plastic bag. I recommend this map. More details than on that map is not necessary unless you go hiking. top

Guidebooks

For general information there's an excellent edition from Lonely Planet written by Deanna Swaney. For nice pictures there a plentiful of other guidebooks. top

Health

The Icelandics have the highest life expectancy in the world (althoug this is an astonishing fact regarding the quantitiy of alcool drunken on weekends). On exhaustion and with wet clothings you could get hypothermia (lowering of the body core temperature), symptomes are shivering, slurred speech, numb skin, irrational, violent or confused behavior, muscle cramps or energy bursts. At this signs you should seek shelter immediately (build up your tent), drink hot tea and eat something warm eventually. A person suffering hypothermia should never be let alone. Self diagnosis of hypothermia may be difficult. Surface water in Iceland can be contaminated with Giardia (a Protozoa), especially where sheep is grazing. This infection of the intestins causes pale feces, gas and ev. headaches. Giardia can be detected by a stool examination. Complete recovery is provided by appropiate medication. Left untreated this disease my take a chronical aspect. Giarda is nevertheless rare and absolutly no threat when you respect some basic rules, as not drinking untreated surface water. top

Safety

Crime is all but unknown in Iceland, or at least very rare. My bicycle lock was with me only for psychological reasons. top

Money

Iceland isn't a cheap country. The price level may be the double of that of Western Europe. Especially hotels and restaurants are expensive. On the other side the coach fare is low. Doing a bicycle tour and sleeping in the tent keeps you on a fairly low budget. top

Transportation

Iceland is covered with a well running overland bus system. Fares are low. Most connections are daily. For frequent users a bus pass may be a bargain. Your bicycle can easily be transported, but maybe it has to content with a place on the back of the bus. top

Arriving in Iceland

The international airport lies some 55 km to the Southwest of Reykjavik. The road to the capital is paved. After every international arrival a bus covers this route. top

Flight tickets

I paid 890 Swiss Franks / 600 USD (all incl.) in July/August with Icelandair from Switzerland. With advanced booking and comparing prices you will get it even cheaper. But the ticket may well be your most expensive item in your travel budget. With Icelandair bicycle is transported free of charge. You will receive an official confirmation for this. top

Detailled equipment list

Take a look at the "Equipment" section. There you find a PDF with my list. For the moment the list is only available in German, but you can contact me instead by email. top