Traveling to Iceland

Jonas

Jonas

New member
20. März 2005
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Iceland
www.pbase.com
Hi every one. Thilo Wessel asked me to start this thread. If you are thinking about traveling to Iceland and have any questions you can ask me. I will try to help you if I can.

http://www.icetourist.is/

Regards Jónas
 
Hallo Jónas,

I have just booked a trip to Iceland. I live in Glasgow, Scotland and will be getting ferry on 16July via Lerwick. We plan to stay in Iceland till 5 Aug. I have a '63 404s Funkkoffer which i have almost completed the camper conversion. The Iceland trip will be one of its first real tests!

You have a great website , i spotted some time ago and inspired me to visit. Any suggestions on places to see and routes to take would be most appreciated. We have 14 nights in total in Iceland and plan to stop off in Rek for a couple. Otherwise, the rest will be made up as we go along....

Regards,
Simon
 
Hi, I like these places : Skaftafell, Núpsstaðaskógur, Lakagígar, Þórsmörk, Gullfoss, Geysir, Hveravellir, Þingvellir, Látrabjarg, Mývatn, Ã
 
Jonas ,

Great, i will do some research and get back to you if i need more advice. Hoping to extend trip to 21 nights as 14 clearly wont be long enough to see the many sights...

many thanks,
Simon
 
Hi Jonas,

Can you advise what the minimum legal requirement for vehicle insurance is in Iceland. i need to arrange insurance cover locally as my insurers "Equity Red Star" will not extend cover to this territory. is that best done upon arrival or in advance?

regards,

simon
 
Goo news is that we now have 21 days in Iceland to explore!!!

Rough plan at this stage is to explore north west corner e.g. Myvatn, Detifoss, etc then head through interior (Sprengisandur) towards Rek and may then return back through Kjölur or east along coast...

Regards,
Simon
 
Hello,

some of you may be interested in an information about the diesel tax.
Here is what I got:

>The diesel fuel regulations of Iceland will be modified on the 01.07.2005.
>------------------------------
>Untill now the diesel has been rather inexpensive in Iceland, (1 liter = +/- 65 euro-cent) but in addition the Icelandic drivers have also been paying a road tax ( 8 euro-cent per 1 km) afterwards, ((or one payment per year 1,728.- euros)( 33 euros a week ))
>-------------------------------
>>From the 01.07.2005 the price of the diesel will be raised to (1 liter +/- 1,18 euros) but the km tax will vanish.

See you in Iceland??

Best regards,
Markus
 
Hi Simon, sorry for my late answer. I was fishing: http://www.pbase.com/jonash/arnarvatnsheidi_2005 and I vent to Þórsmörk: http://www.pbase.com/jonash/unimog_sumar_2005
You must go there.
It is best to arrange the insurance before you are coming to Iceland. Here are some more information: http://tollur.is/displayer.asp?cat_id=300

Regards
Jónas
 
Jonas,

Many thanks. Photos look great! I will definately add Þórsmörk to the list. Unfortunately, the list seems to grow daily so some places will no doubt have to be missed out.

Not long to go now....

Regards,

Simon
 
Hi Jonas,

We got back to the UK without any more problems. 3300kms in total so the fuel bill hurts!! Iceland is a fantastic place to visit and i will recommend to all. I think the next modifcation to the mog is some comfy seats. The original Bundeswehr ones arent so great!

Many many many thanks for your help in finding me a replacement starter motor. It saved me a few days wait compared to getting one shipped over. Sorry that we didnt manage to get in contact whilst we were in Rek. It was labour day weekend and we presumed that you, like everyone else, would be away for the weekend. We passed so many cars on the way into Rek we thought that noone would be left!!

It was good to bump into you at Thingvellir on our way out. The mods to your truck look great. We carried on the next day and met up with 2 more 404's and thier new owners heading back to town (see photo).

If you ever visit the UK please feel free to contact me.

Kind Regards,

Simon
 

Anhänge

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Dear Jónas,
it´s a pitty that I see this forum part one year after publishing... :oops:
Iceland is the reason of buying our Unimog 404.115
We were there in the summer 2003 but with a conventional -continental- car ( Golf 2 ) We explored a lot with our car, and we will definitly come back. We arranged our trip last year, but unfortunately we had to save some money - or spend it in Svalbard one week :shock: , so we will come this year. The Mog is quite finished, not as in your web page, but I hope it will work.
And of course I have some questions, we wanted to see the LOFTHELLIR, it is a cave near by the Myvatn, but we didn´t found it. Is it possible to visit this cave without a guide? Or is it possible to arrange such visit in the local ambience? All we found out were trips arranged from Reykjavik- and this is not we want. We want such tour with a local inhabitant, and we will go by UNIMOG and not by bus to the site ( or near by)

Do you have problems with the rivers which you have to cross with the Unimog? My Unimog colleagues here in Germany said that the Mog isn´t perfect in water, cause of the water will flow into the axials.

We want to vistit this year complete Landmanalaugar,Sprengiss.. the cave, the Vatnajökul and the mountainterrain. 2003 we travel round the island and take the Kjölur through. Take the Snaefellsness - round 5km before the end it was too hard for the Golf...:-) take some hard tours in Landmanalaugar. so only the good stuff. But we decided to buy this Unimog:
1651_1_2609.jpeg

to arrive some places in Iceland... :wink:

I hope that you will get a notice one year after you started this thread, otherwise I try to send you an private mail...

All the best to you - could be that we will meet each other on Iceland...
Last question, I know from a lot of Icelandics, that they will travel in the sun, so you are enjoying were you live?
kind regards, Kolja from Hamburg
 
Hi Kolja, I will ask my friend about Lofthellir: http://www.myv.is/Ferdamal/Lofthellir.htm
You must go carefully when you are crossing rivers or you can have an accident like this unimog: http://www.f4x4.is/new/photoalbum/?file=oldsite/2756/17934
Your colleagues are right you can have water in axle when you are crossing rivers. But if it happens you just change the oil in next town or you can do like this: http://www.pbase.com/jonash/image/45661384/medium and this: http://www.pbase.com/jonash/image/45661386/medium
I live in Reykjavík and I have travel in the sun but I feel better here in Iceland.

Regards,
Jónas Hafsteinsson
phone: +354 849 3640
 
Ha, some minutes ago I found this page and now, some minutes before midnight (our time) I got a feedback. :D
fantastic!
Thilo told me two years ago that everyone will travel to iceland with it´s Unimog, but it seems that all of us didn´t saw your thread...
never mind, it is very good, that you can ask your friend about Lofthellir.

And the automatic oil refilling is great! I have to think about that...
The web page of Lofthellir tells me a lot were the cave is located (english page) but up to now, I didn´t find it, but I will do... :roll:

It could be very helpful to have your telefon number from Iceland, could be that we will call during our travel...

About calling in the vacations: I saw on all Icelandic "Jeeps" large antennas, like radio antennas, I asked some people at Rjupnafell and they told me that this is not normal CB radio, it was called NMT or something like that, it was a special radio frequency for Iceland, is it available for tourists? I´m a little bit afraid of having an Unimog breakdown in nowhere and I can´t call somebody cause of the missing coverage of GSM. Otherwise I will buy a IRIDIUM satellite telefon card ( I have the phone allready - for Svalbard ) Is there a good way to comunicate in emergencies? What do you have on your fishing trips ? only yor own? Could be that this is real nature - and necessary, but at first I´m happy to know if there is a communication possibiliy... :wink:

Thanks a lot for the feedback Jónas,
my email address is keuleeule<at>gmx.de
Kolja
 
By the way Jónas,
the helicopter show is the best video I ever saw...






I tried to to rent a pilote at Vatnajökul (HOFN ), his name was Asgeir Nupan, but the weather was too bad, so unfortunately the next morning we couldnt fly :cry: :cry: :cry:
Such heli is the best... apart from the Mog...
Kolja
 
"And the automatic oil refilling" This is not correct. This is a breathing for the axle and wheel gear. I have closed the original breating pipes in the wheel gear. Now the breathing is throug the rubber tubes.
I use NMT and GSM in my fishing trips but that is not 100%. Some Icelanders use VHF or SSB. I think you will be 100% with your IRIDIUM satellite telefon.

My gsm is +849 3640 and the NMT is +855 0799

Regards
Jónas
 
Next summer (23-25 jún) we are going to have a Unimog meeting in Þórsmörk (Litliendi / 63.41.154 N / 19.29.079 W). If you are in Iceland at this time you are welcome.

Photos from last meeting in Þórsmörk: http://www.pbase.com/jonash/unimog_sumar_2005

regards
Jónas
 
Jonas, hvernig hefurdu thad?

I just discovered this thread about Mogs and Iceland. In my opinion those two words form a perfect combination.

When visiting Iceland in 2004 I saw two things. One, the beautiful scenery of the island (ever changing, brutal, magnificent), and two, a couple of Unimogs better equipped for the environment then our Toyota Rav4 rental.

Then on our way to Þórsmörk, the two connected.

About halfway through our journey, and in sheer optimism, we planned to go to Þórsmörk, but the weather was appalling that september (2004). The streams were deeper and wider then normal so at the first major crossing we decided to turn back to Vik. At that moment it was a dud, but later we found out that a lot of people were stranded at Þórsmörk because of the weather, so we felt lucky.

Turning the car I decided to 'someday' return to Iceland with a proper 4x4, my own Unimog. About a year later I bought my 404s and now I'm in the process of converting it to a campervan, Iceland style.

I'm in no hurry, so don't expect me to return this year, but I guess in about five years time I feel the itch to cross some streams in my Unimog. Unitll then I will read the experiences of others on this forum.

Keep on Mogging,

kind regards,
Johan from the Netherlands
 
Hi Jonas,
yes, I have tons of questions. I'm planning a trip to iceland in June of this year together with a friend. We'll be starting the trip in northern Germany and are planning to take the ferry from Denmark. We've been working on a 404s over the last two years and want to take it out on a ride. It's got a 3-litre-diesel-engine now.
I was told, that Iceland has been pushing some environmental issues. Is it possible to leave the road once in a while and do some serious off-roading?
What else is to know? Have you been there more than once?
 
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