A lot of foreigners are taking advantage of the ridiculously depreciated Icelandic krona and flying there this winter. Which is a bit weird because it’s Iceland. And winter.
As one Icelandic native said to me, “The nation is surviving right now on foreign journalists and tourists.”
I’m in the middle of figuring out the logistics of my trip. My top priority is booking a rental car and hopefully making it around the 800 or so mile of the ring road, an epic journey that will take me all the way around the island. Alas, here’s what the local guru had to say about my foolhardy idea:
Unless you’re an extremely skilled winter driver, I highly, highly discourage you from driving the Ring Road in late Nov. Roads aren’t salted and though even the rental cars have studded tires, the conditions are freakishly scary and just not something an utlengur (foreigner) should be doing. Even the road between Keflavik (the airport) and Reykjavik can be treacherous. Take my word on this… not a good idea. Also, late November is really dark. You’ll have only a few hours of light a day, which makes conditions even worse and not good for a travel piece.