If you ever go to Iceland, one of the first things you'll notice as soon as you disembark your plane at Keflavik Airport (about 30 miles from Reykjavik) is the smell of sulfur. The next thing that you'll likely notice is how much the Icelandic people seem to love their heavily modified off-roaders. That is because as soon as you step foot outside of the airport and into the parking lot, you'll likely see dozens of lifted trucks, each with massive wheels attached to them.
The country loves these types of trucks so much, in fact, that there is even a rental company called "Arctic Trucks Experience," that will allow (almost) anyone with a driver's license to rent one. If you're not exactly comfortable driving one of these beasts yourself, the company will even provide you a chauffeur of sorts. Additionally, they will also take you on expeditions throughout some of Iceland's most treacherous and beautiful landscapes.
While all of this does sound extremely cool, if you are like some of us who are relatively new to Iceland, you may be asking yourself, "what's the deal?". After all, the country's glaciers are melting, so you'd think they would all be driving Teslas and Toyota Prius Primes to preserve them right? Well, as it turns out, there is a very good reason as to why Iceland is full of jacked-up off-roaders.
Let's get into why The Land of Fire and Ice is home to so many fantastic off-road vehicles.
Iceland Hosts Some Of The Toughest Terrain In The World
Weirdly enough, the world's biggest and baddest off-roaders actually come from a country in which off-roading is completely illegal. The reason for this is that much of the soil and vegetation throughout Iceland is extremely sensitive to any kind of disruption (especially man-made ones). So, if no one can go off-roading without the fear of being fined or even imprisoned, why do they all have heavily modified trucks and SUVs?
Well, the reason for this is that in some parts of Iceland, you don't need to leave the road to experience rough terrain. Areas like that of Kjölur (pictured below) and the harsh coast of the Arnarfjörður Fjord are covered with large rocks and loose gravel (AKA: F Roads). One road (called Kjaransvegur) is surrounded by steep cliffs that offer a one-way ticket to the Atlantic Ocean if you're not careful. Additionally, the area experiences tides that are so great, that the road can only be traversed three months of the year.
Because 80% of the country is currently uninhabited, there are many areas that haven't been tamed. As a result of this, the farther you move away from heavily populated areas, the more likely you are to run into a road that isn't properly paved. Despite this, make no mistake, the roads that are finished are probably some of the best you'll ever drive on (especially the Ring Road).
The Weather Can Be Downright Dangerous
As with any country, Iceland experiences its fair share of bad weather. The difference here is the fact that because so much of Iceland is remote, it can take some time for certain roads to be cleared by snow or damage. Even in the warmer months, you're not necessarily in the clear, as some of the roads can be prone to heavy flooding. As you can imagine, having big balloon tires and a lift kit can be rather useful in these situations.
One type of storm that is also quite unique to Iceland is its volcanic ash storms. These storms combine high winds with loose volcanic ash and become what is essentially a sand storm. Such events can cause bodily harm, strip the paint off of cars, and even flip lightweight cars completely over.
While a large off-roader may not stop these storms from taking the paint off, they are more likely to avoid being knocked over. Thankfully, if you want to avoid these areas, Iceland has taken the liberty of providing orange warning signs in locations where these storms are known to occur.
Icelanders Have Always Risen To The Challenge
Since the time of the Vikings (about 830 C.E), Icelanders have been in a constant battle with the elements of their homeland. Whether it's floods, snow, ice, perilous roads, or even the entire Atlantic ocean (and we didn't even get into volcanoes or glaciers), Icelanders have always found a way to rise up and conquer the elements. It is thanks to this uniquely Icelandic mindset that jacked-up trucks and SUVs have become just as much a part of the landscape of Iceland as the wooly fringe moss that literally covers the landscape of Iceland.