Iceland review - 2017, Síða 104

EXPLORING THE SNOW DESERT
Enjoy visiting Vatnajökull glacier and Vatnajökull National
Park under the safe guidance of locals who take you to a
vast snow desert by jeep, on snowmobiles or hiking tours.
DUNE AFTER DUNE
Vatnajökull is the Icelandic version of a desert: ‘snow dune’ af-
ter ‘snow dune,’ 1,000 meters (3,281 ft) above sea level. The
view from the top is spectacular—and during the drive up and
down, too. It’s no wonder this glacial landscape is a popular film
location. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Batman Begins and Game of
Thrones all include scenes which were shot in this area, as well as
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, where some of the Afghanistan
scenes were in fact filmed in the mountains by the glacier.
Glacier Jeeps – Ice & Adventure is one of the few tour opera-
tors that take their customers all the way to the top of Vatnajökull
and allow them to hike or drive on Europe’s largest glacier itself,
not just the outlet glaciers.
SPECIAL PROMOTIONAdventure
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Glacier Jeeps – Ice & Adventure has been run entirely by locals
since 1994 in Southeast Iceland. Some of them are even farm-
ers in the Hornafjörður area, who take a break from their work
to show visitors the magic of the Vatnajökull region, which they
know like the back of their hand. Guides can tell guests the names
of all the mountains they’re looking at and inform them about
Vatnajökull National Park. Having grown up in the area, they can
demonstrate how global warming is affecting the glacier, point-
ing out where the edge of the ice cap used to be and how much
it has retreated.
Glacier Jeeps – Ice & Adventure tours are operated in the
spring, summer and fall. When booking online, visitors choose
a ‘jeep adventure,’ ‘snowmobile adventure’ or ‘glacier hiking ad-
venture.’ Each tour is around 3.5 hours, one hour of which is spent
on the glacier itself, driving by jeep, on snowmobiles, or hiking.
Tours can usually be booked a few hours in advance; large groups
can be accommodated and all necessary gear is provided, such
as snowsuits and helmets, and boots and crampons for the glacier
hikes.
March 1 to May 31, pick-up is offered from farm hostel
Vagnsstaðir (about 28 km (17 miles) east of Jökulsárlón glacial
lagoon), twice daily, at 9:30 am and 2 pm. June 1 to October 15,
the pick-up location is the junction of the Ring Road and road F985.
From June 15 to September 1, those driving 4x4 vehicles can drive
along road F985 to Jöklasel cabin themselves (from where all tours
start) to catch a third tour departing from the cabin at 12:30 pm.
At an altitude of 830 meters, Jöklasel is usually snowed in during
winter and road F985 is only open in high summer.
glacierjeeps.is
What better way to experience Europe’s largest glacier
than from the very top of it?
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