How to travel safely in Iceland – ten essential tips for safe travel

Written by Jón Heiðar, editor of Stuck in Iceland. I have lived here my whole life and have been cycling, hiking and driving around this country in every kind of weather since long before I started this magazine in 2012.

My friend Heather Linnet, who I’ve interviewed for this magazine, once asked me to write about travelling safely in Iceland. There are plenty of articles on the subject, but I think she wanted the local angle.

And honestly, I’m a good person to ask — because I’m not some super-jeep hero. I’m a fairly ordinary traveller myself. I’m not a great driver, my sense of direction is poor, and Google Maps may be the best thing ever invented for a man like me. What I do have is a lifetime of living here. I know how fast the weather turns. I’ve been out running on a calm August morning and hit gale-force wind and freezing rain two streets later. I cycle to work all year round, through the darkest part of winter. So here is my honest, practical advice for staying safe — and still having a wonderful time.

What’s on this page

• Iceland safety in 30 seconds
• The 12 essential safety tips
• Three free safety apps to download
• Frequently asked questions
• Handy resources

Iceland safety in 30 seconds

If you read nothing else, read this:

• Emergency number: 112 — one number for police, ambulance and rescue. It works on any phone, even with a weak signal.
• Check every day: Safetravel.is for alerts, vedur.is for weather, and road.is for road conditions.
• Download before you arrive: the Veður, Safetravel and 112 Iceland apps — all free. Links are further down the page.
• The mindset: Iceland is not a dangerous country — violent crime is rare. The risks come from the weather and the landscape, not from people. Respect both and you’ll be fine.

The 12 essential safety tips

Safety here isn’t about being timid. It’s about respecting the place you’re in and listening to people who know it better. Here’s what that looks like in practice.

1. Check Safetravel.is — before and during your trip

ICE-SAR, our volunteer search and rescue teams, run Safetravel.is. Read it and follow it. If you only do one thing on this list, do this one.

2. Respect every sign, fence and rope

Nobody in Iceland puts up a sign for fun. A fence at a cliff edge or a rope around fragile moss is there for a reason — your safety, or the land’s. Respect it.

3. Dress for the weather, not the season

Proper clothing is part of staying safe, especially on longer hikes. I’ve written a whole page on how to dress for Iceland — please read it.

4. Plan around short winter days

In early October the sun is up around 09:00 and down by 17:30 — and it shrinks fast. At the winter solstice (21 December) you get roughly four hours of daylight: sunrise just before 11:30, sunset around 15:30. Build your driving and sightseeing around the light.

5. Drive for Icelandic conditions

Our roads are narrow, so speed limits are lower than you may be used to — respect them. Watch for single-lane bridges. And never stop on the road, no matter how photogenic the sheep or the scenery; pull fully into a marked lay-by. In winter I’d only drive a good vehicle on good tyres. More on driving in Iceland is on my road-trip page.

6. Follow the weather and road reports

Check vedur.is for weather and road.is for road conditions, every day. Forecasting Iceland’s weather — especially near the glaciers — is one of the hardest jobs in the world, and the Met Office does it well. But the weather can still turn in minutes, so plan accordingly.

7. Keep well back from the water at Reynisfjara

Reynisfjara is one of my favourite places, but sneaker waves there have killed people. They can wash far up the sand with no warning and drag you out to sea. Stay back from the water’s edge — and don’t be the person filming themselves running toward it.

8. Never climb on icebergs

The Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón lagoon are stunning, and the icebergs look solid. They aren’t. They flip without warning into freezing water, or drift out to sea. Admire them from dry land.

9. Never walk on a glacier alone

Glaciers are death traps for amateurs — hidden crevasses deep enough to swallow a bus. Go with a guide on a proper glacier tour and you’ll have one of the best days of your trip. Solo? Never.

10. Stay back from cliff edges

Iceland’s rock is younger and more brittle than it looks. Water seeps in, freezes, expands and breaks it apart. A selfie at the edge can be the extra weight that sends the rock — and you — over. Keep at least one to two metres back.

11. Never step onto a fresh lava field

After the Reykjanes eruptions I’ve watched parents let their kids play on new lava — they got an earful from me. New lava can be as sharp as glass, and it holds heat underneath for a very long time. A thin crust may be all that’s between your feet and rock that’s still hundreds of degrees hot.

12. Be visible after dark, and carry a charged phone

One winter night in the south I nearly hit a man dressed head to toe in black who’d stepped onto the road from a bus to look for the northern lights. I was driving slowly, which saved him. If you’re out in the dark, wear reflectors and stay off the road. And keep your phone charged — reception is patchy in the highlands, but it’s your lifeline. The emergency number is 112.

Three free safety apps to download before you arrive

• Veður (weather): the official Met Office app — hyper-local forecasts and real-time storm and wind warnings. If you download only one, make it this. App Store · Google Play
• Safetravel: made by ICE-SAR. Real-time road, weather and safety alerts — and you can register your travel plan so rescue teams know where you are. Perfect for road trips and solo travel. App Store · Google Play
• 112 Iceland: the official emergency app. A couple of taps contacts 112 and sends your GPS location, even with a weak signal — especially helpful in remote areas. App Store · Google Play

Handy resources

• Safetravel.is — read and follow the safety advice.
• Weather forecast — changeable, so check it often, especially in winter.
• Road conditions — essential before any winter drive.
• How to dress for Iceland — staying warm and dry is half the battle.
• My road-trip page — more detail on driving here.
• Iceland travel FAQ — quick answers to common questions.

That’s the lot. Respect the signs, check the forecast, keep well back from the water and the edges, and never set foot on a glacier or a fresh lava field alone.