Despite all off road driving in Iceland being prohibited by law, the injunction is being ignored by drivers. The Fjallabak Nature Reserve, central highlands, is continuously being badly marred by off road driving.
Ingibjörg Eiríksdóttir, a specialist at the Environment Agency of Iceland, expressed her concern regarding the matter in an interview with Fréttablaðið newspaper today. She explains that park rangers spend a great amount of time and effort trying to repair the damages done to the area, however, some spots will never recover.
“This is a problem we face year after year,” she says.
Most mountain roads are closed for summer-traffic until early July because of their bad condition. These are narrow gravel roads that turn into muddy quagmires when emerging after a hard winter.
According to Fréttablaðið a number of Icelandic travel agencies offer scheduled tours to Landmannalaugar, located in the nature reserve, all year around, despite the injunction. Ingibjörg urges tourists not to purchase these tours as they go against the law.
The opening of the Fjallabak roads depends on climate and weather conditions. For information go to the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration’s website.
Despite all off road driving in Iceland being prohibited by law, the injunction is being ignored by drivers. The Fjallabak Nature Reserve, central highlands, is continuously being badly marred by off road driving.
Ingibjörg Eiríksdóttir, a specialist at the Environment Agency of Iceland, expressed her concern regarding the matter in an interview with Fréttablaðið newspaper today. She explains that park rangers spend a great amount of time and effort trying to repair the damages done to the area, however, some spots will never recover.
“This is a problem we face year after year,” she says.
Most mountain roads are closed for summer-traffic until early July because of their bad condition. These are narrow gravel roads that turn into muddy quagmires when emerging after a hard winter.
According to Fréttablaðið a number of Icelandic travel agencies offer scheduled tours to Landmannalaugar, located in the nature reserve, all year around, despite the injunction. Ingibjörg urges tourists not to purchase these tours as they go against the law.
The opening of the Fjallabak roads depends on climate and weather conditions. For information go to the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration’s website.
