The Icelandic High­land Inter­ior

The highland interior is a contiguous landmass in the heart of Iceland located more than 500 m above sea level.

Accurate measurements are hard to come by, but the Natural Science Institute of Iceland (NSII) states that roughly 40% of the island’s total landmass, 42,700 square kilometres, falls under the definition of the highland interior. An overwhelming majority of the area is considered uninhabitable due to soil deficiency — the soil being mostly volcanic ash — difficult terrain, harsh weather and remoteness.

Despite this, low-lying plant life, bird species and some land animals can be found within the highland area:

• Moss heaths and other heathlands are relatively common within the interior. The same can be said for wetlands, to some extent, whilst grasslands and meadows are sparsely located, but nevertheless present within the interior. Wooded areas and shrublands are almost entirely absent within the interior.
• More than 30 species of bird have been documented to nest in the highlands, e.g. the golden plover and snow bunting. Great care must be taken to preserve these nesting lands for the species that nest there, some of whom are vulnerable, per the NSII Red List of Birds.
• The most common land animal present within the highland interior is the arctic fox, the only land animal that arrived in Iceland without human assistance. Iceland’s sparse reindeer population, limited to east Iceland, is known to often occupy the highland region west of Snæfell, north of Vatnajökull.

Much of the highland interior is part of the Vatnajökull national park, the European continent’s largest national park. In 2019, efforts were made to expand the park so that it would include the entirety of the highland interior, more than doubling its size, but these plans ultimately fell through.

Five of Iceland’s largest glaciers: Vatnajökull, Langjökull, Hofsjökull, Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull are either entirely or partially located within the confines of the highland interior. The area is also home to a host of other topographical features, such as Snæfell, the tallest non-glacier Icelandic mountain; Herðubreið, often named the queen of Icelandic mountains due to its prominence on the landscape; and Hekla, one of the country’s most prolific, and arguably most famous, volcanoes.

Þórisvatn, Iceland’s largest freshwater lake, is located within the highland interior, roughly equidistant between Mýrdalsjökull and Hofsjökull. The country’s longest river, Þjórsá, also runs around 230 km through the interior from Hofsjökull down into the Atlantic, off the south coast of Iceland.

Plenty of old lava fields are found in the highland interior, such as Ódáðahraun. Located north of Vatnajökull, Ódáðahraun is classified as a volcanic desert, the largest of its kind in Iceland, spanning roughly 4,000 square km. The calderas of Askja are found within Ódáðahraun, and have proved an increasingly popular tourist destination for its scenic surroundings and large main caldera.

The IRCA maintains a system of mountain roads throughout the Icelandic interior, often based on routes used by medieval Icelanders to get to the Althing at Þingvellir, such as Kjölur (35) and Sprengisandsleið (F26.)

A mountain road, or F-road, is usually classified as such if the road is exceptionally uneven, rough and steep, and/or there is one or more unbridged river crossing which travellers must ford. Certain roads, like Kjölur, have lost their F-road designation in recent years due to infrastructure improvements following increased demand.

Travellers who have no or limited experience crossing rivers are encouraged to consult river-crossing guides online, and to practice on smaller rivers before attempting larger ones.

Mountain roads are only open a couple of months a year. Sprengisandsleið does not open fully until early July, and is then only traversable with large, four-wheel drive vehicles and superjeeps. The IRCA asks travellers to respect road opening windows and to not venture into the highlands during off-season without permission, as any traffic before the roads have properly thawed can cause considerable, lasting damage.

More information on mountain roads can be found on the IRCA website here, whilst epiciceland.net also provides a detailed list on their website.

The Icelandic highlands are among the last places in the developed world wherein travellers can get in contact with undeveloped wilderness. As the amount of travellers along the highland interior gradually increases over the years, so too do more challenges surface in keeping the area as pristine as it currently is. Travellers are asked to refrain from littering and to make sure that they be as undisruptive as possible in the presence of untouched nature.

Unauthorised off road driving within the highlands is strictly prohibited, and subject to prosecution, hefty fines, or even jail time in accordance with laws on nature conservation #60/2013.