Highlands in a Happy 4x4.
I’ve been planning a trip to the Icelandic highlands for quite some time now. To visit this place it is necessary to drive on F roads, where the use of a 4×4 is mandatory.
I started to research some vehicles for rent, places where I could eat and sleep. I already had an idea but during the research I confirmed that this area of Iceland is quite limited in everything, whether stay, places to stock up on water and food, fuel etc.. It’s right in the middle of nowhere… To visit this remote place requires more preparation than walking on the famous ring road or golden circle.
That’s when I discovered the Happy Campers solution. An 4×4 van, prepared for 90% of our basic needs.
I opted for a 4-day rental. As there were three of us in this adventure and the basic version is only prepared for two people, I opted to buy an extra , which was a tent on the roof of the van. With this option it is possible for four people to make the trip instead of two. Two sleep inside the van and another two in the tent on the roof of the van.
In the beginning we doubted if this van was the ideal vehicle for a remote place, with roads in bad condition with some rivers that could put at risk the van and our lives. Throughout the journey you can see that the van is more than enough to circulate on these roads. I never had any difficulty to circulate and the few rivers I passed were of reduced difficulty. The F are dirt roads that are in pretty good condition. The rivers are not deep. The difficulty lied in the crossing of the river to get to Landmannalaugar camp.
Landmannalaugar is one of the mandatory stops in the highlands. Besides having a unique landscape, in this place we can find a base camp, with bathrooms, a mini supermarket, hostel and campsite with WC and a natural hot water pool.
The highlands are not a place for 4×4 adventure, i.e. digging up earth and plants and circulate wherever you want. They are well defined roads where it’s forbidden to circulate outside them. It is necessary to respect and preserve the place. Before driving on these roads it is necessary to check if they are already open. Some may open in June and others in July.
The van is equipped with:
USB sockets that are powered by two extra batteries, for mobile phone chargers, etc.
Sofa bed for two people to sleep and respective bed linen, duvet, pillow, blanket.
Dishwasher and deposit of +- 30L of water, detergent and dishcloths.
Gas stove.
Refrigerator ( powered by extra battery ).
Air conditioner to turn on during the night when you go to sleep ( powered by extra battery ).
Cutlery, bowls forks, knives, pots and pans.
Bedside lamp.
Fire extinguisher.
First aid kit.
Conclusion:
I found an excellent option to make the trip to the highlands. The van always responded well to the needs of walking on those roads. The amenities are quite good, and the beds are comfortable.
I didn’t experience cold in a strong way, I just needed occasionally to use the heater at night time.
We bought enough food and other snacks for the trip. We didn’t have any problem to store the food that needed to be in the cold and when we opted for a warm meal we just to stopped the van and make tea , coffee or even a meal.
To be perfect, this van just needed a toilet.
On the happy campers website we have many options available to travel in Iceland.
I had the opportunity to travel in the Happy 1 option and liked it a lot. I didn’t have to worry about hotel reservations, schedules, and the final price was much cheaper than renting a car, hotel and I was able to save a lot of money by making the meals in the van. I had the opportunity to sleep near some waterfalls or have a meal with a privileged view.
If you want to walk around at ease, with no schedules and don’t mind going to the campsites for a bath ( +- 10 Euros a day ) this is an excellent option.
Happy campers website : https://happycampers.is/
Opção para o Golden Circle
On the happy campers website we have many options available for traveling in Iceland.
I had the opportunity to travel on the Happy 1 option and I really liked it. I didn’t have to worry about hotel reservations, schedules, and the final price was much cheaper than renting a car, hotel. I save a lot of money when eating in the van. I had the opportunity to sleep near some waterfalls or have a meal with a privileged view.
If you want to treavel easy, without schedules and don’t mind take a bath is the campsites (+ – € 10 a day) or pools, this is an excellent option.
Link Happy 1 : https://happycampers.is/Camper-Vans/Happy-1/
