Iceland Warnings Or Dangers

 
by Regina1965
 
  •   Warnings Or Dangers
    by Regina1965
  •   Warnings Or Dangers
    by Regina1965
  •   Warnings Or Dangers
    by Regina1965
  • Almannagjá rift on the 6.10.2010 .
      Almannagjá rift on the 6.10.2010 .
    by Regina1965
  • Almannagjá rift on the 6.10.2010.
      Almannagjá rift on the 6.10.2010.
    by Regina1965
 

Most Viewed Warnings Or Dangers in Iceland

1.

Expense   Reykjavík Region

Expense, Reykjavík Region

 4 Reviews  As with any travel, check you exchange rates a few weeks ahead of time and be prepared! The US Dollar had done a nose dive in the weeks before my trip and it turned out to be quite a bit more... 

 See All 16 Warnings Or Dangers in Reykjavík Region

2.

Weather   Reykjavík Region

Weather, Reykjavík Region

 2 Reviews  Winter in Iceland isn't really that bad, I found. The mild Gulf Stream ensures it doesn't get much colder than a few degrees below freezing, but the wind and the precipitation make it feel quite... 

 See All 16 Warnings Or Dangers in Reykjavík Region

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Don't go unaccompanied on the glaciers.

by Regina1965

In Iceland there are lot of glaciers and there are several agencies which offer guided tours on the glaciers. Only last night (14.02.10) one agency took a group on a tour on Langjökull glacier despite a really bad weather forecast with -10 degrees C and wind of 18-20 meters/second. Two people, a Scottish woman and her 12 year old son, got seperated from the group and our resque team (300 people) had to go look for them. Fortunately they were found alive. At the beginning of February 2010 a woman with whom I went to college, and her 7 year old son, fell down a chasm on this same glacier, Langjökull. She was killed, but her son survived. The Icelandic resque team resqued him. These people were Icelanders in a group of Icelandic people going on a tour on the glacier. In November 2011 a Swedish young man was found dead after having gone alone on a trip on Sólheimajökull glacier. The...

Tip Photo
Dangerous sulphur fumes from mud-pools.

by Regina1965

There are many mud-pools and fumaroles in Iceland. Take care while visiting them as the sulphur fumes can overwhelm you at times there, especially when the wind is strong. Try to stay up wind as this can be toxic and can give you a bad headache and nausea. Last time I visited the wind was so strong that I got the fumes in my face and I was ill for days. I refer to my tips on Mt. Námafjall by Mývatn in N-Iceland. Too much of the fumes can be deadly, f.ex. when there is a volcanic eruption underneath a glacier and there is a glacier-burst. If that happens run for your life and don't ever get too close a glacier-burst because of the fumes.The sulphur can also damage telecommunication equipments, cameras and the computer equipment of cars by oxidising stuff that is encoated with silver and platinum. So keep those things away from the fumes.

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Watch out for angry birds

by Krumel

The Great Skua is a rather aggressive, large seabird which we often saw on our trips. It breeds in Iceland and is not a happy bunny at all if it feels you are getting too close for comfort. Often it would circle noisily and quite low above us, or sometimes pretending to dive for our heads. Apparently it doesn't always pretend, though, but actually attacks the highest point of the perceived "enemy". We first heard about this on one of our riding tours where we were told not to worry, as the highest point would be our heads, and we were wearing riding helmets, so no worries. On a bird watching excursion our guide actually had one hand protected by a very sturdy glove, which he would hold up every time the birds were circling us, although I didn't see any bird actually going for his hand. But better be safe than sorry, I guess...

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Unexpected road users :-)

by Krumel

When driving through rural Iceland watch out for livestock on the road :-). This herd of cows took just as much an interest in us as we did in them, and they weren't going anywhere fast...Other common four-legged road obstacles are the ubiquitous sheep.

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Level of horse riding experience

by Krumel

When you go horse-riding in Iceland you will be asked about the level of experience you have. The purpose of this is not to determine the ride that you will go on, as most of the rides that I have been on included both beginners and experienced riders.The reason for this question is to determine the sort of horse that you will get for your ride. If you say you are experienced you will in general get a more forward horse, which may be too much for a novice to handle. On one ride that I was on a girl said that she was experienced only to find out that her horse was way too lively and fast for her and that she was not able to rein it in properly and keep it in line.Therefore in your own interest please be honest with yourself when you are asked about the level of your riding experience, as it will help them to pick the right horse for you and therefore make your ride enjoyable.

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The attacks of the ill-tempered Arctic tern!!

by Regina1965

The Arctic tern is a migrating bird in Iceland, it arrives here beginning of May after flying 15.000 km. All in all they fly 70.000 km every year. No bird in the world migrates such a long distance and 20-30% of all the Arctic terns in the world lay their eggs here in Iceland. They are very aggressive and attack, so take care not to get too close to where they lay their eggs as they will fearlessly attack you and peck you on the head again and again. I have been seen many times running in panic away from these ill-tempered attacking birds. They are just guarding their eggs and their young ones, but darn, they are annoying. The best thing is to carry an umbrella with you and guard yourself with it, or just stay away. The photos I add are taken by the sea, their area for hatching their eggs was in a field next to the sea and you can see how the Arctic tern catches small fish and brings it...

Tip Photo
Volcanic activity in Iceland.

by Regina1965

There is volcanic activity in ca 25% of the square measure of Iceland. There are 30 volcanic systems so it is self-evident that it is dangerous living on this island. Each of these 30 volcanic systems have more than one volcano. And there are ca 30 volcanic eruption each century, the latest one started on 21st of May 2011 in Grimsvotn in Vatnajokull glacier, which is the largest glacier in Europe. In 2010 there were 2 volcanic eruptions in Mýrdalsjökull and in Eyjafjallajökull in South-Iceland which caused chaos in Europe with all the airports closing. In the 20th and 21st century there have been 41 volcanic eruptions!We never know where the next volcano is going to erupt and I can tell you that there are so many lava fields in Iceland that one hardly realises from which volcano the particular lava field originated.Our seismologists monitor these volcans so we get to know beforehand if...

Tip Photo
Polar bears in Iceland.

by Regina1965

Polar bears are not common here in Iceland, but stray ones visit us from time to time. They come here from Greenland on icebergs and swim ashore. On January 27, 2010 one polar-bear came ashore in Þistilfjörður in N-E Iceland. In 2008 two of them came ashore in June in North-Iceland (Skagafjörður). A polar bear was spotted in Hornstrandir in West-Iceland in May 2011. It was shot. The last polar bear we know of before that time was in June 1993 when sea-men killed a polar bear which was swimming in the ocean close to shore, so we got quite startled and were not prepared for this. The last polar bear on-shore was spotted in 1988 in Skagafjörður i.e. twenty years earlier than the 2 from last year. And 2 were spotted in 1986. Polar bears are an endangered species, but we have to kill polar bears which come ashore. I know this causes a lot of controversy, but better kill them than they kill...

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Hot! Hot! Hot!

by caslu

There really aren't any dangers to talk about. People are generally friendly, it's almost crime free, and we weren't attacked by any wild animals. So, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, I will advise you not to go swimming in any of the many springs you'll encounter since they're all pretty HOT!

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Hike to the former eruption site in the winter

by SK6Reykjavik

It will be difficult for you to hike this trail in that season.The hike is at least 8 hours from Skogafoss to the eruption site and back to Skogafoss. It is very icy and very cold.The daylight is from about 9.30 to 4 o'clock so you will be walking half the hike in the dark.Really I don't recommend it for security reasons.

Safety Tips in Iceland

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Warnings Or Dangers: Cities in Iceland
  1. Reykjavík Warnings Or Dangers
  2. Gullfoss Warnings Or Dangers
  3. Þingvellir Warnings Or Dangers
  4. Höfn Warnings Or Dangers
  5. Geysir Warnings Or Dangers
  6. Mÿvatn Warnings Or Dangers
  7. Hrísey Warnings Or Dangers
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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Two Questions: We'll be in Iceland driving in late March/mid-April. We are staying on main roads. 1) SADcars has good prices... 

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A: I love Subarus (the Forester especially), but you'll notice from the SADcars website that the Legacy is the largest vehicle that is not for highlands or F-roads. The... 

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