Discover Yourself in Nature
20.01.2008
"The group was excellent and well prepared for this journey", says Ingimundur the guide and super jeep driver about the first Super Truck Expedition this winter that left on 17th of January. "The road conditions were challenging, with loads of snow and blizzards chasing us, so the group was able to experience the quality of being explorers and tourists at the same time.
"Discover Yourself in Nature is the motto of this tour, being an explorer as well as a tourist", says Ingimundur and then continues. "Stops, breaks and pauses were made in an indulgent manner, that suited the interest of the group. Let me tell you about our first day on the expedition, so you can try to imagine what it felt like. The road condition were challenging, with loads of snow and blizzards chasing us. We had to drive by GPS a few times, which gave a real expedition feel to the journey.
First interesting stop was at the Hellisheidi drilling site, as some in the group were highly interested in geothermal heat and how that works. Next stop was at the wonderful waterfall of Urridafoss, were it had snowed for a whole week but no human been there. Imagine the snow, without any footprints, so even and smooth. First task here was to clear some of the snow and then to walk in it up to our knees, to reach the waterfall. Even though this place is not far away from Reykjavik, few people come here and it was like a first time discovery."
Ingimundur smiles when he recollects this breathtaking experience. "Then we drove onwards and passed Seljalandsfoss waterfall, that is a major tourist attraction in Iceland. I decided that rather then making a long stop there, we should head to the ravine of Gljufrabui, very close by. The waterfall in the ravine is hidden, but if wading in the river a few meters, the view is excellent. So the group put on some waders, others were barefooted (the water is just around 3 degrees centigrade, or approx. 35 Fahrenheit), and waded towards the waterfall through the narrow ravine, about 10-15 meters. You can only try to imagine how cold it felt! This was an awesome, yet humbling experience in this big nature.
It was getting close to noon when we drove down to Skógarsandur, the black sandy beach on the South Coast. No car tracks were seen, everything just white as far as the eye could see. I put "Road to Hell" on the stereo and pumped up the volume." Ingimundur states that it is important to use music as well to kick in some special atmosphere. "When on the sand I played around with the car, did some circles in the snowy sand and everybody had a blast. Incrementally a black line in the horizon grew, we had reached the Atlantic ocean. Waves were high and powerful and we choose to have our lunchbox at this location. All we could see was sand and water, black and white.
In the afternoon we drove to Skogafoss waterfall and here it is important to build up a special moment. Slow down on the road, put some music on and have the car crawl around the corner to the waterfall." Ingimundur laughs and says that some scene staging does wonders. "Then we hiked up to the waterfall and had it for ourselves. The weather had been still, though limited visibility. Bursts of wind, in between, really exhilarating. As we went as close up to the glacier Solheimajokull as we possibly could, blizzards blinded our sight so I used the GPS to find way. I frequently went out of the vehicle to explore road conditions. The group jumped out as well, taking picture of the snow. How did the pictures look ? White!
In the late afternoon we headed to Seljavallalaug geothermal pool, that was warm enough to bathe in, despite the cold weather. We tip-toed in the snow, and then threw ourself into the pool. Magnificent feeling. Around six p.m. it was already pitch dark and we drove to our hotel with moonlight and Northern Lights above our heads. It was a relief to come into the hotel, take off the heavy boots and coats and relax for a cozy dinner. We had another day ahead of us and the group was excited to know what it would bring us."
Do you want to join this tour? Please view details and keep in mind that next tour might be totally different in sense of itinerary. But the motto is still the same, "Discover Yourself in Nature".
Valid - January - April 2008
