30/12/2024
Three attempts. It took three attempts to visit Maelifell. Maelifell is a unique Volcano in the Southern Highlands of Iceland. It's incredibly difficult to get to, and for good reason. As this was high up on my list, I was pretty determined to see this landscape any opportunity we had.
Attempt number #1 - Driving from the West the weather seemed pretty good. However it was apparently a wet Summer, which resulted in higher than normal river crossings. Most of the roads were closed so we decided to turn back.
Attempt number #2 - Heading in from the East via Icelands most difficult F road (we didn't know this at the time lol). We were pretty optimistic at the start, the weather was great and only had a few small river crossings. However the weather started to turn worse the closer we got. Two hours in we came face to face with the biggest river crossing in Iceland. The river was was flowing pretty heavy due to the rainfall. After an hour of contemplating, we decided to not risk drowning the car. Driving back at night, we found a couple with their car stuck in the river and tried to help as much as we could. A drive back to remember.
Attempt number #3 - Driving from the South, we were blessed with good weather and decided to give it one last try. With one large waterfall-river crossing (very sketchy) we managed to get closer to the volcano. As we got closer, we noticed another person with their car stuck. I drove around to find some reception and call search & rescue to help get them out. We got here much earlier anticipated so decided to watch Crazy Stupid Love (lol) in the car whilst we wait for the sun to slowly go down.
My advice: Drive from the South via F232 and check the weather forecast a few days after and before you plan on visiting. Like, save and subscribe xx
