Sólheimasandur Plane Crash

Lately, the low 30s to mid 20s temperatures in Seattle, have been reminding me of my recent trip to Iceland. I visited it in the fall after my 2 week trek through Western Europe, and one of my favorite treasures that I found along the southern coastline ofIceland, would be this plane right here. 

A little over a 3 hour drive from Reykjavik (or 40 minutes from my B&B) and a 4km walk from the road, you'll find the Sólheimasandur Plane Crash. The wreckage originated from a United States Navy Douglas Super DC-3 airplane, that was forced to do an emergency landing on November 24, 1973. All the crew members survived and the plane has lived on Sólheimasandur’s black sand beach ever since. 

Directions to the plane crash

The plane is on the southern coastline of Iceland, just after the Skógafoss, going East on Route 1. After Skógafoss, you'll pass a dirt access road on your left, with a yellow sign that says, "Sólheimajökul 221". From there you'll drive another 2km. Keep an eye out for a gate on your right. The site is pretty popular, so it's easily spotted by a line of parked cars. You used to be able to drive right up to the plane from the road, but the owners of the land have gated it off to prevent that. Go ahead and park, then follow the marked trail (marked with white poles along the way) towards the plane. It's a flat 4km walk (about 50 minutes), so don't get discouraged, because the plane cannot be seen from the road. At the end of the trail, you'll around down a small dune, where you'll finally see the plane.

Goodluck!