Private Mælifell Super Jeep Tour

This private Mælifell super jeep tour drives deep into the highlands from Vík to the green, cone-shaped mountain of Mælifell, crossing black sand dunes and stopping at waterfalls along the way.

• A private super jeep and guide for your group only
• Mælifell, a striking green, cone-shaped volcano in the black sand
• The black sand dunes of Mælifellssandur
• Waterfalls and canyon views away from the main road, including Hólmsárgljúfur
• A few extra stops your guide only shows to private groups

Your day, stop by stop

2Axlarfoss waterfallA waterfall in the highlands on the way in.

Axlafoss is one of the quiet waterfalls of the highlands, a small fall on the Hólmsá river that sits in a canyon and is not visible until you are close to the edge, so it comes as a surprise. It is not big, but the setting is very open, with lava fields, mountains and volcanic hills all around. It is reached by F-road from the F210 and needs a 4x4, in summer only, so the drive is the main effort.

Read our Axlafoss guide →

3MælifellssandurBlack sand dunes stretching toward the glacier.

A wide plain of black volcanic sand at the edge of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, crossed on rough off-road tracks of sand and gravel. This is highland ground that is closed for most of the year, which is why the tour only runs from mid-June to early November, track conditions permitting. Your driver-guide handles the river crossings and chooses where to stop for photographs.

Terrain · off-road sand and gravel tracks

4MælifellA green, cone-shaped mountain rising from the black sand.

Mælifell is a cone-shaped volcano, 799 metres high, that formed under the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap around 10,000 years ago and now stands alone on the flat black sands of Mælifellssandur. Its almost perfectly symmetrical cone is covered in thick green moss, which makes it one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland. It sits on the F210 Fjallabak route, reachable only by 4x4 with unbridged river crossings, usually from early July to September.

Walking · short walk from the jeep for photos

Read our Mælifell guide →

5Öldufell and HólmsárgljúfurGlacial waterfalls and a canyon on the return route.

On the way back the route descends from Öldufell past glacial run-off waterfalls, then reaches the Hólmsárgljúfur canyon and the Hólmsárfoss waterfall. Because the tour is private, your guide can stop where your group wants and add a few extra viewpoints that are not on the shared tours.

About the Mælifell super jeep tour

Mælifell is one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland's interior: a near-perfect green cone rising out of the black sand of Mælifellssandur, at the edge of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. It sits deep in the highlands, reachable only by super jeep on rough tracks that are closed for most of the year, so this is a proper off-road day out rather than a paved-road tour.

From Vík your guide drives up through the highlands, stopping at Axlarfoss waterfall and crossing the black sand dunes before reaching Mælifell itself. The return route usually takes in Öldufell, with its glacial run-off waterfalls, and the canyon of Hólmsárgljúfur, plus a waterfall at Hólmsárfoss. Being a private tour, your guide can also add a few quieter stops along the way that are not part of a fixed itinerary.

The tracks are only open from around 15 June to 1 November, and only outside that window if conditions allow, since deep river crossings and snow close the route in winter and spring. It is a long day, so bring a packed lunch and water; there is no shop or café once you leave Vík.

The pace is easy in terms of walking, since most of the day is spent in the jeep, but the terrain itself, rough tracks and river crossings, means this counts as a moderate adventure rather than a gentle sightseeing drive.

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