VISITING THE SÓLHEIMASANDUR US NAVY PLANE WRECK ON ICELAND’S RING ROAD
I don’t remember how I found out about the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck or where I saw it online for the first time, but even before I had the idea in my mind of traveling around Iceland I definitely always knew that it was on my list of things that I was going to see. Being able to visit this in real life was so unreal.
Way down on the southern coast, this was a stop during one of our first days and it was one of my favorites. The Sólheimasandur wreck is far from a little known word of mouth spot but it definitely is off the grid- it actually might as well not be this planet.
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS TO TOURS, HOTELS, PRODUCTS, ETC. THESE HELP ME EARN A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE TO YOU. XOXOXO
THE SÓLHEIMASANDUR CRASH OVERVIEW
On November 21st, 1973 a US Navy plane that was delivering goods to the us radar station in Stokknes crashed onto a vast black sand beach that the co-pilot of the plane, Gregory Fletcher described as “some place on the surface of the moon”.
Some place on the surface of the moon is a good way to explain the landscape where the plane went down, to get to the crash site you will walk 2 hours out onto the empty beach that feels like you might as well be walking on Mars.
I am still not really positive as to why the plane actually went down-some things that I’ve read said that it crashed because of ice, some say that it ran out of gas, there is a couple of different theories but they’re all relatively the same. Thankfully nobody died in the crash, that makes it acceptable for people to go out there and pose for some Instagram pictures. Including me.
For years the plane just sat out there, only touched by the elements-because it really is so far out there. It was eventually used as an occasional shooting range and apparently once used for storage by the Icelandic farmer that owned the land.
In present day the site feels like it is in the middle of nowhere, but in 1973 before the nearest road, Suðurlandsvegur, was an actual road that became apart of the ring road, the site was really, really rural.
From the parking on the side of the road, the sea looks about a mile away at most, but as you walk further the sea gets further away and the vast desert begins to become the only thing visible with the exception of the gigantic mountain ranges in the distance until you are miles out into this rural black sand beach.
I did not expect to walk out that far, again the ocean in the distance looked so much closer than it was. I think that it is the reason I thought it was so cool and so crazy, it throws me through a loop when I think about how of much of our world is so untouched and secluded.
HOW TO GET TO THE THE SÓLHEIMASANDUR CRASH
To get to the wreck you will park in the small parking lot on the side of the road, about 6 miles away from Skógafoss Waterfall, and 15 miles outside of Vik. Even though its a pretty long walk there was a good amount of people parked there and out walking.
The walk will take about 45 minutes to an hour, and the landscape that you will find yourself in while walking out to the wreck is unbelievable, I will never forget it. It feels like you are on the moon, surrounded by vast empty black sand beach stretching miles out to the sea with snow covered mountains far away in the distance.
You can not drive out to the wreck on the beach, but there is a clear path to stay on as it is a straight shot out into the beach. Or literally the black sand desert.
SÓLHEIMASANDUR CRASH COORDINATES
THE GPS COORDINATES FOR THE WRECK OUT ON THE BLACK SAND BEACH ARE (63 27.546-19 21.887).
With the mix of the constant tourists and the elements the wreck falls apart little by little each day with no real regular preservation efforts currently, I would try to get out to the Sólheimasandur Wreck before the earth takes it back and is no longer there.
THINKING OF TRAVELING TO ICELAND? DO IT.
HERE IS ALL OF THE RESOURCES I USE TO PLAN MY TRIPS:
FLIGHTS AND ACCOMMODATION: BOOKING.COM IS WHAT I WILL ALWAYS USE TO BOOK FLIGHTS AND STAYS. NEVER DONE ME WRONG.
TOURS, DRIVERS, AND ALL THAT FUN STUFF: VIATOR IS MY GO-TO.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: SAFETYWING HAS ALWAYS BEEN FABULOUS. THE BEST EVER.
RENTAL CARS: WHEN BOOKING YOUR RING ROAD TRIP, OR ANY TRIP THAT YOU DECIDE TO RENT A CAR FOR, BOOKING.COM IS FABULOUS LIKE ALWAYS.
