You’ve probably seen hundreds of photos of Iceland’s famous plane wreck, which has become one of the south coast’s most popular tourist spots. All it took was a few seconds of Justin Bieber skating along the top of the plane in a music video back in 2015!
You used to be able to drive close to the plane, but following its rise in popularity you now have to walk for around 7km (return). The alternative to this is to jump on the shuttle, which will get you to within a few minutes walk of the plane.
It’s pretty hard to get this spot to yourself and even in the middle of winter it was hugely popular. Come rain, shine, or gale force winds, we saw people heading out to the wreck. With that in mind, is it worth it?
We’re sharing how to plan your visit, what it’s like to visit in winter, and if we thought it was worth it.
Visiting the Solheimasandur Plane Wreck
The walk
The walk to reach the plane wreck is 7km return. It’s entirely flat and whilst not the most exciting walk, it is very easy. In terms of directions you couldn’t go wrong unless a storm rolled in and you lost visibility. There are markers along the way and there are no turns to make until the plane comes into view.
The scenery doesn’t really change much, but you can see a few distant mountains and hear the rolling waves of the wild Atlantic ocean as you get closer.
The terrain is generally really good, it’s basically a gravel road the whole way. If you’re walking in winter then there may be snow and ice on the trail.
It was only slightly icy on our visit, so we could probably have got away without Yaktrax but I was glad to have them anyway.
It takes around 40 minutes to walk out to the wreck, you could do it slightly faster if you keep up a good speed, but most people will take 40 minutes or even slightly longer.
You’re exposed to the elements for the whole walk and this area is famously windy. You’ll definitely want layers, even in summer, incase the weather changes.
Alternatives to walking to the Solheimasandur Plane Wreck
The shuttle
There is a shuttle bus which can now take you from the car park to the wreck in just 10 minutes. It departs every 30 minutes between 10am and 4.30pm at time of writing - according to their calendar online, the timings are the same in summer as in winter, which seems surprising.
The shuttle costs 2900 ISK for adults (approx USD $20.40) and 1500 ISK for children under 17 (approx USD $10.50).
Although the shuttle will save what many people will find a slightly dull walk, it does mean you can only visit the wreck at the busiest times of day.
It’s worth noting that although the shuttle website says you can book in person at the car park, it wasn’t there until after 11am in winter - so it’s better to prebook incase it’s not there when you turn up. I am sure in peak season it’s always there though.
You book at this site or this one, the timings and prices are the same, so I guess they are the same company?!
ATV tour
One of the more adventurous ways to get to the plane wreck is by ATV (quad bike). The tour runs from Reykjavik and includes riding an ATV across the black sand beach and then onto the plane wreck. It also includes stops at Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls - this bit is by bus though, not ATV.
You can book the tour via Get Your Guide, a company we’ve used for tours in the past and they’ve always been good. You can find out about the latest costs and availability of the ATV tour here.
What to expect at the plane site
Once you arrive at the plane wreck you’ll see it’s located on a beach, with picturesque mountains to the left, so it’s a pretty setting.
You’re no longer allowed to go inside, or stand on the wreck, but you can still get a good look at the inside because parts of it are gaping open.
It’s not a huge plane, but it’s still pretty fascinating to see it up close. There aren’t any seats or anything like that, it is pretty much an empty shell.
And also to reassure anyone who thinks looking around a plane wreck site sounds very macabre, no one died in the crash, so it’s not too morbid.
Other than having a look around the plane, you can see mountains in the far distance and the ocean ahead of you.
I enjoyed having a poke around, but for me it was definitely enhanced because we went for sunrise. Not only did we get beautiful light, but there was no one else there.
Visiting the Solheimasandur plane wreck in winter
Personally I think if you’re lucky enough to have a decent weather window during winter, then it’s the most special time to go.
We had a blanket of snow on the ground which really added to the atmosphere and made it feel more remote and wild somehow.
It is however, very, very cold if you go for sunrise, which is what we’d recommend. For us it was -7C, but with a wind chill that made it feel like -14C according to our app!
There is nowhere at all you can warm up, so you want to have good warm layers and preferably some hand and foot warmers - these were a game changer for us! You can get them from Amazon by clicking here.
You’ll be outside for a good two hours, if not more, depending on how long you spend at the site, so you definitely want to keep warm.
The downside to visiting in winter is that if you aren’t able to go first thing, then you’ll have to deal with the crowds. Although it’s busy in summer - many more people visit in summer than winter - you don’t have the long daylight hours to thin the crowds out. There’s no sauntering down under the midnight sun.
In winter the lack of daylight hours means everyone visits all the tourist spots within a small window of time.
We drove past the plane wreck car park around 8 times on our trip and it was always heaving during the daytime.
In terms of winter conditions, the most slippery part is just by the car park and around the sign detailing all the do’s and don’ts of visiting the plane wreck. After that it wasn’t too bad at all.
A little history on the plane wreck
The plane is a US Navy DC-3 which crashed in 1973 on route to Hofn Airport. I’ve read a few different theories as to what went wrong, one of which suggested the plane ran into difficulties during a storm, which was not uncommon in those times.
Another theory is that the plane ran out of fuel. Whilst I am not sure which is the true reason, it’s most important to know that every passenger on board the plane survived, which is pretty incredible really!
So is visiting the Solheimasandur Plane Wreck worth it?
I am going to assume that you’re probably not an aviation buff, in which case the answer would be a straightforward yes! Assuming that you’re coming to see the plane and take some cool photos - which is the reason almost everyone comes, then I am going to say it depends.
For me personally, I would not have enjoyed the experience if I were surrounded by dozens of people. I also don’t think the plane crash site looks very photogenic in dull grey light.
For these reasons I knew the key to enjoying the experience was to go at sunrise or sunset, without the crowds.
In winter, sunset isn’t an option as it sets so early so everyone is still out and about, but in summer you could go to the site very late and probably get it to yourself.
Overall I’d say that if you go early or late and get the whole site to yourself, it’s pretty incredible and very much worth it. In my opinion this experience is worth walking for, as you won’t be able to use the shuttle.
If you go with the crowds on a dull day, then I’d say it’s probably not worth it. Ditto if you are really keen to get a photo on top of the plane, which is now not possible.
So in essence, definitely go, but make sure you go at the right time of day!
Getting to the Plane Wreck Iceland
By car
The Solheimasandur plane wreck is located on Iceland’s south coast, just over two hours from Reykjavik and 20 minutes from Vik. It’s 10 minutes down the road from Skogafoss.
There’s a gravel car park which costs 750 ISK (approx USD $5.30) for cars, or 300 ISK for motorcycles. You can pay at the site using the bar code on the sign, or you can pay in advance at this website.
We did it online so we didn’t have to faff in the dark and it was easy, you just need to put in the date, your license plate number and credit card details.
The car park isn’t signposted from the road, but the listing on Google Maps is accurate, so pay close attention as you may miss it!
By tour
There are some day tours to the South Coast that include the Solheimasandur DC-3 plane wreck in their itinerary. This one on Get Your Guide also includes the Reynisfjara Black Beach, waterfalls and the nearby glacier.
Where to stay near Solheimasandur
The Garage Apartments
We stayed just over a 15 minute drive from the plane wreck car park, at the Garage Apartments. They were one of our favourite stays in Iceland, with a gorgeous mountain and waterfall backdrop. We stayed in a studio apartment, which is small but perfectly formed. There’s a little kitchenette with hob (but no oven) which was enough to make basic meals. They’re styled with a cosy and quirky deco, with lots of homely touches and even candles, which I loved. There’s also a shared hot tub.
The wifi works well, but there’s little phone signal. You’re also around 30km from the nearest supermarket and the surrounding restaurants are pricy, so it’s good to bring everything with you.
We loved our stay and thought they were a great deal in winter - we probably couldn’t afford to stay in peak season, so took advantage of it in off season!
You can check the prices and reviews on:
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