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Iceland

1,191 bytes added, 00:15, 30 August 2010
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Hitching from Reykjavik to Egilsstaðir, some 700 kilometers, is doable in a week or even less (down to two days) if you're in a hurry. Like anywhere, getting out of a major city ([[Reykjavík]]) is difficult (read up on the good spots in the [[Reykjavik]] article), but many people on Icelandic roads do drive long distances. People are nice, and Iceland is ridiculously safe, with the exception of some dogs and cows that like to chase hitchers. Getting to [[Hella]] is easy and can be done in less than a day, but the next leg/road from Hella to [[Höfn]] is more difficult to hitch, although with some patience you will get your ride, too.
The last leg, from Hofn to Egilsstadir, is the hardest route to hitch on Highway One (the highway that goes all around the Icelandic coast). For the rest of the route, there are generally five cars, or less, per hour. That does not mean it is hopeless to hitchhike on such roads: on the contrary, it is very often the fewer cars there are, more likely the drivers will not ignore a lone hitcher in the middle of nowhere. After Höfn, there are two ways to get to Egilsstaðir: you can hitch from Höfn until you get to the juncture between Highway 1 and a mountain route - this may be faster, but '''only doable with a 4x4''', and there is no way it is anywhere near as scenic as to continue along Highway 1 - the untouched nature between Höfn and Breiddalsvík is magnificent. From Breiddalsvík you take the road that goes through Breiddalur (a wide valley) and eventually gets you to Egilsstaðir.
 
== From [[Reykjavik]] to Landmannalaugar ==
[http://www.landmannalaugar.info/ Landmannalaugar] is a capming site and the start of the most popular hike in Iceland, Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, usually known as '''Laugavegur''' trail. Getting to Landmannalaugar demands driving some distance on a dirt road, passable only by 4x4 vehicles (an "F" road), so notice you can't just find random cars going there. However, due to it's immense popularity, it's possible to hitch there (at least in the summer), although patience is important, as always.
 
'''Important Note''': When coming from the Reykjavik area, do '''not''' be tempted to use the shorter route, which is going on Route 1, continuing until Route 26 to Landvegur, and taking that to the north until route F208 (?). This is a much longer dirt road going to Landmannalaugar, so much practically no drivers will choose it. Instead, get off Route 1 on Route 30, and continue north, until you meet with route F220 (?) heading south. This is the most popular route to get to Landmannalaugar, and you can get picked up. However, this might take a day or two, so be prepared to walk a long and boring dirt road if you're on a deadline.
== Cities ==
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