This part of the interior, the so-called Sprengisandur route, is the longest stretch between the South and the North and is passable by 4wd vehicles during summer. It is mostly very desolate and barren. Only where there is water, sparse vegetation can be found. In earlier times, when people were more superstitious than they are nowadays and believed in ghosts, giants, elves and outlaws, the few who dared use this route rode as fast as possible through and sometimes exhausted their horses. The word for to exhaust in Icelandic is "sprengja", hence the name of the area. The present route lies further east than the original one and the distance between the last farm in the South and the first one in the North is approximately 250 km. The obstacles enroute are rivers, which have to be forded. They swell when it is warm, the glacial meltwater increases and when it also rains they become dangerous. The scenic beauty makes this route unforgettable.

Hiking. This part of the Interior offers a great variety of possibilities for short or long hikes. In most cases it depends on the individual traveller to decide which hillock or mountain is the best vantage point, or how far to go into the wilderness. Long hikes require good planning, preparations, and physical fitness. The psychology has to be considered as well. Sometimes the vast, barren landscapes, and the solitude overwhelme hikers, who are travelling alone and do not meet a soul for days on end.