Solheimasandur Plane Wreck is the wreck of a military aircraft abandoned on the black glacial beach of Sólheimasandur. Although widely believed to be a DC-3, it is actually a C-117. Surrounded by a landscape often compared to the surface of the moon (flat surface and black sand), it looks very mysterious and even ominous.
History of the wreck
The wreck is the remains of a U.S. Navy plane that flew over the area in 1973. According to one version of events, the cause of the emergency landing was poor weather conditions and lack of fuel. Another says that the pilot switched to the wrong fuel tank and therefore had to make an emergency landing. Although no one was killed or severely injured as a result of the incident, the plane was so damaged that it was beyond repair and uneconomical to recover from the beach. Years later, the wreck has become a popular tourist attraction, but due to the high risk of glacial flooding, experts estimate that the wreck may soon be washed into the ocean.
Solheimasandur Plane Wreck – Tips and Practical Information
- The wreck can be touched, and you can also go inside. However, for safety reasons, it is not recommended to climb it, let alone skateboard over it, like Justin Bieber in the infamous video…
- Returning to the plane requires a slightly longer walk across Sólheimasandur beach. It’s a beautiful black beach, but the parking lot where you have to leave your car is just off Highway 1, and the wreck itself is as much as 4 km away. The whole trip, assuming approx. 30-40 minutes on site, will therefore take about 3 hours. Take this into account when choosing clothing for the walk and deciding, for example, about provisions and taking a flashlight.
- In high season, a special bus runs between the parking lot and the wreck every half hour or so. The price of a round-trip ticket is 2500 ISK ($21) per person (children 9-18 pay 50%, and children under 8 ride for free). Travel time is about 15 minutes. You can book a seat on the bus here: Plane Wreck Shuttle;
How to get to Solheimasandur Plane Wreck
To get to the Solheimasandur plane wreck you need to get to the special parking lot on Road 1 and continue on foot (or by bus – see above).
The parking lot is located about 25 km northwest of the town of Vik and about 10 km southeast of the Skogafoss waterfall, on the ocean side.
You can get to the parking lot on your own and then get on the shuttle bus (book your tickets here: Plane Wreck Shuttle) or you can get on one of the South Coast tours that include this spot:
