Eye Candy: One of Our Favourite Routes in the Icelandic Highlands
Updated: Aug 27
If there is one route in our entire riding inventory that proves why we believe the Icelandic Highlands are one of the most beautiful places on earth, it’s "Nammileiðin" or Eye Candy.
We named it that for a reason.
Every twist of the throttle brings something completely different, a change in terrain, a dramatic shift in colour, a new mountain, lava field or valley opening up in front of you. It can feel almost overwhelming. We’ve had customers tell us that the route is “almost too much to take in” because there is simply so much to see, and the landscape changes so dramatically from one turn to the next.
The riding itself is mostly moderate, with just a few technical sections along the way. That makes Eye Candy less about conquering difficult terrain and more about enjoying the incredible mountain roads, the landscape and the feeling of being completely immersed in the Highlands.
It’s also one of those routes that we never seem to get tired of riding. Even after doing it many times, we still find ourselves stopping to take photos, pointing things out to each other and thinking, how is this even real?
So, here’s a glimpse of what a day on the Eye Candy route with Arctic Trailblazers looks like.
Hekla - "Gateway to Hell"
We start the day carving through lava fields and black-sand plains towards the area around Mount Hekla, one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes. Over 20 eruptions have occurred in and around the volcano since the year 1210 and Cumulatively, the volcano has produced one of the largest volumes of lava of any in the world in the last millennium, around 8 km3
For riders who are up for it, we can take the bikes halfway up the volcano for an incredible view across the surrounding landscape. The climb can be challenging in places, with steep and eroded sections that require a little more concentration and confidence.
But once you reach the top, it is absolutely worth it.
From Hekla, we head towards Rauðaskál, a huge, vibrant red volcanic crater. Standing on the rim and looking across the surrounding highlands and lowlands is one of those moments that tends to stay with you long after the ride is over.
Lava Fields and Krakatindur
From there, the landscape starts changing again.
We navigate more technical tracks around Krakatindur, weaving through lava fields covered in an almost neon-green moss. The contrast between the black volcanic rock and the bright green moss is spectacular, and it is usually somewhere around here that we find ourselves stopping the bikes simply to take it all in.
Icelandic moss is incredibly fragile and can take decades to recover from damage, so we are extremely careful about where we ride. We never cut across moss-covered areas just for a better line or a photograph. Staying on the existing tracks is part of responsible riding in Iceland.
Glacial River Crossings & Lunch at Dalakofinn
Eventually, we roll into Dalakofinn, a remote mountain hut far from civilisation.
It’s the perfect place to kill the engines, have some lunch and recharge before heading into the second half of the ride.
After lunch, one of our first stops is a beautiful waterfall that, as far as we know, doesn't even have a proper name. Or it has many different names with different meaning to different people.
It’s a popular stop with our riders, partly because the waterfall itself is beautiful, but also because it is one of those little discoveries you only get when you are travelling through the Highlands with a local that knows it is there.
And then there are the rivers.
No true Icelandic enduro ride is complete without getting wet.
This route has numerous river crossings. Some are shallow and slow; others require you to pick your line carefully, keep your momentum and have confidence on the throttle.
And the crossings are never quite the same.
Weather, snowmelt and the time of year can change the water levels dramatically. There are days when we cross a river easily, only to return a week later and find that the same crossing has become deep enough that we need to get off and walk the bikes through.
So yes, expect wet feet.
We love it.
Geothermal Steam, Black Diamonds and an Ice Cavern
The afternoon takes us deeper into some of Iceland’s most fascinating geothermal landscapes.
We weave past bubbling hot springs and make our way towards Hrafntinnusker, where the landscape becomes almost otherworldly.
Here, the ground is scattered with black volcanic glass, obsidian (hrafntinna), creating what looks like thousands of tiny black diamonds across the landscape.
Obsidian forms when lava cools rapidly, preventing large crystals from developing. Riding through an area covered in this naturally occurring volcanic glass is something that is difficult to appreciate until you see it for yourself.
And then things get even more surreal.
Hidden along the route is a geothermal ice cave, formed beneath the ice by geothermal activity. Tiny thermal springs release heat and steam into the surrounding ice, creating a remarkable combination of fire and ice.
Standing inside (or safer, view from a distance) an ice cavern while knowing that the earth beneath you is heating the ice is one of those very Icelandic experiences that is difficult to put into words.
Pokahryggur
We then take the bikes up Pokahryggur, one of the highest trail passes in the area.
Once we reach the top, the views open up in every direction across the Fjallabak Nature Reserve. Endless mountain ranges stretch into the distance, with colourful rhyolite peaks creating layer after layer of colour.
This is usually the moment when the name Eye Candy makes perfect sense.
Even us, who have seen these mountains more times than we can count, still stop here and look around. It looks different every time..
And then, because apparently we haven't had enough scenery yet, we continue through more lava fields towards Krakatindur.
From this direction, the mountain shows a completely different side of itself, and it happens to be one of our favourite photo spots on the entire route.
It’s one of those places where we always stop.
Riders at Krakatindur
Heading Home
Eventually, we turn the bikes back towards the cars.
The engines are a little quieter. The bikes are a little dirtier. Boots are usually wet. And everyone is carrying a head full of images that will probably take a while to process. But it’s not only the head that is full. The heart is too.
There is that strange feeling you get after a day like this, tired in the best possible way, a little overwhelmed by everything you’ve seen, and incredibly grateful that you got to experience it.
For us, this is the part we love most. We get to ride these mountains again and again, but seeing someone experience the Highlands for the first time never gets old.
That’s what we love about Eye Candy. It isn’t just one spectacular viewpoint or one challenging section of trail. It’s the sheer variety of the day, black sand, red craters, green moss, lava fields, river crossings, geothermal steam, obsidian, ice caves, endless mountain views and great company.
And somehow, all of it happens on one ride.
That’s Eye Candy.
Eva & Óskar
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