🚁 Sandvatn & Braided River Outlet

🗺️ How to Get There:
From Route 35, north of Gullfoss, turn west onto Skáldjareiðarvegur, a remote highland track. This rough route leads into a surreal volcanic landscape, eventually reaching driving close to Sandvatn, where you can take one last small trail to the right to get closer to the rivers. The track includes two river crossings to reach this point and long stretches of loose gravel and sand. A 4×4 vehicle with high clearance is mandatory, and only experienced drivers should attempt this route.

Once you reach the shore of the river at the southern end of the lake, you’ll find an ideal drone launch area with a clear view over the braided glacial rivers that wind through the dark sand plain.

📅 Best Time of the Year to Visit:
Best from early July to early September, when the road is open and rivers are passable. Earlier, snowmelt can make crossings risky and road might be closed, later in the season, moss begins to appear, enhancing contrast. Avoid after heavy rain.

📸 Photography Tips:

Best time of day:
Midday to late afternoon gives optimal light for top-down drone shots, bright enough to separate river channels and show texture. Overcast skies work well for soft contrast.

Recommended gear:

• Drone is essential to capture the scale and complexity of the river system

• Extra batteries, flying time is precious out here

Composition ideas:

• Top-down compositions of braided water and dark sand for abstract aerials

• Oblique drone shots showing the lake merging into river fans

• Include the distant glacier or volcanic ridges for scale

• Frame the lake as negative space, surrounded by organic river curves