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Home/Countries/Iceland/Museums & culture/The Wilderness Center

The Wilderness Center

A farm at the end of a valley turned into a museum about the highlands, with beds in the same building.

Updated 30 August 2026

Typemuseum
WhereEastern Region
Nearest cityEgilsstadir about 60 km
Best seasonJune to September
Time to allowHalf a day
Getting thereRoad 933 then a gravel track to the head of Fljotsdalur; the last stretch is rough
EntryEntry fee; accommodation and meals extra

The Wilderness Center occupies a farm at the inner end of Fljotsdalur, where the valley stops and the highlands begin, and it was built by the family who own the place into a museum about exactly that boundary: how people crossed the interior, the routes and shelters, the mail carriers and drovers, the outlaws, and the search parties. The exhibition is dense with objects and reconstructions rather than screens. The same building holds a restaurant and rooms, including a shared sleeping loft built in the old style, so guests eat and sleep inside the museum. Horse riding and highland trips run from the farm in summer.

The main sights

  • A museum about crossing the interior - routes, shelters and the people who used them.
  • Objects rather than screens - reconstructions built into the farm.
  • Sleeping in the exhibition - rooms and a shared loft in the same building.
  • The edge of the highlands - the valley ends at the door.

When to go

June to September; access and services are limited outside that. Half a day.

Practical notes

The last kilometres are gravel and slow. It is far from anywhere and there is nothing else nearby, so it works better as a night than a stop. Rooms and meals must be booked. Winter opening is restricted.

Nearby

Skriduklaustur is down the valley; Snaefell is beyond the head of it.

What to pack for The Wilderness Center

Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.

  • Comfortable walking shoes - Sightseeing means kilometres of pavement and cobbles daily. Find on Amazon
  • A slim anti-theft daypack - Zips that close properly; keep it in front in crowds and on transit. Find on Amazon
  • A refillable water bottle - Many cities have public fountains; save money and plastic. Find on Amazon
  • A light layer + compact umbrella - For museum air-con and a sudden shower. Find on Amazon

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All packing kits

Plan your trip

Where to start if The Wilderness Center is going on the list.

Booking links on this page are affiliate links - if you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we write about a place.

Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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