My Time Capsule: Iceland: Snowmobile Adventure On Langjokull Glacier

10.8.14

Iceland: Snowmobile Adventure On Langjokull Glacier

Langjökull Glacier, July 2014

snowmobile

Probably snowmobile is the coolest vehicle I've ever driven so far. Well, riding an ostrich in South Africa was pretty cool too but of course it would sound odd if I said I've driven an ostrich, right? :p

Langjokull (Icelandic for "long glacier") is Iceland's second largest glacier and only about 30 minutes drive from Gullfoss waterfall, part of Golden Circle. Though last 15 minutes was rather a 'painful on the bum' ride since we had to pass the narrow gravel road. 


a long very bumpy ride in the middle of nowhere

the super jeep

rocky road before reaching the glacier

winter overall 

Upon arrival at the base camp, 2 helpful crew hand me a thick overall to keep me warm during the ride, including a pair of overshoes which I wore over my winter boots. Then the crew put on a balaclava - a headgear designed to expose only part of face (what occurred in my mind was: a head condom! well it's kinda look like that, lol) and last were helmet and gloves. Walking like an astronaut, I was all set and ready to go!

super truck!

I was supposed to ride a super jeep to reach the glacier but then a large group of Chinese tourist came so the crew decided to transport all the people using their super truck in one go. The BovMan, monster truck fleet! That's how the crew named it. A custom made hybrid of three cars; a MAN cargo truck, a tourist coach and the chassis of an 8×8 military truck. It has a unique ability to drive through rough terrain and in all sorts of road conditions. To me it looks quite similar to Ice Explorer in Canada.

snowmobile parking lot

From base camp to snowmobile parking lot, the super truck was passing through some very steep and rocky terrain. In some occasions, I held my breath because the road swooped down sharply surrounded by large rocks. It reminds me of moon landscape.

After a bumpy and shaky ride, I could not wait to jump out the truck and drive my snowmobile. But certainly not before got a briefing from the crew about safety and how to operate the machine. By the way, you will need to be at least 18 years old and have a valid driving license. Always drive in one line and keep a safety distance between other snowmobiles. It is totally prohibited to drive side by side, overtake other machines, or make unnecessary curving or speeding up. Or taking pictures while driving (I broke this rule. I did take one or three pictures sneakily. Sorry, I couldn't resist it :p)


and the adventure begin. woohoo!

Accelerator/gas on my right thumb and brake on my left hand. Okay, it's easy! or so I thought.
It was actually quite hard to steer specially because the surface was uneven with many holes on it. Some parts of the glacier were melting too, so it's a bit tricky to drive through the streams. I basically had to move my whole upper body for steering to the right or left. It took a while to get used to it and my face started smiling and grinning like weirdos with excitement. The scenery along the route was simply so sooo breathtaking.

it's photo time :D

a very happy face of mine :D

what an incredible view

We drove until reaching one point where all I could see in any directions was the glacier with volcanoes in a far distance. The volume of Langjokull glacier is 195 km³ and the ice is up to 580 m thick. So spectacular, it almost made me cry. Everyone were asked to park their snowmobile in a row and given plenty time for taking pictures. It would have been perfect during winter with some snow to play a snowball fight though.



complete gear including winter overall, balaclava, helmet, boots and gloves

some helpful crews starting the engine

heading back to the base camp

snowmobile in Langjokull glacier

Obviously time flies when you're having fun. I was feeling gutted when the crew told me it was already time to drive back to the base camp. I had a tremendous time and I would not mind to spend another € 200 in order to experience this again. While it may sound expensive, I still think it's worth every single penny. To me an unforgettable experience is priceless thus I think it's okay to splurge once in a while. I don't want to travel half the globe and regret it later for not doing anything I would love to :)


FREEBIES !!!





3 winners will get a package of chocolate, keyring, bookmark and postcard from Iceland.

Only 3 easy steps to join:
1. Make sure you have followed my instagram @debbzie_leksono or twitter @twitdebbzie
2. Tweet this sentence >>> #giveaway chocolate, keyring, bookmark & postcard from Iceland. Join on www.debbzie.com! cc: @twitdebbzie
3. Don't forget to leave your email address and twitter on the comment box below.

Closing date: 22 August 2014 (closed)
Winners: @Nugisuke @kandi_chan @dinarfm_


63 comments:

  1. Meeee first :D

    Aihh aihhhhhh aku mau naik snowmobile nyoooh, kamu kmrn nemunya midnight sun yah? *aku pengen liat auroraaa* *semoga bisyaa ke sini*

    @geretkoper
    Geretkoper(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ayoooo, ajak aku balik ke Iceland buat liat aurora. Kemarin aku kirim kartu pos buat kamu lho dari Iceland. Let me know ya kalo udah nyampe :)

      Delete
    2. huwaaa pastii kartuposnya dinginnn *can't wait*

      thank you cideb :* :*

      Delete
  2. Eh busyet .... Kayak di pilem2, jadi ngebayangin james bond kejar2an ;-)

    Kece badai kak ... Eh nyobain yg pake ditarik sama husky ??? Ada ngak kak ??? Hehe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dog sledding dulu di Alaska udah pernah. Di Greenland juga jadi transportasi utama kalo pas winter. Kemarin aku kesana pas summer, jadi husky2nya lagi liburan :p

      Delete
  3. Wow, I would love to ride a snowmobile! Looks like you had a really great day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes, Catherine. I had an amazing day and lots of fun :)

      Delete
  4. Anonymous11/8/14 06:30

    Wahhh serunya.. Saya Belum bisa bayangin naik snowmobile. Gimana cara operasiny... Kayak motor kah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hampir sama kaya motor matic gitu, tapi agak berat kalo mau belokin.....badan bagian atas mesti ikut gerak juga. Jadi berasa kaya fitness, hihihi

      Delete
  5. bener2 memacu adrenalin tapi yg bikin penasaran auroranya... pengen banget lihat keajaiban alam itu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aku juga pengen liat aurora. kemarin pas summer perginya, jadi dapet midnight sun doank :)

      Delete
  6. Only one word "ENVY"

    @_yudhi
    u_dee5@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bener-bener keren. Nggak tiap orang bisa mewujudkannya. And you did it. Its wow !
    @woounix
    Zyoenxia@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. looks like sooo much fun!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jadi inget film nya The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ka debz, beneran kereeeen !!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. mau dong dibonceng :p
    @agungkristiono
    agung_real@yahoo.co.id

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey, that sounds very expensive but also great fun. I dare considering how hard the steering is it was quite a physical experience? I also love the BovMan, what a fantastic piece of engineering.

    I've tweeted as well:-

    @TheGuyWhoFlies

    To avoid being overloaded with spam bots I'd rather not leave my e-mail visible in the comments if that is okay? You can contact me via Twitter or my webpage.

    All the best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, thanks for stopping by :)
      Yes, it was kinda hard in the beginning then became easier

      Delete
  12. Aku nggak yakin bisa tahan sama udara super dingin itu. Aku butuh kamu *eh* *malahgombal*

    @Nugisuke / teguh.n

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pas itu ga terlalu dingin soalnya lagi musim panas *sodorin selimut* hihihi :p

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14/8/14 12:01

      Ini email ku ya, kak. Entah kenapa komentar pake hape lemot dan error gitu: teguh.nugroho8@gmail.com

      Delete
  13. Iceland!!😍😍 someday i will see you emailku : stephaniehartono90@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dewdewdewz14/8/14 21:49

    Bagus bangett..semoga suatu hari bisa kesana :P
    clinqie@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ngencesss selalu kalo liat liburan di tempat dingin2..apalagi snowmobile ituuu..

    @juniawanarif
    jun[dot]juniawan[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aku hobby emang liburan ke tempat dingin, hihihi

      Delete
  16. Islandia itu memang gak banyak orang yang tau, aku aja tau nya gara-gara fanatik sama sepakbola. Selalu suka sama negara-negara di dunia ya gara-gara sepakbola. Bersyukur banget sepakbola bisa buat aku kenal sama pengetahuan negara-negara di dunia. Meskipun sepakbola di Islandia terbilang biasa saja, tapi ternyata alam di Islandia bagus banget terutama dengan adanya Aurora. Envy maksimal!

    @albertusardika
    albertusardika@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yup, Islandia memang cantik dan unik alamnya. Sayang kemarin aku ga bisa liat aurora soalnya pas lagi summer. Well, berarti harus balik sana lagi next time! :D

      Delete
  17. Yay, thank you so much for this giveaway! You must have had a very
    enjoyable trip in Iceland. I wonder how you manage that cold climate!!

    I'm @joelleintheword in twitter.
    firejoule-jam@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a polar bear so naturally I love cold climate :p

      Delete
  18. Anonymous15/8/14 21:41

    wow, freeaking freezing climates!!!
    btw, di iceland sempet nyicipin king crab juga gak ???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. King crab dulu nyicipin pas di Alaska. Kemarin di Iceland makan lobster soup yang enakkkk banget :D

      Delete
  19. Anonymous16/8/14 15:01

    Deb, buka kios es krim di sana laku nggak ya? Kan es nya gratis nggak habis-habis #yakale ^_^
    Trip kali ini kesampaian lihat aurora di sana, Deb? Ahh next time aku mo nyempil di kopermu aja biar bisa ikut sampe sana hahaha

    @halim_san - halimsantoso84@gmail.com ^^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aurora nya ga nongol kalo summer, Lim. Next time mau kesana pas winter aja, khusus hunting aurora, hihihi

      Delete
  20. Wow girl! What a great experience! I've never been to Iceland but it's been on my bucket list. People say it's super freezing, but who cares if you can go for a ride!! :)!! You're such a badass!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was pretty warm in summer with some drizzle. But it didn't stop me to ride this snowmobile. It was so fun, Agness. I really hope you will experience it soon :D

      Delete
  21. Pas naik snow mobile itu ketemu beruang lg selonjoran gak kak? Hufvt why you always makes me envy sih. Oh ya ka debi nyoba naik kereta yg ditarik husky gak? Pengin deh foto selfie sama mereka sambil berbaring di salju :')

    @NintyaSR
    nintya.ramadhini@gmail.com ☺

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ga ketemu polar bear, huhuhu. Mesti balik lagi emang. Kemarin husky lagi libur soalnya summer. Kalo dateng pas winter, puas dog sled pastinya :D

      Delete
  22. Baca ini aku jd inget Winter X-Games yg suka kutonton hehehe. Dan aku jg setuju bgt kl lg jalan2, terutama yg jauh, gpp agak splurging kl demi pengalaman. Toh kapan lg kita ke sana?hehe aku ikut giveaway-nya yaa Ci Deb:))
    twitter: @___rubyslippers
    email: violin0393@yahoo.co.id

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. abis splurging marilah kita isi celengan ayam lagi, hihihi >.<

      Delete
  23. Anonymous20/8/14 17:07

    Amazing, kak debz.. I hope someday i will go to iceland too. But i'm afraid of that snow mobile, is it safe? Mau jatuh enggak kak rasanya?

    Twitter: (at)SuseliaSu
    Email: suselia_soe(at)yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's pretty safe kok. Aku ga bisa mengendarai motor tapi bisa nyetir snowmobile, hihihi

      Delete
  24. kirain semua area iceland itu bersalju semua kak, ternyata ada juga yang keliatan tanah gitu :D btw, aku ketinggalan ikut giveaway nih -,-"

    ReplyDelete
  25. justru iceland itu lebih banyak ijonya daripada es. kalo greenland lebih banyak es daripada ijo. namanya menyesatkan ya, hihihi. giveaway masih 2 hari lagi tuhhh :D

    ReplyDelete
  26. Eeemmm... Itu snowmobile nya bisa buat boncengan ya kak? Romantis kali yak klo berdua boncengan naek snowmobile di iceland sama pasangan :D *halaaah... malah berimajinasi*
    @ratriic
    ratrindra@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. bisa dong buat boncengan ama pasangan trus lost in glacier gitu. kewl! :D

      Delete
    2. Aaaw aaaw aaw.... Gpp deh lost in glacier asal bersama yg dicinta, hahaha... *kemudian cari pasangan dulu* >_<

      Delete
    3. guys....kode nihhh *kaburrr* :p

      Delete
    4. Hihihi... Kak Debz...!!!
      *ikut kabuuur*

      Delete
  27. Would love to go here someday!

    Kandi @kandi_chan
    Kandi.s.wulan[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  28. awww asiikk banget kak deb.. kecenya pecyahh ..
    doakan saya bisa menyusul suatu hari nanti, ^^

    @debby_nadia
    debbynadiap@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. amin...amin...aminnnn. semoga bisa kesini juga ya :)

      Delete
  29. Everyday survival is an awesome reward.
    Beruntung sekali mengendarai itu. Apalagi seorang perempuan..
    Pengalaman Langjokull sungguh memberi inspirasi akan sebuah keberanian..
    Jarang-jarang perempuan lho maen ginian.. Sungguh hebat dirimu Ms.Debby.

    Salam ransel,
    DinarFM
    @dinarfm_
    dinarfitra29@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Makasih, Dinar. Benernya snowmobile masih terhitung safe kok, apalagi ada crew yg memantau.
      I'm so lucky to experience it :D

      Delete

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