Solheimasandur DC3 Plane Wreck: Worth it?

As I was researching things to see in Iceland, I came across the Solheimasandur DC3 Plane Wreck, and thought to myself, "Why is everyone visiting the site of a plane wreck? That's so morbid." Well, thankfully it turns out no-one died in the crash, so that's good. But what shocked me was how many mixed reviews I read online about the site. So I had to check it out for myself: Is it worth a visit?

The parking lot for the plane wreck is located off the side of the main road about 20 min from Vik and costs 750ISK (As of April 2023) to park. Unfortunately you can't see the plane from the road, but there is a shuttle that can take you to the plane wreck and back. However, that shuttle costs 3,000ISK, which is about $21USD... for a 10 min ride. I don't know if I'm just cheap, but no thanks. That is expensive. So we decided to trek through the snowy slush in the cold, windy weather to save a buck.

It is a boring, flat 2.5mile walk each way and takes about an hour and half, but I'm not gonna lie. It felt like a year. There is nothing to see and it's very windy due to no barriers. It is completely open. A few reflective sticks in the blanket of snow were the only reason we knew we were still on the path to the plane. I found myself thinking "are we there yet?" a few times as the shuttle kept wizzing right past. Might as well start singing "99 bottles of beer on the wall" as your face gets pounded by the freezing snow.

We finally saw the empty shell of the plane in the distance sitting on the plush white snow. While it had some graffiti on it, it still was in great condition.

There was no-one else nearby (probably cause they're sane and it was freezing) but it made it kind of eerie. We checked out the inside of the plane where you can see some of the original wiring, which I found interesting. It was also a shelter from the wind and snow for a slight second

(My sister in the plane)

We spend only about 10 minutes at the plane then we made the dreaded, freezing trek back.

So was it worth it?

I personally don't think it was. I think it is a skip. Maybe with better weather or if the Northern Lights were out and about, my opinion would be different, but it was a very long, dull walk for quick view. I think you can see everything from the images people post online.

Next up we headed to Reykjadalur Valley (now that's a must see!)