Before you can enjoy the mild microclimate and the birch forests of Þórsmörk you have to ford at least one really serious river. The first and unavoidable obstacle is Steinholtsá, a glacial river coming from Eyjafjallajökull (see PiP). There have been fatal accidents because unprepared tourists tried crossing with small 4x4. When we got there, 2 big 4x4 were waiting and only followed after they had watched our bus successfully manage it. Kudos to our experienced and calm driver!

This video mainly shows how not to cross (ignore the promotional bits), it's quite fun to watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2y4Co9Mb_U