Sprengisandur is a highland plateau in Iceland, defined roughly as the area between the Hofsjökull and Vatnajökull glaciers.
Nearby places:
Nýidalur
Hiking routes in the area:
Sprengisandur is an ancient pass – during the time of the Icelandic Free State (ca. 930–1265) it was one of the several important north-south routes that connected remote regions of the island to the Plains of the Parliament, Þingvellir, where the yearly parliament, Alþingi, was held each year at midsummer.
In the sagas of Icelanders it is often called simply Sandr “Sand” or Sandleið, “Sand trail”. At its southern end, it was joined with another such route, Fjallabaksvegur nyrðri, running west from Landmannalaugar mountain hot springs area.
Sprengisandur is only accessible during summer – like other parts of the inner desert, it is impassable in winter because of the snow, and in spring because of floods.