A tour company offering package tours in Iceland posted, and later deleted, a promo video that features what may be offroad driving at Rauðaskál crater. Offroad driving is illegal in Iceland. Further, information from the Icelandic Tourist Board shows that the company in question, Morii Tours, has neither applied for nor been granted a license to operate in Iceland. Stundin was first to report on the matter.
The video in question bears the text “we found an unknown spot in Iceland”, but the setting is Rauðaskál, a crater and a very popular site for locals and tourists alike near Iceland’s best known volcano, Hekla. The video shows the vehicle parked on the ridge of the crater.
Daníel Freyr Jónsson, a special at the Environment Agency of Iceland, told reporters that it was clear that offroading was involved in the making of the video, and they had received reports about the video over the weekend.
Stundin later contacted the Icelandic Tourist Board about the company. According to the Board, this company has neither applied for nor received a license to operate in Iceland. Having such a license is required for offering package tours, as Morii does. Such an application must be submitted at least two months in advance of commencing operations, but Morii is offering a package tour for this month.
According to Morii’s website (archived here as the site was 502ing at the time of this writing), they are offering a 7-day package tour for $6,000 USD per person. The group place great emphasis on reaching “unknown” and “secret” parts of Iceland, and disclose no place names of the sites they will take prospective tourists to. While the site links to an Instagram account, this account appears to be deleted, and their Twitter presence is minimal.
For those planning on visiting Iceland, finding a reputable tour company can be a daunting experience. Fortunately, the Icelandic Tourist Board has a list of verified and trusted tourism companies that you can choose from, both before and during your stay in Iceland.
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