Photo by Bakland Ferðaþjónustunnar

Recently, foreign tourists journeying around Iceland in small motorhomes widely began seeking shelter overnight in the Vaðlaheiði tunnel in Akureyri. “I think this is mainly because of the weather outside,” Valgeir Bergmann, managing director of the tunnel, told RÚV today of the unusual accomodation.

That said, Valgeir does not recommend sleeping in the tunnel. While the air in the tunnel is warm, he admits, it can actually be contaminated with car exhaust. “There is always good weather in Akureyri,” he said, urging tourists to find a safer place outside. “Just a question of where you are. But here in the tunnel, it’s always 20 degrees, warm and dry.”

Although there are few travellers in the country at the moment, the number of tourists utilising small motorhomes has increased dramatically recently, and these vehicles have increasingly been parking in the Vaðlaheiði tunnel overnight.

The tourists who stay overnight in the tunnel also tend to leave trash behind and dump their toilets in the tunnel. It goes without saying that officials recommend that people don’t do that.

C’mon, do we really have to tell you that?

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