Sheep in Iceland: The Furry Traffic You Didn’t Expect on Your Road Trip
You probably came to Iceland for glaciers, volcanoes, and maaaybe a puffin or two.
Bet you didn’t plan on negotiating road rules with an Icelandic sheep.
Spoiler alert: they don’t care about your itinerary. They go where they want, when they want, and sometimes they bring friends. Lots of them.
Here’s everything you need to know about driving in a country where the most chaotic traffic jams are wool-covered and vaguely passive-aggressive.
Why Are There So Many Sheep in Iceland Anyway?
Before we dive into the fluffy traffic jam that is your Iceland road trip, let’s address the woolly elephant in the room: why are there so many sheep in Iceland?
The short answer is: because they basically run the place.
With over 800,000 sheep and only around 380,000 humans, you’re statistically more likely to encounter a sheep than a person while driving around the countryside.
And trust us, the sheep don’t care that you’ve got a schedule, a tight itinerary, or somewhere “important” to be. They’ve got places to nap, roads to block, and zero sense of urgency.
Icelandic sheep aren’t fenced in for most of the year. In spring, they’re released into the wild to roam freely across valleys, hills, lava fields, gravel roads, (and, yes, right onto the Ring Road!).
They live their best lives until autumn, when local farmers literally head into the mountains to round them up in an epic tradition called réttir.
In the meantime? The sheep go wherever they want, whenever they want, and often travel in little gangs like they’re starring in their own wool-covered western.
So no, it’s not just you.
Everyone who’s done a road trip in Iceland has been ambushed by a slow-moving sheep family that thinks the middle of the road is a great place for a picnic.
And honestly, they're not wrong.
Yes, They Walk on Roads. Often. Slowly. In Groups.
If you thought Iceland’s biggest traffic threat was a snowstorm or a volcano casually waking up, think again.
The real menace to your perfectly timed campervan adventure? Sheep. Unbothered, slightly smug, and absolutely convinced that Icelandic roads were built just for them.
You’ll see them everywhere. On paved roads, on gravel tracks, lounging in the middle of one-lane bridges, or blocking mountain passes like furry little toll booths.
Sometimes it’s just one loner sheep who looks like he lost a bet. Other times, it’s a full squad: moms, lambs, and the occasional angry uncle, all strutting down the center line like they own the place (because, let’s be honest, they kinda do).
And here’s the kicker: honking doesn’t work. Speeding up is a terrible idea. Yelling “shoo!” out the window? Hilarious, but also completely ineffective.
The best you can do is slow down, wait, and maybe take a picture while they give you a blank stare that says “you’ll move when we’re done.”
This is not just a cute detour: it’s a part of the driving in Iceland experience. Especially in summer, when sheep traffic peaks and no road, no matter how remote, is safe from a surprise wool ambush.
So relax, enjoy the show, and remember: you’re the guest here.
What Happens If You Hit a Sheep? (Don’t.)
Okay, let’s get serious for a second.
Because while most sheep-on-the-road moments are just another quirky Icelandic inconvenience, hitting a sheep is a big deal.
It’s not just a “whoops” followed by a few tears and a fuzzy guilt trip. In Iceland, if you hit a sheep while driving, you’re legally required to report it.
No ghosting. No pretending it was a snowdrift in disguise. You need to stop, find the nearest farmhouse (or call 112 if you're in the middle of nowhere), and let someone know what happened.
Why? Because sheep aren’t just part of the landscape: they’re someone’s livelihood.
Icelandic farmers take great care of their animals, and when one of them gets turned into a wooly speed bump, there are consequences. Sometimes financial ones.
You could be liable for the damage, especially if it turns out you were going too fast or not paying attention.
And yes, this applies even if the sheep ran in front of you like it was in a Fast & Furious remake.
The rule of thumb when driving in Iceland is simple: expect sheep at every curve, every blind hill, every random corner of your road trip route. Especially when you're exploring remote areas or driving through the countryside in your cozy little campervan.
So please: keep your eyes open, your speed reasonable, and your brakes sharp. Iceland’s roads are full of surprises, but accidentally joining a réttir with your front bumper shouldn’t be one of them.
How to Drive Around Sheep Like a Local
Driving around Iceland isn’t a race: it’s a scenic cruise with occasional wool-based delays.
And trust us, the locals know exactly how to handle it. They don’t panic, they don’t honk, and they definitely don’t try to “nudge” the sheep with their bumper.
So if you want to blend in with the pros (and avoid a reputation as that tourist), here’s how to navigate the fuzz.
First rule: slow down. Always. Especially when you’re going over hills, rounding curves, or driving through areas with no fences in sight. You never know when a fluffy face is going to appear in the middle of the road, dead center, making strong eye contact and zero effort to move.
Second: don’t honk. It might work on city pigeons, but Icelandic sheep are built different. Honking usually results in two things: either they freeze like deer in headlights or sprint directly into the road, bringing drama and chaos with them.
Third: be patient. If a sheep decides to stand in front of your van and contemplate the meaning of life, let them. You’re on a campervan trip in Iceland, not a Formula 1 track. Take a photo, name the sheep (we recommend Guðmundur), and wait it out.
Locals know that driving in rural Iceland is about flow, not force. It’s a dance between you, the road, and whatever creature decides to cross it.
And once you embrace that rhythm, your road trip gets a lot more peaceful, and way more memorable.
What Makes Icelandic Sheep So... Special?
You might think a sheep is a sheep, but in Iceland, they’re a whole different breed. Literally.
Icelandic sheep are tough, independent, weirdly confident, and basically built to survive whatever chaos the island throws at them.
Arctic storms? Bring it. Volcanic ash? Meh. Tourists in rental campers? Mildly annoying.
They’ve been here for over 1,000 years, descended from hardy Viking stock (yes, even the sheep are Viking descendants, deal with it), and are known for their dual coats, stubby legs, and big opinions about where they should and shouldn’t stand.
They’re not just cute background characters. These sheep have main character energy.
And, as we said, they’re not fenced in for most of the year. That means from late spring to early autumn, they roam completely free, across mountains, valleys, and, yes, the middle of the Ring Road.
Sometimes you'll see lambs running full speed across a field with no warning, sometimes you’ll spot three sheep on a cliff edge looking down on your van like they’re judging your Spotify playlist.
So yes, driving in Iceland means dealing with sheep. But it also means witnessing one of the quirkiest, most iconic parts of Icelandic culture, on four hooves.
Van Life with Sheep: A Love/Hate Story
At some point on your Iceland road trip, probably somewhere between a glacier and an unpronounceable fjord, you’ll pull over to make coffee, open your campervan door… and find a sheep staring back at you.
No explanation. No apology. Just vibes.
That’s life on the road in Iceland. You’ll curse them when they block traffic. You’ll laugh when they pop up in your campsite like wool-covered paparazzi.
And when it’s all over, you’ll kind of miss them.
And, if you’re going to live all of this, you better do it with KuKu Campers.
We give you unlimited kilometers, because Iceland is bigger than you think (and sheep have no sense of distance).
We include extra drivers, so you can take turns watching the road and the livestock. Our support team is there from 8 to 18, and if things go truly sideways, our roadside assistance runs till 20, just in case a lamb decides to chew through your charging cable.
Our vans come with a ton of extras you can rent to make your journey more comfortable: blankets, Wi-Fi, tables, chairs, you name it.
And of course, they’re not just vans. They’re loud, graffiti-covered, personality-packed beasts of freedom. You won’t blend in, and that’s exactly the point.
So if you're ready to embrace the chaos, dodge some sheep, and laugh your way around Iceland, you know what to do.
Book your KuKu campervan now, and let the flocking begin.