If you like scenery, cliffs with nesting birds, the picturesque harbors of cozy fishing villages, glaciers, and the ocean, then definitely, you are going to love the peninsula of Snaefellsnes.
The combination of breathtaking scenery, the glistening ice cap of volcano Snaefellsjokull, lava fields, waterfalls, volcanic features, and fishing villages, make Snaefellsnes, Iceland’s newest National Park, the most wonderful place to visit. Black sand and golden sand beaches are to be found there. Its varied landscape has given it the nickname of "Iceland in miniature".
The combination of breathtaking scenery, the glistening ice cap of volcano Snaefellsjokull, lava fields, waterfalls, volcanic features, and fishing villages, make Snaefellsnes, Iceland’s newest National Park, the most wonderful place to visit. Black sand and golden sand beaches are to be found there. Its varied landscape has given it the nickname of "Iceland in miniature".
We drive away from Reykjavik and head through the tunnel below Hvalfjordur continuing through the lovely town of Borgarnes. We will travel through Myrar, the place where the famous Viking and poet, Egill Skallagrimsson was raised before we reach Hnappadalur. We could stop to see Gerduberg, where an impressive wall of beautiful basalt columns forms geometric patterns in the cliffs. Stykkisholmur, a cozy little fishing town that was once a center for services, transportation, and trade, is an ideal place to visit next. Many of the period houses in this town have recently been renovated, giving the whole town a really charming look.
Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum is a popular place to visit next. Visitors are able to sample or buy shark and/or “hardfiskur”, the Icelandic dried fish which is very popular. Grundarfjordur, a village with nice views towards Kirkjufell, one of Iceland’s most iconic mountains is a good place to stop next. There are also two picturesque waterfalls, Grundarfoss and Kirkjufellsarfoss, which we could enjoy visiting nearby.
If you wish to visit the little fishing villages of Olafsvik, Rifand Hellisandur you could do so before we go to the most western part of Snaefellsnes, Ondverdarnes. Here we are very close to the famous glacier of Snaefellsjokull, immortalized in Jules Verne's fantasy tale Journey to the Centre of the Earth. The glacier of Snaefellsjokull is a stratovolcano that has been the source of some explosive lava eruptions in the past; its most recent eruption took place around 1750 years ago. If you wish we could walk very close to the glacier giving you the chance to admire many interesting craters and areas of lava.
The black sand beaches of Djupalonssandur and Dritvik are good places to explore next. Here the debris from two shipwrecks from some decades ago is still spread along the beach. These beaches are stunning and extremely interesting places to view with unusual cliff formations and black pebbles.
The sea stacks Londrangar are to be found by Malarrif. They are a lava neck, formed when magma on its way up through a vent on an active volcano hardened inside the vent. The tallest of the two is 75 m high. The cliffs by Malarrif are an awe-inspiring sight.
Journeying a little further along the coast we could visit the fishing villages of Hellnar and Arnarstapi, maybe enjoying a hike to explore the cliffs of this extraordinary shoreline with its plentiful birdlife. You could also visit Raudfeldsgja, an interesting-looking ravine nearby; it is possible to walk into this crack in the mountain wall which cleaves all the way down to the root of the mountain. The beach of Budasandur with its light, golden sand is nearby and from here there are fabulous views over Snaefellsjokull and the national park area. We could enjoy exploring this area and also stop at a mineral spring to take a drink of the natural, fresh, clean water before we head back to Reykjavik.
Some of the recreational activities you could request are horseback riding, a visit to a maritime museum, a hike through beautiful scenery to enjoy bathing in a geothermal natural warm pool, or a snowmobile tour. If you wish, it is also easy to include some extra hiking in this tour, perhaps exploring some of the many beautiful mountains located on the peninsula such as Helgafell, Kirkjufell, Stapafell, and Drapuhlidarfjall.A) Snaefellsnes Peninsula Tour
We could begin the tour by driving around Hvalfjordur, an interesting and peaceful fjord with some very nice views. If you wish to we could travel over a mountain pass known as "Dragi" to reach the hot spring area of Deildartunguhver, which has the highest flow of any hot spring in Europe. The water temperature here is 97 degrees and the flow rate is over 180 liters per second.
Next, we could drive to Reykholt, where Snorri Sturluson lived. He was a famous politician, poet, and author of the Edda Sagas and one of the most remarkable persons in Iceland's history. His work left records of the Old Norse language and medieval Icelandic mythology which are invaluable to modern-day scholars.
One of the absolute highlights of the west is the waterfall of Hraunfossar. The falls consist of a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 meters through a very porous lava field. Literally a stone's throw upstream from the Hraunfossar Falls we will find the waterfall of Barnafoss.
From here we could continue to the valley of Hnappadalur, passing the magnificent crater of Eldborg, where the peninsula of Snaefellsnes begins. The tour then continues in the same way as tour A) Snaefellsnes peninsula tour.
At Extreme Iceland we want to give you the opportunity to experience the places you want to see in a comfortable and enjoyable way. This tailor-made tour can be designed to allow you to make the most of your holiday in whatever way is just right for you.
If there is something on the way which you would like to take a better look at, or if you have any special wishes about something you wish to see, do not hesitate to ask your driver/guide to stop or to give you more information.
