Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Overview

Welcome to a tour which will give you an introduction to Iceland, its volcanoes and history. A place, where most professional photographers go to – Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Snæfellsnes Peninsula is a place which was extremely volcanically active 15 to 7 million years ago. This extremely unique location with some of the most iconic places in the world will welcome you with majestic waterfalls, glacier, volcanoes and hot springs. Snæfellsnes is becoming the most filmed location in Iceland for Hollywood movies – such as Game of Thrones, Captain America, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Get ready for this exciting 10 hour unforgettable adventure to one of the most beautiful and legendary places in Iceland. A tour which is perfect for individuals who wish to explore our extremely beautiful  island in 1 full day.

What to expect:

• See seals in the wild
• Climb to the top of a volcano
• Explore 4000-year-old lava fields
• Visit Kirkjufell – the mountain from Game of Thrones
• Explore a volcanic black sand beach
• And so much more

Tour Description

On the morning of your tour, we will come and pick you up from your chosen bus stop or hotel in Reykjavík. We will then start our unforgettable adventure towards Snæfellsnes.

As we travel to the north, we will see mountains which were not previously there, however had been recently created – after hundreds of volcanoes erupted in the area. When lava cools down, it sometimes creates extremely spectacular things to nature.

Borgarnes

On the way to Snæfellsnes Peninsula, we will pass an extremely beautiful little town called Borgarnes. The journey to this place is absolutely phenomenal – we will drive through a fjord and loads of scenic mountains. Borgarnes was one of the first places Norwegian vikings settled when they arrived in Iceland.

We might make a short stop for some snacks, and continue the drive more to the north – getting extremely close to the Arctic Circle.

Ytri Tunga Beach and Seal Colony

Our first stop in Snæfellsnes will be a heavenly place for animal lovers – a place where the wild seals live. 

Ytri-Tunga is a sandy beach that has a little secret hidden away down by the sea, behind the farmhouses… a seal colony! Seals love to spend their time on the rocks of this beautiful beach. They are friendly and curious and will climb up on the rocks for you to spot them from a distance.

In the old days seals used to be killed for food or for fashion, however nowadays Icelanders see seals as a beautiful addition to the culture, and encourage visitors to come and visit them as well.

Búðir

Our next stop will be an old village located in the middle of huge lava fields – Búðir. In the old times the village used to be called Hraunhofn, which meant ‘“The Harbor of Lava” in Icelandic. 

Nowadays, in the once thriving town, the only standing building is a tiny wooden black church called Búðakirkja – better known as Black Church of Búdir.  Also a modern Hotel Búðir has been recently built.

Búdakirkja was built in 1703 and is considered to be the most beautiful church in Iceland.

The reason to build this church in the middle of a lava field is quite unique. Legends say that an elderly lady asked a man to hold an arrow and spin in circles until he felt dizzy. After many spins, he shot the arrow into the air. The location of where the arrow landed meant that the location of the church had been decided.

Arnarstapi Fishing Village

Our next stop is a small fishing village at the bottom of a mountain, with one of the most beautiful harbors in the country.  

This tiny fishing village has picturesque coastal cliffs which derived from glowing magma, hit by the wild waves of the Atlantic. Thousands of years later, erosion has formed beautiful stone arches and a remarkable marine geyser. 

We will visit the coastline as we share some extremely fascinating stories about Bárður, the half-man half-troll, and his stories in the area.

Afterwards we will stop at a beautiful Gatklettur, also known as “Hellnar Arch”. 

Gatklettur is a beautiful naturally formed stone arch. Gatklettur is a spectacular place for photographers, and videographers. 

Lóndrangar Basalt Cliffs

The Lóndrangar are a pair of gigantic (75-meter high) basalt pinnacles, which are remains from a volcanic crater from ten of thousands of years ago. They can be seen emerging over the entire southern coastline. In the area we might find a huge variety of seabirds, northern fulmars and Iceland’s beloved puffins.

Icelanders have been visiting this place ever since vikings settled in Iceland – roughly 1200 years ago. However farmers do not farm here, because Icelanders strongly believe that elves live in the area.

Djúpalónssandur

Our next stop will be Djúpalónssandur – one of the most photographed places in Snæfellsnes Peninsula. 

Get ready to step into a lava wonderland – where we will take an unforgettable hike through lava fields and huge lava formations. 

We will continue our beautiful hike towards a beach, covered with black volcanic sand and stones –  a place where for centuries Icelandic fishermen rowed out into the Atlantic Ocean to find food for their families. 

In 1948 a British fishing ship got stranded on the sand reefs of Djúpalónssandur. Five men perished while 14 were rescued by local rescue squads. The remains of the boat are still there, strewn across the entire beach,

From this beautiful place we will also be able to see the magnificent Snæfellsjökull glacier on the tip of the mountain.

Saxhóll Volcanic Crater

Our next stop – a volcano that changed tourism in Iceland.

Saxhóll – one of the most popular craters in Iceland – is very easy to reach, due to a recently-made iron staircase to the top of the crater (100 meters high) – an excellent attraction for those who do not want to hike too much. 

From the top of this 4,000 year old volcano, we will find ourselves with unforgettable views over the Atlantic Ocean,  a 360° view of lava fields and the magnificent Snæfellsjökull glacier looming over. 

Svörtuloft/Saxhólsbjarg

On the westernmost point of Snæfellsnes Peninsula, we will find a lighthouse and a four-kilometer long cliff, with spectacular views.

The dark black lava cliffs attract more and more photographers each year, from all over the world. Lava cliffs can even be found under the ocean, since it did not stop flowing until it reached the Atlantic Ocean during the last volcanic eruption. The volcanic lava eventually cooled down in the ocean, which ended up in creating spectacular formations.

The Svörtuloft cliff has also got a tall lighthouse, which was built in 1931. The lighthouses (160) along the coastline of Iceland were built to help the sailors understand where they were and avoid coming too close to the rocks. “Safety for the sailors”!

This area is also well known for puffins, which come to visit us during summer months.

Ólafsvík

We will then visit Ólafsvík, a small fishing town with a lot of great natural attractions. The most intriguing attraction is Bæjarfoss – which from Icelandic can be translated as “Town Falls” –  a majestic waterfall, which offers absolutely incredible views. 

Kirkjufell & Kirkjufellfoss Waterfall

To leave the best for last, we will stop at the most famous mountain in Iceland – Kirkjufell. This mountain is the well-known ‘Arrowhead Mountain” from Game of Thrones.

This iconic narrow mountain has become the landmark of Snæfellsnes in recent years. The erosive powers of the glaciers during the last ice age gave this mountain its shape (around 12,000 years ago), making it one of the most-recognised mountains in the world.

Due to this unique look, it is one of the most photographed sights in Iceland. Just across we will see the beautiful waterfall Kirkjufellsfoss which completes the perfect shot of the mountain. There are numerous vantage points for the perfect photograph.

Berserkjahraun Lava Field

Our last stop of this beautiful day will be the fascinating Berserkjahraun – a 4000-year-old lava field situated in the north of Snæfellsnes. There are 4 different volcanoes that erupted during the years, forming lava fields in any direction you look. And one of the eruptions even ended up creating a lake near the crater!

Our exciting day in Snæfellsnes will slowly be coming to an end, therefore we will slowly start heading back to Reykjavik. If we still have some time left, we might end up stopping at a few extra scenic places, however we’re glad we got the chance to share with you at least a little glimpse of our beautiful island, filled with majestic glaciers and volcanoes. 

• It is important to know that this itinerary might change due to weather or the guide. You will be given a full itinerary in the morning, once everyone gets on the minibus in Reykjavik. 
• If the weather is good and we’re ahead of schedule, it is likely that we will make a few more stops on the way.
• We will make a couple of stops on the way for snacks, groceries & toiletries. 

We wish you a beautiful journey, filled with tons of unforgettable memories!